Friday, March 03, 2000
Auditor challenges officials' travel expenses
Rhodes calls county rules 'a sieve'
BY DAN HORN and DAN KLEPAL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Auditor Dusty Rhodes wants a dozen top Hamilton County officials to explain why they extended business trips into personal vacations and spent taxpayer dollars on rental cars.
In letters sent last month to judges and other officials, Mr. Rhodes said he “could find no business purpose” for thou sands of dollars in travel expenses.
He also questioned why some officials rented cars even though the conferences they attended were held at or near their hotels.
Although most of the car rentals offered unlimited mileage, the letters question the need for hundreds of miles of travel around cities such as Key West, Fla.; Denver; and Albu querque, N.M..
Mr. Rhodes said his review of the expenses suggests the county needs to strengthen the rules on county employees' spending of more than $2 million a year on travel.
“The county's policies are as loose as a sieve,” Mr. Rhodes said.
The letters, obtained Thursday under the Freedom of Information Act, were sent to six Common Pleas judges and six administrators in other county offices.
Several officials already have responded to the auditor, saying they did not charge the county for personal expenses.
In some cases, they said, extending their stays saved the county money on air fares.
But Mr. Rhodes said the expenses raise questions about the county's oversight of busi ness travel. He said he will give county commissioners a report of his findings and will recommend changes in the travel policy.
“We're not accusing anybody of anything, but it's important that somebody pays attention to this,” Mr. Rhodes said. “You're spending $2 million a year and it's almost like, "Hey, throw it out the window.'”
One of Mr. Rhodes' letters went to R.J. Gunterman, director of training for the personnel department.
In the letter, Mr. Rhodes states that Mr. Gunterman drove 701 miles in a rental car after flying into Chicago for a conference in March 1998.
The conference was held in the same Chicago hotel he stayed in.
Mr. Rhodes' letter notes that the conference began on March 24 but that Mr. Gunterman arrived March 22. It states that the rental car cost $214.
Mr. Rhodes said he found “no public purpose” for lodging at the hotel before March 24 or for use of the rental car before the start of the conference.
In a written response to the auditor, Mr. Gunterman said he intended to use the car for transportation to and from the airport and to get meals. He also wanted to visit a colleague in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., to exchange information about workplace violence prevention.
He said his rental car had unlimited mileage and there was no charge for lodging in Wisconsin.
“I did not request reimbursement for any part of my travel that I did not feel authorized (to receive) under county policy,” Mr. Gunterman said.
Others who received letters include:
• Common Pleas judges Robert Ruehlman and Richard A. Niehaus. Mr. Rhodes said the judges shared a rental car and drove 700 miles while attending a seminar in Key West, Fla., on “Philosophical Ethics and Decision Making.”
He said both judges flew to West Palm Beach last March instead of taking a direct flight to Key West. He also noted that Judge Ruehlman used his rental car for three days before the conference and two days after.
Judge Ruehlman said the judges did not fly directly to Key West because the flight to West Palm Beach saved $260 in air fare.
“A lot of people go down early and stay late. It's been going on for years,” Judge Ruehlman said. “If he thinks I charged too much, we'll just write a check.”
• Court Administrator Mike Walton and John Baron, director of the River City Correctional Center. Both attended an August conference of the American Correctional Association in Denver.
Mr. Rhodes said both men drove hundreds of miles in their rental cars and kept the cars for three days after the conference. Although they did not charge the county for using the cars after the conference, Mr. Rhodes questioned the need for them at all.
He said shuttle service was provided at the airport, and the hotel was close to the conference in downtown Denver.
Mr. Walton said he went to Colorado Springs after the conference, but did not charge the county for that time. Mr. Baron said he went to Telluride, Colo., later but also did not charge the county.
Mr. Walton said he needed the car because he took a trip during the conference to meet with a company that does business with the county.
He also said the air fare was less expensive because he stayed through a Saturday night, instead of leaving immediately after the conference.
• Greg Frank and David Kempton, two members of the county's Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities Board.
Mr. Rhodes said they rented a car in July 1998 for $152 even though the conference was held at their hotel in Albuquerque, N.M. Shuttle service to and from the airport was available for $20 each way, he said.
Mr. Frank said the MRDD board will respond to the auditor's letter, adding that renting the car was necessary.
“The county's position is that the car was strictly for pleasure, but we needed it for getting around in Albuquerque,” Mr. Frank said.
Mr. Rhodes said many of the questions he raised in the letters could be resolved if the county adopted a stronger travel policy.
He said possible reforms include limiting the use of rental cars and charging employees a portion of the air fare if they stay longer than the conference.
Mr. Walton said clarifying the rules is a good idea because traveling to conferences is necessary for the continuing education of employees. Judges are required to receive 40 hours of continuing education every two years.
Mr. Walton said he welcomes any suggestions Mr. Rhodes can offer to improve the travel policy.
County Administrator David Krings said he was unaware of the letters sent to county officials. But he said he will review the auditor's findings.
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