Today is a great day for us and the Toll fight. This is a Victory for us and a vindication of everything we have been saying about the tolls and the mismanagement of the thruway authority over the past couple of years.

All in all this audit is a great thing for us and Fleischer’s response to the audit just shows his arrogance and sticks his finger up at all of us here in Western New York.

Comptroller Dinapoli’s Statement:

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today released his audit of the State Thruway Authority and said the Thruway Authority should call off its proposed July 2008 toll hike. DiNapoli also said the Thruway should postpone future hikes until it has conducted a thorough analysis of its expenses and operations and prioritized capital projects. The audit examined whether the calculations used in justifying proposed toll increases in July 2008, January 2009, July 2009 and January 2010 were accurate and reasonable.

“It’s easy to raise tolls, but the Thruway Authority should take a hard look in the mirror before it pushes another toll hike on New Yorkers,” DiNapoli said. “Toll hikes are not warranted until the Thruway Authority examines its own spending. The Thruway is too important to the upstate economy to unnecessarily raise tolls and drive up the cost of everything from milk to heating oil, not to mention the impact on commuters. The Thruway Authority manages the roads well, but it could manage its finances a whole lot better.”

DiNapoli said his office would engage in additional audits of the Thruway Authority’s operations and finances this year.

“Comptroller DiNapoli is to be commended for investigating and bringing to light Thruway Authority mismanagement that many of us have long suspected to be true,” said Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-27). “Travelers along the Thruway are forced to pay for maintenance and improvements twice, once in the federal gas tax, which is paid by consumers and passed down to the Authority, and again through tolls. This audit confirms that the Authority is significantly underestimating the federal funding they receive as a means of justifying the need for a toll increase. This report should serve as a basis for sweeping reforms at the Thruway Authority.”

WBEN 930 : Audit:Thruway Toll Hikes Not Required

Buffalo, NY WBEN -The New York State Comptroller says an audit of the Thruway Authority by his deparment finds no need to increase tolls and he is calling on the agency to “call off” its hikes proposed for this year.

Thomas DiNapolis audit of the Thruway Authority says the agency should put off creating any future hikes until its had a chance to conduct a thorough analysis of its expenses, operations and projects.

“The Thruway is too important to the upstate economy to unnecessarily raise tolls and drive up the cost of everything from milk to heating oil, not to mention the impact on commuters,” DiNapoli said in a written statement.

“The Thruway Authority manages the roads well, but it could manage its finances a whole lot better,” DiNapolis statement said.

“We believe the audit as a whole indicates that we do need a toll increase,” said Michael Fleischer, executive director of the Thruway Authority.

The audit examined the calculations used in justifying proposed toll increases in July 2008, January 2009, July 2009 and January 2010.

The agencys board of directors had endorsed the spending plans based on the roughly $375 million officials said the higher tolls would bring in through 2011.

DiNapolis report included a number of recommendations, including: cutting costs; using a collection agency to collect unpaid E-Z Pass tolls; prioritizing capital projects and deferring some temporarily.

The agency is reducing positions and trying to reduce costs, Fleischer said. The Thruway Authority has also controlled its growth at 3.2 percent _ a slower rate than the state government, he said.

“We disagree with the financial impact of the recommendations … we believe it would be just a fraction of the revenue necessary to continue making the proper investments in the highway,” Fleischer said.

The comptrollers audit suggested budgeting for increased federal aid _ indicating the agency had estimated receiving only $4.9 million in federal highway funds per year. DiNapolis report argues that the authority could “conservatively estimate” an additional $125.3 million in federal funding between 2008 and 2012.

But Fleischer said that money comes in through the Department of Transportation, and if the it was directed to the authority it would come at the expense of the DOT or local programs.

The comptrollers office plans to continue auditing the Thruway Authoritys operations and finances this year.

Until 2005 the Thruway Authority has increased tolls sporadically; in 1959, 1970, 1975, 1980 and 1988. Since 2005 the thruway has increased tolls twice and has proposed four more hikes.

The most recent toll hike, implemented earlier this month, could have been avoided, DiNapoli said.

But the money that increase will bring was already guaranteed to pay for $2 billion the Thruway Authority has borrowed.

DiNapoli also recommended removing the canal system from the Thruway Authoritys operations and developing a long-term solution for financing it.

The audit, which under normal circumstances could take up to 10 months, was completed in eight weeks after members of the state Legislature objected to the toll hikes.

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