One tidbit of progress shared by Gov. David Ige in his State of the State address Monday was news that our Health Department is doing a better job in using federal dollars allocated for the Drinking Water Fund.

The DOH’s poor record in spending down federal funds to fix aging water systems statewide had prompted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to withhold some $8 million remaining for this fiscal year. But better internal processes have now improved disbursements — so, Ige said, the federal millions are flowing again.

It’s good to hear that government can, indeed, become more efficient. Let’s just hope that efficiency didn’t come at the expense, literally, of more OT.