You bought it, they lost/stole it; $745k in state property unaccounted for in 2017
Alabama’s government is not keeping good track of the various items state agencies have purchased using hard-earned taxpayer dollars. According to Alabama’s 2017 Annual Loss Report state agencies were unable to account for a whopping $745,759.50 last year. Compiled by State Auditor Jim Zeigler — whose office is tasked with providing accountability to the taxpayers of Alabama by maintaining accurate records of all personal property valued at $500 and above by conducting property and equipment audits for agencies statewide — the report reveals 282 items were lost in 2017 alone. That said, all property shown as lost on the report may not be due to neglect. According to the auditor’s office, property reported lost includes property lost, property destroyed by natural causes (such as fire) and property stolen that has been reported to the local law enforcement authorities. Legally, it is not the responsibility of the auditor to locate lost property and equipment of state agencies, but to report it to the proper authorities including the Governor, Attorney General, Legislature, Agency Directors and to provide the information to members of the media and the general public. Biggest losers Topping the list of agencies that lost the most last year was overwhelmingly the Alabama Law Enforcement Association (ALEA), which lost a total of $148,864.66 including two fingerprint capture stations that cost taxpayers $21,600 a piece. Alabama’s Department of Conservation is certainly not conserving funds. The department lost 15 items years totaling $75,565.55. The reason for the inflated number? Two vehicles were totaled, which cost the agency $49,387.11. The Department of Conservation-Parks was right behind it’s parent agency with even more items lost — 47, worth $56,251.26. Among their lost items was $4,768 worth of clothes that were destroyed when a park employee “accidentally disposed” of an inoperable washing machine and dryer. They also lost another $9,835.94 worth of computers. The auditor’s office believes these agencies, and others where they found losses, are not being good stewards of taxpayer dollars. “State Agencies are not being good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” Zeigler told Alabama Today “While overall losses of state property of one percent are below the national average of about 1.5 percent, the list of losses of each agency appears to include avoidable losses. Some of the things lost would almost sound funny if this were not our tax dollars — a golf car, a truck, 140 tasers. Best stewards of taxpayer dollars Of the agencies which lost items in 2017, overwhelmingly the Examiners of Public Accounts lost the least. They lost a 500GB hard drive worth $53.96. The Office of Voter Registration was unable to locate an IBM monitor during the audit, which cost the agency $229.40. Beyond all control As the auditor’s office pointed out, some losses were beyond the control of the given agencies. For example the ABC Board lost 13 items totaling $17,252.70 due to a tornado. While other agencies lost some items due to fires. Holding agencies accountable According to Zeigler, all his office can do is report the loss. “
Auditor Jim Zeigler continues to lead way in cuts and savings; Where are others?
Promises to cut costs and shrink government are frequent among conservatives during election years. You’d be hard pressed to find a candidate who didn’t talk about these in the last several cycles as big government has became an easy target as state and federal budgets ballooned. The question I pose today is why aren’t we hearing more plans for cost cutting and savings when the budget is the biggest focus in the state? State Auditor Jim Zeigler continues his crusade to address avenues where money can be saved with his latest recommendation to eliminate the office of the Examiners of Public Accounts. In a release sent by his office sent, he notes that the $13 million budget of the examiners office could be shifted to the state parks. Beyond the cost savings, Zeigler’s release states, “The plan will provide more timely audits, because the Examiners are seriously late in their audits. Some state agencies have already privatized their auditing, paying money from their own budgets to obtain an audit they previously got free from the Examiners.” It’s doubtful the Legislature would actually take Zeigler up on his plan to get rid of the Examiners office. Functions of the job would need to continue, especially for the reviews needed for the Sunset Committee. The point is where are all of the other ideas? Why aren’t their reports every day of ideas as bold as Zeigler’s? Zeigler has said he’ll update his proposed plan on Tuesday. We’ll stay tuned for more from him and encourage other elected officials at every level of government to follow his lead and begin making suggestions as well.
