Beall: Building trust through accountability - How the Audit Committee strengthens Valley Water - San Jose Spotlight

"At Valley Water, we believe accountability and transparency help us better serve the public. One way we uphold these values is through our Board Audit Committee, which provides independent oversight to help strengthen our organization's performance. The Audit Committee consists of three directors who work under a formal charter. This year, I am proud to serve as the committee chair. We work to identify risks, prioritize audits and ensure our agency runs efficiently and serves the public's best interest."

"Every three years, the committee leads a thorough risk assessment conducted by the chief audit executive. This assessment includes feedback from our staff and board and focuses on high-risk areas like capital project delivery and contracting best practices. The committee usually starts three to four audits each year. We carefully balance the scope of these audits with the staffing needed to manage audits and daily operations."

"The Safe, Clean Water Program Grant Management Audit has concluded, and as a result, the program has been redesigned to help community partners apply more easily, access grant funding faster and achieve better results overall. The Permitting Best Practices Audit has made our processes faster and more transparent. We are still working on additional improvements. Valley Water's Capital Improvement Program (CIP) is a long-term plan for investing in infrastructure projects that support water supply, flood protection and environmental stewardship."

The Board Audit Committee, composed of three directors under a formal charter, provides independent oversight to strengthen organizational performance and serve the public interest. The committee chair leads efforts to identify risks, prioritize audits and ensure efficient agency operations. A comprehensive risk assessment is conducted every three years by the chief audit executive, incorporating staff and board feedback and targeting high-risk areas such as capital project delivery and contracting. The committee typically initiates three to four audits annually, balancing audit scope with staffing. Recent oversight completed two audits, acted on 13 recommendations, and produced redesigns and process improvements across grant management, permitting, CIP planning, and human resources.

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