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Report: Employees used Baltimore County credit cards for personal items
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BALTIMORE (Map, News) - What do designer sunglasses, a decorative tire cover and a raincoat have in common?
They’re all personal items Baltimore County employees charged on government-issued credit cards, according to a recent audit that also said supervisors did not always require employees to submit receipts to verify purchases.
Nonbusiness purchases made by 49 employees in the county Department of Public Works’ Bureau of Highways on procurement cards, or “p-cards,” totaled just $108, but government watchdogs said it could be indicative of a larger problem.
“Regular corporations police themselves very well on this issue, but the government doesn’t police itself very well,” said Dee Hodges president of the Maryland Taxpayers’ Association. “Government accounting offices have to be very strict about it and lift the cards of the people who abuse it.”
Personal purchases could have been prevented had supervisors complied with procedures such as requiring sales receipts, auditors wrote in the report. Auditors tested 209 cards totaling nearly $34,000, including 13 transactions totaling $1,200 that were not supported by receipts.
The county has established price agreements with certain vendors to guarantee competitive prices on items such as batteries, office supplies and computers, but employees didn’t always take advantage of them, auditors wrote.
“We noted that the bureau purchased various-sized batteries at unit prices that were more than double the county’s price agreement,” the report says.
Department of Public Works Director Ed Adams agreed with the audit’s findings and said the county has been reimbursed for all personal items purchased. All future purchases will require supporting documentation, and employees will utilize price agreements, he said.
jmalarkey@baltimoreexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
6:44 PM MST on Mon., Sep. 8, 2008 re: "Report: Employees used Baltimore County credit cards for personal items"
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9:07 AM MST on Tue., Jul. 22, 2008
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Examiner Reader said:
I agree absolutely!
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
Government doesn’t do anlything very well. Wake up.
5 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Hey what they should look into is Jim Smith ,the County Council and Slick Freddie,now that could be interesting.
3 agree | 1 disagree
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Sal said:
There's alot of "do-nothing, look-the-other-way" supervisors and department heads in Baltimore County who got their positions not because of qualifications but rather someone they knew like a relative or as a pay-back favor. The amount of money is not the point here, the fact is had the auditors not discovered the personal credit card purchases would those responsible been required by their supervisors to repay it? I believe the government watchdogs could be right,there could be a bigger problem here. Most county employees do not receive credit cards, those that do should be held accountable for all purchses with a pre-authorization from their supervisor followed with a receipt no matter how small the purchse. I agree, target Fred H with an audit, may be very interesting how tax payers money is being spent.
3 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
How do 49 employees make $108 worth of credit purchases? That yields an average purchase of $2.20
2 agree | 2 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Come on is anyone really surprised that things like this go on under Jim Smith's watch ?When you have Smith and a County Council (99.9% of them)that are to busy trying to screw over County Employees and hiring relatives ,they don't have time to police how the County's money is spent and they really don't care it's our money being spent not theirs. Remebers their names when the next election rolls around !
3 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Maybe Fred H should be the subject of an auditor investigation. There certainly is enough smoke to suggest a fire.
13 agree | 8 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Maybe Fred H should look at this mess instead of trying to screw the loyal employees (teachers, public saftey, etc) out of what they earn and deserve.
8 agree | 6 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Any public employee who violates the public trust is guilty of the most outrageous crime.
4 agree | 2 disagree
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The Undertaker said:
Why does Baltimore County need to issue credit cards to employees in the first place? These employees should be charged with Theft.
10 agree | 5 disagree
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