The Ohio Department of Transportation could save $3 million by selling underused heavy equipment and making better use of an expensive state-owned plane, according to a report from the state auditor’s office released Wednesday.

Even though it owns an aerial mapping plane valued at $3.9 million that is used sparingly, ODOT still hires outside contractors to perform some aerial photography work, according to Ohio Auditor Dave Yost.

Yost said ODOT could save $335,000 a year by coordinating aerial mapping work through a central office and increasing use of the plane. Yost told the Dayton Daily News that the plane is underutilized in part because ODOT is made up of districts that don’t communicate with each other well enough. Yost also recommended ODOT market the plane to other government agencies to increase its use.

The state could save another $2.7 million by “right-sizing” its heavy equipment fleet — selling underused front end loaders and brush chippers and by reducing future acquisitions, Yost said.

When asked why he didn’t recommend that the state sell the plane as with other underused equipment, Yost said his office didn’t have enough information to decide whether the state needs the plane.

“If they follow our recommendation and use a central office as a control point … after a year we can take a look at the thing and see what the business case looks like,” Yost said. “Right now, the data just doesn’t exist to make a strong decision.”

The Dayton Daily News has previously reported on the plane, which was in 2009 grounded for more than a year after the Federal Aviation Administration ruled that a mounted camera system was in violation of new federal standards. The state purchased the plane, a Cessna Caravan, in 2004 for $1.7 million, $1.4 million of which came from federal sources.

The state subsequently installed a $869,000 LIDAR system and a $1.3 million high-powered digital camera. The plane is used to plan and design road and bridge projects.

Asked about Yost’s recommendations, ODOT spokesman Steve Faulkner sent an email that said: “The recommendations outlined in this report will certainly assist ODOT with improving department efficiency, reducing costs and placing more public tax dollars into road repair and construction. We will certainly take the Auditor’s recommendations into consideration as we move forward with our mission to provide easy conveyance of people and goods from place to place.”

Wednesday’s report was the third Yost has released this year and is part of an ongoing performance audit of ODOT. In all, Yost has said ODOT could save $19.4 million by reducing or eliminating the use of blended biofuel, downsizing its vehicle fleet, and closing two rest areas on I-70 near I-77 east of Columbus. ODOT’s overall annual budget is $2.8 billion.

Faulkner responded with a second similar email Wednesday when asked whether ODOT has implemented any of Yost’s previous suggestions.

The performance audit is part of a law the Ohio legislature passed last year requiring performance audits of at least four state agencies every two years. The other agencies under review are the state departments of education, job and family services, and the Ohio Housing Finance Agency.

The recommendation for ODOT to better use its aerial mapping plane was unrelated to a separate report issued by the auditor’s office last week in which it found state offices don’t have clearly defined policies for use of state planes.