By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – Missouri State Auditor Claire McCaskill says the revenue department is letting a million dollars worth of computers sit unused.
McCaskill says an anonymous tip led her staff to the machines in a private warehouse in Jefferson City.
She says the Department of Revenue bought the computers for a new program, but never put them in offices.
"In tight budget times, there's a real temptation on the part of state agencies to buy stuff when they've got the money, with the fear that they won't get the money again," McCaskill said. "And I think someone wasn't thinking through this because it's not like this is a desk chair that you can use for 20 years."
The revenue department referred questions to Governor Matt Blunt's office.
But Blunt spokesman Spence Jackson says there's more to the story.
"We discovered this problem about two weeks after the governor was elected," Jackson said. "And the shocking thing is that the state auditor's only just discovered it."
Jackson said Claire McCaskill has not gotten over her loss to Blunt in the governor's race. He said the administration is figuring out how to put the 10-year-old machines into use in drivers license offices.
Jackson added the total waste in the program is closer to $17 million.