For Immediate Release
Date: August 26, 2005
Contact: Maura Browning
Phone: (573) 751-8222

Statement from Director Trish Vincent on Audit of Bid Process

        “Working under the long-standing policies of the Office of Administration, the Missouri Department of Revenue took items destined for a landfill and turned them into a $60,000 savings for the state. We avoided spending $44,000 in disposal costs and actually made more than $16,000 for the state’s highways.

        “An audit of our process will prove that we are doing all we can to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars, and frankly, it seems a strange decision on the State Auditor’s part to allocate further untold state resources to an audit of a situation that saved taxpayer dollars.

        “This audit will clear the good names of the men, women, and organizations that the Auditor has vilified over the last few months. These people are doing their best to serve the public. While the Auditor criticizes them and suggests they have unlawfully acquired equipment from the state, I thank them for their service.”