DALLAS — The Dallas County Criminal District Attorney is joining two councilmembers in urging the city to give further independence to the office of inspector general, citing issues addressing fraud and corruption in the city's past.
Councilmembers Gay Donnell Willis and Kathy Stewart said in a letter to colleagues they plan to re-introduce a proposal to amend the city's charter to allow the inspector general to report to the City Council, rather than through the city attorney's office.
The proposal was passed over when it was first brought to the council as a potential charter amendment in May.
In an effort to shore up support for reintroducing their proposal at a council meeting next week, Willis and Stewart have distributed to colleagues letters in favor of it, including one from DA John Creuzot.
"The time to effectively address fraud and corruption is long overdue and this recommendation is key to the process of accomplishing this for our great city," Creuzot wrote. "I know firsthand that the ability to investigate and address fraud and corruption has historically been an issue for the city."
The proposal would establish an independent office of inspector general reporting directly to the City Council to "serve as an independent investigative authority regarding misconduct involving fraud, corruption, ethics, waste and abuse."
Establishing the independent office would require the City Council to approve a proposed change to the city's charter, which would then be put to voters in November. Councilmembers previously rejected a similar proposal.
"I think this is a step backward in terms of the elevation of the inspector general's oversight directly to the city council, I think that only politicizes the office," Councilmember Paul Ridley said when voicing his opposition at a May 15 briefing.
He and other council members argued keeping the current structure in which the inspector general reports to the city attorney also allows for better management of day-to-day operations and better objectivity.
"To have an inspector general living under that office could create a conflict at times," Willis said in an interview with WFAA Monday. "We just need to remove that layer and have the [inspector general] be able to operate independently."
Creuzot -- and others who wrote in support of Willis' proposal -- also argued for giving the inspector general law enforcement powers to investigate criminal offenses. This would require a change by lawmakers in Austin, Creuzot said. It is not included in the proposed charter amendment.
City Council created the position of inspector general in 2021. Willis and Creuzot said the intention was always to move the office from the auspices of the city attorney to report to the council directly.
Willis said if a councilmember was the subject of an investigation they would be subject to the same protocol as other city employees, despite having direct oversight of the office investigating them.
Like Creuzot, she alluded to corruption scandals in Dallas' recent past as another reason the city needs a strong internal investigator.
"In the past, the FBI has been at City Hall," she said. "To have an independent office that can help keep it from even getting to that point is something that our residents deserve."
Creuzot's letter concludes in full-throated in its support of the charter amendment.
"I am eager to see the day when the inspector general team is no longer delayed but empowered to join me in the fight for justice against fraud and corruption," he wrote. "I need it. Our city needs it."
Willis said she plans to introduce the proposal at the council's August 14 meeting.
