We always read about these and shake our heads and go on with our lives but these keep happening and it is our money that is being wasted. From the Seattle Times:
Seattle’s new, overbudget computer system let utility customers see others’ bills
Seattle’s new billing system for utilities, already afflicted by delays and cost overruns, launched Monday morning with a data flaw that sent 3,041 customers a link to other customers’ bills, including their names, addresses and energy or water use.
Along with the privacy breakdown, the city sent six to 12 redundant email notices to those same customers, marking new trouble for a computer update, nearly a year late, $34 million over budget, and expected to reach $100 million.
The problems showed up in about one-tenth of the initial batch of 30,000 utility bills compiled during the changeover Sunday night and sent Monday morning, City Light spokesman Scott Thomsen said Monday night.
How about the cost overruns with the Big Bertha dig ($223 million), the Seawall, North Precinct Police station and the Denny substation ($160 million for all). How about the light rail program (86% cost overruns). This is what happens when you have a large bureaucracy and its individuals have no accountability, no impetus to hold the line on costs. If someone really blows it, they will be publicly excoriated for a few days and then they get quietly shuffled over to some other department, often with a pay increase.
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