Surprise, AZ News blog

Comments by Mike Woodard

Thank you Councilman Alton for taking seriously the assignment issued to you by the council, to perform an audit of the travel policy and procedures. In January of 2007, I conducted an audit of the Reno trip taken by some members of the council. I found the same discrepencies and abuses as you did and those reported by Tony Lombardo. I first took my concerns to the council member involved and was assured that re-imbursement would be made, after a reasonable amount of time and re-imbursement was not made, I took my concerns to a higher level and finally to a local newspaper. Finally after a year and a half and additional abuses being made the taxpayers have been made whole.

Unfortunately the abuses reported are not the only ones, I am aware of other audits conducted by competent private citizens, which I have reviewed, these audits indicate that additional abuses have cost the citizens a significant amount of funds. These abuses were not by members of the current council and not by all members of the previous council. Howeve this council has the opportunity to close the existing loopholes that allowed the abuses to occur.

Councilman Alton brought forth early this year some proposed changes in the travel policy and the council tabeled those proposals indefinetly and assigned him the task of auditing the council travel account prior to bringing it back. Well, he has and it indeed appears that changes need to be made. I can only assume it was pressure by Councilman Alton and the city legal dept. that finally brought about the re-imbursement first promised in January 2007. 

What a cheap shot former Councilman Arizmendez made regarding Councilman Alton, but not an unfamilar one.

I hope this council will bring the tabled proposals back to the table at their next regularly scheduled meeting, and close these loopholes and leaks as part of a New Day for Surprise.
     

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