County to revise procedures for documenting expenses

MERCER, Pa. -- Procedures for documenting county employee travel expenses are being revised after several minor problems were discovered in an audit of 2003 and 2004 travel reimbursements for county departments, Mercer County Controller Thomas Amundsen said.
The audit, which also determined a finding for recovery of less than $200 from county Commissioner Olivia Lazor, was done after questions were raised by a county employee whom Amundsen would not identify.
The problems included the following:
Fourteen of 24 months tested had gaps in the continuous sequence of odometer readings on the county's three vehicles. In 2003, 138 miles were unaccounted for and in 2004, 140 miles were unexplained. Bill Boyle, director of administrative services, said the discrepancies are because of vehicle reports not being completed for vehicle service trips, trips to the archives by the maintenance department and emergency trips by employees. The policy will be changed to require anyone using a county vehicle complete a vehicle report.
Investigators in the office of District Attorney James Epstein were reimbursed for their commuting miles to the courthouse, although the county policy forbids that. Epstein said Tuesday that the investigators sometimes go to an assignment from their homes and he was mistakenly treating the trip to the courthouse the same as traveling to an assignment. The practice will be stopped, he said. Amundsen said a very small amount of money was involved.
County employees are not properly filling out motor pool sign-out sheets. Compliance with various items on the form varied, ranging, for example, from only 3 percent not recording beginning odometer reading, to 33 percent not recording their destination. Boyle said his department will emphasize to county employees the importance of properly filling out the forms.