§ 2-211. Audit committee; established: powers and duties generally; compensation.

(a)

To ensure oversight of the internal audit function, an audit committee is hereby established.

(b)

The initial audit committee shall serve for the calendar years 2015 and 2016.

(c)

The initial audit committee ("committee") shall be composed as follows:

(1)

Five voting members;

(2)

The initial committee members shall include two members of the board of commissioners and three citizens with expertise in the areas of accounting, auditing, internal control and local government operations;

(3)

The citizen members will be appointed by a majority vote of the board of commissioners, may not hold any elected office, may not be employed by the county, nor have any direct or indirect business relationship with the county;

(4)

The citizen member will serve at the pleasure of the board of commissioners and may be removed at any time, with or without cause;

(5)

The citizen members shall be paid a stipend of $250.00 for each meeting attended but in no event shall the total stipend for a year exceed $1,000.00; and commissioners who serve as committee members will receive no compensation;

(6)

Members of the committee shall select a chairperson from among its members annually.

(d)

The committee shall meet as needed to perform its duties but shall not meet less than once quarterly and shall be responsible for:

(1)

Developing an audit committee charter and recommending to the board of commissioners for adoption;

(2)

Reviewing the internal auditor's annual audit plan and any proposed amendments and submitting the plan and committee's recommendations to the board of commissioners;

(3)

Ensuring that the internal audit department has no unjustified restrictions or limitations, has access to the necessary resources to properly fulfill its function and provide notice of any deficiencies to the board of commissioners;

(4)

Overseeing the work of any registered public accounting firm employed by the company, including the resolution of any disagreement between management and the independent auditor regarding financial reporting, for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or related work;

(5)

Establishing a procedure for the receipt, retention, review and treatment of submissions by employees, anonymous sources or other sources of complaints and concerns regarding accounting, internal controls, county operations and auditing matters.

(Res. No. 2014-0297, 8-6-14; 15-0289, 5-20-15; 15-0461, 5-20-15)