Adams County Selects Internal Auditor

Through a competitive bidding process, Adams County selected Colorado Independent Consultants Network, LLC (CICN) to establish an internal audit process and conduct operational audits of the county’s operations.
The scope of internal audit has been established by the county as areas which may have a direct impact to the county-approved budget. Additional operations can be included at the request of elected officials. Internal audit examines the business processes of an organization, providing recommendations to strengthen internal controls and optimize efficiency.

“When we adopted the seven reform resolutions last May, we made a commitment to our citizens to provide responsive and effective leadership by supporting open, transparent and accountable government,” said Board of Commissioners Chairman W. R. “Skip” Fischer. “We are pleased to restore an internal audit function in the county.”

The annual internal audit plan (schedule) is developed through a risk assessment process. This risk assessment is currently in progress. Upon completion and approval of the Board of County Commissioners, the audit plan will be posted to the Adams County website. In keeping with the “Open Adams” initiative, all internal audit reports will be posted to the Adams County website.
"Our vision for the internal audit is to offer the citizens of Adams County a necessary and measureable level of transparency," said Richard Lemke, finance director. “In order to best serve Adams County, we need to accept that there are always better ways to add value, protect the county’s assets, stay compliant, and run more efficiently."

John Olenberger is the founder of CICN, a network of experienced professionals specializing in business process consulting, internal audit and financial analysis. CICN is a growing network of auditors averaging over 15 years’ experience in auditing and business process consulting.

Prior to founding CICN, Olenberger was a manager in the Denver office of KPMG’s advisory services practice. He has over 13 years of experience providing process consulting, risk management, internal audit and financial statement attestation services to organizations in a variety of industries, including state and local government, not for profit, waste management, nuclear deregulation, mortgage banking, food service, health care, telecommunications and manufacturing.

Olenberger is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Internal Auditor, actively maintaining both certifications through continuing professional education.

“By establishing an independent internal audit function, Adams County is taking a major step toward instituting the transparency and accountability taxpayers demand,” said Olenberger.

While CICN serves a variety of industries, the focus is primarily state and local government agencies. CICN’s governmental clients include Adams County, Jefferson County, Arapahoe County, Denver Water, Denver International Airport, Colorado Housing and Finance Authority and the State of Colorado.