Legislators look for waste in highway spending
JACKSON – Legislators who traveled the state this summer reviewing bridge and highway needs say they are focused on ensuring that wasteful spending isn’t holding back highway repairs.
“As a representative of the people here in DeSoto county, I needed to understand what the need was. The second thing is how we got to this point,” said Rep. Dana Criswell, R-DeSoto County.
“(The third is) making sure (the Transportation Department) is spending our money wisely. “That’s not an accusation, but me upholding my responsibility as a representative. You’re spending taxpayer money. We have to make sure you are doing it wisely.”
A number of the state representatives contacted by Mississippi Today expressed concern about the Transportation Department being wasteful with state funds. The concerns were raised despite the agency’s downsizing, including decreasing the number of vehicles in the department’s fleet by 330 vehicles and laying off 44 employees from the Right of Way division.
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