News
Nov 03 2009
Trips to D.C. draining city travel budget
Mayor Presler defends expensive trips as necessary to lobby federal officials
The Flagstaff City Council's travel budget is in desperate need of a cash infusion.
Just four months into the new fiscal year, the $10,000 Council-controlled travel budget has nearly been drained, due in part to a flurry of trips that have been labeled by city budget officials as unbudgeted expenses. It is, according to city officials, the only city division to be over budget so early in the fiscal year.
The Council has at least one major trip still planned, expected to cost the taxpayers at least $5,000.
Mayor Sara Presler, who controls a majority of the annual travel budget, defends the early spending, saying the city will spend thousands of dollars to convince federal and state officials to spend millions in Flagstaff.
"I work hard to develop meaningful relationships on behalf of the city and resulting in meaningful change for the city," Presler said of her trips to Washington D.C.
The city has found consistent funding streams over the years, especially for the Rio de Flagstaff flood control project. The city received $3 million in federal funding this year for the project, but needs at least $37 million more to complete the estimated $54 million project.
FACE-TO-FACE IS BEST
Presler said while phone calls and letters are helpful, the face-to-face meetings with federal officials are paramount to helping them understand the problems here in Flagstaff. Speaking last week while in Washington D.C., Presler said the city has moved closer to getting American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.
"We have navigated through a significant amount of bureaucracy and we are getting closer every day," Presler said.
Bob Holmes, a city-hired lobbyist who works in D.C., agreed with Presler. He said local representation is paramount to getting access to key federal officials as well as increased funding from them.
"I don't think there is anything that members of Congress like to see more than folks from their district come visit them and it really makes a difference," Holmes said. "First of all, they are sick of seeing me they know I am lobbyist... They like to see elected officials because they know that the electeds care (about the issues they are lobbying on.)"
One of the largest successes from federal lobbying came several years ago. When the city was able to convince the Federal Aviation Administration to approve a $10.5 million grant that pay for an runway extension at the Flagstaff Pulliam Airport. The runway is credited for convincing Horizon Air to provide daily air service to Los Angeles from Flagstaff.
The Mayor and the Council has historically lobbied for federal funding of the Ecological Restoration Institute, Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transportation and the Flagstaff Housing Authority.
More recently, the Council has started lobbying for stimulus funding as well as capital for the small business incubator, better known as Northern Arizona Center for Emerging Technologies.
Presler was budgeted to spend $7,500 this entire fiscal year that ends on June 30, 2010, on three trips back east, but Presler has already spent $6,099 on various trips, according to city records.
The same records list at least six unbudgeted expenses, from a $44 lunch to $722 in transcription services related to a visit by Obama administration officials in October.
Some of those figures are currently in dispute -- Presler contends she has been forced to absorb costs unrelated to actual travel -- including an Americorps intern's salary and the transcription services.
She also faults the accounting measures used for a trip to D.C. earlier this summer, which was charged to the current fiscal year, not the previous fiscal year.
Presler points out that she has leveraged several of her trips with private funds paid for by other groups. Her trip during President Barack Obama's inauguration, for example, was partially underwritten by Arizona List, a political action committee. A trip to China was completely paid privately, but Presler scheduled meetings the sole night she had in D.C.
Even her most recent trip to Washington was partially paid for by the Department of Energy.
Presler also pointed to the relationships the city has forged with federal and state officials over the years. One recent example would be the tour of Flagstaff by White House officials in October -- where Flagstaff was the smallest city on the itinerary.
"We continue to demonstrate that we are doing more for the city with much less money," Presler said.
OTHERS ALSO OVERSPEND
But Presler isn't the only person to overspend their travel budget.
Vice Mayor Al White, who was given roughly $700 for travel-related expenses, overspent his account by $593 for two trips he has taken. At least one of his trips -- the Greater Arizona Mayors' meeting in Bullhead City -- was unbudgeted.
White defended all the Council trips taken this year, echoing that small costs related to trips to D.C. consistently translate into millions in federal dollars. White, who was first elected to Council in 2000, said the overspending is evidence that the Council had slashed their budget too much in an attempt to balance a much smaller municipal budget.
"In our haste to be frugal, we under-budgeted what was necessary for travel," White said.
Councilmembers Karla Brewster and Joe Haughey have also overspent their travel budgets, by $615 and $142, respectively.
The Council is expected to address the travel budget later this month during a budget retreat. One suggestion would pull money out of the city's contingency fund to balance the travel budget and fund at least one more trip to D.C. next spring.
Joe Ferguson can be reached at jferguson@azdailysun.com or 556-2253.
Allocation / Amount used / Remaining
Presler $7,500 / $6,099 / $1,401
White $700 / $1,293 / - ($593)
Brewster $700 / $1,315/ - ($615)
Haughey $700 / $ 843/ - ($143)
Overton $0 $0 $0
Swanson $0 $0 $0
Evans $0 $0 $0
Source: City of Flagstaff, July 1-Oct. 31, 2009
Just four months into the new fiscal year, the $10,000 Council-controlled travel budget has nearly been drained, due in part to a flurry of trips that have been labeled by city budget officials as unbudgeted expenses. It is, according to city officials, the only city division to be over budget so early in the fiscal year.
The Council has at least one major trip still planned, expected to cost the taxpayers at least $5,000.
Mayor Sara Presler, who controls a majority of the annual travel budget, defends the early spending, saying the city will spend thousands of dollars to convince federal and state officials to spend millions in Flagstaff.
"I work hard to develop meaningful relationships on behalf of the city and resulting in meaningful change for the city," Presler said of her trips to Washington D.C.
The city has found consistent funding streams over the years, especially for the Rio de Flagstaff flood control project. The city received $3 million in federal funding this year for the project, but needs at least $37 million more to complete the estimated $54 million project.
FACE-TO-FACE IS BEST
Presler said while phone calls and letters are helpful, the face-to-face meetings with federal officials are paramount to helping them understand the problems here in Flagstaff. Speaking last week while in Washington D.C., Presler said the city has moved closer to getting American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.
"We have navigated through a significant amount of bureaucracy and we are getting closer every day," Presler said.
Bob Holmes, a city-hired lobbyist who works in D.C., agreed with Presler. He said local representation is paramount to getting access to key federal officials as well as increased funding from them.
"I don't think there is anything that members of Congress like to see more than folks from their district come visit them and it really makes a difference," Holmes said. "First of all, they are sick of seeing me they know I am lobbyist... They like to see elected officials because they know that the electeds care (about the issues they are lobbying on.)"
One of the largest successes from federal lobbying came several years ago. When the city was able to convince the Federal Aviation Administration to approve a $10.5 million grant that pay for an runway extension at the Flagstaff Pulliam Airport. The runway is credited for convincing Horizon Air to provide daily air service to Los Angeles from Flagstaff.
The Mayor and the Council has historically lobbied for federal funding of the Ecological Restoration Institute, Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transportation and the Flagstaff Housing Authority.
More recently, the Council has started lobbying for stimulus funding as well as capital for the small business incubator, better known as Northern Arizona Center for Emerging Technologies.
Presler was budgeted to spend $7,500 this entire fiscal year that ends on June 30, 2010, on three trips back east, but Presler has already spent $6,099 on various trips, according to city records.
The same records list at least six unbudgeted expenses, from a $44 lunch to $722 in transcription services related to a visit by Obama administration officials in October.
Some of those figures are currently in dispute -- Presler contends she has been forced to absorb costs unrelated to actual travel -- including an Americorps intern's salary and the transcription services.
She also faults the accounting measures used for a trip to D.C. earlier this summer, which was charged to the current fiscal year, not the previous fiscal year.
Presler points out that she has leveraged several of her trips with private funds paid for by other groups. Her trip during President Barack Obama's inauguration, for example, was partially underwritten by Arizona List, a political action committee. A trip to China was completely paid privately, but Presler scheduled meetings the sole night she had in D.C.
Even her most recent trip to Washington was partially paid for by the Department of Energy.
Presler also pointed to the relationships the city has forged with federal and state officials over the years. One recent example would be the tour of Flagstaff by White House officials in October -- where Flagstaff was the smallest city on the itinerary.
"We continue to demonstrate that we are doing more for the city with much less money," Presler said.
OTHERS ALSO OVERSPEND
But Presler isn't the only person to overspend their travel budget.
Vice Mayor Al White, who was given roughly $700 for travel-related expenses, overspent his account by $593 for two trips he has taken. At least one of his trips -- the Greater Arizona Mayors' meeting in Bullhead City -- was unbudgeted.
White defended all the Council trips taken this year, echoing that small costs related to trips to D.C. consistently translate into millions in federal dollars. White, who was first elected to Council in 2000, said the overspending is evidence that the Council had slashed their budget too much in an attempt to balance a much smaller municipal budget.
"In our haste to be frugal, we under-budgeted what was necessary for travel," White said.
Councilmembers Karla Brewster and Joe Haughey have also overspent their travel budgets, by $615 and $142, respectively.
The Council is expected to address the travel budget later this month during a budget retreat. One suggestion would pull money out of the city's contingency fund to balance the travel budget and fund at least one more trip to D.C. next spring.
Joe Ferguson can be reached at jferguson@azdailysun.com or 556-2253.
Allocation / Amount used / Remaining
Presler $7,500 / $6,099 / $1,401
White $700 / $1,293 / - ($593)
Brewster $700 / $1,315/ - ($615)
Haughey $700 / $ 843/ - ($143)
Overton $0 $0 $0
Swanson $0 $0 $0
Evans $0 $0 $0
Source: City of Flagstaff, July 1-Oct. 31, 2009
