Latest Audit: Agency 'Arbitrary,' 'Inconsistent' In Reviewing Rail Costs

The latest state audit on Honolulu’s troubled rail project, released Thursday, takes aim not at the rail agency itself but rather at a separate agency that’s supposed to keep watch over the project’s spending.

That agency, the Department of Accounting and General Services, started reviewing rail’s construction-related receipts in 2018 before releasing those dollars to the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation.

DAGS was enlisted to ensure those receipts from HART were strictly construction-related, and that they didn’t include any administrative costs. Those duties fell under the state’s second, $2.4 billion bailout in 2017 aimed at finishing the 20-mile, 21-station project.

However, the state auditor’s latest review “found that DAGS fundamentally misunderstands its responsibilities” under the state deal for rail, “performing unnecessary busy work that not only wastes time and money but also increases the risk of improper payment.”

Read more: https://www.civilbeat.org/2019/03/latest-audit-agency-arbitrary-inconsistent-in-reviewing-rail-costs/