By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – A state audit of the transit agency Metro that began nearly two years ago is still not complete.
In July, 2005 then-auditor Claire McCaskill began investigating the agency after it reported $126 million in cost overruns with the MetroLink expansion project.
Last year, McCaskill was elected U.S. Senator. A spokeswoman for the new state auditor Susan Montee says the investigation is still underway.
But Metro critic Tom Sullivan says both Montee and McCaskill have been holding back on the audit for political reasons.
There are so many special interests and people of influence that are supporting MetroLink expansion, that they're going to keep this audit delayed," Sullivan said.
Metro wants to put a quarter-cent transportation sales tax on some future ballot in St. Louis County so it can maintain existing service. If it passes, shoppers in the city would pay it too because they already previously approved it.
The agency says is has complied with the auditors' requests. But Metro is still not releasing documents it says could jeopardize a lawsuit against the companies it first hired to design and build the new light rail line.
The eight-mile MetroLink extension to south St. Louis County opened in August with a final cost of $678 million.