The County Council shall annually cause to be made a financial audit of all offices, departments, institutions, boards, commissions and other agencies of the County government, by an independent firm of certified public accountants whose members are licensed for the practice of their profession under the laws of this State. The completed audit shall be submitted to the County Council and to the County Executive and copies shall be made available to the public and the press no later than six months after the close of the fiscal year of the audit. All records of the County Auditor and all records and files pertaining to the receipt and expenditure of County funds by all officers, agents and employees of the County, and all offices, departments, institutions, boards, corporations, courts, commissions and other agencies thereof shall be open to the inspection of the accountants conducting the audit. The County Council shall have the power to implement the provisions of this section by ordinance not inconsistent herewith, and to require such additional independent audits as it shall deem necessary. The designated firm of certified public accountants and any of its members shall have no personal or financial interest, direct or indirect, in the fiscal affairs of the County, or any of its departments, offices or agencies. The Council may in its discretion except from this audit those agencies whose entire records, accounts and affairs are completely audited each year by the State government or by an independent Certified Public Accountant and those special taxing districts which are required by State law or County law to have independent audits performed on a periodic basis.
(Bill No. 73-82; Res. No. 38-12)
Editor's note – The 2012 amendment replaced the requirement for a quadrennial audit with the requirement that an annual financial audit be performed by an independent firm of certified public accountants, and excluded from the annual financial audit requirement an audit of those special taxing districts that are required by State or County law to have independent audits performed on a periodic basis.