Dunn, Dembowski, Perry call for financial oversight reforms after Auditor, Ombuds report

March 25, 2026

Following a joint report released late last week by the King County Auditor and Ombuds outlining recommendations to strengthen King County’s financial security, King County Councilmembers Reagan Dunn, Rod Dembowski, and Sarah Perry signed a joint letter (attached) to King County Executive Zahilay Wednesday signaling their intent to draft legislation to improve financial oversight and accountability.

“The Auditor and Ombuds have provided a tremendous service by equipping the Council with a set of strong recommendations to help ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and effectively,” Dunn said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to identify the best path forward for implementing these recommendations. I also want to commend Budget Chair Rod Dembowski for prioritizing this work in the previous budget and helping bring this important report to fruition.”

The report indicated that fraud losses for governments the size of King County can range from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of dollars per year, though this is no evidence of that scale of fraud in King County. It also noted that neither the King County Auditor nor the King County Ombuds currently has an inspection program defined by professional standards, and that the County lacks a single, centralized system for reporting fraud and improper acts. The report outlined several options for the County Council to enhance financial oversight and accountability.

“I am pleased that my amendment to Councilmember Dunn’s legislation has produced a report that identifies opportunities for additional fraud prevention and reporting systems at King County,” Dembowski said. “I support the specific recommendation for a fraud hotline and believe that we should also establish an independent Inspector General office, similar to those at the federal level and in many other local jurisdictions around the country as noted in the report.  Together, we will develop and pass legislation as soon as possible to strengthen our oversight system.”

In the letter, the Councilmembers thanked the Executive for his “commitment to oversight and accountability since taking office,” and requested his input to “develop specific and workable legislative reforms to further safeguard taxpayer dollars.” They identified three proposals likely to be included in a reform package: the creation of a King County Office of Inspector General, a centralized fraud reporting system, and the implementation of regular fraud awareness training to ensure contractors are aware of and agree to the County’s standards of conduct.

“It is essential that we do everything in our power as government officials to be effective stewards of taxpayer dollars and ensure each and every one of our investments goes directly toward improving our communities,” Chair Perry said. “My colleagues and I look forward to collaborating with Executive Zahilay to implement the recommendations of this report to strengthen King County’s fiscal responsibility and restore our community members’ trust in the financial management of all of our county agencies.”

This comes on the heels of a recent Seattle Times story indicating potential fraud and waste within the Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS). Last year, the King County Council voted to approve a comprehensive reform package to overhaul oversight of taxpayer-funded grants within the DCHS specifically. It followed an audit, originally called for by Dunn, which revealed widespread oversight failures and potential fraud in County contracts.