The Augusta Commission voted almost unanimously at its Tuesday meeting to task City Administrator Odie Donald with developing a policy for credit cards issued to elected officials.
District 10 Commissioner John Clarke had stepped out briefly and did not vote.
Commissioners did not give Donald a timeline to present a policy that conforms to state law regarding the use of city-issued credit cards.
MORE: Augusta Commission Makes First Step in Reining in Mayor’s Credit Card
Nor did the commission address the fact that Augusta remains in violation of state law by not holding a public vote to allow the mayor and sheriff to continue using their city-issued credit cards. A 2016 Georgia law, § 36-80-24, specifically states that elected officials can only receive a credit card by a majority vote of the governing body:
“No such county, municipal corporation, local school system, or consolidated government shall issue government purchasing cards or government credit cards to elected officials on or after January 1, 2016, until the governing authority of such county, municipal corporation, local school system, or consolidated government, by public vote, has authorized such issuance and has promulgated specific policies regarding the use of such government purchasing cards or government credit cards for elected officials of such county, municipal corporation, local school system, or consolidated government.”
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The law also demands that any elected official receiving a taxpayer-funded credit card sign a written statement acknowledging that they understand the terms and conditions under state law for using the card. There is no indication that either the sheriff or mayor have signed such an agreement.
Meanwhile, prior to Tuesday’s vote, Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis sent a press release late Monday evening informing the public that he was requesting an audit of all city-issued credit card purchases, including his own. Davis recommended in his announcement that the city use the local CPA firm Serotta Maddocks Evans to conduct the audit.
In his statement, the mayor indicated that false media reporting led to his decision to request an audit:
“Unsupported allegations of the nature of those that have been recklessly reported by some local media entities potentially weaken public trust and confidence in our elected leaders and the ability of our City to represent its citizens effectively. Additionally, it has the chilling effect of hindering economic growth and development opportunities as businesses are constantly looking at how cities manage their financial resources,” the statement reads.
Davis’ statement did not explain why local media have been told that large numbers of his credit card receipts do not exist or why he used a PayPal account to pay city employees and consultants.
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While an audit by a local CPA may determine the nature of the spending, it will likely not determine whether the spending was lawful as Georgia law prohibits elected officials from spending public money on any purchase that may be deemed as personal, such as hair and makeup and fast food, both of which show up on the mayor’s credit card bill.
Also, such an audit will only focus on the mayor’s credit card. Davis did not request an audit of how his office has spent over $200,000 from his My Brother’s Keeper bank account, an organization for which no evidence of its existence is available.
District 3 Commissioner Catherine Smith-McKnight has a problem with the mayor’s proposed audit. She says that she would prefer a forensic audit of all of the spending from the mayor’s office.
MORE: Other Georgia Cities Regulate Credit Card Spending
“If there is money, large sums of money unaccounted for, then I think law enforcement needs to be involved and sort this out,” McKnight said.
McKnight says that she is not singling out the mayor or attempting to “throw anyone under the bus,” but that anyone who has access to public funds must be held accountable.
“Yes, I am a commissioner, and I am only one vote, but I am also a taxpayer and a citizen, and I think it is time that we all as citizens demand that the mayor be transparent with his spending, and if he has done something wrong, then he has to be held to account, just like the rest of us,” McKnight said.
Scott Hudson is the Editorial Page Editor of The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com.
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