RTA Auditors Precluded From Assessing Performance Related To Congestion, Mobility, Connectivity

On Thursday, the Arizona Auditor General’s Office released a report that found the Regional Transportation Authority Plan in Pima County (RTA) “had not established specific performance targets and did not have baseline data for targets, thus precluding auditors’ assessment of performance related to congestion, mobility, and connectivity.”

Overall, auditors gave the RTA good marks.

As noted by the auditors, “in 2006, voters in Pima County approved a half-cent sales tax to fund regional roadway, safety, environmental, economic vitality, and transit improvements.”

Auditors wrote that the “available performance data” they did have “indicated mixed result related to increased congestion, improved safety, fair pavement condition, and declining bridge health on roadways in addition to few opportunities to improve effectiveness and accountability related to target setting, performance delivery measurement, performance reporting, and revenue estimates.”

Auditors also reported that “actual revenues to date have been lower than projected.” According to the report, “these sales tax revenues are combined with additional local jurisdictional contributions to fund the estimated $2.4 billion Regional Transportation Authority Plan in Pima County (RTA Plan),” according to the report.

Report Findings Overview:

The audit found that the RTA Plan partners (the RTA, Pima County, cities, towns, and tribal jurisdictions) have established a robust framework and oversight structure to help ensure the RTA Plan is implemented as envisioned.

At the RTA Plan’s halfway mark, the RTA Plan partners are generally delivering the projects as envisioned within budget and on schedule, employing typical project management and construction practices, and spending funds in accordance with applicable Arizona Revised Statutes and RTA Plan provisions.

The RTA Plan had not established specific performance targets and did not have baseline data for targets, thus precluding auditors’ assessment of performance related to congestion, mobility, and connectivity. Recently established performance targets should allow for future assessments of performance against targets.

Auditors identified a few opportunities to improve effectiveness and accountability related to target-setting, performance-delivery measurement, performance reporting, and revenue estimates.

Read the report here and the RTA response here

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