Skip to main content

CityDoge for Mayors & City Councils

A Simple Local Blueprint to Protect Taxpayer Money

Every municipality already has a finance committee.
The problem is that in many cities, those committees report to the same staff who create the budgets, control vendor payments, and hire the auditors.

Most elected officials are not CPAs.
Municipal budgets and audits are complex, and without independent financial expertise, councils often have to rely on the same insiders they are supposed to oversee.

CityDoge fixes this — locally, legally, and fast.

Push Your City Toward Financial Integrity

To help you get the process started, here is a generic draft of a CityDOGE ordinance that can be modified to suit your needs and location as well as script you can use to voice your support at city council meetings.
Draft Ordinance for Your Legal Counsel
Download a printable PDF of our 2 minute proposal template.
Open PDF
Listen to audio of our 2 minute proposal template.

The CityDoge Blueprint

(Step-by-Step)

1. Appoint Independent Volunteer CPAs

Recruit local (or out-of-area) CPAs with:

  • Municipal finance experience
  • Audit / compliance experience (preferred)
  • No conflicts of interest with town vendors, contracts, or insiders

2. Make the Committee Independent

Under CityDoge:

  • The finance committee does not report to staff
  • It reports directly to the Mayor and Council
  • It provides public-facing summaries under FOIA/open records rules

3. Require Independent Budget Review

Before approval, the CityDoge Finance Committee reviews:

  • Budget assumptions and line-item growth
  • Vendor and contractor spending
  • Legal fees, settlements, and unusual transfers
  • Grant compliance and restricted funds
  • “Off-book” accounts, authorities, and pass-through entities

4. Take Control of the Year-End Audit Process

The CityDoge Finance Committee—not staff—should:

  • Select and hire the external auditor
  • Require meaningful testing in high-risk areas
  • Require management letter transparency and follow-up
  • Recommend additional forensic or compliance reviews when needed

5. Publish Performance and Accountability Metrics

CityDoge creates a standard scorecard:

  • Spending transparency
  • Contract controls
  • Procurement integrity
  • Audit quality and independence
  • Exceptions found and corrected
  • Measurable performance outcomes

What This Delivers

CityDoge Restores:

Transparency

Citizens can see where money goes

Accountability

Independent oversight, not insider oversight

Cost control

Waste and duplication get exposed

Public Trust

Facts, records, and measurable outcomes

Taxpayer money should be protected like family money. CityDoge makes that the standard.
 

Why Traditional Audits Often Fail Taxpayers

Most year-end audits are:

  • Selected and managed by town staff, managers, or attorneys
  • Standard financial audits that rely on records provided by management
  • Designed to confirm accounting presentation — not to detect waste, fraud, conflicts, or misuse of public funds

If the fox controls the records, the audit rarely finds the missing hens.

The CityDoge Solution

Strengthen Your Existing Finance Committee With Independent CPAs
  • CityDoge does not require Washington.
  • It does not require new taxes.
  • It does not require a new bureaucracy.

It requires one simple change:

Add volunteer CPAs to your finance committee — and change who they report to.

Start CityDoge in Your City

If you are a Mayor, Council Member, CPA, or concerned citizen:

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to launch a committee in your city.

Email Us