In the August 2020 millage rate hearings, I spoke about some large, questionable expenses in the City budget. The one in which the public seemed most interested was more than $100,000 budgeted for travel in 2020. I started an investigation into the topic with my blog entry Traveling on the Taxpayer Dime, Part 1.
Since travel was temporarily restricted in 2020 due to the ongoing pandemic, I evaluated records from 2019 to learn more about the City's travel situation. I filed open records requests to obtain a complete list of itemized expenses for the City of Sugar Hill for 2019, as well as expense reports and travel-related receipts for any City-issued credit cards for the Mayor and Council, the Administrative Department, Planning and Development, Economic Development, Bowl/Plaza Events, and the Downtown Development Authority.
The total cost levied by the City to get ALL of the expense reports and credit card receipts would have been $108.16. That was a little rich for my blood, so I asked them to give me just the ones for the biggest spenders, the Mayor and Council, and Administrative, which still cost me $60.
The actual travel expenditures for the government of Sugar Hill for 2019 were $68,445.17. This was less than the budgeted amount of $123,795, but when the City prepares a budget, they intentionally overestimate expenses to stay on the safe side. That's the right way to do it, but also the reason that coming in under budget isn't an impressive feat.
The biggest travel spenders in the government for the City of Sugar Hill are Mayor Steve Edwards, City Manager Paul Radford, and City Councilman Brandon Hembree.
The most expensive trip by far was a trip to Savannah last June for the 2019 Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) Annual Convention. See expense reports
This trip included at least Mayor Steve Edwards, City Council Members Brandon Hembree, Marc Cohen, and Susie Walker, City Manager Paul Radford, as well as the City's finance director, city clerk, and HR director. There could have been additional attendees who were outside the scope of my open records request. The attendees were put up in either the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort and Spa at a price of $240 a night (plus fees, including a resort fee of $23), the Kimpton Brice Hotel at a price of $229 a night (plus fees), or the Hyatt Regency Riverfront Hotel at a price of $227 a night. On the convention registration form, the rates of hotels in the area are provided. The City of Sugar Hill selected 3 of the most expensive hotels on that list.
For each traveler, the City paid 58 cents per mile, which ended up being anywhere from $319 to $377 per person who claimed the expense, based on the receipts I saw. The City paid $50 per day per traveler for meals.
There was also a registration fee for each person from the City who attended the convention. I am assuming that all of the City's attendees are GMA members, in which case the registration fee was anywhere from $375-415 per person. There were also fees for the training sessions, ranging from $150 to $295. The full fee schedule is included in the convention registration form. The exact expenditures were not included in the expense reports or credit card receipts I received from the City in response to my open records request. Perhaps they are considered training expenses, and would require a separate open records request.
Georgia Municipal Association is a state organization that represents city governments across Georgia. According to their website, "The mission of the Georgia Municipal Association is to anticipate and influence the forces shaping Georgia’s cities and to provide leadership, tools and services that assist municipal governments in becoming more innovative, effective and responsive." It's a pretty vague description, with a hefty price tag. I'm not convinced anyone in Sugar Hill is better off because of that trip, except the people who were on the trip.
The second most expensive trip was the three-day City retreat in November 2019 to Franklin, Tennessee, which is just south of Nashville. See expense reports
Based on the receipts I obtained, it appears that the retreat was at least attended by Mayor Edwards, Council Members Hembree, Anderson, Cohen, and Walker, City Manager Radford, as well as the Assistant City Manager, City Clerk, Finance Director, and HR Director. There could have been additional attendees who were outside the scope of my open records request. Attendees were put up in the Hilton Franklin Cool Springs at a price of $164 a night (plus fees).
For each traveler, the City again paid 58 cents per mile, which ended up being anywhere from $301 to $329 per person who claimed the expense, based on the receipts I saw.
Rather than paying per diem rates for food, it appears that the food for this retreat was an itemized expense.
The most striking expense of this trip is a banquet fee of $1,303.77. This one day banquet included $324 in beverages. The City also paid $500 for AV, and $450 for a meeting room, both of which the City government already have right here in Sugar Hill.
After a long day of banqueting, the attendees retreated from the retreat to the Harth Lounge, where they racked up a $335.51 bill. These funds were later reimbursed to the taxpayers, which can be verified by the canceled checks, except for council member Susie Walker, who supposedly reimbursed with $80 in cash.
Other expenses I found interesting were some trips to Washington, DC.
One was apparently to meet with our legislative delegation to get a pedestrian bridge across Highway 20, and something to do with the Greenway. The US Senators and Representatives from Georgia generally maintain offices here in Georgia. It seems like they could have met them there at some point. Or, perhaps a nice phone call would have done the job.
It's also worth noting that both airline tickets were Delta Comfort, not just the coach tickets that most business travelers end up getting. I never saw anything that indicated that anyone paid back the City for the cost of the upgraded airfare.
Another expense I found interesting was for an overnight stay in Bethlehem, GA, which is only about a 35-minute drive from Sugar Hill.
I also found a couple of airline tickets to Denver, Colorado, for Mayor Steve Edwards and City Manager Paul Radford for $839.20. There were no accompanying expense reports for this that indicated what the trip was about, or any other receipts for a trip to Denver.
Lastly, and kind of amusingly, is a literal pork expenditure!
$140 for bacon from Waffle House.
