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Council refers resolution seeking review of mayoral travel expenses to HR committee after debate
Summary
Council debated R64, which sought an independent audit and review of the mayor’s travel expenses. Administration presented receipts and examples of grant outcomes tied to networking; councilmembers pressed for transparency. The measure was referred to the Human Resources committee for further review and controller input.
President Napoli sent a resolution seeking audit and review of the mayor’s travel expenses to the Human Resources committee on May 6 after extended discussion and public comment.
The resolution, R64, would require an audit and an independent review of travel spending "for compliance with all relevant statutory and ethical provisions," according to the text read at the meeting. The managing director told the council he had compiled four years of records and said the city’s travel spending was small in comparison with the budget, citing a 2022 figure of "$5,748.22" for travel and professional development for the mayor and staff. He argued that mayoral networking led to several outside grants and investments, including a $312,000 safe-streets award, a $384,000 demonstration grant, and a $1,100,000 traffic-safety planning award for a hazardous corridor.
Councilmembers said they supported oversight but disagreed on the proper mechanism. Several members pressed for a public accounting of receipts and for regular, timely reporting after travel. "I'm simply asking for the public disclosure of funds," one councilmember said, urging transparency without framing it as an accusation. Others said an independent audit could duplicate the controller’s work and carry significant cost.
Members of the public asked for more than raw totals; a speaker who identified herself as Betty Coller urged the mayor to provide narrative reporting — what he learned and how it benefited the city — not just a ledger. The managing director said he would meet with the controller, who is recuperating, and make the receipts available for council review once the controller had an opportunity to vet them.
Because several council members said they lacked complete information and the controller was absent, President Napoli moved to refer R64 to the Human Resources committee so staff and the controller could prepare a fuller packet. The council did not vote on the resolution itself; the committee referral is the standing direction. Napoli said he would check with the controller and report back to council members by the end of the week on next steps.
The referral leaves open whether the committee will request the controller’s report only, authorize an independent audit, or propose different reporting requirements for future mayoral travel.
