CalTrans Buys New
Vehicles That Sit Idle. "It's insanity.
It's all cost and no benefit." That is how Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield reacted to the news that more than 12 percent
of the vehicles purchased by the California Department of Transportation since
2007 sit unused. The Sacramento Bee reported that CalTrans spent more than $4 million on vehicles parked and
unused for months and years. CalTrans said it takes
up to three years to assemble add-on features to various trucks.
Observers also
pointed out that letting a vehicle sit for years is the worst thing for the
vehicle, as belts rot, rubber cracks, batteries die, etc.
At a legislative
hearing on the subject, CalTrans Director Randell Iwasaki was asked about another issue recently in the
news: why the agency spent $82,000 to send 52 staff members to a transportation
conference at a desert resort. Mr. Iwasaki defended the expenditure, saying CalTrans agreed to host the event three years ago, and claiming that state workers learn much and make
good contacts at the event. He added, however: "Would we do it again? Probably not." (Source: The Sacramento Bee, December 19.)
(Cal-Tax
recommendation: The state should put a moratorium on the purchase of new
vehicles, and should try to get many more years out of its current fleet. Since
it is doubtful that the vehicle-purchasing system is the only state spending
system that has been wasting money due to lax oversight, state officials should
investigate whether similar problems are plaguing other areas of government.)
Cal-TaxReports, January 11, 2010
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