An internal city audit dropped on April 9 is putting serious heat on Indianapolis’ Office of Public Health and Safety, detailing what it calls “major breakdowns” in basic financial controls. Auditors found missing invoices, flimsy contract oversight and potential conflicts of interest, and say there is an “immediate need” for agency-wide training and tighter rules, even as the office oversees homelessness shelters, food aid and violence-reduction programs that thousands of residents depend on.
Audit: Most contracts were missing key paperwork
In a report from the Office of Audit and Performance, reviewers looked at OPHS operations from Jan. 1, 2020 through Dec. 31, 2024, with some activities reviewed into 2025. They found that 84% of the contracts tested had missing, incomplete or inadequate invoice documentation, and 51% did not have the required program reports. The audit also notes that OPHS’s operating budget jumped roughly 75%, from about $19.3 million in 2020 to nearly $33.8 million in 2026, a growth curve auditors say left the office’s policies and infrastructure struggling to keep up.
Grants and vendor ties raise conflict concerns
As reported by IndyStar, the audit flags several contracts that went to vendors with “significant connections” to OPHS staff, including one contract awarded to a vendor who was also working for the office during the contract period. The report also zeroes in on a November 2024 $75,000 grant to a local private school, calling it a perceived conflict because the director at the time had leadership ties to a partner group linked to the camp. That director, Martine Romy Bernard-Tucker, left OPHS in December 2024, according to Mirror Indy.
City moves to clean up contracts and training
The audit and OPHS’s official response outline a to-do list that city leaders say is already underway. According to the Office of Audit and Performance report, OPHS plans to roll out standard operating procedures for contracts, create a centralized recordkeeping hub, hold quarterly in-service training for program staff and require annual procurement training. Auditors also recommend that OPHS coordinate with the Office of Corporation Counsel for extra ethics training and clear a small remaining balance in a fiscal-agent account that lingered after a 2021 transfer.
Council and county GOP demand tighter checks
Republican City-County Councilor Michael-Paul Hart told IndyStar the report shows “absolutely zero accountability on those dollars,” and the Marion County GOP has called for a pause on new funding until OPHS can prove it has cleaned up its act. Council members from both parties are also pushing for clearer outcome metrics so taxpayers can see whether OPHS-funded programs are actually delivering results.
What is at stake next
The audit now forces a high-stakes balancing act: OPHS has to tighten procurement and oversight without disrupting the very services people in crisis are counting on. City officials say they plan to follow the recommendations with new training, revamped processes and follow-up monitoring. Upcoming council oversight hearings will be the first real test of whether those promises translate into lasting change instead of just another stack of paperwork.
