One of the wiser choices made in local elections on Nov. 5 took place in Baltimore County where voters overwhelmingly endorsed Question B. The proposed charter amendment, which passed with nearly 81% of the vote, permanently established the Office of the Inspector General. How does one recognize the continuing work of an independent auditor looking to curb waste, fraud and abuse in county government? With a red pencil salute?

As it happens, IG Kelly Madigan has just demonstrated why those 276,000-plus voters steered Baltimore County in the correct direction: A report released Tuesday by her office documents how Baltimore County has failed to properly use a device many Marylanders take for granted — the E-ZPass. Specifically, she found the county wasted $17,289 in tolls and penalties from 2022 to March 31, 2024.

That may not be a huge sum of money in a county with an annual operating budget of nearly $5 billion, but it’s got to rank high in sheer stupidity or at least neglect. County vehicles didn’t take advantage of discounted rates or, in some cases, the county simply failed to pay video tolling and took a penalty from the Maryland Transportation Authority for accounts left in arrears. That’s more than a little embarrassing.

We’re guessing that faith in government, federal, state or local, isn’t running especially high these days. Baltimore City Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming has found no shortage of problems, particularly in the Department of Public Works where unsafe working conditions continue to raise concerns. Ignoring those failings isn’t the way to restore public faith; solving them is and inspectors general have a critical role to play. Shoutout, incidentally, to voters in Howard County who voted in the same election to create their own IG (no doubt aware of the successes in Baltimore City and Baltimore County).

Our elected leaders like to talk about big, ambitious plans. But they might be better off focusing more often on the little things like making sure city sanitation workers can get a water break on hot days or whether county vehicles are taking advantage of the lowest possible toll rates (and bills are getting paid when they should). In the meantime, let’s give a cheer for inspectors general, present and future, and the often less-than-glamorous job of scrutinizing the day-to-day of local government. The only question is why didn’t Question B get 100% approval?