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A City Auditor investigation identified transactions involving fictitious vendors over approximately six years. Weak purchasing controls and supervisory review helped the conduct continue.

What followed: Austin Energy reported stronger approvals and oversight. This finding comes from an existing investigation; it is not a forecast of future audit savings.

The City reports a $1,077,725 program covering design, research, strategy, materials, staffing, legal work, and advertising. Visual design and guidelines accounted for $207,400.

The $270,645 public-awareness campaign was canceled; the City says its materials were repurposed and paid media reallocated. The question remains: how was the investment’s value measured?

The Austin American-Statesman reported approximately $3,300 in solo lunches charged by City Manager T.C. Broadnax during his first year. Its review also examined high-end dinners and upgraded flights across top City offices.

Public spending should come with a public purpose—and a control that checks it.

In a judgmental sample of 28 consultant contracts, staff could not supply a formal needs assessment for 11. Supporting evidence for deliverables was missing in six.

Inside the sample: This sample cannot be projected across all contracts. The audit did not identify any sampled contract as clearly unjustified; the reported $279 million was consulting spending, not proven waste.

The performance review covered 25 contracts worth about $30 million. Six contracts met all their annual expectations.

What the figure means: It describes expectations, not the share of funding wasted. The report also documents City-process problems and provider challenges; its findings do not represent all nonprofit contracts.