Saturday, September 26, 2015
Staff report
WARREN
The board of directors of Trumbull Transit, the county’s public-transportation agency, has adopted new rules regarding reimbursement of business expenses by employees.
The new policy, approved unanimously at Monday’s meeting, puts the reimbursement policy in writing for the first time, said Bob Faulkner, board chairman.
Among the rules are that an employee seeking reimbursement provide “adequate substantiation of expenses to be reimbursed,” such as receipts. “Under no circumstances will [the transit board] provide for reimbursement of alcohol purchased,” it says.
The policy was motivated by a finding by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office last month that former mobility manager John Moliterno, who is now executive director of the Western Reserve Port Authority, was reimbursed for $158 worth of expenses for alcohol and $360 worth of expenses that were not substantiated with documentation, such as a receipt.
Moliterno repaid the $518 to the transit board after learning of the problem.
Moliterno said the reimbursements were for legitimate meetings he had with people in the transportation business on behalf of the transit service, but he was not aware of all of the reimbursement rules.
Faulkner said the board members who approved the reimbursement were also caught unaware.
“We just never had a discussion on the need for it” until the state mentioned it, he said of the policy.