The audit raises questions about the complaint for budgetary savings of $ 400 million from the Governor of Moore

(WBFF) – A new state audit increases red flags on the assertion of the governor of Maryland Wes Moore that his administration has identified $ 400 million in budgetary savings. Investigators say that the figures do not add up and do not accuse Maryland rental agreements to lack transparency and may cost taxpayers much more than promised originally.

Moore has instructed the Ministry of General Services (DGS) with certain costs to reduce costs, in particular the relocation of certain state offices. But a 71 -page audit suggests that some of these measures can be based on incomplete data.

“We need immediate savings today due to the structural deficit we have in Maryland,” said DEL. Ryan Nawrocki, county of R-Baltimore. “No savings in 25 years.”

Nawrocki described the results of “very worrying” and accused the Moore administration of poor budgetary stewards.

Among the main audit problems:

• The state agreed to pay $ 278 million over 15 years for a building that costs only $ 7 million in 2016.
• DGS failed to consolidate leases or effectively use the purchasing power of the state.
• The listeners did not find any documentation showing that the lease rates were or below the market value.

“You are not going to resolve a structural deficit by providing false information to taxpayers,” said David Williams, president of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance. “Audits like this are essential to ensure transparency and surveillance to citizens of Maryland.”

Williams said the state was clearly shown where the savings come from.

“You have to show people that it really happens-that it’s not just a lot of words,” he said.

The audit also found that the CEOs could not prove that certain rental agreements were in the best financial interest of the State.

DGS disputes many of the results, claiming that it has carried out cost-to-dispatches and used independent brokers to determine fair market rates. The ministry recognized the need for greater transparency and said it would begin to include total rental values and parking costs in future transactions.

“We need a governor who focuses here on Maryland,” said Nawrocki. “Unfortunately, our governor has run throughout the country, who presents himself to the presidency. Things like this continue to arise. Now we are talking about $ 410 million. This is real money.”

Audit conclusions should be a subject of discussion when the Maryland General Assembly met in January.

In a statement from the Governor Moore office, she said: “The Maryland General Services Department has carried out complete analyzes of the-rate-rate costs for several buildings belonging to the State in Baltimore in the context of a wider strategy to respond to decades of under-investment and deferred maintenance in public facilities. By moving agencies in private rented spaces rather than investing in an expensive construction, renovations and continuous maintenance of aging state buildings, Maryland taxpayers will save millions of dollars over the next two decades. »»