Councilor proposing changes to ordinance

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) - City Councilor Rey Garduno is proposing changes to the inspector general and office of internal audit ordinance.

Garduno thinks the inspector general needs more access to cases and more protection too.
     
The Berry administration is not so sure.

Neftali Carrasquillo didn't last long. The former federal agent resigned as city inspector general in December, after less than a year and a half on the job.

"They shouldn't be told what they can and can't investigate,” Councilor Garduno said.
     
However, Garduno claims that is exactly what city brass have been telling the inspector general's office.
    
He says Carrasquillo and his predecessors told him they were not happy about it.

"They were sort of spoon fed some of the cases that they would look into and that didn't seem like it was as open as it should have been,” Garduno said.
    
Under the current set up the mayor's office decides which cases go to the inspector general and which go to contract investigators.
    
Garduno wants that changed:

"The inspector general be one of the folks who decides how those cases will be handled,” Garduno said.
     
Chief Administrative Officer Rob Perry says there is good reason to screen cases going to the inspector general.

"The purpose of the inspector general's office be it federal state or local is to ferret out fraud waste and abuse...not to deal with administrative employment investigations for some of the things we have of misconduct of employees,” Perry said.
     
Perry says having outside investigators handle those things lets the inspector general focus on more widespread problems.
     
But he does agree there should be changes to spell out the inspector general's responsibilities which may keep them around longer.

"Trying to define what the parameters are and what the role of the inspector general should be,” Perry said.

Councilor Garduno also wants to make it harder to fire both the inspector general and internal auditor.
    
He's wants to require approval by a two-thirds council majority to oust either of them.
    
City councilors will take up that proposal next week.