I guess that is what got me into asking questions about a month ago about our city's spending on travel for the city of Rowlett, in the Parks and Recreation Department. So after many questions to staff, and other departments, about their travel expenses, one thing led to another. I ended up at city hall asking for open records.

The first request would have cost me $300.00!!! Yes, open records is not free in many instances. The charges were to cover the time for reseach used by the city staff for my request (about 20 hours in my quote for charges), plus the copies I asked for on the materials.

Most citizens could not afford the charge involved to get these records, and I was no different. $300.00 would buy me alot of groceris in one month! So I asked questions of the City Secretary, as to what I might ask for and get close to the same information. The magic words, "Procurement Approval List". those words knocked off about $280.00 on my public records charges.

This list shows what each department, in my case, P&R, is spending using that powerful piece of plastic, teh city has let almost everone int he city to carry, and use. The "P" Card! I now call it the "Piss on Citizens Card".

So I went ahead with my new request, got 6 months of "P" card information for the Parks and Recreation Department in Rowlett, plus expense reports for one middle managmeent employee. 

The records showed extensive spending on travel for P&R, plus the expense reports showed one person took seven trips in six months. Others in P&R also took trips to many different places, in Texas and out of state. They include, just for those six months - September '06 to February 07, trips to Austin, Waco, South Padre, Corpus Christi, Oklahoma, Golf resorts, Disney Resorts, Seattle, and more. And sometimes 4 or more P&R employees attended. Costs to citizens included rental cars, when shuttles were available, city employees paying for events, using your tax money, and then visiting relatives.

I understand an internal audit is being done right now, and questions on whether some of this travel is of value to our city or are they just junkets, that upper and middle management feels they are intitled to.

There's a little bit of that curious child in all of us. I wonder what will come of this information. I think this is just the tip of the iceburg.

I was glad I listened to my curious child.