Government lists priorities for spending

By Adam Wilson | The Olympian • Published November 20, 2008

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The state has a list of things it shouldn't spend money on — including the Family Policy Council, a computer to handle state employee health insurance and reports on how effective government services are.

The governor's Priorities of Government program has listed services as unwanted before, and they have survived. But the recent reports on what should be funded come as the economy continues to slide, and tax revenue is expected to fall short in the state's next two-year budget by as much as $5.1 billion.

State Auditor Brian Sonntag was displeased to see his performance audits, which voters approved in a 2005 initiative, on one of this year's "Do Not Buy" budget lists. The "Do Not Buy" lists come out every two years and were released last week.

"Wow. It seems like the voters have been clearly sending a different message," he said Tuesday.

Performance audits gauge how effective services are and suggest ways to save money. Targets so far have included state highway congestion, health professional licensing and the Port of Seattle.

A Priorities of Government report recommended against funding the $26.8 million audits. They were ranked 201st out of 248 programs in the government-efficiency category.

"We're looking at a $9 to $1 return on investment. That includes our work in local government, as well as state agencies," Sonntag said. "I don't think this is a time to be cutting back on accountability at any level."

The buying recommendations are only part of Gov. Chris Gregoire's budget-writing plan, stressed Glenn Kuper, spokesman for the Office of Financial Management.

"The key is, it's one tool. It's not the budget itself," Kuper said, noting that the governor also has called for citizen suggestions on saving money.

In the Priorities of Government approach, teams of experts examine sweeping goals of the state, such as ensuring public safety. They rank programs as high-priority, low-priority, "Buy Next" and "Do Not Buy."

In some areas, including natural resources and recreation, nothing ranked as low as "Do Not Buy." But the broad category of state government had 53 activities with that rating, including the performance audits.

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