Referred to committee on Labor and Employment.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Department of Revenue
Madison
February 25, 1997
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
Included with this correspondence, I am submitting the quarterly reports of the Wisconsin Lottery for the quarters ending September 30, 1996 and December 31, 1996. As required by s.565.37(3), Wis. Stats., the attached materials contain Wisconsin Lottery year to date sales and financial information.
If you have any questions or comments regarding this report, please do not hesitate to contact me at (608)266-6466.
Sincerely,
CATE ZEUSKE
Secretary, DOR
Referred to committee on State Affairs.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Department of Public Instruction
Madison
March 1, 1997
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
Wisconsin School Laws included the following provision in Section
115.45(6)(b) &
(c):
SECTION 115.45 Grants for preschool to grade 5 programs.
(6) The state superintendent shall:
(b) By March 1, 1986, and annually thereafter, submit to the joint committee on finance and the chief clerk of each house of the legislature, for distribution to the appropriate standing committees under s.
13.172(3), a budget report detailing the grants he or she intends to award under this section in the next fiscal year. The report shall provide summary data on the results of the annual testing required under sub. (4)(b) and include a description of the guidelines used to determine the individual schools and private service providers that will receive funds under this section and the types of expenditures eligible for such funds.
(c) Annually submit to the legislature under s.13.172(2) a report on the academic progress made by pupils enrolled in preschool to grade 5 programs under this section.
This is to inform you that all Preschool to grade 5 Evaluation Reports are contained herein. A report on the academic progress for all schools funded by the Preschool to Grade 5 Program Grant is also enclosed.
Sincerely,
JOHN T. BENSON
State Superintendent, DPI
Referred to committee on Education.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Department of Workforce Development
Division of Workforce Excellence
Madison
March 14, 1997
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
A111
In accordance with Public Law 97-300, Part A, Section 104 (b)(13) the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), the Annual Reports of Wisconsin's JTPA Service Delivery Areas have been submitted. They are hereby transmitted to you for your review.
If you have any questions concerning these reports or need additional information, please feel free to contact me or my staff.
Sincerely,
June Suhling
Division Administrator
Referred to committee on Labor and Employment.
__________________
Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
March 18, 1997
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
We have completed an evaluation of the Department of Transportation's management of the highway program as part of our ongoing audit of the Department. Our limited review of other functions in the Department suggests that the highway program presents the best opportunity for improved efficiency. In fiscal year (FY) 1996-97, the Department will spend $1.58 billion, including $867.9 million, or 54.9 percent of the total, on state and local highways. Cost-effective management of these funds is important, especially when demands for increased transportation funding exceed available revenues.
The cost of design and construction engineering has increased 35.8 percent above inflation since FY 1987-88, but only part of this increase can be explained by salary adjustments and increased workload. While the Department has developed some measures of performance, decreased the ratio of managers to staff, and reorganized to place greater emphasis on a balanced transportation program, cost increases have not been analyzed to provide managers with information on how efficiency can be improved. More detailed cost analysis, holding design engineers accountable for design quality, systematic evaluation of engineering and construction contractor performance, and development of more useful performance measures are needed to limit project cost overruns and improve program management.
Routine maintenance of state highways, which is performed by counties under contracts with the Department, appears adequate. However, county concerns about the 9.3 percent decline in maintenance funding over the past ten years call into question whether the current funding level will continue to be sufficient.
If management improvements are made, some millions of dollars may be saved. However, because more than 64 percent of expenditures for the highway program will pay for construction costs, achieving substantial savings will require slowing the pace of major improvements, limiting the scope of rehabilitation projects, or modifying construction standards to emphasize cost reductions.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by Department of Transportation staff and county highway commissioners. A response from the Secretary of Transportation is Appendix II.
Respectfully submitted,
Dale Cattanach
State Auditor
