News
While some money-crunched Ohioans enjoyed the full "stay-cation" experience in 2008 and 2009, many public employees took business trips.
However, some of these business trips were to Walt Disney World, Palm Springs and points in between, and frequently involved stays at luxury hotels and meals at top-notch restaurants.
It was all on your dime.
CentralOhio.com requested expense reports and credit card statements from more than 400 public officials in 15 counties, ranging from the dog warden to the school superintendent.
For just these people and entities, which represents a fraction of the big picture, taxpayers spent more than $500,000.
Given the billions of dollars spent by local governments in Ohio -- not to mention multimillion-dollar budget shortfalls -- $500,000 is just a drop in the taxpayers' collective bucket.
Still, such purchases can provide insight into the prudence of these entities and their administrators, said Steve Ellis, spokesman for the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense.
"If lawmakers are not frugal with taxpayers' money for their personal (expenses), how can we expect them to be good stewards of taxpayer money on the macro level?" Ellis asked.
A FEW EXAMPLES
Our examination of thousands of documents found no apparent misappropriation of public funds. Nor did there appear to be reimbursements for expenses most taxpayers would find objectionable -- adult entertainment clubs, for instance -- or for personal purchases.
In our investigation, several purchases caught our attention.
Tri-Rivers Educational Computer Association in Marion County was one of the top spenders on travel, according to the records we reviewed. Three employees went to Bangalore, India, in 2008, spending more than $3,500 on airfare, lodging and other expenses. Treasurer Scott Armstrong said the trip was an attempt to expand the technology center’s business internationally.
The Career and Technology Education Centers of Licking County, a vocational school, spent more than $2,200 to fly, house and feed three employees in Orlando, Fla., for the National School Boards Association conference in 2008. C-TEC, which has been in serious financial straits in recent years, was the only school that CentralOhio.com’s records request revealed to have charges or expenses in Orlando during that March-April time frame. C-TEC officials say such conferences help board members become more educated and effective leaders.
No fewer than nine offices surveyed sent representatives to Nashville during the past two years. Six of those offices booked rooms at the Gaylord Opryland Resort, which currently is advertised at about $190 per night.
A quick Travelocity.com search shows that a Days Inn, less than a mile from the Gaylord, can be reserved three months in advance for $65 per night.
Several of the Nashville trips were funded through federal grants that required all of the dollars to be spent by a certain date or returned, according to school officials.
Airfare and lodging made up the bulk of the expenses in our initial review, but a few others stood out.
In October 2008, Marion Technical College officials spent $1,193 for 28 people at a Cincinnati seafood restaurant, an average of $42.61 per meal. The college said a grant paid for the dinner.
Most entities paid off credit cards right away to avoid interest charges. When the interest charges occurred, they were minimal.
Late fees or over-limit fees on credit cards frequently appeared, many of which were reversed the next month. However, during the time requested, a pair of credit cards for Marion Children's Services incurred 10 late fees that were not reversed. The fees totaled $330. Children's Services Director Dan Downes called the financial penalties unacceptable when asked to explain them.
HOTEL CHOICES
Expenses for airfare and hotels were split almost evenly between in- and out-of-state trips.
Hyatt Hotels in Columbus was the most frequent hotel charge, followed by the Dublin location of Embassy Suites. Nightly rates, if bought in advance, at those two hotels are about $175 and $150, respectively, according to their Web sites.
Well down on the list of lodging charges is a Comfort Inn, which is about a mile south of the Statehouse, closer than both the Hyatt Regency and Embassy Suites in Dublin. The Comfort Inn is at least half the regular rate of both those hotels, according to its Web site.
In fact, far more rooms were booked at the Embassy Suites in Dublin than at its sister hotel on the northeast side of Columbus. Regular rates at that Embassy Suites were less than $100 a night for advance purchases, the hotel's Web site shows.
At airport hotels, which usually charge higher rates than comparable hotels, there were 26 charges in the records obtained for a total of more than $6,200. Many were for multiple nights or multiple rooms.
THE NEED FOR TRAVEL
Ellis said nothing is inherently wrong with government employees using public money to travel for conferences or training. But these type of expenditures should be under even closer inspection, he said, given the current economic climate.
The public is in a time when taxpayers are under increased financial strain, schools are asking for levy increases and government agencies are slashing services, Ellis said.
"If you're asking for shared sacrifice, then you better be sharing in the sacrifice," he said. "If that means you've got to brown-bag it to the conference, then you better brown-bag it to the conference."
Brown-bagging is exactly what will happen at the County Commissioners' Association of Ohio conference in Columbus this summer. Mary Jane Nieman, spokeswoman for the association, said the group is cutting back on the frills offered at the conference so more people can attend.
The summer workshop this year will just last one day and be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to accommodate those driving in from every corner of the state. The conference will be in government offices instead of a hotel meeting room. Registration costs will be just enough to cover a boxed lunch and coffee.
In 2009, a number of county officials attended the association's winter conference at the downtown Hyatt. While some attendees booked rooms there, Nieman said, many opted for cheaper hotels nearby.
Two other conference organizers, however, said they haven't made drastic changes in the way they put on their conferences and haven't seen a drop in attendance.
The Ohio School Boards Association conducts a four-day conference each winter at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
Jeff Chambers, director of communications and information services for the association, said the association charges $225 per person for registration, but the most a district will have to pay is $1,350 for an unlimited number of attendees. The association also
has started offering Webinars to districts to curb travel costs for other training programs.
The association reserves blocks of rooms at several downtown hotels so the districts can get discounted rates. They run the gamut from the Red Roof Inn to the Hyatt.
Ridgewood Local School District in Coshocton County spent $2,768 in 2008 and $3,005 in 2009 to house seven people at the Columbus Hyatt for the conference.
By contrast, Huntington Local School District in Ross County sent five people to the conference in 2009. School officials stayed at The Varsity Inn and paid a total of $552 for lodging. Two administrators stayed one night and three stayed two nights at a nightly rate of $69.
The seven Ridgewood representatives also spent $382 on a dinner at the Hyde Park Steakhouse during the 2009 conference, an average of $54.57 per meal.
Lori Statler, treasurer of Ridgewood schools, noted that the Hyde Park charge and a $61 Japanese Steakhouse lunch on the same day were the only food charges accrued to the district. Not bad, she said, for seven people who were away from home for three and half days.
Another popular destination is the National Sheriffs' Association conference, which was in Florida last year.
Fred Wilson, director of operations for the National Sheriffs' Association, said the effects of the recession are just starting to show when it comes to conference attendance. This summer, the organization will host its annual conference in Anaheim, Calif.
In 2009, the numbers weren't down by much, Wilson said; however he has heard of specific instances in which members -- including those on the board -- are not able to attend because county commissioners put a ban on all travel.
He said other members will find cheaper ways to get to the conference -- such as driving instead of flying.
So far, however, the biggest change in the conference because of the Great Recession has been in programming, he said. The association now offers more sessions on cost cutting and doing more with less.
However, some of these business trips were to Walt Disney World, Palm Springs and points in between, and frequently involved stays at luxury hotels and meals at top-notch restaurants.
It was all on your dime.
CentralOhio.com requested expense reports and credit card statements from more than 400 public officials in 15 counties, ranging from the dog warden to the school superintendent.
For just these people and entities, which represents a fraction of the big picture, taxpayers spent more than $500,000.
Given the billions of dollars spent by local governments in Ohio -- not to mention multimillion-dollar budget shortfalls -- $500,000 is just a drop in the taxpayers' collective bucket.
Still, such purchases can provide insight into the prudence of these entities and their administrators, said Steve Ellis, spokesman for the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense.
"If lawmakers are not frugal with taxpayers' money for their personal (expenses), how can we expect them to be good stewards of taxpayer money on the macro level?" Ellis asked.
A FEW EXAMPLES
Our examination of thousands of documents found no apparent misappropriation of public funds. Nor did there appear to be reimbursements for expenses most taxpayers would find objectionable -- adult entertainment clubs, for instance -- or for personal purchases.
In our investigation, several purchases caught our attention.
Tri-Rivers Educational Computer Association in Marion County was one of the top spenders on travel, according to the records we reviewed. Three employees went to Bangalore, India, in 2008, spending more than $3,500 on airfare, lodging and other expenses. Treasurer Scott Armstrong said the trip was an attempt to expand the technology center’s business internationally.
The Career and Technology Education Centers of Licking County, a vocational school, spent more than $2,200 to fly, house and feed three employees in Orlando, Fla., for the National School Boards Association conference in 2008. C-TEC, which has been in serious financial straits in recent years, was the only school that CentralOhio.com’s records request revealed to have charges or expenses in Orlando during that March-April time frame. C-TEC officials say such conferences help board members become more educated and effective leaders.
No fewer than nine offices surveyed sent representatives to Nashville during the past two years. Six of those offices booked rooms at the Gaylord Opryland Resort, which currently is advertised at about $190 per night.
A quick Travelocity.com search shows that a Days Inn, less than a mile from the Gaylord, can be reserved three months in advance for $65 per night.
Several of the Nashville trips were funded through federal grants that required all of the dollars to be spent by a certain date or returned, according to school officials.
Airfare and lodging made up the bulk of the expenses in our initial review, but a few others stood out.
In October 2008, Marion Technical College officials spent $1,193 for 28 people at a Cincinnati seafood restaurant, an average of $42.61 per meal. The college said a grant paid for the dinner.
Most entities paid off credit cards right away to avoid interest charges. When the interest charges occurred, they were minimal.
Late fees or over-limit fees on credit cards frequently appeared, many of which were reversed the next month. However, during the time requested, a pair of credit cards for Marion Children's Services incurred 10 late fees that were not reversed. The fees totaled $330. Children's Services Director Dan Downes called the financial penalties unacceptable when asked to explain them.
HOTEL CHOICES
Expenses for airfare and hotels were split almost evenly between in- and out-of-state trips.
Hyatt Hotels in Columbus was the most frequent hotel charge, followed by the Dublin location of Embassy Suites. Nightly rates, if bought in advance, at those two hotels are about $175 and $150, respectively, according to their Web sites.
Well down on the list of lodging charges is a Comfort Inn, which is about a mile south of the Statehouse, closer than both the Hyatt Regency and Embassy Suites in Dublin. The Comfort Inn is at least half the regular rate of both those hotels, according to its Web site.
In fact, far more rooms were booked at the Embassy Suites in Dublin than at its sister hotel on the northeast side of Columbus. Regular rates at that Embassy Suites were less than $100 a night for advance purchases, the hotel's Web site shows.
At airport hotels, which usually charge higher rates than comparable hotels, there were 26 charges in the records obtained for a total of more than $6,200. Many were for multiple nights or multiple rooms.
THE NEED FOR TRAVEL
Ellis said nothing is inherently wrong with government employees using public money to travel for conferences or training. But these type of expenditures should be under even closer inspection, he said, given the current economic climate.
The public is in a time when taxpayers are under increased financial strain, schools are asking for levy increases and government agencies are slashing services, Ellis said.
"If you're asking for shared sacrifice, then you better be sharing in the sacrifice," he said. "If that means you've got to brown-bag it to the conference, then you better brown-bag it to the conference."
Brown-bagging is exactly what will happen at the County Commissioners' Association of Ohio conference in Columbus this summer. Mary Jane Nieman, spokeswoman for the association, said the group is cutting back on the frills offered at the conference so more people can attend.
The summer workshop this year will just last one day and be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to accommodate those driving in from every corner of the state. The conference will be in government offices instead of a hotel meeting room. Registration costs will be just enough to cover a boxed lunch and coffee.
In 2009, a number of county officials attended the association's winter conference at the downtown Hyatt. While some attendees booked rooms there, Nieman said, many opted for cheaper hotels nearby.
Two other conference organizers, however, said they haven't made drastic changes in the way they put on their conferences and haven't seen a drop in attendance.
The Ohio School Boards Association conducts a four-day conference each winter at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
Jeff Chambers, director of communications and information services for the association, said the association charges $225 per person for registration, but the most a district will have to pay is $1,350 for an unlimited number of attendees. The association also
has started offering Webinars to districts to curb travel costs for other training programs.
The association reserves blocks of rooms at several downtown hotels so the districts can get discounted rates. They run the gamut from the Red Roof Inn to the Hyatt.
Ridgewood Local School District in Coshocton County spent $2,768 in 2008 and $3,005 in 2009 to house seven people at the Columbus Hyatt for the conference.
By contrast, Huntington Local School District in Ross County sent five people to the conference in 2009. School officials stayed at The Varsity Inn and paid a total of $552 for lodging. Two administrators stayed one night and three stayed two nights at a nightly rate of $69.
The seven Ridgewood representatives also spent $382 on a dinner at the Hyde Park Steakhouse during the 2009 conference, an average of $54.57 per meal.
Lori Statler, treasurer of Ridgewood schools, noted that the Hyde Park charge and a $61 Japanese Steakhouse lunch on the same day were the only food charges accrued to the district. Not bad, she said, for seven people who were away from home for three and half days.
Another popular destination is the National Sheriffs' Association conference, which was in Florida last year.
Fred Wilson, director of operations for the National Sheriffs' Association, said the effects of the recession are just starting to show when it comes to conference attendance. This summer, the organization will host its annual conference in Anaheim, Calif.
In 2009, the numbers weren't down by much, Wilson said; however he has heard of specific instances in which members -- including those on the board -- are not able to attend because county commissioners put a ban on all travel.
He said other members will find cheaper ways to get to the conference -- such as driving instead of flying.
So far, however, the biggest change in the conference because of the Great Recession has been in programming, he said. The association now offers more sessions on cost cutting and doing more with less.
