Volunteers Needed To Serve On Inspector General Advisory Board

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Volunteers are needed to serve on the Inspector General Advisory Board that oversees Howard County's new Office of the Inspector General.

The new inspector general position will investigate possible waste, fraud and abuse in the county.

The deadline to apply for a spot on the board is Jan. 30.

Consisting of seven members, the board serves as the appointing authority for the inspector general and will be responsible for interviewing and hiring the county’s first inspector general following an open search process. The board will review and make recommendations on the attorney general's budget, advise the county executive and Howard County Council on the boards’ review of investigations and other work completed by the OIG, and the board’s ongoing ministerial function of the OIG, as well as review the OIG’s policies and procedures.

The county executive and each County Councilmember will nominate one individual to serve on the board and the seventh member will be selected by a majority of the County Council from a list of candidates identified through a public process. The board will consist of at least one member from the Democratic party, at least one member from the Republican party and at least one member who is unaffiliated with a political party. Board members will serve staggered five-year terms.

To be qualified for appointment to the board, applicants are to have relevant experience, including professional experience as:

• Inspectors general, auditors, investigators or similar government accountability officers;
• Members of professional associations of inspectors general, certified fraud examiners or certified public accountants;
• Formers judges or prosecutors; or
• Other similar investigative or related experience in the work of an inspector general

To be eligible for consideration, candidates must meet one of the qualifications listed above and be able to attend the board’s meetings, which are held at least twice a year with the county’s inspector general and annually with the county executive and County Council.

Certain individuals are ineligible to serve on the board, including those who in the last five years were:

• An employee, board or commission member, elected officer, candidate for a public office or political central committee, or other individual who is subject to the jurisdiction of the inspector general;
• A county contractor or person negotiating a contract with the county;
• A vendor who provides or is seeking certification for goods and services to the county;
• An external recipient or board member of an external recipient of county funds, benefits or services;
• A publicly elected or appointed officer's spouse, parent, child or sibling;
• An officer, staff member or employee of any federal, state or local political party organization; or
• A lobbyist under the Maryland or county public ethics law.

Interested applicants should complete an application online by visiting www.howardcountymd.gov/applybc. The names of eligible applicants will be submitted to the county executive for consideration. If approved, candidates' information will be forwarded to the County Council for confirmation.