Wisconsin: Blistering audit faults Wis. job creation agency [View all]

[Scuba]

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268748/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=F3Qaazbc

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - A blistering audit released Wednesday said Gov. Scott Walker's premiere job creation agency repeatedly broke state law in its first year of operation, failed to adequately track money it awarded for economic development projects and sometimes gave money to ineligible recipients. Employees of the public-private entity also made unexplained purchases of University of Wisconsin football season tickets, alcohol and iTunes gift cards, the far-reaching audit of the nearly two-year-old Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. found.

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"This audit shows there is a significant disconnect between our expectations of WEDC and the reality of their performance with regard to transparency and accountability," said Sen. Rob Cowles, R-Green Bay, co-chair of the Legislature's Audit Committee. He said WEDC must immediately correct problems identified in the audit, saying there was "no excuse" for breaking the law.

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The audit faulted WEDC for not having sufficient policies to administer its $520 million worth of grant, loan and tax credit programs effectively, including some policies required by law. It awarded $80 million in its first year. The agency did not consistently follow the law or existing policies when making awards, and had no policies for determining how to handle delinquent loan amounts, the audit said. It lacked invoices or other contractually required documentation showing authorized costs for seven of 29 grants reviewed, the audit said. Four contracts gave $906,000 total in tax credits for job creation and employee training that had already occurred, the audit said.

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It also faulted WEDC for not including all the required information, and including some inaccurate information, in its annual report to the Legislature submitted in November 2012. It also did not clearly present information about the number of jobs created and retained as a result of its programs, the audit said.

Walker's pet project teeming with corruption, hides information from lawmakers, then awards the job of auditing itself to an accounting firm that got $1.1 million in tax credits and a $300,000 grant from the program.

The latest crony they hired to head the agency quit after less than 24 hours.

Don't you wonder what else he saw?