Latest news with #OfficeoftheCityAuditor
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City audit finds Honolulu's Skyline falls short of expectations
JAMM AQUINO / 2023 A westbound Skyline train approaches the Pearlridge station during the inaugural run of Honolulu's rail system on June 30, 2023, in Aiea. JAMM AQUINO / 2023 A westbound Skyline train approaches the Pearlridge station during the inaugural run of Honolulu's rail system on June 30, 2023, in Aiea. Honolulu's Skyline rail operation suffers poor ridership, has less-than-adequate features for the disabled around its stations and does not offer multilingual signage to better inform its ridership base about ongoing changes to the city-run transit system, according to an Office of the City Auditor report released this week. The city's over-$10 billion automated fixed-guideway rail system, which runs along Oahu's South Shore, connecting East Kapolei and Halawa and which has plans to extend to the Civic Center in downtown Honolulu by 2031, is operated and maintained by the city Department of Transportation Services. But in a final report submitted Thursday to Mayor Rick Blangiardi's administration, the city auditor determined DTS suffers outstanding deficiencies in its Skyline operations, including over its ridership. To that, the audit—conducted from January through December 2024—states DTS' goal to operate Skyline was to accommodate 8, 000 riders per day after a full year of service. 'According to ridership statistics, the highest number of daily riders in December 2023 was 3, 637, less than half of that goal, ' the audit states. 'Since its opening in July 2023, ridership has decreased 77 percent from 151, 633 monthly rides to 85, 460 rides in December 2023.' 'We found that despite a favorable reliability rate of 99.2 percent, ridership on the Skyline rail system has fallen short of expectations, with a 77 percent decline from its opening in July 2023 to December 2023, ' acting City Auditor Troy Shimasaki stated in a written message to the city administration. Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. He added, 'This decline is attributed to several factors, including limited service area coverage, inadequate operating hours, and insufficient integration with other transportation modes.' Shimasaki noted the audit determined that 'public transportation commuters face disproportionately longer travel times compared to solo drivers, diminishing Skyline's appeal as a commuting option.' 'Lastly, marketing efforts, including social media campaigns, have been less effective compared to peer transit systems, resulting in missed opportunities for collaboration with local events and businesses, ' he said. 'Despite generally positive rider feedback on the overall experience, concerns persist regarding limited payment options, insufficient station amenities, and the need for extended operating hours.' He said these challenges highlight the need for 'strategic changes ' to improve ridership and enhance the system's overall performance. In addition, the auditor said issues surrounding station areas presented 'safety and usability concerns that undermine the accessibility goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act and local pedestrian access guidelines. 'Observations conducted at Skyline stations revealed a variety of hazards, including trip hazards, poor sanitation, and insufficient infrastructure for individuals with disabilities, ' he said. He added that these issues 'not only pose safety risks but also increase potential liabilities for the city.' 'To ensure equitable and safe transit access, the department should address the gaps in compliance and infrastructure surrounding these stations, ' he said. Finally, the city auditor found that in its effort to create a multimodal system with Skyline, DTS did not include multilanguage information when changes were made to existing bus routes that were used by people with limited English proficiency, or LEP. 'As the agency overseeing Honolulu's multi-modal transit system, DTS is obligated to ensure equitable access for LEP individuals. Despite this mandate, Skyline lags behind TheBus and TheHandi-Van in providing comprehensive multi-language resources, ' he said. 'Barriers to riding Skyline increased as a result of not having multi-language resources and people with LEP may have difficulty using Skyline.' The audit made 10 recommendations to improve current Skyline operations. Those include offering service amenities similar to other jurisdictions and best practices to increase ridership and public satisfaction. Other recommendations include expanding social media efforts to target core and untapped demographics through tailored campaigns across various platforms to increase engagement. And the audit claims DTS needs to prioritize repairs to sidewalks, potholes and pipes, and implement regular maintenance to address hazards and ensure ADA compliance, among other recommendations. In response to the audit, DTS Director-designate Roger Morton disagreed with many of its negative findings. Those included the 77 % decrease in ridership from when the system first opened for public ridership on June 30, 2023—in which there were four fare-free days during that Fourth of July holiday weekend. 'Comparing ridership during the four fare-free days in July 2023 with ridership in December 2023 is an 'apples to oranges' metric, meaning a comparison between two things that are fundamentally different and cannot be meaningfully compared directly, ' Morton wrote. As far as station accessibility and meeting federally mandated ADA requirements, Morton said DTS 'does not have site control over all of the 'surrounding areas' around Skyline stations.' 'Many are on state rights-of-way, ' he explained. Still, the auditor found positives to Skyline operations. The audit report noted that in its first six months of operation, from July to December 2023, Skyline achieved a 99.2 % operational performance rating. 'According to the city's contract with its operations contractor, Hitachi, the operational goal is a reliability rate of 99.5 percent, ' the audit states. 'Although falling just short of this performance benchmark, the contractor is incentivized to maintain high operational standards. As a result, Skyline riders experienced on-time, reliable operations.' In addition to rail operations, rail contractor Hitachi—with a city-issued contract valued at $323, 124, 844—is also responsible for cleaning and janitorial serv ice, parking and support vehicle services. 'One of the favorable features of the city's contract with Hitachi is that the contractor is penalized for poor performance, ' the audit states. 'The contractor incurs a $200, 000 penalty for exceeding more than one 10-plus minute delay occurrence per month, ' the report reads. 'This contract provision incentivizes the contractor to maintain reliable operations.' In the end, Morton said, 'DTS will review all recommendations provided in this report from the Office of the City Auditor and strive towards implementation and improvement of our Skyline operations.' On Friday, DTS announced that starting Sunday, it will begin service changes for select TheBus routes in the Ewa, Kapolei and Makakilo areas, locales not far from existing Skyline stations. Asked whether these bus route changes were connected to the city audit over rail operations, DTS responded that the auditor's report and these transit shifts were not at all related. 'These changes were planned well in advance of our second Skyline opening later this year, ' DTS told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser via email. 'We consider these changes as a first phase of TheBus network redesign for this second opening as we design better connections to the existing and expanding Skyline and TheBus multi-modal network.'
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City audit reveals Skyline falls short of expectations
JAMM AQUINO / 2023 A westbound Skyline train approaches the Pearlridge station during the inaugural run of Honolulu's rail system on June 30, 2023, in Aiea. JAMM AQUINO / 2023 A westbound Skyline train approaches the Pearlridge station during the inaugural run of Honolulu's rail system on June 30, 2023, in Aiea. Honolulu's Skyline rail operation suffers poor ridership, has less-than-adequate features for the disabled around its stations and does not offer multilingual signage to better inform its ridership base about ongoing changes to the city-run transit system, according to an Office of the City Auditor report released this week. The city's over-$10 billion automated fixed-guideway rail system, which runs along Oahu's South Shore, connecting East Kapolei and Halawa and which has plans to extend to the Civic Center in downtown Honolulu by 2031, is operated and maintained by the city Department of Transportation Services. But in a final report submitted Thursday to Mayor Rick Blangiardi's administration, the city auditor determined DTS suffers outstanding deficiencies in its Skyline operations, including over its ridership. To that, the audit—conducted from January through December 2024—states DTS' goal to operate Skyline was to accommodate 8, 000 riders per day after a full year of service. 'According to ridership statistics, the highest number of daily riders in December 2023 was 3, 637, less than half of that goal, ' the audit states. 'Since its opening in July 2023, ridership has decreased 77 percent from 151, 633 monthly rides to 85, 460 rides in December 2023.' 'We found that despite a favorable reliability rate of 99.2 percent, ridership on the Skyline rail system has fallen short of expectations, with a 77 percent decline from its opening in July 2023 to December 2023, ' acting City Auditor Troy Shimasaki stated in a written message to the city administration. Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. He added, 'This decline is attributed to several factors, including limited service area coverage, inadequate operating hours, and insufficient integration with other transportation modes.' Shimasaki noted the audit determined that 'public transportation commuters face disproportionately longer travel times compared to solo drivers, diminishing Skyline's appeal as a commuting option.' 'Lastly, marketing efforts, including social media campaigns, have been less effective compared to peer transit systems, resulting in missed opportunities for collaboration with local events and businesses, ' he said. 'Despite generally positive rider feedback on the overall experience, concerns persist regarding limited payment options, insufficient station amenities, and the need for extended operating hours.' He said these challenges highlight the need for 'strategic changes ' to improve ridership and enhance the system's overall performance. In addition, the auditor said issues surrounding station areas presented 'safety and usability concerns that undermine the accessibility goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act and local pedestrian access guidelines. 'Observations conducted at Skyline stations revealed a variety of hazards, including trip hazards, poor sanitation, and insufficient infrastructure for individuals with disabilities, ' he said. He added that these issues 'not only pose safety risks but also increase potential liabilities for the city.' 'To ensure equitable and safe transit access, the department should address the gaps in compliance and infrastructure surrounding these stations, ' he said. Finally, the city auditor found that in its effort to create a multimodal system with Skyline, DTS did not include multilanguage information when changes were made to existing bus routes that were used by people with limited English proficiency, or LEP. 'As the agency overseeing Honolulu's multi-modal transit system, DTS is obligated to ensure equitable access for LEP individuals. Despite this mandate, Skyline lags behind TheBus and TheHandi-Van in providing comprehensive multi-language resources, ' he said. 'Barriers to riding Skyline increased as a result of not having multi-language resources and people with LEP may have difficulty using Skyline.' The audit made 10 recommendations to improve current Skyline operations. Those include offering service amenities similar to other jurisdictions and best practices to increase ridership and public satisfaction. Other recommendations include expanding social media efforts to target core and untapped demographics through tailored campaigns across various platforms to increase engagement. And the audit claims DTS needs to prioritize repairs to sidewalks, potholes and pipes, and implement regular maintenance to address hazards and ensure ADA compliance, among other recommendations. In response to the audit, DTS Director-designate Roger Morton disagreed with many of its negative findings. Those included the 77 % decrease in ridership from when the system first opened for public ridership on June 30, 2023—in which there were four fare-free days during that Fourth of July holiday weekend. 'Comparing ridership during the four fare-free days in July 2023 with ridership in December 2023 is an 'apples to oranges' metric, meaning a comparison between two things that are fundamentally different and cannot be meaningfully compared directly, ' Morton wrote. As far as station accessibility and meeting federally mandated ADA requirements, Morton said DTS 'does not have site control over all of the 'surrounding areas' around Skyline stations.' 'Many are on state rights-of-way, ' he explained. Still, the auditor found positives to Skyline operations. The audit report noted that in its first six months of operation, from July to December 2023, Skyline achieved a 99.2 % operational performance rating. 'According to the city's contract with its operations contractor, Hitachi, the operational goal is a reliability rate of 99.5 percent, ' the audit states. 'Although falling just short of this performance benchmark, the contractor is incentivized to maintain high operational standards. As a result, Skyline riders experienced on-time, reliable operations.' In addition to rail operations, rail contractor Hitachi—with a city-issued contract valued at $323, 124, 844—is also responsible for cleaning and janitorial serv ice, parking and support vehicle services. 'One of the favorable features of the city's contract with Hitachi is that the contractor is penalized for poor performance, ' the audit states. 'The contractor incurs a $200, 000 penalty for exceeding more than one 10-plus minute delay occurrence per month, ' the report reads. 'This contract provision incentivizes the contractor to maintain reliable operations.' In the end, Morton said, 'DTS will review all recommendations provided in this report from the Office of the City Auditor and strive towards implementation and improvement of our Skyline operations.' On Friday, DTS announced that starting Sunday, it will begin service changes for select TheBus routes in the Ewa, Kapolei and Makakilo areas, locales not far from existing Skyline stations. Asked whether these bus route changes were connected to the city audit over rail operations, DTS responded that the auditor's report and these transit shifts were not at all related. 'These changes were planned well in advance of our second Skyline opening later this year, ' DTS told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser via email. 'We consider these changes as a first phase of TheBus network redesign for this second opening as we design better connections to the existing and expanding Skyline and TheBus multi-modal network.'
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Yahoo
City parks ‘follow-up' audit completed
The Office of the City Auditor recently completed a periodic performance audit regarding the funding and maintenance priorities of the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation. Filed in February, the audit found improvements had been made within DPR—which has a current operating budget of nearly $120.6 million—but noted data related to spending on individual city park sites on Oahu was lacking. This performance report was deemed a five-year follow-up to DPR's original audit, issued in June 2020, during then-Mayor Kirk Caldwell's administration. First requested by the City Council in 2019, that review determined DPR 'lacked sufficient policies, procedures, and consistent staffing to ensure that parks are maintained properly and equitably.' 'As a result, the department did not have critical quantitative performance measures to effectively manage city parks, struggled to ensure that maintenance efforts were performed consistently and equitably, and supported a maintenance program that was reactive, rather than proactive, ' the 2020 audit states. It noted nearly 14 % of ground maintenance staff positions were unfilled in fiscal years 2018 and 2019, 'which adversely impacted the department's ability to sufficiently maintain city parks.' Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. The 2020 audit also found 'insufficient park maintenance cost data hampered park management and transparency.' 'More importantly, the department was unable to effectively manage park maintenance because it did not have critical information needed to analyze resources allocated at the park level, ' the audit states. Other more visible problems—like vandalism—were apparent at city-owned parks, too. From the 2017 to 2019 fiscal years, 'the city spent nearly $770, 478 for security guard services at parks and a total of $624, 039 to repair vandalism. In that same time period, repeated vandalism costs totaled $59, 265, ' the audit states. Vandalism, the audit asserted, was 'inaccurately reported and costs may have (been ) understated.' The 2020 audit also claimed DPR 'did not sufficiently track financial data ' of its capital improvement program, or CIP, projects. Based on this lack of coordination and transparency, there was insufficient accountability for projects that were not completed even though the City Council approved funding, the audit states. The city auditor found that from fiscal years 2015 to 2017, an average of 31 %—$13.9 million—of executive branch CIP projects did not have any record of expenditure in CIP financial reports. Likewise, an average of 56 %—$49.8 million—of Council-added CIP projects did not have any rec ords either, the auditor determined. Ultimately, the 2020 audit offered nine recommendations to DPR :—Establish policies and procedures to track daily park maintenance efforts.—Establish quantitative, preventive standards for park facilities.—Bring ground maintenance staff fill rates to 90 %.—Establish a methodology to identify resource allocation at the park level.—Collect expenditure and resource allocation data at the park level and use that information to improve park management.—Conduct further analysis before expanding park security.—Find alternatives to decreasing vandalism in parks.—Document coordination with the city Department of Design and Construction for CIP projects.—Issue an annual report on the status of all approved CIP park projects. Earlier this month the city auditor completed its new follow-up audit. 'We found that six recommendations are completed, two are in-process, and one recommendation is not started, ' Troy Shimasaki, acting city auditor, wrote in a Feb. 10 letter to Council Chair Tommy Waters. Recommendations that remain 'in-process ' include staffing and status updates on CIP park projects. 'In 2020, the department indicated that staffing levels for DPR ground maintenance was at an 85 percent fill rate, ' the new audit states. 'Mass interviews was a successful program for the department in filling groundskeeper positions on a timely basis. DPR reaffirmed its commitment to achieving the goal of a 90 percent fill rate.' DPR reported in January 2024 that about 80 % of ground maintenance staff positions had been filled. And mass hiring events successfully filled 25 critical positions from the 27 candidates who had been issued conditional offer letters, the audit states. The audit also found that in fiscal year 2024 DPR started to track four of its 92 CIP park projects on a quarterly basis. 'While the quarterly tracking of a few CIP projects is a step in the right direction, it falls short of the comprehensive annual reporting of all park CIP projects intended by the recommendation, ' the audit states. 'We consider this recommendation in-process.' DPR, the audit noted, should continue to issue reports on approved CIP park projects and add more parks to the reports. With regard to more vexing issues at city-owned parks—such as vandalism—the audit found DPR instituted a so-called park ranger assessment project in late 2022. Funded via federal COVID-19 money, the park ranger program—consisting of five staff—aims to promote voluntary compliance with park rules and regulations, measure the effectiveness of education, and civil enforcement as a deterrent. The new audit said park rangers 'have begun collecting data through site observations conducted at the various city parks.' 'Although the focus has been on commercial activities, the project intends to expand into other areas such as education and security enforcement, ' the audit states. 'We determined that this recommendation is completed.' As far as park vandalism, the audit found that DPR 'explored alternatives via the Adopt-a-Park program and the launch of a new, comprehensive volunteering platform, E Alu Pu Kakou !' 'Recognizing the (Adopt-a-Park ) program's outdated structure, DPR requested $408, 823 from (federal COVID-19 funds ) in March 2022, allocating a portion of these funds to modernize program materials, policies, and communication strategies, ' the audit states. Since the reactivation of Adopt-a-Park, volunteer numbers have steadily increased. 'With these measures in place, we consider this recommendation completed, ' the new audit states. Out of the nine recommendations, the latest audit asserts DPR failed to start one. 'We found that while DPR continues to collect expenditure and resource allocation at the park district level, it does not collect or report that data at the individual park level, ' the review states. In a Feb. 6 written response to the draft audit, DPR Director Designate Laura Thielen generally thanked the city auditor for recognizing the agency's steps toward progress since 2020. Thielen disagreed, however, with the one recommendation marked 'not started.' 'DPR found it is possible to collect park-by-park expenditure data for capital improvement projects, as those expenditures are isolated to work at a single park, ' she said. 'However, due to the need to operate efficiently, it is not really possible to collect operating expenditures on a park-by-park basis. The wide-scale operations require staff and specialized equipment that service multiple parks.' Thielen said DPR 'respectfully encourages future inquiries to separate operating expenditures and look at different ways to determine if there is equitable allocation of resources across the island.' 'We will continue to examine different means of measuring equity across communities on our island, although we do not anticipate getting to the park-by-park level, ' she added. BY THE NUMBERS From the 2017 to 2019 fiscal years, the city spent approximately the following : $770, 478 Security guard services $624, 039 Vandalism repair $59, 265 Repeated vandalism costs
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Newport News revamps role of city auditor
Newport News is revamping the role and responsibilities of the city's fiscal watchdog and has launched a new hotline for people to report suspected fraud or abuse. In the fall, City Council appointed Tammie Dantzler as city auditor. She started Dec. 2. Previously, the city manager selected auditors. However, Dantzler is notable for being the first auditor appointed by the council. The council unanimously passed an ordinance Tuesday establishing the duties and responsibilities of the Office of the City Auditor. The ordinance notes the auditor will be appointed by a council majority vote, serving a four-year term and operating independently from other city departments. Vice Mayor Curtis Bethany said the shift to a council-appointed auditor was in line with what other cities — such as Norfolk and Virginia Beach — have done. He argued having the auditor report to a legislative body and not working directly under the city manager gave the auditor more independence and 'unbiased oversight.' 'You never want the auditor to report to your direct hire, right? There needs to be some autonomy, I guess, if you will,' Bethany said. 'So that is ultimately what sparked it.' The previous auditor who reported to the city manager, Shanti Mullen, left the city in April. City Politics | Virginia lawmakers approve changes in Chesapeake charter to fix election issue City Politics | Virginia Beach to end support for the Something in the Water festival City Politics | Norfolk Amtrak parking lot permanently closed for casino construction City Politics | $68M plan to replace Norfolk Fitness and Wellness Center includes pickleball courts, pool facilities City Politics | Virginia Beach interested in proposal for new state fund to boost sports tourism As city auditor, Dantzler will evaluate efficiency and effectiveness of city programs, operations and finances. She will conduct audits, investigations and management advisory services to ensure compliance with laws and regulations. Dantzler will have access to city records, employees, and property as law allows. She will also provide annual audit plans, reports and updates to the council and the public. She told the Daily Press the office will have eight or nine staff members. The office will set up a confidential hotline where employees and citizens can report suspected fraud, waste and abuse. Dantzler told the council that residents can deliver anonymous reports by telephone, online portal, mail, email or in person, and that her office will review the allegations. The city will soon launch a marketing campaign to promote the hotline. The email to report fraud, waste or abuse is reportnnfraud@ and the online link to report fraud can be accessed at Dantzler has more than 27 years of experience in various financial oversight roles in local government and nonprofit organizations, where she focused on financial management, internal controls and risk assessment. Before joining Newport News, Dantzler was the auditor for Norfolk for five years. 'I am blessed and honored to be appointed as the City Auditor for Newport News,' Dantzler said in a release. 'I look forward to working alongside the City Council and staff to uphold the city's commitment to transparency, accountability, and fiscal responsibility.' Josh Janney,
