Report: Public workers using tools for own use

The audit, completed last month and recently published by the county?s internal auditing office, criticizes the county?s Department of Recreation and Parks? inventoryof maintenance equipment as “incomplete, inaccurate and unreliable.” The practice of allowing employees to take taxpayer-funded equipment home with them violates county code, according to the audit.

“Using county-owned equipment for personal use limits equipment availability, which can result in lost productivity and reduces the useful life of the equipment sooner than expected,” wrote former county auditor Brian Rowe, who resigned last month after a conflict with county administrators.

Recreation and Parks officials said signs are posted in each of the county?s five maintenance shops warning employees not to take equipment home. Department Director Robert Barrett said he didn?t think the problem was as rampant as the audit indicated but that he would tighten enforcement.

“If we?re missing a hammer once in awhile and it?s not intentional, I can understand that,” Barrett said. “If they have a construction business on the side and it?s intentional, then they?ve got a problem with me.”

The audit also says department officials are underusing a $643,000 computerized management system purchased in August 2004. Recreation officials are only using the system to list equipment and its location, rather than track equipment repairs or perform scheduling functions as intended, according to the audit.

Barrett said he was exploring other uses for the system but never intended to use all of its capabilities. He criticized the audit as “technical” and said his department?s “end result” are beautiful recreation facilities.

“If you go out and look at our parks and facilities that millions of people use every year, you?ll see we are pretty much complaint-free,” he said.

The audit, posted on the county?s Web site, covered the period from August 2004 to July 2006.

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