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This is interesting: Klein responds to the linked article in comments:

Hi DC Rez: Gabe Klein here, Ex-Director for DDOT. Feel free to look at the financials online. In fact, on the operating side, we came in $7m under budget, and that includes a $16m snow-magaddeon overrun and only $5m offset by the emergency fund. We also still gave almost $40 million back to the general fund. Pretty amazing.

http://dashboard.ddot.dc.gov/DTAPDOC/Other/Finance726904_Finance625297_KAFY11.pdf

On the capital side: DOT, the federal agency that oversees DDOT’s Federal Aid capital projects has agreed with all federal-aid eligible capital expenditures. No disapprovals from Council, and no outside audit findings on the local budget side for capital expenditures either. Fundamentally, and this has been an ongoing issue with the Council Budget Asst Director, the Gray Transition Team is applying a different philosophical view of capital expenditures, and what is appropriate to bill to the program which is their prerogative. But that has nothing to do with legality of prior practice and frankly, what is industry standard in 2011. In essence, they are sadly indicting the Gray team who has had Council oversight for the program for the past 4 years. What's also sad, is by trying to make these false indictments for personal reasons, it continues to preclude DC from maximizing federal funding and participation for competitive grants.

I hope this helps. It's a very, very complicated budget, but that's why there are 6 different checks and balances, outside audits, and an excellent resource management team at DDOT, as well as signoff by OCFO who reports to Congress. It cant get more stringent.

Oh, and letting previous Directors that ran the agency when it was last in the nation in just about every metric...run the transition? When it was spending 50% more than San Francisco for instance for horrible services for our constituents? No, that's obviously not the best way to do it. I just have to be honest here. It wasn't lack of $ btw, it was severe mismanagement across the government.

For those who forget what we used to deal with in the mid 90's, read these WaPo articles:
http://innercity.org/columbiaheights/newspaper/articles_1995_1997/mismanage1.html

http://innercity.org/columbiaheights/newspaper/articles_1995_1997/mismanage2.html
PT 2 has the service numbers as well.

NU78
February 24th, 2011
6:00 pm

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/looselips/2011/02/23/red-flags/#comment-14379

by oboe on Feb 25, 2011 10:17 am • link • report