The Administrative Services Committee voted Tuesday to task City Administrator Odie Donald with devising a policy that covers the use of city-provided credit cards and brings the city into compliance with state law.
District 8 Commissioner Brandon Garrett placed the item on the agenda, saying he was concerned about reading media reports that the city apparently has no policy regarding the use of credit cards, leading to unchecked spending, specifically through the Mayor’s Office.
MORE: Augusta Mayor’s City Credit Card Spending has Little Oversight
Augusta Finance Director Donna Williams and Procurement Department Director Geri Sams explained to commissioners the difference between city-issued purchase cards, or p-cards, and standard bank-issued city credit cards. Both agreed that the difference boils down to semantics — a p-card is a credit card and vice versa — but only so-called p-cards have a governing policy.
According to Sams, a p-card is only issued through the procurement department, has a strict $5,000 purchase limit and all receipts have to be submitted directly to the procurement office.
City credit cards, like the one issued to Mayor Hardie Davis, have no limit and no accountability policy. Williams admitted there is no policy that compels the Mayor to hand over receipts.
“Well, we do ask for them,” Williams said, but did not elaborate as to whether her office actually received any receipts.
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Williams is on record as saying that she has never received receipts from the Mayor’s Office and that her office simply receives the credit card statements and writes a check with no questions asked.
Davis’ credit card spending has never been audited, according to Williams.
Garrett cited Georgia law (§ O.C.G.A. 36-80-24), which places limits on elected officials using credit cards, no matter what they are called:
“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.”
After referring to the law, District 6 Commissioner Ben Hasan asked why the commission had never been advised of the new law when it passed in 2016 and openly fretted that the government itself may be in violation of the statute because the commission did not hold a public vote to allow Davis to keep his credit card.
The city attorney at the time was Andrew MacKenzie, who was forced to resign in 2019.
Both Williams and Sams told commissioners that they could simply vote to make all city credit cards subject to the p-card policy, which caused District 4 commissioner Sammie Sias, who himself remains under a GBI/FBI investigation for alleged misspending of public funds, to protest placing restrictions of the city credit cards.
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“I’m afraid of the unintended consequence. I’m reluctant to step on anything,” Sias said, and mentioned that the clerk of the commission, Lena Bonner, has a city credit card and that restrictions might hinder her ability to do her job.
Bonner immediately spoke up and reminded the committee that commissioners do not have access to her city credit card, which is really only used for the training conference that all new commissioners have to attend. Bonner also stated that she has always turned in every receipt, leading both Sams and Williams to nod in agreement.
District 10 Commissioner John Clarke said little during the discussion, but had plenty to say about the mayor’s credit card spending afterwards.
MORE: Augusta Mayor’s Financial Records Produce More Questions Than Answers
“For the taxpayers, this is like sending your kid off to college with your credit card and telling them to use it only for emergencies only to get a $30,000 bill and finding out the kid has been partying her behind off,” Clarke said.
According to Clarke, the committee vote to develop a policy is more than just a good first step.
“It’s a shot across the bow, that’s what it is,” he said.
The full commission will take up the matter at its next meeting on June 15.
Scott Hudson is the Editorial Page Editor of The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com.
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