An editorial from The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — One of the first orders of business for Republicans now that they control the West Virginia legislature for the first time in several decades is to take a close look at how state government spends its money and whether any of the public’s money is being wasted.
While Democrats – including those in the governor’s office, in the legislature as well as those running various state agencies – may not be thrilled with the idea, it’s a good one. Perhaps it will yield some savings; at the least, it should give lawmakers a better handle on where all the money goes in the state’s $11 billion overall annual budget and provide a better foundation for deciding whether it’s being spent wisely.
The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Government and Finance sent requests to Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s office and Tomblin’s Cabinet secretaries asking them to provide records on grants, contracts, budgets, organizational charts, mission statements, employee counts and financial reports, according to a report by The Charleston Gazette. “Our primary concern is creating good government, and one of the ways to do that is to get rid of waste,” Delegate Gary Howell, R-Mineral, told the Gazette. “Essentially, this is a fact-finding mission to see if we can pinpoint where the waste is. These reports will give us a starting point.”
Gary Howell and Sen. Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, who are leading the review, say they will work with the Legislative Auditor’s Office to examine the reports. They also plan to have agency chiefs explain spending practices and contracts at legislative meetings in the coming months.
One question already on some lawmakers’ minds has to do with state-owned vehicles used by employees and whether the state vehicle fleet is being run efficiently, according to Howell. He said West Virginia has three times as many state vehicles than Texas – a much bigger, more populous state – has…