The new Inspector General Division (IGD) has begun addressing allegations of fraud and corruption at Dallas City Hall.
Reports obtained by The Dallas Express show that the department received 146 new complaints during Q4 of FY22 and Q1 of FY23, closing a total of 154 complaints, which included some preexisting ethics investigations. Eighty investigations were still ongoing at the beginning of Q2 of FY23.
One of Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson’s early priorities was establishing an inspector general division, which the City Council eventually founded in December 2021. In February 2022, Bart Bevers, a former Dallas prosecutor and Governor Rick Perry’s pick for Texas inspector general, was selected to lead the new department.
Johnson recently urged IGD to confront corruption in City Hall in his State of the City address. This is a request the mayor has repeatedly made in public remarks, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Despite the mayor’s longstanding calls, some members of the City Council moved to defund the new office during budget debates last year, drawing strong opposition from the mayor.
Bart Bevers, the City’s first inspector general, addressed Dallas citizens in a letter, explaining, “The government of this great city exists solely to serve you, and this principle may not be adjusted, stretched, or compromised in any way.”
“The [IGD] of the Dallas City Attorney’s Office is here to ensure that every member of our government, as well as those doing business with the City, complies with the City’s Ethics Ordinance and other applicable laws in your best interests, so that you may be confident in our work and our services,” he continued.
The veteran investigator further informed citizens, “Ethics violations, fraud, and corruption have no place in the City of Dallas. If we work together, we can continue to take pride in our city.”
“If you see corruption, fraud, or dishonest practices, tell us. Any abuse, no matter how small, tarnishes our city and harms us all. Together, we can keep our city government as clean and honest as we want it to be,” he concluded.
The 2022 IGD report shows that many early complaints were either unrelated to the City of Dallas or determined to be unfounded.
For example, on August 25, 2022, the IGD received a complaint “regarding management issues at their place of employment,” which was in no way connected to the City of Dallas. The next day, another complaint “was received regarding management issues with a local restaurant chain.” IGD rejected both cases.
Many other complaints, however, were forwarded to other departments for internal review and rectification.
The IGD noted that a different department investigated a March 2022 complaint “regarding an offensive meme advocating violence being posted on a City of Dallas team chat that was found to be comical by other members.”
Similarly, allegations in August 2022 related to Family and Medical Leave Act fraud were forwarded to Employee Relations for investigation.
Different allegations were accepted, investigated, and determined to be either unfounded or unsubstantiated.
On September 14, 2022, “an anonymous employee reported misuse of city resources for a political campaign.” Bevers opened a full investigation into the allegations but found the complaint to be unfounded.
During Q1 of 2023, the inspector general received two dozen complaints alleging fraud or embezzlement, the misuse of City resources, inappropriate behavior, and policy violations.
The IGD also received a number of complaints that City of Dallas supervisors were acting inappropriately toward subordinates. These claims were all forwarded to the City’s human resources department for “immediate investigation.”
On December 12, 2022, the inspector general forwarded a complaint “regarding potential conflict of interest and contract fraud” to an “outside agency or firm for investigation” and promised to “take no further action on this complaint” while the third-party firm conducts the investigation.
However, the IGD’s work continues with 80 unresolved complaints left pending at the end of Q1 of 2023.