King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn has put forward new legislation aimed at beefing up financial oversight and transparency for contracts under the purview of the King County Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS). This move follows the release of a hard-hitting King County Auditor's report, which shed light on severe shortcomings in how contracts for youth programs, including Restorative Community Pathways (RCP), are managed. According to a statement from Dunn obtained by King County's official site, "This audit unfortunately confirms what I have been warning about for years – inadequate oversight of community-based organizations’ contracts has left the door wide open for waste, fraud, and abuse."
Providing a sobering view into the department's growing pains, auditors discovered a sharp increase in the contracting budget – ballooning from a mere $22 million in 2019 to a staggering $1.5 billion over 2023 and 2024. Despite this growth, basic safeguards seemed to have been largely overlooked. Released Tuesday morning at the Council’s Committee of the Whole, the auditor's report highlighted how lax monitoring remained, even though nearly half of the organizations receiving county money were marked as "high risk" in 2024. The audit found improper payments and signs of likely fraudulent activities, including grantees doctoring invoices to shoot up reimbursement claims and subcontractors, who were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars, appeared to operate beyond their contract's bounds.
Rooted in Councilmember Dunn's repeated calls for greater contracting transparency, this legislative push looks to remedy the flaws identified by the auditors. Dunn, who had previously raised concerns about the effectiveness and oversight of DCHS programs, had requested a formal audit of RCP twice, ultimately becoming a part of the Council's 2025 auditor workplan. The audit branched out to cover other agencies under DCHS during the planning phase.
Dunn's legislation requires comprehensive action, including documented development, implementation, and adherence to best practices in contract management and compliance monitoring by DCHS. It mandates annual risk assessments for all contractors and frequent on-site visits to ensure the appropriate use of funds, as reported by King County’s government site. "King County has an obligation to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly, transparently, and effectively," Dunn stated. The department has until March 31, 2026, to report back to the County Council on its progress, solidifying measures to close the gap on potential misuse of taxpayer dollars.
