Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos announced on Friday his office would undertake an official audit of $28.5 million given to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for management of LIRR operations and maintenance on Thursday.
The audit aims to examine how well Nassau County taxpayer money is being spent by the MTA in its LIRR rail operations and management, the comptroller’s office said. It will also examine whether or not certain funds are used in accordance with the law.
“The litany of service delays, train cancellations, derailments and overcrowding appears to represent a failure of management, inadequate maintenance, poor planning and lack of investment in the LIRR,” Maragos said in a statement.
The $28.5 million is a small portion of the $143.3 million the county pays the MTA.
Maragos first sent an audit engagement letter to the MTA on June 19. Both sides agreed on a start day of July 12, 2017 – just two days after repair work in Penn Station is expected to begin and aggravate LIRR commuters.
Presuming the MTA and LIRR cooperate, the audit should take three to four months.
A spokesman for the MTA declined to comment.
