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Resident questions lack of itemized travel expenses on consent item; commissioner says county uses set reimbursement rates
Summary
At the Feb. 24 meeting, a public commenter objected to an agenda request for travel expenses without itemized estimates; a commissioner replied that the county pays travel per set rates and controls mileage and meal reimbursements.
A Lubbock County resident urged commissioners on Monday not to approve a request for travel expenses without itemized costs, saying the county should disclose likely airfare, hotel and meal amounts before authorizing reimbursement. A commissioner responded that county reimbursement follows set rates and is not open-ended.
Debbie Bartholomew, who identified herself during the public comment period, spoke specifically about agenda item 8 and said the court was being asked to approve travel expenses “without any explaining how much the cost will be.” She asked whether travelers would fly to McLean, Virginia, and whether airfare would be coach or first class, what hotel rates would be and how meal expenses would be estimated. “They haven't even estimated how much the expenses of their eating is,” Bartholomew said. “We need to be extremely concerned ... on how much we're giving, especially when the expenses aren't even itemized.”
Commissioner Jordan Rackler (first reference), who later moved approval of the consent agenda that included item 8, clarified before the vote that the county’s reimbursement is not an open-ended allowance. Rackler said the county “has set rates that we pay for meals” and that mileage and other travel reimbursements are controlled by county policy. After the clarification, Rackler moved to approve consent items 4 through 11, and the court carried the motion.
Why it matters: Public transparency about how taxpayer funds will be spent on travel is a recurring concern for residents. In this instance, commissioners said existing county reimbursement rules govern travel payments, but the meeting record did not include an itemized estimate for the travel expenses referenced by the commenter.
Ending
The court did not provide a dollar-by-dollar travel estimate for item 8 during the meeting; the consent agenda containing the item was approved after the commissioner's clarification.
