Auditor Shad White releases study on Mississippi government spending fat

State Auditor Shad White on Monday released a study he commissioned to find government waste, saying it identified more than $335 million in government fat that could easily be trimmed without tanking services to taxpayers.

White paid a Massachusetts-based consulting group $2 million for the study. He gave Boston Consulting Group the directive to find at least $250 million in wasteful spending among the 13 state agencies it examined.

It appears White and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann — who have each indicated they have 2027 gubernatorial aspirations and have sparred with each other politically — will have dueling government fat-trimming initiatives. Hosemann said recently he wants legislation to reorganize and consolidate state government.

In a livestreamed press conference and public presentation Monday, White called his study long overdue and, “A roadmap for a leaner, more modern state government that saves money … to make sure we are getting the biggest bang for our bucks.” He said the study had “No criminal findings … but we found inefficiency.”

Mississippi has more than 200 agencies, boards and commissions, and a more than $7 billion state-support budget.

White’s report recommends the state consolidate its purchasing and look for better deals when it buys goods and services. For instance, the study noted that when the state buys Dell computers, it “pays a higher price than individual consumers could find from Dell’s consumer website” in some cases. It noted state agencies were paying $245 for a computer monitor that the public could buy for $195 and that could be had for $130 through a federal government purchasing deal available to state and local governments.

Much of the Boston consultant’s report for White covers potential savings or overspending that others — including White — have pointed out in the past. This includes spending on state buildings and office space, which some lawmakers and others have questioned over years, and government travel, which media has examined. It also noted potential savings from consolidating purchasing and back-office functions, which others have in the past championed, usually with minimal success.

The report found that, compared to other states, Mississippi government is spending too much on office space and insurance for state buildings and on advertising and public relations for state agencies.

White said some government offices have 800 square feet per employee and, “We are a lot of times leasing space we don’t need to be leasing.”

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White also said Mississippi could sell the state’s airplane, do like 18 other states and make officials rely on commercial or charter flights, and save over $1 million a year.

The consultant’s study focused on some of the state’s largest agencies, including the Departments of Education, Corrections, Revenue, Medicaid, Public Safety and Finance and Administration. Most examined are agencies that report directly to Gov. Tate Reeves. White on Monday praised the governor for his cooperation in the study.

Much of White’s proposed savings in the “Project Momentum” report would require legislative action. He said Monday that numerous lawmakers have been anxiously awaiting his report and he is hopeful “they will look at this very closely.”

Neither Hosemann, who oversees the state Senate, nor Speaker Jason White, who oversees the House, immediately responded to a request for comments sent to their offices Monday.

The report recommends the state “operate more like a business,” and that Mississippi leaders “ruthlessly eliminate or alter failing programs” to save taxpayers money.

“The nature of government is people forget what happened yesterday and forget what went wrong yesterday, and that nature of government is to do nothing,” White said.

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