What's the use to have spending limits if certain elected officials exceed them, and nothing is done about it? Typical government behavior...

Sunday November 18, 2007
Tracking official's expenses

By JOSHUA BOWMAN, ERIN CUNNINGHAM, DAN DEARTH joshua.bowman@herald-mail.com

WASHINGTON COUNTY

· Washington County Board of Education Member Bernadette M. Wagner spent about $2,600 of taxpayers' money in the last fiscal year to represent the school system at a conference in San Francisco.

· Hagerstown Mayor Robert E. Bruchey II and Councilwoman Alesia Parson-McBean spent more than their allocated amounts in fiscal 2007. On the other hand, Councilman Lewis C. Metzner has a $25 credit.

· Washington County Commissioner Kristin B. Aleshire has not spent a penny of expense money since he took office as a commissioner in December 2006.

Even as the spending habits of public officials differ, so do the expense policies of Washington County's three largest governmental bodies.

At the same time, a check of expense records for the 2007 fiscal years showed they had something in common: Each spent less than the overall amount allocated for elected officials in the 2007 fiscal year that ended June 30.

Expense records of the three boards also showed that there were only two cases in which individuals exceeded their budgeted amount.

What they spent

Following is what a check of expense records found:

· Hagerstown's mayor and the five members of the City Council spent $18,890 in fiscal year 2007, City Finance Director Alfred Martin said.

That amount was $6,160 less than the $25,050 allocated for their expenses, Martin said.

· The five Washington County Commissioners spent a combined $2,978.55 in fiscal year 2007, according to Budget and Finance Director Debra S. Murray. The amount was about $7,000 less than the commissioners' annual limit of $2,000 per commissioner, or $10,000.

·The Board of Education members' expenses for fiscal year 2007 - for six current members and three former board members - were a combined $6,626.54 of the $14,000 allocated for their expenses.

City of Hagerstown

Metzner, who has a $25 credit, said he hasn't attended a municipal conference in a while and, when he does, he pays for all of his expenses except for the registration fees and hotel costs.

"I can afford to do that," he said.

Councilwoman Penny M. Nigh spent $131.23, making her second only to Metzner in terms of frugality.

Bruchey overspent his expense budget for fiscal year 2007 by $4,415.48. His budget was $3,450 and he spent $7,865.48.

Bruchey said his initial budget was based on annual mayoral spending in previous years. That amount didn't anticipate funding new programs, such as the Mayor's Task Force for the Homeless, which cost $2,646, he said.

Bruchey's expense account shows that he also attended conferences as well as several Chamber of Commerce events, including Eggs & Issues, State of the City, State of the County and a luncheon with former Gov. Robert Ehrlich.

"I'm very involved," he said. "I go to several conferences, meetings and awards dinners that I have to pay for."

Like other members of the council, Parson-McBean is permitted to spend $4,000 per year on city-related expenses. In fiscal year 2007, she spent $5,389.09, mostly on conferences, such as the those offered by the National League of Cities and Maryland Municipal League.

She also attended a gathering on Electricity and Natural Gas Markets and Regulations, which gives attorneys, industry and government representatives updates on energy regulations, the Hagerstown YMCA Black Achievers Gala and Rawlings Fellowship Workshops.

In an e-mail, Parson-McBean said the knowledge she obtains at the conferences she attended would be used to better the city.

"I am proud of how I represent our city and the sacrifices I have made to do so," Parson-McBean said. "Through the classes offered at the conferences, I have learned techniques for enhancing the quality of life for our residents through, but not limited to, best practices and failures in areas of economic development."

City Finance Director Alfred Martin said neither Bruchey nor Parson-McBean's overspending was approved in advance, but it was OK'd, in part because they spent the money while conducting city business.

Overall, the mayor and council spent $18,890 of the $25,050 allocated for their expenses, Martin said. That is $6,160 less than the amount budgeted.

Any unspent expense money stays in the mayor and council's budget for the following year or is used to pay for other operations, he said. The system works well to control spending, Martin said.

Washington County Board of Education

Washington County Board of Education members spent $11,500 in 22 months on conferences, banquets and business trips, according to expense records prepared by Washington County Public Schools staff for August 2005 through June 2007.

The school board had $18,000 budgeted in fiscal year 2006 for those types of expenses, Director of Accounting David Brandenburg said. That amount was reduced to $14,000 for fiscal year 2007 and the current fiscal year.

There is no limit to what can be spent by individual board members, Brandenburg said.

"There is not a specific dollar amount," he said. "It must be reasonable in nature and amount for the activity and location."

For instance, Wagner's trip to San Francisco for the National School Boards Association conference accounted for about 40 percent of the $6,626.54 the board spent in fiscal year 2007.

Wagner had gone to the National School Boards Association conference in the past, and said the four-day event in April was her third since she was elected to the board seven years ago.

"I think it's important for board members to have professional development," Wagner said.

She said the conference, which includes guest speakers and professional development workshops, worked well with her schedule this year. Since no other board members went, Wagner said part of her responsibility was to share with her colleagues what she learned there.

"I think it's more cost-effective for citizens to not send the whole board," she said. "If a board member goes, there is personal development and professional development, but also they have a responsibility to share with colleagues."

Featured speakers during the event included former President Clinton, Jamie Lee Curtis and Frederick Willem de Klerk, who shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela in 1993 for his role in ending apartheid in South Africa.

Wagner said that much of what she learned was shared with board members, and some of the ideas discussed at the conference are making their way into local committees and board discussions.

While board members are not limited in their spending, Brandenburg said the expense account is not abused.

"They realize that they are accountable to their fellow board members and to the public," he said. "They keep (their spending) under control."

Each expense reported by a board member is reviewed by the board's president and by Brandenburg's office. He said it must pass a "reasonableness test," and all expenditures must be documented with detailed receipts.

Budgeted money that is not spent on Board of Education expenses is reallocated or moved to the school system's budget surplus.

Washington County Commissioners

The Washington County Commissioners were reimbursed for a combined $2,978.55 in expenses in fiscal year 2007, according to records compiled by the county's budget and finance department.

That was about $7,000 less than the $10,000 the county budgeted in the last fiscal year for reimbursed expenses, said Debra S. Murray, director of the county's budget and finance department.

Each commissioner can spend as much as $2,000 every fiscal year, Murray said. But in general, the commissioners stay below their limits.

So far in fiscal year 2008, which began on July 1, the commissioners have submitted $248.07 in expenses.

"They usually don't come close to their allotment," Murray said.

Kristen B. Aleshire has not sought reimbursement for any expenses since taking office as a County Commissioner in December 2006. He said he has tried to keep his expenses as low as possible both as a commissioner and previously, when he held a seat on the Hagerstown City Council.

"It's a privilege, a responsibility to serve," Aleshire said. "It's not a job that you take for the compensation."

Aleshire said he donated his salary as a city councilman to charities and to create scholarships at HCC.

Commissioners Vice President Terry L. Baker sought the largest reimbursement - $1,678.50 - in fiscal year 2007. Although that was more than twice the amount submitted by any other commissioner, it fell below the commissioners' $2,000 annual limit for reimbursed expenses.

Baker said the expense was for his county-issued cell phone and was abnormally high.

"They had me on a bad plan. But we've got it fixed and it won't be as high this year," said Baker, who added that the phone is the only expense he files to the county.

The commissioners said they think the county's expense policy works well.

"I don't think we have a problem with overspending," Commissioner William J. Wivell said. "It's not an account that any of us abuse."

oh come now. everyone has to splurge and get their nails done every now and again....

She made 'sacrificies'?



Heck to hear these speakers she could have turned on TNT(Jamie Lee is always on spouting something).
Clinton's always on CNN...

This is one boondoogle that could have been foregone..

It nice to know that you believe there should be spending limits for some elected officials at least.

I know, I know I left out the Bruchey--but he didn't say he 'sacrificied' for whatever..he just said he had to go...

Sorry expat, my comment was directed to Snoopy.

Okay Id..but you gotta give them credit for staying in the budget parameters--maybe individually they went over but the overall budget was in line..

In your hasty efforts to paint me with the broad brush and irritate me, you forget that I have not supported Bush or many R's in their fiscal irresponsibility. Show me otherwise, hotshot.

Why would I want to irritate you? ,





Maybe not, but you overlooked it and thereby let 'em get away with it. The so-called conservatives gave 'em a free pass so you helped dig this hole we're in.

So you are monitoring my mail and phones and know what I say to my elected officials, huh?

I've said on this forum that I did not like much of Bush's spending.

Perhaps someone, preferably the official themself, could explain:

1. What knowledge McBean picked-up and what, specifically, she has done with that knowledge for enhansing the quality of life for our citizens.

2. Why the mayor feels it is okay to overspend a budget by over 100% and not bother to ask in advance? Would he allow his department heads to do that?

I guess what you did spoke more loudly than what you said.



I wouldn't be so hard on him though, after all he did spread democracy to the Middle East.

Can you please stop the off-topic anti-Bush rants? Good God, you have enough other threads dedicated to that crap. GTFO if you can't stay on topic.

Check again... you're the only one that's used the four letter word here... you jumped to that conclusion... KMA!

You may be an idiot, but don't play coy -- you know what you meant and where you were taking the conversation. This thread is about local officials as named in the HM article. Got it, idiot?

Over spending is never good, no matter who you are. Americans over spend to darn much in their life time.

Now I'm wondering, is the over spending calculated in with the budget of how much they can spend.

Where does this (Extra) over spending money comes from?

Is the money being taken away from some other useful project?

Are we the taxpayers, getting charge more because of this over spending?
No matter how much the amount is.

Just asking some simple questions, as I'm not very inform how the City Officials Budget is calculated.

Then why do you keep trying to change the subject and why did you change the title?

You're nuts...I mean even moreso than usual. I did not change the title...or anything else, period. You're so damn anxious to take shots at Bush you read things that aren't there.

Now...I'l ask again:

Perhaps someone, preferably the official themself, could explain:

1. What knowledge McBean picked-up and what, specifically, she has done with that knowledge for enhancing the quality of life for our citizens.

2. Why the mayor feels it is okay to overspend a budget by over 100% and not bother to ask in advance? Would he allow his department heads to do that?

Speaking of nuts, you and Patton see Bush haters behind every... wait for it... bush.

badum-pshhhhhhh

NO! We just have the inate ability to spot jackasses easily.

in that case... wanna go to the bar with me?

Good luck getting an answer to #1 I've been trying to figure that one out for a while now.

Having watched all the meetings I can tell you she very rarely adds anything to the discussions.

How about it Bob, we know you've read this, surely you have a comment (about you're spending habits that is).

Who gives a crap about the chump change these bozos spend--the real money flies out the window on raises (largely undeserved) fixing streets in areas that do not need fixing etc. Just wait until they start on their offices and other taj mahal public buildings.