Audit says road contests waste money

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Annual "Roadeo" contests in which state road workers test their skills on big machinery are time- and money-wasters and should be stopped, a state audit said.

The state contest was canceled this year, but not because of the audit and not because the competition lacks merit as a training tool, the Missouri Department of Transportation said Monday.

A report by State Auditor Claire McCaskill's office estimated the contests cost the state a total of $870,000 in 1999 and 2000.

Road workers drive loaders and snowplows through a series of cones with scores based on time and safety. Other competitions include pre-trip inspections of their vehicles and a backhoe event in which they scoop up a bowling ball and place it on a large tee.

The competitions occur on state time and include meals, awards, and jackets, T-shirts or hats for participants.

Because the actual contest takes less than 30 minutes per participant, most of the time is spent waiting and watching others compete, the audit said.

"We concluded the Roadeo program should be discontinued because it's not an effective use of resources," McCaskill said in a letter to MoDOT director Henry Hungerbeeler and Gov. Bob Holden.

The department had planned its statewide contest to occur earlier this month in Sedalia. But it was canceled in August to save money in a tight budget. By that time, a few of the 10 transportation districts already had held their local competitions.

Although the department is reviewing the contests' effectiveness, there are no plans to discontinue them permanently, said MoDOT spokesman Jeff Briggs.

He described the contests as an innovative way to get road workers to focus on safety.

"We're not doing this just because employees enjoy competing," Briggs said. "It's a training program on safe handling of equipment."

If the contests were discontinued, the state would not save much money because the department would simply conduct some other form of training, he said.

McCaskill's office disputed whether the contests were, in fact, training.

Just six states were involved in the national Roadeo contest, the audit said, and most states surrounding Missouri do not participate because of the cost.

The audit also questioned whether the prizes were legal, citing a state law prohibiting "extra compensation" to public employees.

In a written response, the transportation department said its attorney interprets the prizes to be part of employees' actual compensation and therefore legal.

The department's Kansas City-area district was the first to hold a Roadeo competition in 1997. The next year, the St. Joseph-area district also held the contest. In 1999 and 2000, the competitions expanded to all 10 districts, with state championships held in Springfield.