Audit flags Baldwin Fire District’s credit card spending

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The Baldwin Fire District approved close to $17,000 in credit card purchases — including nearly $4,500 spent by one member — without asking for required itemized receipts or other documentation, a state audit released June 19 revealed.

Paul Yanantuono, chairman of the board of commissioners, told the Herald the district is in the process of implementing state-recommended procedures to ensure proper protocol is followed for future transactions.

“We have received the report and we agree with the findings and we’re going to be implementing changes,” Yanantuono, chairman of the board of commissioners, said last Thursday.

The audit, released by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office on June 19, examined 279 credit card purchases totaling $71,696 that were made by the district from Jan. 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017. During that time, according to the audit, $16,909 was spent and approved by the board despite itemized receipts not being submitted. The district’s credit card policy states all purchases must be supported with itemized receipts and may only be used for a “valid expenditure,” and not personal use.

One member racked up $4,447 without submitting receipts, according to the report, with $570 of that being used for an unspecified “AOL service.” The member, who was not named in the report, told the comptroller’s office he thought the charges were to maintain his email account (an AOL email is available for free).

The same member charged $330 to the card from a flower shop and $266 from a hardware store, the audit states.

Yanantuono, in a letter to DiNapoli’s office, said the board has “reviewed and updated” its purchasing policy to ensure proper documentation is attached to each credit card claim submitted for the district’s approval.

The report also highlighted $5,982 spent by two board members at a Florida resort while they attended a conference.

An invoice from a travel agency the two booked the trip through did not itemize the charges and the stay was four-times the cost of the conference-recommended hotel, which had a rate of $145 per night plus tax for anyone attending the conference.

Additionally, the two purchased $1,095 in meals using the district’s credit card, despite receiving per diem allowances for meals prior to leaving for the conference.

The two members have since reimbursed the district a combined total of $5,004 for the resort stay and $546 for meal purchases in December 2017.

Yanantuono told the comptroller’s office “District staff will review all credit card claims and insure compliance with the revised policies.”