Bookkeeping is sloppy at the Illinois Department of Transportation, where contracts have been hastily awarded for "emergencies" such as trash collection and overtime claims have gone unchecked, according to a state audit released Wednesday.
Other problems in fiscal years 2011 and 2012 included shoddy inventory records and duplicated payments to vendors, according to the Illinois auditor general's report, which said some problems have festered since 1994.
IDOT officials said they agreed with the findings and promised to improve. The department is led by Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider, who took over in late 2011. She was preceded by Gary Hannig.
The financial accountability lapses occurred as IDOT spending rose from $4.9 billion in fiscal 2010 to $5.6 billion in fiscal 2012, the report said.
During the same period, the percentage of state-maintained roads in need of repair rose from 11 percent to 15 percent. The department is responsible for 42,875 lane miles of pavement statewide.
In the audit report, IDOT cited human error and a lack of resources as contributing to its inaccurate financial reporting. The department said it will correct the problems through a reorganization that will include increasing staff.
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