We note that 27 of the 45 hotline reports (60.0 percent) were state-related. The majority of these reports pertained to alleged agency mismanagement. As of December 31, 2023, we had resolved 4 of the 27 state-related reports to the hotline, and we determined that 12 reports were unfounded, unsubstantiated, or no action was required. As of January 1, 2024, 11 of the 27 state-related hotline reports remained under review.

Specifically, we highlight findings related to selected hotline reports we resolved since the publication of our last semiannual report (report 23-10), including:

• concerns about travel payments made to two employees who principally resided in a state outside of Wisconsin; and
• concerns about delays in license application processing by the Department of Safety and Professional Services.

We conducted follow-up on the Department of Administration’s (DOA’s) administration of state-owned residential properties. We originally reported on this issue in December 2019 (report 19-26). We reviewed the status of recommendations we made in report 19-26 to DOA, the Department of Natural Resources, and the University of Wisconsin System. We also addressed a report made to the hotline in 2023 in the scope of our audit follow-up work. We recommend DOA improve its oversight of state agency rental rate reductions requested by state agencies for certain state-owned residential properties.

Please see our five recommendations to DOA on our website.