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Commissioners Table Proposal to Issue County Credit Cards After Lengthy Debate
Summary
A plan to issue county credit cards for commissioners (and potentially other elected officials) was discussed at length; auditors raised concerns about fraud risk and receipt collection and the court tabled the item for next meeting while asking the auditor to craft policy.
A proposal to issue county credit cards to commissioners for travel and county business prompted an extended exchange June 1 and was tabled for further work. The court heard arguments about convenience for hotel reservations and programmatic purchases, balanced against auditability and fraud risks raised by the auditor’s office.
Proponents argued county cards would make booking hotels and paying for conference fees easier and avoid frequent out‑of‑pocket expenses and long reimbursement cycles. "It just becomes a mess not having a county credit card, especially with the hotels," one commissioner said during the discussion. The sheriff argued that elected officials and staff often travel and that having a county credit card would simplify logistics.
The county auditor cautioned that multiple cards increase the administrative burden for timely receipt collection and auditability. The auditor described existing procedures such as credit card authorization and purchase order steps but said rapid statement cycles can make collecting receipts difficult. On balance, the court voted to table the item and asked the auditor to draft a usage policy, gather data on how many cards would be needed, and return with recommendations at the next meeting.
The court did not approve issuing any new cards on June 1; it asked for a policy defining permissible uses, receipt requirements, and sanctioning for noncompliance before any issuance.
