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Baltimore County Council To Vote Tuesday On Oversight Board For Office of Inspector General

TOWSON, Md. (WJZ) -- The Baltimore County Office of the Inspector General would have an oversight board and updated rules governing the office that would align with the statutes with other jurisdictions, according to legislation Baltimore County Johnny Olszewski Jr. will introduce to the county council Tuesday.

Similar to the oversight structure of Inspectors General in other jurisdictions, the proposed seven-member board would be composed of:

  • The county attorney, who will chair the board and may assign staff from the Office of Law to the board;
  • The county administrative officer or his or her designee;
  • The director of budget and finance, or the director's designee;
  • The county council chairperson, or the chairperson's designee;
  • The secretary to the county council; and
  • Two county residents jointly approved by the county executive and the county council chairperson who are faculty members at a law school, public policy school or public administration school.

The oversight board would be responsible for reviewing the inspector general's performance, policies, and procedures, in addition to reviewing complaints against the inspector general. An affirmative vote of four members is required for the board to take any action. The board will meet at least once annually and must have a quorum of four members.

Under this new legislation, the inspector general will be required to submit an annual report to the board within the first 60 days of each year, detailing the accomplishments of the office, including any monetary savings directly attributable to the office's work.

In addition, the proposed bill clarifies that the inspector general may request access to records and information that is not protected, confidential or privileged under federal or state law, and that suspected criminal activity should be referred to the appropriate law enforcement entity.

The council is expected to vote on the legislation Aug. 2.

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