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Office of the City Auditor.

Service Area Summaries > Office of the City Auditor > Office of the City Auditor. -- 18 pages · pp. 581-598 ↗

Intro (~1,625 tokens, spilled to sibling files): pp. 581-584 · PDF ↗

Contents

Section PDF pages Description
[doc] Administration & Support. . . . . . . . . pp. 585-586 ↗ The Administration & Support division of the Office of the City Auditor provides executive and administrative support including legal services, procurement, HR, and citywide contract review. The FY 2026-27 budget totals $3.51M in revenues and expenses, with $2.13M in personnel costs. The budget eliminates one Administrative Specialist II position and reduces external materials and services funding, limiting outreach and equity training capacity.
[doc] Archives & Records Management pp. 587-588 ↗ Archives & Records Management ensures open and accountable government through records policies, training, managing the Portland Archives & Records Center (PARC), and administering the city's electronic records management system. The FY 2026-27 proposed budget is $3,591,201, primarily funded through General Fund internal revenues, with increased personnel and internal materials and services spending offset by a $55,000 reduction in external materials and services.
[doc] Audit Services pp. 589-590 ↗ The Audit Services Division conducts performance audits and manages the City's financial audit and Fraud Hotline. The FY 2026-27 budget totals $2,570,431 in program expenses, with personnel costs of $1,963,769. However, the budget eliminates one Performance Auditor II position, reducing audit capacity. In 2024, the implementation rate of audit recommendations was 49%, below the peer average of 64%.
[doc] Council Clerk & Contracts pp. 591-592 ↗ The Council Clerk Division administers City Council business, maintains Portland Policy Documents, and preserves the City Charter and Code. Transitioning from program to division status in FY 2024-25, the Division's responsibilities expanded due to Council growth from five to twelve members and creation of eight committees, more than doubling annual full Council meetings. The Division prioritizes compliance with state and City laws, public access to decisions, accurate meeting minutes, and public engagement. Two new committee clerk positions were approved in FY 2025-26 to manage substantially increased administrative workload.
[doc] Elections. pp. 593-594 ↗ The Elections Division administers municipal elections in partnership with Multnomah County and State of Oregon, managing ballot certification, campaign finance oversight, and voter education. The FY 2026-27 budget is $1.6M in internal revenues with five FTE staff. The division was elevated to divisional status in FY 2024-25 and is pursuing U.S. Alliance for Elections Excellence certification. A $40K reduction in voter education spending is planned, to be mitigated through county partnership leverage.
[doc] Hearings Office pp. 595-596 ↗ The Hearings Office, operating within the City Auditor's office, conducts impartial adjudication of City Code violations, land use cases, and administrative appeals including vehicle tows. The 2026-27 proposed budget is $1,274,353, with all revenues internal to the General Fund. Personnel costs comprise the largest expense category at $874,433. The office reinforces impartiality and accountability while serving the public without charging fees. It offers remote hearing participation and electronic case management to increase accessibility. After the previous City Auditor withdrew support in 2020 due to inadequate funding, the current Auditor agreed to resume oversight effective July 1, 2024, once proper budget allocation was ensured.
[doc] Ombudsman Office pp. 597-598 ↗ The Ombudsman Office is an independent advocate for fair City government that investigates complaints and systemic issues. The office received approximately 650 jurisdictional complaints in 2025 and uses data-driven approaches to assess equity impacts. The 2026-27 proposed budget is $694,794, with personnel costs of $637,902 as the largest expense.

See also