Almost 12,000 idle phone lines are costing Los Angeles taxpayers nearly $3 million a year, according to a new audit.
"With the city facing a massive budget deficit, we must look at every way we can save money," said City Controller Wendy Greuel. "While the policies are strong, oversight is severely lacking."
The city has more than 40,000 phone lines in more than 50 offices, and spends nearly $7.2 million a year on phone calls.
Greuel's audit revealed about a quarter of those phone lines -- 11,890 -- may be idle, yet the city pays $237,000 a month to maintain them. Once the Information Technology Agency does discover an unused phone line, it waits 60 days before disconnecting it.
In the city's defense, it has already taken steps to cut back. The ITA has identified more than 6,000 idle phone lines, saving the city about $132,000 per month, the Daily News reported.
