A Johnson County performance audit released Sept. 25 found the county’s ethics hotline includes a number of recommended practices, but recommended several improvements — including written procedures for intake and triage, routine analysis and reporting of hotline data, expanded access for external stakeholders and a countywide whistleblower policy.

Doug Jones, county auditor, said the audit reviewed hotline practices against guidance from bodies including the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and the Institute of Internal Auditors. ‘‘While the county’s ethics hotline program does include a number of these recommended practices, the human resources department does not have written procedures for managing the hotline,’’ Jones said. He told the board that between Jan. 1, 2023 and June 9, 2025 the county received 90 hotline calls and 80 of those cases were reported closed.

The audit recommended: developing written procedures that cover intake, triage, investigation, resolution and follow‑up; creating analytic processes to detect trends and trouble spots; issuing regular summary reports to stakeholders (including the board) and publishing aggregate statistics to build trust; expanding access so vendors, contractors and members of the public can use the hotline; and adopting a board‑approved countywide whistleblower policy.

Human Resources Director Kayla Holloway told the board HR has already begun implementing the recommendations. She cautioned that broader public access will likely increase report volume and may surface issues outside the employment domain, so intake and routing procedures will need updating. Holloway also noted that the category selected by a reporter in the hotline platform sometimes differs from the issue determined after investigation, affecting trend analysis.

The auditor’s office recommended the county adopt the proposed measures to strengthen the hotline’s consistency, transparency and effectiveness. Human Resources accepted the recommendations and described steps already underway to implement them.