SANTA FE – State Auditor Wayne Johnson issued a letter to the City of Albuquerque today designating the City’s Rapid Transit Project, A.R.T., for a special audit engagement. Here is the information provied by the office of the state auditor:
The letter cited concerns about the funding and implementation of the project, and whether state, federal and local laws were followed with regard to procurement and other issues.
“The City’s spending and financing of the troubled A.R.T. project has raised serious issues that are ripe for investigation,” Auditor Johnson said, “We have directed the City to engage the services of an independent public accountant to conduct the special audit. While I recognize that the City’s independent Inspector General is also conducting a review of the project, it is clear that the gravity of the current situation and concerns raised warrant a special audit conducted by an independent accountant, in order to ensure that taxpayer dollars have not been misspent.”
The A.R.T. project has been the subject of numerous complaints recently, including issues with federal funds that have not materialized, and whether other funds were improperly diverted to complete the project.
“We expect the special audit to be initiated quickly, and to proceed in a timely manner so that we get answers to the myriad of unanswered questions about the A.R.T. project, and can transparently share those findings with the public. We have to get to the bottom of this issue to provide the kind of accountability that taxpayers should expect from government,” concluded Auditor Johnson.