They say numbers don’t lie. A new report from the state auditor’s office suggests they might not tell the truth, either.
The auditor’s report, issued Monday, critiques the Agency of Administration’s annual Outcomes Report, which measures 10 quality-of-life outcomes across Vermont’s population according to indicators approved by the joint Government Accountability Committee.
For example, the Outcomes Report indicates that 93.2% of Vermont is “covered by state-of-the-art telecommunication infrastructure,” exceeding its goal of 91%. Yet it does not define “state-of-the-art telecommunications infrastructure,” and the latest figure from the Department of Public Service reveals that only 29.2% of households in the state are serviced by high-speed broadband.
The auditor’s critique of the Outcomes Report advocates for disaggregated data, better-defined metrics and more relevant outcome indicators. As an assessment of Vermont, the report should not measure statistics such as unemployment that tend to follow national, rather than statewide, trends, according to the critique.
State Auditor Doug Hoffer said he hopes his office’s report can lead to better governance.
“In decisions about policy and programs, both development and design, if you don’t have good information about how well those policies and programs are working, how can you make an informed decision about spending money?” he said.
Hoffer suggested that measuring Vermonters’ well-being inevitably measures the success of political policies and state programs. But Vermont’s Chief Performance Officer Justin Kenney — the civil servant in charge of the annual Outcomes Report — disagrees.
“The Outcomes Report is not intended to measure the performance of government. It’s supposed to talk about the conditions of Vermonters across the landscape, and so it’s not necessarily about how well we’re doing,” he said.
Still, for Rep. Maida Townsend, D-South Burlington, who co-chairs the Government Accountability Committee, the Outcomes Report is inherently political. For years, she has directed fellow legislators to the Outcomes Report as a way of informing policy decisions, she said.
In December, the committee hosted a training session with Kenney where they “went in depth about how results-based accountability and the state Outcomes Report could be used to inform legislation,” Townsend said.Â
Kenney said the latest report from the auditor’s office did not come as a surprise, and he and his colleagues are already brainstorming better indicators.
In addition, Act 166, a law passed last legislative session, requires the Government Accountability Committee to adopt indicators that focus on the experience of Black, Indigenous and other Vermonters of color, which intends to improve the equity of the Outcome Report.
Regardless of whether the Legislature or chief performance officer takes heed of his office’s recommendations, Hoffer said he views his mission as providing the most accurate interpretations of the available data.
“The state is committed on paper to performance measurement as a tool, both for policymakers, program managers and the general public,” he said. “Would I like the Legislature to be more responsive? Of course. But the fact is, I can’t compel them to do anything.”