State Spends $5.6 Million On Aircraft Over Three Years

The Michigan Department of Transportation has spent over $5.6 million on five aircraft over the past three years, a Freedom of Information Act request found. The aircraft were used in 2015-16 to transport officials and staff from the state Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Health & Human Services, the Office of the Governor, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the Department of Natural Resources and the Michigan State Police.

The spending includes direct operating costs, insurance, and salary and retirement expenses. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy, which publishes Michigan Capitol Confidential, filed the FOIA request in June.

Total spending for the aircraft in 2015 was $1.64 million. That year, $571,315 was spent on salaries and wages; $60,351 on overtime; $97,564.00 on insurance; $362,443 on retirement benefits; $234,343 on contracted services, supplies, and materials; and $278,326 on fuel, among other expenditures.

The spending went down to $1.6 million in 2016. That year, $550,726 was spent on salaries and wages; $46,881 on overtime; $93,219 on insurance; $326,948 on retirement; $356,333 on contracted services, supplies, and materials; and $207,662 on fuel.

In 2017, total spending on the aircraft rose to $2.4 million because of an engine replacement, according to MDOT. That year, $471,376 was spent on salaries and wages; $48,480 on overtime; $72,667 on insurance; $282,650 on retirement; $1,336,547 on contracted services, supplies, and materials; and $175,488 on fuel.

MDOT is required to publicly post its flight logs, which show the aircraft are regularly used by other government entities, including public universities like Michigan State University and Michigan Technological University. The departments or universities then pay MDOT for the use.

MDOT’s Jeff Cranson did not say what else MDOT uses the aircraft for and did not respond to a question about the department’s billing policy.

The state budget prohibits legislators or their staff from using the MDOT aircraft “without prior approval from the senate majority leader or the speaker of the house of representatives and only when the aircraft is already scheduled by state agencies on related official state business.”

One of the department’s five aircraft was “slated for disposal” around the time of the FOIA response, a move required by the Legislature in the 2018 state budget.

“Four aircraft are located in Lansing. One aircraft is located in Marquette,” MDOT said in its FOIA response.

Rep. Shane Hernandez, R-Port Huron, who sits on the appropriations committee, said money used for the aircraft expenses could be better used for taxpayers.

“This is a perfect example where these government entities could create efficiencies on the administrative side that go to programs that affect taxpayers, like airport improvement programs, pavement and fixing potholes, things like that.” Hernandez said.

“We don’t need more money, we just need to use to right. This is a perfect example of us not doing that,” he added.