Two Douglas County commissioners have reimbursed the county for the cost of covering their parking fines while on county business.

Commissioners Jere McElhaney and Charles Jones even paid interest.

“It’s a small amount of money and I don’t want the other county employees to think we are trying to take advantage of a situation, because we are not,” McElhaney said Monday. “We absolutely are not.”

The payments — a total of $240, or $107 more than commissioners had been fined — came a day after the commissioners were criticized by other downtown employees in a story appearing in the Journal-World.

The story detailed how McElhaney and Jones had turned to county taxpayers to pay for some of their parking tickets received while tending to county business in the downtown area, a bustling retail and office district where many other employees must pay their own fines.

In having their tickets paid for through the county budget — the same fund that covers fines received by people called for jury duty — McElhaney and Jones complied with a county policy that remains in effect, at least for now.

“I do not expect to receive further requests for reimbursement,” said Craig Weinaug, who approves payments from the fund. “I would be very surprised if I had any more requests for reimbursement.”

McElhaney paid $200 to cover the $113 in fines he’d had the county cover: three parking tickets this year, three last year, seven in 2001 and a towing bill. The extra $87 was donated to the county’s employee fund, which is used to offset costs for the employees’ annual holiday party.

Jones paid $40 to cover the $20 he’d had the county pay for 10 tickets: one this year, two in 2001 and seven in 2000. The extra $20 also went to the employee fund.

McElhaney said the criticism he’d received was unfair, especially considering that he could have received reimbursement for up to $1,700 in expenses for mileage, postage, stationery and other costs associated with being a commissioner.

“I’ve never claimed any of that,” he said.

McElhaney said he wouldn’t be claiming any tickets in the future, but cautioned that such a move would come at a price.

“I guess we’ll just, every hour and a half, stop the clock at the commission meeting and take a break and go put money in the meters,” McElhaney said. “Either that, or somebody will have to give us rides.”