Daniels County commissioners approve duplicate county credit card for staff use

Daniels County commissioners voted unanimously to obtain a duplicate copy of the county credit card after Tammy Flater, the county Clerk of Court, explained staff need a card to reserve and pay for hotel rooms and purchase small office items without using personal credit cards.

"D's going to need a credit card for reserving rooms and paying hotel rooms," Flater told the commission, describing routine travel and registration needs and saying staff often use personal cards and later submit claims for reimbursement. She said using a county card would avoid repeated claim paperwork for small purchases.

The board discussed trade-offs. Commissioners and staff noted convenience for reservations but warned it can bypass the regular accounts-payable process and create bookkeeping headaches if departments do not track receipts. The county card was described in discussion as carrying a roughly $20,000 limit; Auditor Kurt (referenced in the discussion) said issuing another card is allowable "if everybody follows the policy." He also cautioned that chasing down missing receipts would fall to county accounting staff.

Some commissioners suggested limiting the new card’s allowed uses to hotel reservations to reduce misuse. After debate, a commissioner made a motion to obtain a duplicate copy of the county card; it was seconded and approved on a unanimous voice vote.

Next steps include requesting an additional card from the county’s credit provider and drafting/clarifying a policy to define permitted uses, documentation requirements and reconciliation processes so the county’s auditor can sign off on the practice.