Audit - State could save millions on travel costs

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri government could save millions of dollars by changing the way it books airline flights and by selling some of its vehicles, the state auditor's office said.

In a pair of reports Tuesday, State Auditor Claire McCaskill criticized the state for lacking a uniform travel policy.

She suggested the state could save up to $1.5 million annually by contracting with airlines at discounted rates and could get rid of hundreds of vehicles that are seldom used.

The audits are the latest in a series of cross-agency reports by McCaskill's office. Earlier audits suggested the state also could save money through better oversight of cellular phones and food expenditures.

"The state desperately needs more guidance and more regulation in these areas," McCaskill said, "so that there is a uniform and consistent policy across agency boundaries about these types of expenses."

State Office of Administration Commissioner Mike Hartmann said he has ordered interagency reviews covering each of the four audit areas.

"The broad basis of her recommendations is you guys need to examine your polices and come up with better ones," said Hartmann, who recently was named as Gov. Bob Holden's next chief of staff. "I'm always up for better ideas."

McCaskill's travel audit said the state could have saved up to 50 percent on airplane tickets by negotiating contracts with airlines. The federal government and several states, including Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois and Iowa, already have such contracts.

Georgia, for example, had a contract with St. Louis-based TWA that guaranteed state employees a $133 rate for a one-way trip between Atlanta and St. Louis, the audit said.

Missouri employees, who typically received a 10 percent to 15 percent discount from TWA, were paying $420 for the same flight -- a difference of $287 over the Georgia rate, the audit said.

To get lower fares, Missouri employees generally must purchase tickets months in advance that are nonrefundable and nontransferable, the audit said. Missouri employees also save money by booking low-cost flights on Saturdays.

Negotiating airfare contracts could avoid those inconveniences and save between $745,000 and $1.5 million annually, the audit said.

The state could save more money by using frequent flier miles for state travel instead of letting employees use the mileage for personal travel, the audit said.