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A Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) board committee recently approved creating an Office of Inspector General to replace the current Office of Audit and Inspections.

The inspector general would investigate contracts, and fraud, waste and abuse complaints; review departmental activities, programs and policies; issue recommendations; and report findings to the board.

The inspector general would have a 27-person staff and serve a maximum of 15 years. He or she would make public reports to the board audit committee and submit public annual reports to the governors of Maryland and Virginia, top elected officials in the region served by Metro, and Congress and the Federal Transit Administration. The inspector would be hired by and report to WMATA’s board.

“Implementation of an Office of Inspector General is critical to our ongoing efforts to improve accountability, and to reassure the region’s taxpayers and our customers that we are spending their money wisely and efficiently,” said Interim General Manager Dan Tangherlini in a prepared statement.

The creation of the office would cost WMATA an additional $314,000 in fiscal-year 2007. The estimated annual salary of the inspector general would be about $140,000.

Last year, the board asked WMATA managers to develop a proposal for the new department after Congress proposed legislation that would provide $1.5 billion to the authority during a 10-year period. One of the conditions was creating an Office of Inspector General.

The full board is expected to vote on whether to create the inspector general’s office at its April 20 meeting. An inspector general could be hired as early as fall.