YELLOW SHEET
Office of the State Auditor of Missouri
Claire McCaskill
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YELLOW SHEET Office of the State Auditor of Missouri |
Report No. 2004-39
May 14, 2004
State departments could save on travel costs
Although budget constraints led to a 45 percent reduction in out-of-state travel costs between fiscal years 2000 and 2003, auditors still found ways to further reduce the $5.2 million spent on travel in fiscal year 2003. Auditors tested out-of-state travel trips at the seven state departments which do the most traveling and showed improved management of the trip approval process is needed to avoid unnecessary spending. State travel regulations have not established spending limits, provided adequate regulation, or required cost justification for employees traveling to out-of-state destinations.
Air travel costs were excessive and reservation practices were inconsistent
Seven departments could have saved 26 percent in service fees by using lower cost travel agents. State travel regulations do not require departments to use the lowest and best rate available. In addition, because advance planning for airline reservations was not required employees may not take advantage of the discounts available. (See page 5)
Rental vehicles used even if not cost-effective
State travel regulations and departments' policies do not require employees to compare the costs of using rental cars to using commercial ground transportation. In addition, examples show that employees were reimbursed for rental car use including personal travel. (See page 7)
Lodging allowances could reduce costs
None of the seven departments in our audit prescribed or enforced limits for lodging. Auditors found 26 percent of the overnight lodging rates reimbursed to employees exceeded those established by federal travel regulations. (See page 8)
Travel plans and cost-analyses were not well documented
Travel authorizations for the trips sampled did not contain sufficient documentation to determine if the most cost-effective means of travel was selected. As a result, auditors could not determine if authorizing officials had appropriate documentation available to make accurate decisions when approving travel. (See page 10)