State auditor satisfied with efforts from DOT
The Department of Transportation has a hard-working and professional staff that has greeted our audit's findings and recommendations as helpful in streamlining their processes and controlling costs. I would like to clarify a few points in your editorial published Feb. 15.
I would like to point out that our audit did identify $86 million in projected savings in the Executive Summary and in the body of the report. In fact, DOT was unaware of this exact amount until it was calculated in our audit.
The overall point is that a greater awareness of scheduling variances will allow DOT managers to make improvements that will save taxpayer money.
Also, in our discussion with DOT management and as mentioned in our report, we came to a consensus with DOT that the clock starts ticking on a specific project when the state board allocates funding and preconstruction begins.
Finally, components of four independent reports cited in our audit focus on DOT's performance management, and the notion that by DOT understanding its past performance it can better control future results. Our audit's findings and recommendations are consistent with these prior reports and therefore closes the door to any claims of partisan politics.
Leslie Merritt
Raleigh
The writer is state auditor.
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