While we’re somewhat on the subject, and in the interest of full disclosure, I thought I’d let it be known that I made a public records request this morning regarding the handful of performance audits that Ted Van Dyk seems so jazzed about:
Later this month, state Auditor Brian Sonntag will release such audits of the Washington State Department of Transportation and Sound Transit and, shortly thereafter, of the Port of Seattle. All three audits will precede fall elections and could have important impacts on voter decisions about the Sound Transit-RTID regional transportation package and Port of Seattle Commission races.
The more I re-read that paragraph the more suspicious I got, especially in light of recent rumors and hints that the anti-transit crowd has been leaked information regarding the upcoming reports. Van Dyk seems to think it a great thing that performance audits be timed for release just weeks before crucial votes regarding these agencies, but I can’t help suspect it an overtly political maneuver. It is also potentially the death knell for performance audits as a useful tool in Washington state.
Performance audits are not comparable to financial audits in either scope or purpose. You don’t just bring in a third party to examine the books in search of waste, fraud or abuse, but rather, you observe and analyze the performance of an agency and its procedures for the purpose of recommending changes that could lead to greater efficiencies. While in a worst case scenario a performance audit could conclude that an agency does not fulfill its mission at all, it is mostly meant as a productivity tool, and as such requires the full cooperation of the management and staff being audited if it is to be effective. If instead, performance audits are used as a means to politically punish and embarrass an agency — including, say, influencing elections — then future audits on other agencies will never gain the inside trust and cooperation necessary to conduct them.
Yes, voters deserve to know how well Sound Transit and WSDOT are spending our money before we vote them more of it, but if these audits are perceived to be politically motivated hatchet jobs, their reports won’t be worth the paper they’re written on. And if officials within the auditor’s office or the outside contractors have been improperly communicating with opponents of the Roads & Transit measure, soliciting their input and leaking results, then I can’t see how these so-called “performance audits” can be understood to be genuine performance audits at all, let alone impartial and unbiased.
My hope is that Brian Sonntag’s office has been scrupulous in overseeing these audits and in hiring contractors who are equally scrupulous and unbiased, but the timing of these audits and their reports does give me pause. I’m generally loathe to investigate my sneaking suspicions at taxpayer expense, but I didn’t really see any other choice. My fingers are crossed that my public records request turns up nothing of interest.
Goldy,
Having been through audits by Mr. Sonntag I have a high opinion of his standards, but I am as worried as you are about the spin on any performance audit. Unlike a financial audit, there is no precise value that can be derived from a PA. Rather one gets a hopefully balanced review of how work is being achieved.
A performance audit has nothing to say about whether a project or policy should be continued. It speaks only of the efficiency with which it is being executed. To draw a conclusion about the desirability of a project from a performance audit is ridiculous in the extreme.
I am concerned, because the audit of WSF suggested cutting sailings on the Bremerton and Bainbridge Routes. I have seen some of the late night sailings of Bainbridge run, and yes, they seem empty, but so does the Viaduct at 2AM. They are critical extensions of the highway system, often running where it would be impossible, and too financially costly to build a bridge across Puget Sound(Governor Roselini proposed building cross-sound bridges in the late 1950s, and it was $100 Million on the price tag at the time, a lot of money in those days.). Do we shut down I-5 or the Viaduct when traffic is low or non-existent? WSF is pretty much out of the Passenger Only Business, that was a money loser worse than any of the Car Ferries. They tried to sustain the service, built new boats for it that were supposed to be faster than the older ones, as well as the Car Ferries, but they eroded the beaches. Now the Chinook and Snohomish sit tied up at Eagle Harbor, taking up space in the Ferry Yard, and not earning any money at all for the system. The idea is to sell them and use the money as matching funds for local passenger only ferry operations, but I doubt they would get much money. The Tyee only went for about $500,000. Although the state got 20 years out of the Tyee, the Chinook only lasted about 4 years. THe Skagit and Kalama, two older boats, I doubt they will get anything for them.
Now I think the cost of pulling a Jumbo off of the late night run of the Bainbridge and replace it with an Issaquah ought to be explored. Also, why didn’t the State Auditor explore the cost of WSF’s delays on picking a Shipyard to build replacements for the Steel Electrics. With the Steel Electrics(San Francisco Bay Refugees), and the Rhododendron(I believe ex-Chesapeake Bay Ferry, we have 5 old boats that have been out of service at various times this summer for hull repairs. Why not explore the cost-effictiveness of continued repair bills to older boats, or replacing every boat built before 1980. That would be the majority of the Evergreen Fleet, as the Issaquahs, built in the early 1980s are at least 20 years old, and they were plagued with problems when they entered service. THe Jumbo MkIIs, the Tacoma, Wenatchee, and Puyallup, were built in the late 1990s. They are fairly new. The Steel-Electrics were built in 1927. They basically do the work of a bridge, espcially Port-Townsend-Keystone, talk about aging bridges.
hmm, maybe the auditor will point that WSDOT is going to spend billions on new highways through RTID even though it has no plan to take care of decaying bridges and roads.
Perhaps the auditor can analyze the climate change effects of RTID, something that WSDOT studiously avoided.
Or perhaps that building new roads has no chance of solving congestion, they just fill up with cars.
There is a better way to do this — congestion pricing that uses our roads efficiently, reduces pollution, eases congestion, and pays for essential safety and maintenance, all without new roads and regressive taxes. But i probably expect too much of our auditor, the group think that has affected even liberal bloggers will probably get to him too.
@2 It all depends on how the audit is conducted.
I am hardly an expert in doing PAs but isn’t it clear that
in order to perform a performance audit, criteria need to be agreed to? The choice of criteria can have a huge effect on the outcome.
As one example I do know something about, in biotech I have seen PAs run that helped greatly by showing which kinds of incentives improved productivity. I have also seen analyses that were intended to and did achieve force reductions.
I have no reason to doubt the Mr. Sontag will do an honest job, but Goldy’s point is valid. PAs released at this time willm indubitably be used politically.
@4 I do not know about RTID’s stinking but I am worried about two things:
1, it looks from what I have seen ehre as if the Seattle taxpayers are being screwed.
3. I do npt felle any package that does not STOP the travel subsidy to suburbanism is fatally flawed. Our current road system is a huge and inappropriate use of tax dollars to subsidize costly life styles. Now if our Reprican friends were truely free market, they would wnat toll roads!
Howsabout this ….
PRIVATIZE I520.
It would be fascinating to see how bad the traffic would be if folks actually had to pay the costs of their travel! Of course, as good Repricans we would show compassion for the poor by providing
cattle carsbuses for people being paid under $250,000 to get to and form work.@6 and, of course you “Repricans” would raise the money for these buses by voluntary contributions of change! Or maybe by tithing the income from tolls.
@4 – you sound like an intern working off of talking points.
BTW – “climate change” is not preferred framing. It is “global warming” or “global warming pollutants”
It’s the perception that counts. Will folks have an open mind to them or just say….liar!! I fear most of the supporters of RTID will just say liar. I’ve seen some of that on this site around opinions and facts in regards to not supporting the package or actually moving forward with light rail.
I’m glad to have as much information as possible on this measure. It is a HUGE investment and right now I don’t know if the current agencies are going to be able to do the work, even if they get the money. That is based on past performance.
Glad to see SeattleJew has an open mind around this audit and that makes me think others here might follow his lead.
@3,
I heard that the Chinook and Snohomish, while fancy, burned as much fuel as an Issaquah-class, ~100-130 car ferry. That’s why WSF is running the Skagit on the Seattle-Vashon run.
I agree that the outside audit was clearly done by a firm making the assumption that ferries were less essential than highways and bridges. Not very in tune with reality around here.
They should have hired a firm that knows a little bit about maritime operations. Also, they would have found out that we are not the only ferry system that has problems with management, our neighbors to the North have as well. Like the failure to replace a 35 cent cotter pin leading to failure of the drive system on the Queen of Oak Bay(BC Ferries) losing power and crashing into a Marina.(The investigations on the Queen of the North are ongoing). BC Ferries also wasted money on catamaran high speed ferries for a different reason but had the same result. They guzzled gas, and did beach erosion. These were car ferries as well, but the plan was to reduce a 90 minute sailing to 30 minutes.
Perhaps the best Passenger Only Ferry never built is the one Kitsap Transit has proposed, a Foil Assited Catamaran, but we will never know, for now at least.
Doesn’t the MSM audit the auditor? Of course the liberal midia cant tell the truth to save its life but it serves as the other point of view.
Audits sound swell. I’ve been audited. And I’ve seen findings like “projects should be reviewed for cost-effectiveness”
As if we never thought of that.
An auditor will produce findings. Their value may be suspect.
SJ @6
I think I’ll follow your leading question…
If folks actually had to pay the costs of their travel, traffic would certainly get a lot better. Progressive cities like Stockholm, London and Bergen charge to drive based on road demand; they have seen traffic drop and tax revenues increase. For us, that revenue could go towards more transit.
But of course RTID relies on a sales tax that makes people who drive less pay the same as road hogs.
14 Een w/o transit, it seems to me folks sould at least know whether they are paying their own way?
Brian Sonntag is perhaps the most respected elected official in the State of Washington…Left, right, and center, he’s supported, trusted and believed.
The results of PA’s will be spun by spinners because that’s what spinners do. That some information from a PA is made available early isn’t proof of anything other than a nosey reporter schmoozed somebody.
The WSF audit proves the value of PA’s by clearly telling the public about efficiency issues and performance costs. It’s up to the public, then, either through their elected representatives or directly via the initiative process to take action.
Before PA’s, many personal opinions on state or local governmental efficacy or efficiency were just that: personal opinions. Now, with PA’s, data will be available that will hopefully remove a lot of the “personal” and make them evidentiary based truthes insead of merely opinions.
A question, however…Aren’t PA’s of public agencies a relatively new thing? From whence do they cometh? Who, besides Auditor Sonntag and former Auditor Bob Grahamm both Democrats, advocated for them and led the I-900 charge to require them?
BTW…FYI…The Ol’ Piper is a brand new second-time Grandpa today…Elias Paul L____ (common Latin name) was born to my oldest daughter and H in Greensboro, NC. 9 lbs, 10 oz and 21″ long! He joins his older brother, William Lorenzo L____ not only by becoming a member of the family, but because today is also WL’s birthday! Yep, the brothers were both born on September 15th exactly two-years apart!
Nothing more beautiful than a Latino-Scottish-!00% All American baby boy!
The Piper
Brian Sonntag is perhaps the most respected elected official in the State of Washington…Left, right, and center, he’s supported, trusted and believed.
The results of PA’s will be spun by spinners because that’s what spinners do. That some information from a PA is made available early isn’t proof of anything other than a nosey reporter schmoozed somebody.
The WSF audit proves the value of PA’s by clearly telling the public about efficiency issues and performance costs. It’s up to the public, then, either through their elected representatives or directly via the initiative process to take action.
Before PA’s, many personal opinions on state or local governmental efficacy or efficiency were just that: personal opinions. Now, with PA’s, data will be available that will hopefully remove a lot of the “personal” and make them evidentiary based truthes insead of merely opinions.
A question, however…Aren’t PA’s of public agencies a relatively new thing? From whence do they cometh? Who, besides Auditor Sonntag and former Auditor Bob Grahamm both Democrats, advocated for them and led the I-900 charge to require them?
The Piper
BTW…FYI…The Ol’ Piper is a brand new second-time Grandpa today…Elias Paul L____ (common Latin name) was born to my oldest daughter and H in Greensboro, NC. 9 lbs, 10 oz and 21″ long! He joins his older brother, William Lorenzo L____ not only by becoming a member of the family, but because today is also WL’s birthday! Yep, the brothers were both born on September 15th exactly two-years apart!
Nothing more beautiful than a Latino-Scottish-100% All American baby boy!
The Piper
@15 agreed
But I’m thinking it’ll never really happen if Prop 1 passes.
Some day in the future, our liberal leaders will look at their peers, realize how far behind they are, and consider congestion pricing. But with Prop 1 in place, folks already paying for roads with sales taxes and car tabs, are just not going to say “thank you sir, may I have another.”
“Brian Sonntag is perhaps the most respected elected official in the State of Washington…Left, right, and center, he’s supported, trusted and believed.”
Jesus H. Christmas – somebody here is a fool. Sonntag is a partisan hack. Seattle Monorail Project’s car tab tax revenue started coming in 30% below projections. That meant one thing – no way were the financing projections SMP gave the public before the vote going to fly. Sonntag (and Treas. Murphy, for that matter) immediately knew that SMP could not finance the debt load it would need to for the Green Line.
Did Sonntag utter a peep? Hell no, not for over two years. He let us get ripped off to the tune of $150,000,000 in taxes that never should have been collected. He knew SMP’s financing plan was smoke and mirrors, and he let them get away with it. Piss on Sonntag – he cares more about governments hauling money out of taxpayers’ pockets to pay off his political base than he does standing up for what is right.
Used Barf Bag: Is it in Sonntag’s job description to alert you to anything except a performance audit?
I suggest Barf Bag reads Sonntag’s charter before barfing out of his cranial bag!
Why not start here so you don’t continually barf like a fool: http://www.sao.wa.gov/
ASSIE Voice: Now you question Brian’s motives as politically perceived hatchet jobs? Or as I suspect, your hatred for Tim Eyman is subconsciously (you have a conscious?) surfacing again Hmmm…? Did you forget what you wrote on the subject in 2005? Puddy remembers!
“I-900…? Say what you want about my anti-Eyman posturing, but I’m guessing I’m one of only a handful of citizens in this state to actually read the full text of I-900 and compare it section by section to the performance audits initiative passed by the Legislature last spring. I-900 is superfluous and over-reaching, placing too much power in the hands of the State Auditor. Sure, I trust Brian Sonntag to use this power wisely, but he won’t be auditor forever. How soon do you think it’ll be before the BIAW spends a million bucks to put some hack into the auditor’s office, who can use I-900 to harass and disrupt state and local agencies of their choosing?
And finally, while I certainly support experimenting with performance audits (I even testified on behalf of the bill last spring), Eyman is dramatically over-promising the impact. These are complicated audits that require a great deal of expertise… and the full compliance of those being audited. It’s kind of like psychoanalysis… it only works when you have a good therapist and a cooperative patient.”
“We’ve also always known that I-900, Tim Eyman’s superfluous performance audits initiative is a bit of a toss-up. It’s a rather complicated subject likely to confuse voters, and so there’s the natural instinct to vote no. But it is vaguely anti-government, and voters like that, so I still think it’s likely to manage a couple point victory. Still, it won’t come anywhere close to passing with a kind of mandate that could be understood to say anything about the mood of the electorate.”
“I-900 is Tim Eyman’s superfluous performance audits initiative.”
“As for the over-reaching I-900, it looks like Eyman’s comeback initiative may fall short after all… a particularly amusing prospect considering it’s drawn no organized opposition. I think it is quite possible that the reference to the sales tax in the ballot title might actually confuse voters into thinking this is a tax increase… thus hoisting Timmy on his own anti-tax petard. I’d say the closeness of this poll would portend an election night drama… that is, if anybody actually cared about I-900 besides me and Timmy.”
“Has anybody seen people gathering signatures for I-900, Tim Eyman’s superfluous performance audits initiative? He’s got the sugar daddy, so he’s got the money… and he claims to be spending it. But I haven’t seen a single signature gatherer myself.
This weekend kicks off the stretch drive of the signature gathering season, so I’d welcome reports of where you’ve seen petitioners, professional or otherwise. Particularly for those of you attending Folklife and other such events, a little recon would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.”
“It’s been nearly three years since Eyman has managed to qualify one of his “grassroots” initiatives for the ballot, and I think it’s time to acknowledge that he has officially gone pro. For April, Timmy raised only $5,000 from his core group of contributers, but raked in another $75,000 from Woodinville “investment executive” Michael Dunmire, whose total contributions to I-900 now amount to $315,000 of the $415,000 raised thus far.”
“Anyway, so now we know why Tim chose this dog of an initiative in the first place: Dunmire told him to… and the customer is always right. Sure, I-900 generates about as much excitement as a Pam Roach Pin-Up Calendar… and yeah, it’s almost totally superfluous now that the Legislature has passed its own performance audits bill. But Timmy knows a meal ticket when he sees one, and Dunmire is his a free pass to, um… less irrelevance.”
“Of course, professional initiative sponsor Tim Eyman is still pushing his bullshit performance audits initiative, I-900, but then… he wouldn’t be Tim if he didn’t. I imagine it’s kind of hard to feign outrage about the need for performance audits, when we already have them, but I suppose Tim will find a way.”
“I enjoy The Seattle Weekly. And I really like frequent contributor Geov Parrish. But his current piece, “Eyman’s Good Idea“… um… oy.
Geov writes, well… glowingly about Tim Eyman’s latest products, I-905 (the “Hands Off Tim’s Business” initiative) and I-900 (which would finally enact performance audits… six months after they’re enacted by the Legislature.)
Suspicious as I am of Eyman’s intentions, I cannot for the life of me think of a reason this would be a bad thing.
You’ve got my phone number, Geov… I wish you would have asked me.” Geov I knew there was something niggling me about you.
“Tim knows he can’t run two simultaneous signature drives without a sugar daddy, and he’s already financially committed to I-900. (He even paid for a gorilla graphic.)
And finally Geov, don’t take it personally, but your closer really hits a sore spot:
But if this initiative came from anyone else, it would be seen as a good government reform. Instead, because it’s Eyman, politicians and editorial boards have been suspicious. But I-900 is what it is�� a reform that would allow an independent arm of government to check the effectiveness of other arms.
Quibble with the details, but it’s hard to see why that wouldn’t be a good idea.
But quibbling with the details is exactly what the legislative process is all about! And the absence of quibbling is exactly what makes most initiatives suck.
Democrats have been trying to pass this legislation for years… it’s been through committees and public hearings (I was there… didn’t see Tim) and debates… the details quibbled and re-quibbled. This is the bill Brian Sonntag wants. So what makes anyone think that some novelty-watch salesman has a better handle on performance audits than the state auditor who is being asked to conduct them?
Are performance audits a good idea? Sure, they’re worth trying. Was it Tim’s idea? Absolutely not. And is I-900 the be-all and end-all of performance audits legislation? Hell no!
All I’m asking Geov, is that you give credit where credit’s due. And it ain’t due Tim on this one. ”
“At a press conference today in the Secretary of State’s office, crotchety government-hating senators Pam Roach and Don Benton joined Tim as he filed his latest unconstitutional initiative. But it was all really just a subterfuge to get media into the room to witness them being the first to sign Tim’s floundering Initiative 900.
I-900 would finally enact performance audits… six months after they are enacted by the Legislature. But I-900’s total lack of political relevance is far from its weakest point; it is complicated, confusing, and unlike his successful campaigns, doesn’t put a penny back into voters’ pockets. Like 2003’s dismal I-807, this is a policy-wonk issue that will have trouble riling even his most loyal sycophants… an ever shrinking core group of supporters who have proven incapable of raising half the money Tim needs to qualify an initiative for the ballot.”
“Essentially, Tim’s whole public charade of separating his initiative campaigns and his personal compensation fundraising into two separate Political Action Committees is a total sham. Funds raised for one are used to support the activities of the other, and vice versa. This, despite the unambiguous disclaimer that appears in his most recent fundraising email:
Voluntary donations to I-900, the Performance Audits of Government Initiative, will be used to qualify this important taxpayer protection initiative for the ballot. A different political action committee, “Help Us Help Taxpayers,” raises money for a compensation fund for Tim Eyman, Jack Fagan, & Mike Fagan for their effective political work on behalf of taxpayers. These two campaign committees are kept separate and donations and expenditures for each fund are publicly reported every month.
What he doesn’t tell you is that absolutely 100 percent of HUHT’s activities are paid for out of VWMC funds. And, that money raised this fall for HUHT, is currently being used to subsidize the early fundraising activities of VWMC.
(Did I ever mention that Tim Eyman is a lying, thieving, blowhard?)”
” “My name is David Goldstein. I’m a citizen activist and a blogger, and if I’m going to sit at my computer criticizing the legislative process, I feel I have the obligation to come down to Olympia and engage in it.”
That’s how I opened my testimony today before the House State Government Operations & Accountability hearing on HB 1064, “Improving government performance and accountability” (Performance Audits). In case you’re wondering, I testified in favor of the bill.
I also attended the Senate Government Operations & Elections hearing, and curiously, Tim Eyman was nowhere to be seen at either… despite being so passionate about the issue, that he’s willing to spend $600,000 of other people’s money to get it on the ballot as an initiative. Instead, he just sat at home and sent out another fundraising email attacking the bill as a “cheap substitute.”
For my fellow lovers of fiction who also subscribe to Tim’s email list, let’s set the record straight on some of his comments:
I-900 allows true independence. All other proposals require the state auditor to beg and plead each year for funding FROM THE VERY PEOPLE HE IS GOING TO AUDIT.
Um… it’s not the Legislature that will be audited… it’s Executive branch departments and agencies.
And while it is true that HB 1064 does not have a dedicated funding source, other proposals do, such as SB 5083. If Tim bothered to attend the hearing, he could have suggested adding such a provision, although he might have chafed at SB 5083’s $2.5 million a year appropriation — a quarter that of Tim’s initiative. But then, what do you expect from the bill’s ultra-liberal sponsor: the Evergreen Freedom Foundation?
I-900 requires public exposure of the audit reports and ensures public involvement. … The audit proposals in Olympia keep the audit reports secret, hidden from the public, and released only to legislative leaders.
Yeah, that’s true… as long as your idea of a “secret report” is HB 1064’s requirement to post it to the Internet. Also secret I suppose, is the bill’s Citizen Oversight Board, that collaborates with the State Auditor on all audits.
I-900 holds all levels of government accountable. Under current law, the state auditor can conduct FINANCIAL AUDITS of state and local governments in Washington. … I-900 simply expands this existing authority so that the auditor can also do PERFORMANCE AUDITS of state and local governments.
First of all, Tim… STOP SHOUTING.
Second, State Auditor Brian Sonntag, to whom Tim wants to grant the independence to perform these audits, clearly stated his opinion about the initiative before both committees: “It is not the approach I prefer. I prefer a legislative and collaborative process.” Indeed, the idea of mandatory performance audits of all local agencies and accounts is so silly, that I actually provoked chuckles by mentioning the notion of auditing cemetery districts.
I should also note that while I-900 appropriates $10 million a year, the Auditor’s office estimates that it would actually cost $90 million per biennium, and take twelve years to ramp up his office to meet the initiative’s requirements.
And finally…
Democrats are falling all over themselves to get in front of I-900’s speeding train.
Eat me.
Performance audits represent a bipartisan issue that, in one form or another, has passed the House several years running, only to be blocked in the Senate by Republican Pam Roach (who by the way, showed up for the hearing an hour and fifteen minutes late.)
So Tim, don’t give me any shit about Democrats following your lead. Rep. Miloscia has been pushing performance audits for six years, and with 46 co-sponsors, HB 1064 is sure to sail through the House once the language is finalized. Sen. Kastama plans to fast-track a companion bill through his committee, and there is no doubt that the final version will come to the Senate floor for a vote.
There is certainly some institutional resistance from the governor’s office, state agencies, and even the Joint Legislative Legislative Audit and Review Committee. So it may yet take a little arm-twisting to ease a bill through the Senate.
If Eyman really cares about performance audits, instead of just grandstanding the issue for personal gain, he’ll join me in twisting a few Senators’ arms once the time comes. But that seems unlikely, considering that nobody pays him to lobby the Legislature. (At least, not that he’s reported to the PDC.)
HB 1064 enacts comprehensive, independent performance audits, and has broad bipartisan support. If Tim Eyman has an ounce of integrity in his body, he’ll join me in helping State Auditor Brian Sonntag get the bill he wants. “