On April 7, the office of the Legislative Auditor issued a new performance audit of the Met Council’s management of Southwest Light Rail. The report found several instances where the Met Council and its civil construction contractor failed to comply with state requirements and had weak internal controls to protect taxpayer dollars.

Senator Mark Koran (R-North Branch), issued the following statement:

“I’m not surprised the Legislative Auditor’s report uncovered more mismanagement and a continued disregard for taxpayers’ dollars. The Southwest Light Rail project has been a boondoggle from day one, plagued by poor oversight, ballooning costs, and endless delays.”

“I’d like to hope this project pays for itself but we all know it won’t. From the start, there’s been no clear plan, no serious cost controls, and no accountability for vendors. This report confirms what many of us have been saying for years: the Met Council has failed to protect Minnesotans’ tax dollars and should have taken action to correct course a long time ago.”