New rules for New Orleans city credit card use
From Sunshine Review
2 July 2008
With the volume of news stories concerning the apparent abuse of city credit cards by Mayor Nagin and his aides, the Mayor has decided to put new rules in place for reporting and documenting all charges. A copy of the new policy was provided in the form of a single document called a Charge Card Documentation Request. Nagin stated, ""After the stories about the credit cards, we updated all our policies. We needed an efficient way to do city government business, so we went in and tightened it up."[1]
New Procedures
Under the new policy, the Chief Administration Office sends a copy of the form each month to all employees who make a charge on their city card. The card holder then has 15 days to return the form, along with either a receipt or other proper documentation, to the Comptroller. Failing to do so would result in "immediate suspension" of the card. Documentation must include the purpose of the expense and a list of others involved (such as in a charge for a meal), if any. If the card is used for purposed other than city business, the charge must be reimbursed by personal check.
Far enough?
The city council had already asked Inspector General Robert Cerasoli to look into the matter, but to date he has taken no action. Budget chair Cynthia Hedge-Morrell was happy to see the action taken by Nagin, but still wants there to be a clear cut formal manual. She said they will be looking into the policies of other similar cities to determine the best course of action.
