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Quorum court approves two county credit cards with $5,000 limits after ethics discussion
Summary
Randolph County justices voted to issue two Farmers Merchant Bank credit cards with $5,000 limits each for county purchasing after members debated ethics of personal-card reimbursements, tracking procedures and auditor recommendations.
The Randolph County quorum court voted to issue two county credit cards with a $5,000 limit on each card for county purchasing after extended discussion about tracking, reimbursements and ethics.
Justice Sharp moved the proposal to purchase two Farmers Merchant Bank cards and Justice Cosby seconded; the court approved the motion by roll-call vote with six yes votes and three absences. The clerk recorded Justice Brown, Justice Heard (recorded as “Hard” in the roll call), Justice Cosby, Justice Nelson, Justice Sharp and Justice Henderson as voting yes; Justices Bass, Blevens and Statler were absent for the vote.
The discussion before the motion focused on whether to hold a single centralized card or issue cards to multiple offices, practical concerns for travel and purchasing, and the ethical risks when employees use personal cards and then receive county reimbursements that may include cash-back rewards. One member referenced county personnel policy and the auditor’s prior recommendation that a county card helps keep any rewards and transaction control “in-house” and reduces the risk of improper personal benefit from county purchases.
The treasurer and other members stressed the need for detailed receipts and tracking procedures so that cards do not become a liability when they are shared. Several members said they preferred that county purchases be made on official cards rather than on personal cards that later require reimbursement.
The court also discussed operational details — how many cards to make available, where cards would be stored, and whether cards should be centralized in the judge’s office or kept by individual offices. After debate the court settled on purchasing two cards, to be monitored by county staff.
The vote was taken during the old-business portion of the meeting; no immediate change to existing department cards (e.g., sheriff’s office or library cards) was recorded in the motion language. The court did not specify in the motion a detailed policy on permitted purchases beyond travel and office supplies or an immediate implementation timeline.
The approval closes the item for this meeting; the court also voted on several routine items earlier in the agenda and adjourned at the end of the session.
