Council auditor finds numerous problems with Mayor Alvin Brown's travel

[Tacachale]

From the Daily Record:

Council auditor finds numerous problems with Mayor Alvin Brown's travel
Tuesday, July 1, 1:55 PM EDT

By David Chapman, Staff Writer

Mayor Alvin Brown and his staff had numerous issues with travel during their first 16 months of office, according to a report filed Tuesday afternoon by the City Council Auditor's Office.

Brown's office spent more than $78,000 during that time period, which doesn't include travel paid for by outside agencies — one of the several issues the auditor's report highlights.

According to the summary, there were prohibited payments made by outside agencies, such travel was not properly disclosed, travel documents were missing or insufficient ,and travel wasn't always properly approved.

...

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=543306

[fsujax]

Shocking!

[ProjectMaximus]

at least he didnt lose his passport or anything like that 

[bill]

or realize what a passport is

[Tacachale]

Here's the report:

http://www.coj.net/city-council/docs/council-auditor/752-mayor-s-travel-audit.aspx

Some of the Greatest Hits:

Finding 1 *Prohibited Payments Received from Outside Agencies for Travel*

We found that payments made by parties outside the City for two different trips were a violation
of local and state laws. The first trip involved payments made by a principal of a lobbyist of the
City for travel conducted by the Mayor. The second trip involved payments made by a City
vendor for travel conducted by the Mayor, a City Council Member, and five other City
employees.

...

On the first trip, the principal of a lobbyist paid airfare, passport costs and registration fees
totaling $2,351 for a trip conducted by the Mayor to Brazil. It is unknown who paid for lodging
and meals based on the documentation provided.

...

On the second trip, a City vendor paid for travel costs allegedly totaling $15,000 for a trip to
New York for the Mayor, a City Council Member and five City employees. However, due to the
insufficient documentation on file, we were not able to confirm whether this amount is
representative of the actual costs incurred.

...

Recommendation to Finding 1

We recommend that the Mayor's Office abide by state and local laws on travel and no longer
accept payments directly from vendors, lobbyists, or any prohibited parties.

Ouch.