3 Directors Take $900 Each of District Funds

At today's meeting, Directors Byron Watson and Arthur Washington were issued $900 checks as advances for reimbursable expenses to attend the 2012 Public Drinking Water Conference which will be held in Austin on August 7-8. President Sharyn Smalls requested a $900 check also be issued to her for the same conference. I was issued a $500 check as an advance.  Why the $400 difference between my advance and the ones given to these Directors? (FYI - AK Babers has opted not to attend this Conference.)


First, let me refer to an earlier post on this blog dated December 7, 2010 which explains what I consider to be unreasonable reimbursements for conference-related expenses that members of the Board have made in the past, and my attempt to get a more responsible Travel Expenditure Policy adopted for the District. That attempt was rejected by the Board and in its place this policy was adopted.


Shortly after this policy was adopted, all the Directors attended the Association of Water Board Directors'  Mid Winter Conference in Galveston the weekend of February 4, 2011. I was unable to get a room at the Moody Gardens hotel at the conference rate. I arranged to get other accommodations at about the same conference rate, which was approved for reimbursement by the Board. You can request a copy of the reimbursement records for this conference on each Director by asking for an "Open Records Request" from the District's Attorney, Chris Richardson, via e-mail Chris@srlegal.com

None of us was able to get a room at the Double Tree Hotel, where the upcoming Public Drinking Water Conference is being held, at the conference rate of $85/night. Once again, I arranged to get a hotel room nearby, which if one night's deposit was made in advance, could be had for a rate of $89/night. I sent this information to the other Board members via e-mail on 6/26/12.

Director Washington opted to reserve a room at the Double Tree for nearly twice the conference rate at $161/night and stated that figured into his request for the $900 advance. Director Watson reserved a room at the Marriott Courtyard for what he claimed was "about $100/night". When I questioned why he required a $900 advance since his room rate was much lower, he stated "Because I want it." President Sharyn Smalls gave no reason as to why she wanted $900 as an advance.

My request for $500 was based on the hotel cost for a 2-night stay  (I have already paid $102.35 as the deposit as you can see from my online bank account record below:

6/27/12	CHECK CRD PURCHASE 06/25 HABITAT SUITES HOTEL AUSTIN TX		$102.35)

$200 for a rental car (if you read the post I referenced above you'll know why I'm renting a car rather than taking my own) and about $100 for food since the Conference was not providing anything but refreshments. Note: We will also be paid $150/day as "fees of office" for attending the Conference. No one mentioned their request for $900 including these additional fees.

I encourage you to write a letter addressed to each of these members of the Board demanding an accounting for their appropriation of District funds in the amount of $900 as an advance for this Conference. You can mail these letters to:  
Board of Directors c/o Strawn & Richardson, P.C.
6750 West Loop South, Suite 250
Bellaire, TX 77401-4111
OR e-mail your demand that these Board Members be accountable for their $900 advances to directors@wcid89.org.

If YOU don't hold them accountable, no one will!