Posted on 09/15/2004 6:24:16 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
Slamming the state for failing to adequately monitor more than $100 million in grants that lawmakers doled out for pet projects in their districts, Controller Steve Westly on Tuesday ordered the withholding of $15 million that has not been spent. It is "almost impossible" to know whether the funds were misspent by the nonprofits and local governments that received them between 2000 and 2002, Westly said, because there were no clear guidelines for using the money in the first place.
In many cases, there was little follow-up by the Department of Parks and Recreation, which disbursed and earmarked funds that legislators allocated, he said.
Some organizations that received grants didn't even know they were getting the money or what it was supposed to finance, Westly said as he released the results of a survey of parks grants.
Lawmakers allocated the money while state coffers were flush with extra cash. In some cases, the surplus funds were used as a bargaining tool by Democrats to get Republican lawmakers to vote for the state budget in exchange for projects in their districts.
While most state grants require recipients to spell out exactly how they will use the funds, the money handed out by the parks department came with few strings, if any, Westly said. He blamed the Legislature and urged lawmakers to draft stronger guidelines for future allocations.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
fyi
You do a fantastic job Norm. Thank you.
Rights, farms, environment ping.
Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
I don't get offended if you want to be removed.
BTTT!!!!!!!
A Democrat doing this asking for accountablility? What has the world coming to?
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