Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident alleges city fuel-card abuse during public comment
Summary
A resident told the Mabton City Council that 13 city fuel cards appear to have been misused and presented invoice analysis suggesting roughly 31,320 miles of unleaded purchases from January–October 2025, urging council review.
A resident addressing the council said the city appears to have issued 13 purchase/fuel cards—one for each city employee—and presented fuel invoices that, they said, show patterns consistent with misuse.
The resident (public commenter) said the invoices show concentrated purchases on several cards and that, when converted to mileage using 15 miles per gallon, purchases from January through October 2025 equate to about 31,320 miles. “Does Public Works even have 5 vehicles?” the resident asked, arguing that multiple same-day purchases before 8 a.m. and repeated night-time purchases for an administratively labeled card suggested improper use.
Council members listened but did not take immediate formal action during the meeting. The commenter handed invoices to the council for review and urged staff and elected members to investigate the fuel-card assignments and spending patterns. The claim was presented as public comment and was not substantiated or refuted during the session; staff acknowledged receipt of the invoices and public availability of the records but provided no final determination at the meeting.
The resident’s submission included line-item totals for unleaded purchases (January–October 2025) and the computation used to reach the mileage figure; the council did not complete an on-the-spot audit. Next steps stated during the meeting were for council and staff to review the invoices and for the matter to be considered outside the public-comment period.
