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An investigation by the Arizona Daily Star revealed that "Pima County, Arizona, wastes much of the money it spends on roads and sewers by avoiding competitive bidding, disregarding its own contractor rating system and failing to track its spending. Because of these problems, county taxpayers forked over twice the money they approved in a bond referendum -- or $700 million -- to do the work promised. Patronage flourishes within a system so lacking in accountability: Contributions to a supervisor's election bid are a better indication of who gets county work than a contractor's scores in a quality ranking."