Police oversight, road resurfacing and AI: what Austin's auditor plans to examine in 2027

Austin's City Auditor will look at police oversight, road resurfacing, noise complaints, park access, artificial intelligence and long-term water supply next year, under a 2027 audit plan a council committee advanced on Wednesday. Audits are how the council and the public learn whether city programs work as promised. They also sit at the center of this fall's debate over Prop I, the charter amendment that would require outside audits of city spending.

What's in the plan

City Auditor Jason Hadavi presented the plan to the Audit and Finance Committee on Oct. 21. He said it has four parts. The plan document lists 10 new audits:

1. Governance of artificial intelligence use
2. Facilities management, including office space use
3. Public access to park facilities and programs
4. Whether the Office of Police Oversight provides impartial oversight
5. How the city responds to noise and sound complaints
6. Whether road resurfacing is effective, efficient and equitable
7. Transparency, and what other cities do to share information
8. Employee compensation and retention
9. Long-term water availability planning at Austin Water
10. IT controls on critical systems

Five alternates include parks maintenance, special events and the city's Workday employee system, plus two placeholders for issues the city's outside efficiency consultant may find. Six audits started in 2026 carry over, including homelessness coordination, police field training, EMS billing and end-of-year line-item spending.

The efficiency assessment. The auditor's office oversees Public Works, LLC, the consultant reviewing every city department over three years. According to the plan, 2027 covers departments that serve residents directly, including Animal Services, Development Services, public safety, Housing, Parks, Public Health and the Library. Support departments, the airport, the Convention Center, Transportation and Public Works and Watershed Protection follow in 2028. Austin Energy, Austin Resource Recovery and Austin Water come in 2029.

What was said

A committee member asked how the compensation audit relates to a new Gallup employee survey contract on the Oct. 22 council agenda. Hadavi said they are related but do not fully overlap. Mayor Pro Tem José "Chito" Vela said the facilities management audit stood out as timely. Vela moved approval, Council Member Krista Laine seconded, and the committee adopted it without objection.

The living wage audit

The committee also heard a finished audit of the city's living wage program for non-construction contracts such as janitorial and landscaping work. The auditor in charge reported that monitoring was inconsistent because of limited training and guidance. In a sample of 59 contracts, staff did not consistently collect required certification forms, and random spot checks were uneven, he said. But of 285 employees whose pay was checked, the city found one who was underpaid, and Austin Financial Services reported that worker was paid back. Vela said the program's goal "is absolutely being met," while backing better monitoring.

What our records add

Last year's plan passed easily. The council approved the 2026 audit plan 10-0 in November 2025, with Mayor Kirk Watson absent. Council Member Ryan Alter, the committee's vice chair, moved it.

Who sponsored this one. Our record of the 2027 plan lists Watson and Alter as sponsors.

The Prop I connection. Council members on the ballot have cited this work. KUT reported that Alter says the council's own audit approach is better than Prop I, and that Council Member José Velásquez called Prop I "redundancy." Our Prop I explainer covers the measure and the seven other charter amendments.

What's next

The plan now goes to the full council for approval. It was not on the Nov. 5 draft agenda posted Oct. 23. Voters decide Prop I on Nov. 3.