While a state audit found that the Minnesota agencies actions were "generally adequate" to deal with the 2011 government shutdown shutdown, it also found "there were weaknesses in the areas of shutdown planning and oversight and inaccurate compensation at certain agencies."
The report from the Office of the Legislative Auditor said the state made some errors in reporting needed staff to a Ramsey County court charged with figuring out how many state employees need be retained during the shutdown. It reported 5,165 needed a the Department of Human Services, rather than 3,285, and under-reported the needed 57 employees by 14.
The review also found that the Department of Human Services paid three employees a total of $9,378 and the Department of Employment and Economic Development paid one employee $1,647 even through they were not eligible during the shutdown. DEED told the auditors that the overpayment was"isolated" and it has implemented a repayment plan.
The audit found that the state's Minnesota Management and Budget spent about $1.8 million during the nearly three week shutdown last year, about 70 percent of what it had spent the year before when government was fully functioning.
