Claiborne County supervisors spar over Fuelman charges as claims docket is approved with exceptions

The Claiborne County Board of Supervisors on March 17 approved the county claims docket while rejecting two items, touching off a heated discussion about alleged misuse of county Fuelman fuel cards and internal controls.

The vote to approve the docket with exceptions came after the board president identified two claims to reject: one for AT&T Mobility and one for a Fuelman transaction. The board voted to approve the docket with those notations and rejections recorded.

Why it matters: The Fuelman dispute prompted repeated calls from board members and the county attorney for a formal investigation and stronger invoice-review procedures. Supervisors said unresolved problems in billing and card control risk county funds and could, if unlawful payments occurred, raise criminal concerns.

Board debate and requests for investigation

Supervisor Odom said the board must see invoices and daily verification of docket entries, citing Mississippi law requiring oversight of expenditures. Odom pressed for invoices to be attached to future dockets and for the president or vice president to verify daily entries.

Mister Staney, the county attorney, told the board he would consider unauthorized payments a violation of statutes governing county funds and said an investigation of facts should precede legal conclusions. Staney said, “In a violation of a statute that deals with money, you could consider a financial offense.”

Sheriff (name not specified) told the board the Fuelman card issue was affecting patrol capability and warned that refusal to pay the Fuelman account could lead to service interruptions at emergency departments. The sheriff said some staff had been locked out of cards and had to pay out of pocket and seek reimbursement.

County Administrator Dr. Gregory Reed reported he had identified the source of most Fuelman discrepancies and was collecting written justification from department heads. Dr. Reed said some cards had been used to fuel other vehicles without documentation and that he was working to tighten controls and hold accountable those who misused cards.

Attempts to rescind and subsequent withdrawal

After initial rejection of the Fuelman line item, the board president moved to rescind her rejection so she could vote to approve that Fuelman charge in light of new explanations. A motion for reconsideration was made and seconded, and several supervisors debated whether the underlying problems had been corrected.

Supervisor (name not specified) objected, saying the same tactics had recurred and the problems had not been fixed, and ultimately the motion to rescind was withdrawn before a final vote, leaving the earlier rejection recorded.

Next steps and staff direction

Multiple supervisors asked the county administrator to investigate and report back with documentation showing who had authority to use Fuelman cards and why certain cards were used across multiple vehicles. The county attorney recommended gathering facts first and then applying the law.

The county administrator said the procurement, fleet and fuel-card controls are being examined as a connected fleet-management problem and that training, documentation, and revised procedures will be issued. He told the board he would coordinate with the chancery clerk on vendor and payment processes and bring findings to a future meeting.

Ending

The transcript shows the Fuelman issue remained unresolved at the meeting's end; supervisors directed staff to gather documentation, tighten controls, and return with findings. The dispute marked the meeting's most contentious agenda item and prompted several formal and informal requests for audit-like review rather than immediate personnel action.