The board may establish a committee for the audit and review of county agencies and county-funded functions. The committee shall be composed of not more than eleven members who shall be appointed by the board for a term of two years. The committee shall have the power to make performance reviews of operations of county agencies or county-funded programs to ascertain that sums appropriated are expended for the purposes for which such appropriations were made and to evaluate the effectiveness of those agencies and programs. The committee shall make such special studies and reports as it deems appropriate and as the board requests. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 15.2-1534, the board may appoint one or more of its members to serve on this committee. The board may provide staff assistance to the committee which shall be independent of the administrative staff of the county. Any such staff shall be hired on the basis of merit and shall be paid in conformity with existing pay scales. The director of the staff to the committee shall serve at the pleasure of the board, and if removed, such removal shall not be subject to review by any other employee, agency, board or commission of the county or under the grievance procedure adopted pursuant to § 15.2-1506. The director of any such staff shall be known as the auditor of the board.