We're all on a budget. We are on a budget in our households and we hope our state's leaders are on a budget when it comes to spending our tax dollars. Every now and then a review is necessary to ensure that money appropriated to a department is being spent wisely and on the  mission of that department.

The is the case with Louisiana's Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. That department has been under a new Secretary, Charlie Melancon since the first of the year. Melancon suggested in his comments to the Louisiana Radio Network that there are some spending practices that need to be reviewed.

If there's a lack a policy, then we'd look at the best management practices to address that to make sure things kinds of things don't happen again in the future.

Melancon is referring to some questionable expenditures that the department made during the tenure of the previous secretary.

There's nothing that's gone on that has been derived here. When I first got here this was about trying to understand the funding sources and where we were spending money.

There were some questions concerning the use of oil spill money that was supposed to go toward fish testing. Instead, that money appears to have been used on iPads,fishing equipment, boats, and cameras.

Melancon suggested that this audit was to help the department define and streamline its policy in regards to utilizing resources to their fullest and intended use.

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