Nonprofits contracted by the city often failed to provide agreed upon services or results, while Austin generally paid their expenses in full regardless of whether performance targets were met, a new internal audit found.
Austin officials stressed those findings may not apply to all local organizations contracted for family and social services, on which the city spent roughly $100 million annually, and instead reflect faults with government oversight. City management agreed to process reforms that are now in the works.
“This is first and foremost about the people we’re trying to serve, but it is really an indictment of our ability to manage that service, not to paint a broad brush and say every one of our partners is doing a bad job," council member Ryan Alter said.
The audit was released as millions of dollars in cuts to social services spending are proposed in the city's next budget plan.
