KC Auditor’s Office Makes Recommendations On Appointment Processes To Fill City Boards

From the City of Kansas City:

October 21, 2020

The City Auditor’s Office released an audit assessing whether city board and commission appointments are current. Kansas City has about 100 boards that fulfill a variety of functions for the city. The Mayor, sometimes with Council approval, makes most board appointments. The City Clerk’s Office has a central role in the appointment and reappointment process; administering oaths to board members as well as maintaining board appointment records.

The audit concluded the number of board vacancies and expired terms is over 50 percent and the Clerk’s Office has not designed a process for administering and tracking appointments of board members that helps appointing officials fill board seats. Without effective processes: the Clerk’s Office website displayed inaccurate board information; vacant and expired terms were not tracked and reported to appointing authorities; appointments were inconsistently communicated to the Clerk’s Office; board seats went unfilled; and current and past mayoral administrations developed their own processes to help them make appointments.

The audit also concluded the Clerk’s Office did not perform some required duties related to board appointments. The Clerk did not swear-in two sets of appointees after requests from board staff or appointees. The Clerk did not retain records of oaths and appointments for boards as required by city code and state records retention rules. The audit includes recommendations to design and implement a process that addresses board application, appointing, and commissioning; management and accuracy of board data; and retention of board documentation. Management agreed with the recommendations.

View the full report or highlights on our Recent Reports page.

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This press release was produced by the City of Kansas City. The views expressed here are the author’s own.