Today we highlight an important institution that often falls under the radar for most County residents: the Montgomery County Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The goals of the Inspector General's (IG) office are to review the effectiveness and efficiency of programs and operations of County government and independent County agencies; prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse in government activities; and to propose ways to increase the legal, fiscal, and ethical accountability of County government departments and County-funded agencies.
The IG in their role to identify actions to enhance the productivity, effectiveness, or efficiency of programs and operations of County government and independent County agencies must collect information from the public. That information can be submitted either over the phone via the OIG Hotline at (240) 777-7644 or online. The OIG Hotline is monitored by staff between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, an example of the inline form can be found below.
Every year by October 1st the IG submits an annual report to the Montgomery County Council detailing the OIGs activities as well as its major findings and recommendations.
The OIG also has a Work Plan, which covers the full four-year term of the IG. That work plan and the report of the Work Plan is available for the public to view online as is the annual report. Affected departments or agencies are given the opportunity to respond to the Inspector General's report, which is released to the public after providing the Executive and the Council a reasonable opportunity to review the report.
Along with overseeing every branch of Montgomery County's government, they also oversee a number of other agencies. The OIG oversees the Housing Opportunity Commission, which was established in the 1970s to better respond to the County’s need for affordable housing. They are also responsible for overseeing the operations of both Montgomery College and Montgomery County Public Schools.
The OIG also fulfills Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) requests. Once the determination is made that the OIG is responsible for the records requested, those making the request are instructed to provide their request in writing via email or traditional mail. The MPIA contact at the OIG is Frank da Rosa they can be contacted at (240) 777-8240 or via email at francisco.darosa@montgomerycountymd.gov. Letters can be mailed to:
Office of the Inspector General 51 Monroe Street, Suite 600 Rockville, Maryland 20850 If you want more information about the OIG, please visit their webpage at https://montgomerycountymd.gov/OIG/. If you are looking for specific contacts below you can find the organization chart of the OIG's office highlighting key personnel.
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