BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The Baltimore City Department of Finance failed to invoice a contractor for more than $46,000 in "right of way" permits fees, according to a new report from the Office of the Inspector General.

The watchdog was scrutinizing the permits after receiving a complaint alleging two executive-level members of the Department of Transportation were waiving or reducing fees for two companies, but investigators did not find any inappropriate behavior to support those claims.

"Right of way" permits are issued for driveways and curb cuts; street closures for cranes, scaffolding, dumpsters or moving trucks; and the installation or repair of utilities.

Investigators did, however, find the Department of Finance had not billed one company for $46,660 in fees due to "untimely invoicing practices," the report said.

A second company received "right of way" permits that only lasted for two weeks, even though the typical duration for the permits is a full year, the report said.

A manager with DOT told investigators they believed the company had a unique 20-year agreement with the city that caps "costs at two weeks per permit, regardless of
the permit's actual duration," according to the report. No such agreement exists, investigators determined.

The Office of the Inspector General found that, in five of 19 instances, the company completed work in less than 14 days but still paid for a two-week permit. An executive with the company admitted no special arrangement existed with the city but pushed for a memorandum of understanding to formalize such an agreement.

In a response letter, Laetitia Griffin, DOT's deputy of administration, wrote the agency would meet with the Law Department to draft an agreement with the second company.

"The DOT has met with the Department of Finance responsible for forwarding invoices to the vendors mentioned in your investigation," Griffin wrote.

Yoanna X. Moisides, deputy of the Department of Finance, wrote a separate letter saying the agency's Bureau of Accounting and Payroll Services was unaware of any billing issues because an accounting assistant was not notified of the work by DOT. Billing information is typically forwarded over email.

"[M]anagement was unaware of any untimely billing and our records show no DOT emails that went unbilled," Moisides wrote.