FLYING HIGH: COST FOR OPERATING STATE PLANES IS TOO HIGH, SCHWAB SAYS

Missouri state government is flying high these days on a taxpayer-funded fleet of 28 airplanes and helicopters.

State Rep. David Schwab, R-Jackson, and other members of the House Budget Committee would like to put the brakes on some of the high-flying spending.

Schwab and other members of the committee have suggested that the state's air fleet should be administered by a single agency to make more efficient use of the planes and keep a handle on costs.

House Speaker Steve Gaw, D-Moberly, is considering appointing an interim committee to explore the issue.

The aircraft currently are spread out among four state agencies, with virtually no budget oversight by the Legislature.

"I certainly think there has been an abuse of taxpayers' dollars," said Schwab.

Some state agencies fly their volunteer board members to and from meetings.

Missouri's departments of conservation, mental health and transportation regularly do so, Schwab said.

In 1998, for example, the state spent nearly $19,000 to fly mental health commissioners to and from their meetings.

"There are appropriate uses of state planes, but decisions to use air travel should be made on the basis of efficiency and economy to taxpayers rather than convenience to state officials and employees," Schwab said.

In most cases, efficiency and economy aren't being considered in the use of state aircraft, he said.

Rep. Charles Shields, R-St. Joseph, serves on the Budget Committee with Schwab.

He echoed Schwab's concerns. In many cases, he said, the state is flying people simply for convenience. "I have a hard time justifying it."

State officials have defended their use of the aircraft.

They argue that the state needs its own planes because officials' schedules do not always conform to private flight schedules.

State officials also travel to many rural areas in the state that don't have an abundance of air service.

Budget Director Mark Ward said, "There is a value to people's time."

Shields said Budget Committee members weren't aware that the state owned so many aircraft until the issue surfaced this year.

"We probably don't need 28 aircraft," he said.

The state, Shields said, could make more efficient use of its aircraft if it consolidated flight operations under a single department.

Shields and Schwab said the committee has struggled this legislative session to identify all the costs.

The operating costs of the state's aircraft aren't detailed in the budget.

State agencies have been asked to provide cost figures, but the committee hasn't received all the data yet.

Shields said the state probably spends several million dollars a year to operate the aircraft.

The governor's Office of Administration alone spends about $700,000 a year to operate a jet and two twin-engine planes, Shields said.

The figure includes the cost of fuel, pilots and routine maintenance, he said.

Other state agencies that don't own airplanes can charter the Office of Administration aircraft for specific trips.

Missouri's Conservation Department owns four aircraft. The Missouri Department of Transportation operates three airplanes.

The Highway Patrol operates the other 18 airplanes and helicopters.

Its civilian fleet includes eight single-engine planes that are used primarily for traffic enforcement, and three helicopters.

It also operates seven military surplus aircraft, four of which are helicopters.

Three of those helicopters are used on a part-time basis in the summer for a marijuana eradication program, funded partly through a federal grant from the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Last year, the Office of Administration bought a new $3.3 million Cessna Citation jet.

Schwab said the jet is used to ferry Gov. Mel Carnahan and other "dignitaries" around the state and nation.

The new jet was delivered to the Jefferson City airport in November.

Carnahan, members of his staff, and other state bureaucrats have used the jet.

From November to March, the plane made 15 round-trips between Jefferson City and St. Louis, and another six to Kansas City. It also made several trips to Washington, D.C., Schwab said.

The trips cost the state more than $32,000 in operating expenses during the four-month period, Schwab said. That figure doesn't include the cost of salaries for pilots.

Shields said the Office of Administration's budget included money to replace an aging airplane.

But he said lawmakers weren't told that the state planned to buy a jet.

"Everybody assumed we would replace it with another prop-driven plane. I don't think anybody thought we were buying a jet," said Shields.

MoDOT chartered the new jet on Jan. 15 to transport Lee Kling and his wife around the state on department business. Kling chairs the state highway commission.

The round-trip from Jefferson City included stops at Moberly, Fort Leonard Wood and St. Louis.

Schwab said Kling isn't a state official, but a volunteer serving on a state board.

"This $1,300 trip was paid for with gas-tax revenue," said Schwab. "This kind of use of a state airplane is not appropriate."

Schwab said air travel is expensive and shouldn't be used as a standard mode of transportation for state employees or members of state boards.