Item - 2019.AU1.6

The Audit Committee:

1.  Approved the Auditor General's Office 2019 Operating Budget, attached to the report (January 21, 2019) from the Auditor General.

2.  Directed that the Auditor General's Office 2019 Operating Budget be forwarded to the Executive Committee for its meeting on March 4, 2019 for consideration with the Budget Committee recommendations for the 2019 annual budget of the City of Toronto.

The Audit Committee considered the following Items together:

- AU1.6, headed "Auditor General's Office 2019 Operating Budget"

- AU1.7, headed "Auditor General's Office 2019 Work Plan".

The following City staff gave a presentation to the Audit Committee on these Items:

- Beverly Romeo-Beehler, Auditor General

- Ina Chan, Assistant Auditor General.

This report transmits to the Audit Committee the 2019 Operating Budget request for the Auditor General's Office.

Chapter 3 of the Toronto Municipal Code states that "The Auditor General shall submit his or her annual budget request to the Audit Committee for consideration and recommendation to Council".

In normal circumstances, the budget of the Auditor General’s Office would be considered by the Audit Committee in October, prior to its submission to the Budget Committee. Due to the election and the compressed budget process time frame, this was not possible. Therefore, the Auditor General's Office 2019 Operating Budget was submitted for consideration by the Budget Committee at its meeting on February 4 and 6, 2019.

The Audit Committee will consider the Auditor General's report and 2019 Operating Budget request at its meeting on February 22, 2019. The Audit Committee will submit its recommendation regarding the Auditor General's 2019 Operating Budget to Council through Executive Committee at its meeting on March 4, 2019, so that the recommendations from both the Budget Committee and the Audit Committee are before the Executive Committee at the same time.

This approach is consistent with the past practice taken following the 2014 election. The current Budget Chief and the former Chair of the Audit Committee have been updated on the approach being taken this year.