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15 Years of Audits Reveal a Pattern of Fiscal Irresponsibility at the Oregon Commission for the BlindFebruary 10, 2010
By Jacob Szeto
A Secretary of State Audits Division audit report questions if $1.46 million used by the Oregon Commission for the Blind was spent prudently or lawfully.
The audit was initiated in 2007 after the Secretary of State received allegations of mismanaged operations and misused funds. After substantiating several allegations, it was found that problems identified in several previous audits were still occurring. According to the report, $61,000 was used for “purposes that did not always benefit clients and, in some cases, were not allowed by federal regulations.” Examples include $12,000 for a trip to the San Juan Islands.
The data provided includes approximately 32,620 state workers’ salaries. Not included are employees of the Oregon University System, Oregon State Treasurer, and semi-independent agencies, temporary employees, or records protected by the courts.
Of the top three individual earners, the top two are from the Department of Human Services. Both DHS workers are classified as Principle Executives and earn $242,004 and $231,996. The third top earner, from the Department of Corrections, is classified as a Clinical Director and earns $229,332. . . . Read more!
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CONTACT: Jacob Szeto
T: 503.242.0900
F: 503.242.3822
A recent report by the Oregon Secretary of State Audit Division questions the efficiency of state cell phone use. Of $3.1 million charged to the state for cell phones, the report found $588,000 of waste during a one-year period for unused and overused cell phones.
According to the report, “Charges did not appear consistent with efficient business….[I]mproved practices would result in cost savings.”
Included in the audit data were all state agencies, state boards and commissions, public universities, OHSU and the SAIF Corporation. The Department of Administrative Services (DAS) has contracted AT&T, Sprint and Verizon as cell phone vendors for these agencies. For the purpose of identifying problem areas and recommendations the audit reviewed three agencies in detail: the Department of Human Services (DHS), the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Department of Corrections (DOC.) . . . Read more!
Beware the common wisdom about who might support and who might oppose the new taxes proposed in Measures 66 and 67.
When asked to make the “No new taxes” case to the board of directors of a Portland-based non-profit that provides services to disabled Oregonians, I was skeptical that anything I could say would cause them to oppose the measures. After all, they are funded in large part by government grants; and the people for whom they advocate are often dependent on government programs, some of which might be threatened if the new taxes are defeated. . . . Read more!
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The White House recently claimed that about 640,000 jobs have been saved or created as a result of the $787 billion stimulus package. Many have questioned the accuracy of this number, and for good reason. . . . Read more!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jacob Szeto
T: 503.242.0900
F: 503.242.3822
According to Recovery.gov, the U.S. government’s official website for data related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Oregon has a total of nine new congressional districts. That’s eight more than Oregon is projected to have after the 2010 census. . . . Read more!
In a world full of names, acronyms and management change plans, taxpayers can get lost. When the information to describe these programs is not transparent to the public, we cannot keep up with what our tax dollars are purchasing. Moreover, we cannot wander into discussions of government services without an entire world of letters swimming together to shorthand the names of agencies and programs. This alphabet soup is almost guaranteed to confuse those being asked to fund all these changes: the taxpayers. . . . Read more!
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The MADE IN OREGON sign atop the White Stag building is a Portland Waterfront icon. Every Christmas, the lighting of the red “nose” is carried live by all the television stations and has become a local tradition. The sign read “White Stag Sportswear” until 1997, when it was changed to “Made in Oregon.” Now the latest owner, the University of Oregon, wants to change the sign, too. . . . Read more!
