WELL, it's about time. It has been 13 years since a candidate for state auditor, Brian Sonntag, ran for office vowing to promote performance audits to improve government efficiency and performance.

Finally, after 12 years in office, Sonntag has the authority to begin performance audits of state agencies. Up until now, the state auditor mostly conducted financial audits. Although he did not request the specific legislation that became law last week, Sonntag is satisfied with the bill sponsored by Democratic Rep. Mark Miloscia of Federal Way.

This editorial is intended to praise Sonntag for his perseverance and the Legislature for its wisdom in creating the audits. But, candidly, part of the credit for the breakthrough has to go to initiative king Tim Eyman and the threat of his own, overreaching performance-audit proposal.

Eyman's Initiative 900 would require the state auditor to conduct performance audits of local governments as well as state agencies and would cost taxpayers $10 million a biennium — or twice the amount of the system enacted last week.

Performance audits are intended to be a management tool for state officials to make state government run better. While it's appropriate for the state to conduct fiscal audits of local agencies, state officials should not be attempting to micromanage local governments. Better for cities, school districts and ports to commission their own performance reviews.

Last week, Eyman revved up the I-900 campaign and vowed to get enough signatures to win a spot on the November ballot. He says the Legislature-approved performance audits don't give the auditor enough authority because the law establishes an appointed citizens panel. But the fact is, the panel is only advisory to the auditor, who will retain discretion.

More importantly, Sonntag, the guy who knows the most about this topic and will be most accountable, is satisfied.

The threat of Eyman's initiative might have given the Legislature a needed nudge. Eyman should take that credit and abandon the I-900 campaign. His work here is done.