Mission Statement

The mission of the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is to promote 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 propose ways to increase the legal, fiscal, and ethical accountability of County government and County-funded agencies.

Budget Overview

The total recommended FY26 Operating Budget for the Office of Inspector General is $4,094,443, an increase of $482,243 or 13.35 percent from the FY25 Approved Budget of $3,612,200. Personnel Costs comprise 96.34 percent of the budget for 22 full-time position(s) and no part-time position(s), and a total of 22.00 FTEs. Total FTEs may include seasonal or temporary positions and may also reflect workforce charged to or from other departments or funds. Operating Expenses account for the remaining 3.66 percent of the FY26 budget.

County Priority Outcomes

While this program area supports all eight of the County Result Areas, the following are emphasized:

• A Growing Economy
• Effective, Sustainable Government

Program Performance Measures

Performance measures for this department are included below (where applicable). The FY25 estimates reflect funding based on the FY25 approved budget. The FY26 and FY27 figures are performance targets based on the FY26 recommended budget and funding for comparable service levels in FY27.

Initiatives

• The Education Oversight Division (EOD) was established in FY24 and is charged with bringing transparency and accountability to MCPS' operations by conducting investigations, reviews, and inspections aimed at detecting and deterring fraud, waste, abuse, misconduct, and mismanagement of school resources. In FY24, EOD addressed over 180 complaints, and identified $200,000+ in questionable expenditures inconsistent with MCPS policy.
• In FY25, EOD hired two new staff and began the first proactive engagement related to procurement practices at MCPS.

Innovations and Productivity Improvements

• OIG formalized a process for tracking the status of corrective actions to ensure departments are held accountable and appropriately addressing the findings and recommendations in reports.

Program Descriptions

  Inspector General

The Inspector General conducts independent audits, reviews, and investigations; receives and investigates credible complaints; reports possible violations of the law to law enforcement or another appropriate organization; notifies the County Council and County Executive of serious problems in programs; reviews legislation and regulations to strengthen controls and increase accountability; and...