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Wait to boost DOT funding
The huge agency's budget shortfalls and questionable decisions provide a strong argument for government restructuring.

Published: Thursday, May 4, 2006 - 6:00 am


The state Department of Transportation has to delay starting new road projects because it doesn't have enough money. Given the state of South Carolina's state-maintained roads, this is a serious problem. The easy answer -- one being advocated by some highway commissioners -- is to throw more money at the agency. But, because of a track record of irresponsibility and free spending, that is out of the question absent other changes.

Gov. Mark Sanford is dead-on correct when he says the current state of affairs at DOT argues for a government reorganization that would make that agency, and others, more accountable. It all but screams for it.

Yes, the DOT makes a good case for increasing the gasoline tax, which hasn't been raised in nearly 20 years. South Carolina's roads are narrow, often in disrepair and generally unable to handle increasing traffic, making them among the deadliest in the nation. And the state spends less than any other on road maintenance.

But increasing the gas tax must come after reform, given the agency's history of handling its $1.2 billion annual budget. Consider these recent incidents:

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  • A top DOT executive who resigned last year returned to the agency on Jan. 2 in a temporary position that paid nearly $52 an hour. The DOT offered no explanation when asked by lawmakers and this newspaper.

  • Last year, The Greenville News reported the agency had spent $250 million on consultants for 72 different road projects. According to a newspaper analysis, the agency could have hired staff to do the work for up to $90 million less.

  • The agency paid Commissioner Bobby Jones more than $111,000 between terms on the commission to perform what amounted to public relations work for DOT Executive Director Elizabeth Mabry.

  • Joel Sawyer, a spokesman for Gov. Mark Sanford, decried DOT's purchase last year of SUVs for its top executives, according to The News' Tim Smith.

    Further, DOT has a history of cronyism that would make it difficult to improve the agency in its current form. Because DOT has little supervision and a massive budget, there's no reason to expect it would most effectively manage added revenue from an increased gas tax.

    Sawyer was right when he said of the agency's budget woes, "This is exactly what happens when you have a state agency that is, in effect, accountable to no one."

    There's one way to fix that: Restructure DOT so it is part of the executive branch. The citizens of this state need to have someone who is accountable when DOT funds are spent unwisely, foolishly or are just plain mismanaged. Then the Legislature can discuss ways to ensure DOT has enough money to maintain and improve South Carolina's roads -- and many roads sorely need it.