Growls

Today’s Washington Examiner reports that “Virginia spends nearly ($1,000,000) on unused cell phones for state employees” The reporter, Markham Heid, writes:

“The state of Virginia spent almost $1 million on unused wireless phones for its employees during a recent six-month period, according to a study from the state's auditor of public accounts.

“The state paid AT&T, Verizon and other wireless providers roughly $962,000 from July to December 2009 for more than 4,500 phones that clocked zero minutes of use per month, according to the auditor's report.

“The unused phones comprised nearly 40 percent of all the employee cell phones managed by the state's information technologies agency and accounted for roughly 30 percent of the state's six-month, taxpayer-funded $3.1 million wireless phone bill.

“Virginia also spent about $75,000 per month in overage charges -- penalties for exceeding the phone's allowance of minutes -- on BlackBerrys and other cell phones during the same period, according to the auditor's report.”

The report by the Commonwealth’s Auditor of Public Accounts released the report, titled “Commonwealth Cell Phone Study,” was released last month (requires Adobe). He notes the following, which is from the report’s executive summary:

“The Commonwealth of Virginia spends over $6 million on over 11,000 wireless telecommunication devices annually. However, the Commonwealth does not have up to date and comprehensive statewide policies, procedures, and guidance over the management and usage of these telecommunication devices. With improved management and oversight, the Commonwealth has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of dollars in wireless expenses.

“The Commonwealth lacks tools to analyze telecommunication usage and costs effectively. We found several areas where phone use and associated charges did not appear consistent with efficient business use and where improved practices could result in cost savings. These areas are below.

• Phones with no usage for the entire month
• Phones that went over their allotted plan minutes or have excessive roaming charges
• Phones with high cost plans "
  

Hey, bureaucrats, it’s our taxes you’re spending. You wouldn’t spend it like that if it was your own money. Sheesh!