TagAudit(13)

A 2019 Port of Seattle internal audit of the Noise Insulation Program — which has invested over $400 million since 1985 to reduce aircraft noise in homes and schools near Sea-Tac Airport — found two key problems: a contractor called Burton Construction overbilled the Port by an average markup of 51% above subcontractor costs, and the Highline School District failed to consistently meet federal grant requirements for disadvantaged business enterprises and Buy American standards. The audit covered January 2013 through March 2019 and assessed compliance with FAA federal grant rules.

In December 2008, the Port of Seattle Commission passed a motion responding to findings of fraud by Port employees, endorsing all recommendations from a Special Investigative Committee report that identified ten instances of fraud. The Commission directed Port staff to cooperate with federal and state legal authorities to pursue action against former employees and contractors involved in the misconduct and to recover lost public funds. The motion also directed the Port's Internal Auditor to review all active contracts involving firms that failed to cooperate with the investigation.

In February 2001, a Washington State Department of Ecology site manager requested an audit of a Port of Seattle grant (Grant No. G0000052) tied to Agreed Order #97T-N122, citing concerns about potential duplicate funding where costs could be covered by both the grant and cost recovery from other parties. The grant, worth up to $861,000 (split 50/50 between state and local funds), was issued to support a Phase 1 groundwater study at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac), investigating contamination from jet fuel and petroleum products released from underground storage tanks and fuel distribution systems. The study aimed to model groundwater flow and assess risks to nearby public drinking water wells and surface water bodies.