Since when is a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants spending plan a good plan? Apparently, the Thruway Authority thinks it is acceptable to tackle a big project and just wing it on the spending plan. That kind of planning, or lack of planning, will lead to financial disaster.

Recently, the Authority’s board voted to raid the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, a program that helps our upstate communities, to the tune of $255 million to help pay for the estimated $3.8 billion Tappan Zee Bridge project in New York City. We’ve worked so hard to instill responsible financial planning practices in state government, but it seems as if the Thruway Authority still has much to learn.

Often, upstate New York bears the brunt of poor planning as financial burdens are shifted onto upstate taxpayers. Sweeps and raids of dedicated funds, such as the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, is a troublesome practice that must be ended for good.

Our governor must put pressure on the Thruway Authority to develop a sound financial plan for the Tappan Zee Bridge or any other large capital project it manages in the future. These are just common-sense principles that should be followed.

This is another example of how the Thruway Authority fails the public and should be held to the same standards of public accountability as other agencies. I believe the Thruway Authority Accountability Act (A.2008-A), a bill I sponsor, can achieve that.

The act would merge the authority with the Department of Transportation (DOT), require board members to have expertise in transportation, make the DOT commissioner chair of the Thruway Authority Board, require a forensic financial audit every three years, and require any toll increases to be clearly delineated in the DOT budget. Finally, the measure would consolidate overlapping functions of the DOT and the Thruway Authority through attrition.

It is important that we hold all of New York’s governmental entities accountable to the taxpayers. If you have thoughts on this or any other legislative matter, please call me at 493-3909 or email me at blankenbushk@assembly.state.ny.us.