Obtaining the information
What information and records were requested?
A list of the purchasing credit card — also known as P-cards — transactions made in 2009 by the Douglas County administrator, appraiser, county clerk, district attorney, emergency management director, public works director, register of deeds, county treasurer, youth services director, and zoning and codes director.
Which agency?
Douglas County government
How quickly did they respond to request?
Assistant County Administrator Pam Madl provided the list within four hours of the request. One day later, Madl provided an updated list with more detail about some of the charges on the list at the Journal-World’s request.
How much did records cost?
The records were provided free of charge.
Was any information from the request denied?
No.
Is this information currently accessible by the public?
Not available online. Must be requested.
P-card purchases
Here’s a total of how much each department leader spent in 2009:
• County Administrator Craig Weinaug, $227.89 — Notes: Had a $149 charge for registration at a conference, but says his secretary typically uses her card for these types of expenses.
• Appraiser Steve Miles, $67.74 — Notes: Only charge from Hy-Vee for cake and punch at a retirement party.
• County Clerk Jamie Shew, $2,123.81 — Notes: $605 in charges to register for a conference, plus $885 in airfare.
• District Attorney Charles Branson, $1,212.29 — Notes: Main charge was $1,197 to register three people for a cross-examination workshop in St. Louis, Mo.
• Emergency Management Director Teri Smith, $7,404.12 — Notes: $1,870 charge at Best Buy for two LCD TVs and three DVD players for the county’s emergency operations center.
• Public Works Director and County Engineer Keith Browning, $664.17 — Notes: $270 for American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials publications.
• Register of Deeds Kay Pesnell, $1,425.19 — Notes: $180 in membership dues for the International Association of Clerks, Recorders, Election Officials and Treasurers, and $183 to register for a conference.
• Sheriff Ken McGovern, $3,800.70 — Notes: $214 for airfare, $874 at Hyatt Regency Pier 66 hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and $405 at Dollar Rent-a-Car, all related to National Sheriff’s Association Conference in June.
• Treasurer Paula Gilchrist, $786.29 — Notes: $227 partial charge for the annual staff dinner.
• Youth Services Director Pam Weigand, $224.96 — Notes: $168 at Walmart for frames and mats for employee award and recognition certificates.
• Zoning and Codes Director Keith Dabney, $2,425.81 — Notes: $485 for an American Planning Association online application and $235 from Oakley Creek Catering for a luncheon for board of zoning appeals and building code appeals.
It takes a lot of work to keep tabs on Douglas County’s purchasing cards, or P-cards.
The county’s P-card Visa bill for 2009 was $353,902. The county’s overall budget is about $55 million.
County officials say they have the proper controls in place to monitor spending because several people and the bank keep an eye on purchases.
“It’s all about accountability. We know exactly who made the charge, and they’re responsible then,” Assistant County Administrator Pam Madl said.
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The county provided records of the 2009 P-card purchases made by department leaders to the Journal-World, 6News and LJWorld.com after a Kansas Open Records Act request. The request for records was made for a story to examine how county department heads used the cards.
Their purchases only totaled $20,363, or 6 percent of the county’s P-card spending in 2009, because other county employees use cards as well. Access to those was not part of the request.
Department heads likely designate certain employees to make major purchases for the department, Madl said. The county’s purchasing department also uses the P-cards to make major purchases, such as for county vehicles and computers, which would account for major expenses that weren’t included in the request, she said.
“(Department leaders’) expenditures are mainly for traveling,” Madl said.
A majority of the department leaders’ expenses were related to travel for conferences, such as registration, dues and meals. Some also made purchases of equipment or office supplies that were needed but not available through the county’s vendor.
County Administrator Craig Weinaug said that only looking at the department heads’ P-card charges wouldn’t give the full picture because in some departments another employee, like an assistant, could book travel or pay registration fees for a supervisor.
“The P-card is a mechanism that enables us to more easily hold each employee accountable for what purchases are made,” Weinaug said. “And it also provides a very convenient way for us to try to make sure that the county gets its sales tax exemptions.”
District Attorney Charles Branson used his card only twice in 2009: a $15 charge for supplies at Office Depot and $1,197 to register himself and two other attorneys in his office for a conference in St. Louis, Mo., on cross-examination techniques. Branson said the course is typically offered only at a national training center in South Carolina.
“It’s a week-long, hands-on course where you actually perform a cross-examination during the course,” Branson said.
Madl said the county has limited travel spending in the last year by sending most staff — other than department heads — to regional conferences instead of national meetings and also planned to have more training internally.
“We’re saying no to more things than we would in another environment,” Weinaug said.
The P-card system, which the county implemented about four years ago, has check points in place.
UMB Bank caught about $500 of fraudulent purchases on County Clerk Jamie Shew’s card in September. Madl said Shew didn’t make the purchases. The purchases included $100 at Gifts and Giggles and another $99 at A-1 Rent to Own. The county was not charged for those.
Madl said her office also can control spending limits on cards. Most employees have a $2,000 limit unless they routinely make equipment purchases. The county can also block purchases on certain items, like ammunition and firearms or use at casinos. Card users also must provide a detailed receipt for meals, for example, so the county does not pay for alcohol.
Before, when each department had only one credit card, Weinaug said it was more difficult to track if someone made a questionable charge. The county received a rebate of $1,840 from the bank for its use of the cards in 2009.
Comments
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xbusguy (chris Ogle) says…
• Sheriff Ken McGovern, $3,800.70 — Notes: $214 for airfare, $874 at Hyatt
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What ????? The Hyatt for $874
consumer1 (anonymous) says…
Okay, now let's hear from the complainers and haters. It never, I repeat, NEVER ceases to amaze me what people complain about on this forum. As Roedapple proved in his x-y -zzzzzz blog. It just doesn't matter what you start a conversation with, there are some who are just going to complain, call names and try to intimidate other people for their statements. so, let the gnashing of teeth begin.
Who will be the first?
and the winner is...
ssakcaj (anonymous) says…
As to the Sheriff, the conference was in Ft. Lauderdale in June. For the hotel that works out to around $174 dollaras a night including taxes and fees. That doesn't seem unreasonable to me. It was a national conference, and if you look at the schedule of events is seems pretty straight forward. There are many stupid, foolish, and wasteful things both this city and county do regarding our tax dollars, however I do not consider sending the sherrif to this conference one of them.
Notice his airfare was only $214, that doesn't sound too high on the hog to me. If I would have any question it might be why the Sheriff's airfare to fly half way acros the country was only $214 and the County Clerk spent $885 on their airfare. It is pretty hard to spend that much money on airfare unless you make it at the last minute, or are flying business class.
Ljworld, can you follow up on that one? What conference did the County Clerk attend and why was the airfare $885?
avoice (anonymous) says…
the winner was you, consumer1. Stop complaining about it!
BallHawk (anonymous) says…
so what does the other $2,317 from the Sheriff's p-card pay for? Are these charges throughout his department or just his? A more thorough report would be nice rather than trying to point out a few things that make it appear frivilous.