Audit finds fault with policies of health agency

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services does not take care of its 35 state vehicles effectively or efficiently, an audit found.

A report Wednesday by State Auditor Claire McCaskill said some vehicles intended for emergency response were used mostly for commutes to work.

The audit also found that many of the vehicles are used infrequently and that thousands of dollars in repair costs were not properly reported.

The audit was an extension of an earlier audit conducted by McCaskill's office of several state departments' management of vehicles.

"The Department of Health's vehicle management policy lacks certain attributes key to the efficient and effective management of a vehicle fleet," the audit said. "Consequently, vehicle replacement and permanent vehicle assignment policies were not adequate, retention of some vehicles in the fleet was questionable, and the vehicle management system was inaccurate."

High maintenance cost

The audit found that 14 of the 35 vehicles owned by the department as of last June had logged more than 100,000 miles, which resulted in higher maintenance costs. The department also does not have a policy about which employees should be permanently assigned vehicles, the audit said. At least six department vehicles were driven fewer than 5,000 miles a year, while one went unused for five months.