Despite efforts to shrink the number of Louisiana's governing boards and commissions, the total of such panels is higher now than when Gov. Bobby Jindal took office in 2008.
That's according to a review by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor's office released this week.
The auditor's report says as of June 2012, the state had 492 boards and commissions created by law or executive order. That compares to 484 such panels in 2008. The high point was in 2004, when 513 boards and commissions were on the books.
At least 277 of those panels pay per diems, salaries or travel for board members, costs that totaled nearly $5 million in the 2011 fiscal year and were budgeted for even more in the just-ended 2012 budget, the audit says.