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(1) Receive a Report on the Status of the Fraud, Waste and Abuse of City Resources Hotline; and (2) Provide Feedback to Staff, If Deemed Appropriate
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(1) Receive a Report on the Status of the Fraud, Waste and Abuse of City Resources Hotline; and (2) Provide Feedback to Staff, If Deemed Appropriate
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Meeting Date: September 10, 2025
Contact Person/Dept: Punit Chokshi/Finance Department
Phone Number: (310) 253-6033
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [] Attachments: [X]
Public Notification: (Email) Meetings and Agendas - Finance Advisory Committee (09/04/2025)
Departmental Approval: Lisa Soghor, Chief Financial Officer (09/04/2025)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Finance Advisory Committee (FAC) (1) receive a report on the status of the Fraud, Waste and Abuse of City Resources Hotline and (2) provide feedback to staff, if deemed appropriate.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The City of Culver City launched the Fraud, Waste, and Abuse (FWA) of City Resources hotline in November 2019 in response to recommendations from the City's internal auditing firm and requests from residents. The hotline offers City employees, residents, vendors, and other stakeholders with a confidential mechanism to report suspected misuse of City resources. To support this effort, the City partnered with Mitratech (Syntrio, Inc. and Lighthouse, LLC) to provide an anonymous and secure reporting platform.
A dedicated FWA webpage is maintained on the City's website. The page outlines what types of concerns should or should not be reported, provides instructions for submitting reports through the Mitratech web portal, phone, email, or fax, and includes a training webinar on how to identify and report suspected fraud, waste, or abuse. The webpage can be accessed at: www.culvercity.gov/Services/Applications-Forms/Report-Fraud-Waste-and-Abuse-of-City-Resources.
In March 2021, City Council adopted the updated Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Policy (Resolution 2021-R0203). The policy establishes the program's purpose, scope, reporting and investigative procedures, outreach efforts, confidentiality standards, and reporting requirements. It is also available on the FWA webpage. Resolution 2021-R023 is provided as Attachment 1.
Reports submitted through the hotline are routed to four designated recipients: the City Attorney, Chief Financial Officer, Human Resources Director, and the Internal Audit Manager (Senior Management Analyst). These recipients review each report and determine whether it should be investigated by the relevant department, the Internal Audit Manager, or an independent third party.
To increase awareness of the hotline, the City conducts regular outreach that includes employee email reminders, posts on official social media channels, GovDelivery email distributions, and flyers posted at City Hall. Information about the hotline is also consistently available on the City's website.
In accordance with the adopted policy, staff prepares quarterly reports summarizing hotline activity. These reports are published on the FWA webpage and include the number of reports received, their status, and actions taken.
Since the program's launch in 2019, a total of 49 reports have been received and investigated. As of June 2025, all cases have been reviewed and closed.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2025_09_10 ATT1 - Resolution 2021-R023 Adopting Council Policy No. 4210
MOTION
None.