We all want government to operate efficiently and to be accountable, and performance audits can be a tool to help make that happen – when done in a way that makes sense. Unfortunately, Initiative 900 (Performance Audits of Government) lacks common sense.
Performance audits are meant to measure whether goals are being met and to make suggestions for improvement. The key is to carefully select the goals to be achieved and the measurement criteria. Under I-900, the state auditor would decide the goals and the criteria. So we’ll have a situation where cities and counties set their own goals and priorities, but they will be evaluated on what may be totally different goals and using totally different criteria. That doesn’t make sense.
I-900 says that the state auditor shall conduct performance audits of all levels of state and local government. That means the auditor’s office will need to learn how to conduct these audits for the more than 2,000 units of local government in our state. These local governments range from large cities to small rural towns and districts providing services such as mosquito control, drainage, electricity and libraries. They have different purposes and responsibilities, and they serve citizens with different priorities.
The auditor is directed to evaluate nine very specific elements in each audit. So in auditing a small mosquito control district, the auditor must not only identify cost savings but also “the feasibility of pooling information technology systems within the department.” That audit element works for a large state agency but not for the small mosquito district with only one department. It just doesn’t make sense.
Under I-900, if Everett, for instance, places a high priority on public safety and hires additional police officers, it would receive an audit report stating that money could be saved and services could be reduced by firing some police officers. The City Council would have to annually justify why they did not follow the auditor’s recommendations – even though citizens had demanded greater police protection.
The auditor is also directed to analyze gaps in services and identify best practices. However, addressing those service gaps or utilizing best practices may require added revenue – to add service hours, hire additional staff, or purchase new or updated technology – and that can be a problem especially for a smaller city like Grandview. Consider a rural city street maintenance crew that isn’t doing as much snow plowing or replacing gravel on roads because it lost 40 percent of its funding. Are they performing inefficiently or are they simply out of money and doing the best they can? Does it make sense to tell them to do better when there is no more money?
Earlier this year, the Legislature passed two performance audit bills created specifically for state agencies: one audit bill applies to Department of Transportation programs and another audit bill applies to other state agencies. Starting in January, these audits are designed to be politically neutral with oversight by a citizen advisory board. Yet, I-900 does not give these new audits a chance to prove their worth. Initiative proponents seem to feel that a partisan elected official in Olympia would be less politically motivated than a bipartisan citizen board. That lacks common sense.
We all want government to operate efficiently and to be accountable, and city and town officials strive to do that because they know they are accountable to their citizens. They are accountable every few years when they run for office. They are accountable when they talk with residents at the local supermarket. They are accountable at regular (monthly or weekly) public meetings.
Just as importantly, cities and towns already utilize mechanisms to measure efficiency and provide accountability. The state auditor conducts annual financial and compliance audits. City budgets are public records, and many cities even post their budgets on their Web sites. These budgets are adopted after an open process and citizen input is actively invited. In fact, many cities hold special meetings inviting citizens to help select priorities that will guide the development of the budget. Some cities also use performance measurements to assure the efficiency and accountability of their programs. Now that makes sense.
Before you vote on I-900, ask yourself: “Do you really trust one state office to tell your local government what services they should provide to your community, and how they should be provided?”
Answer by voting no on I-900.
Pam Carter is president of the Association of Washington Cities and a Tukwila City Council member.
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