Thus, many managers find their money fenced into hundreds of separate
accounts. In some agencies, they can move funds among accounts. In others,
Congress or the agency limits the transfer of funds, trapping the money.
When the happens, managers must spend money where they have it, not
where they need it. On one military base, for example, managers had no line
item to purchase snowplow equipment, but they did have a maintenance account.
When the snowplow broke down they leased one. Using the maintenance
account. Unfortunately, the 1-year lease cost $100,000-the same as
the fully purchase price.