In response to the unfolding scandal at the Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council, Walton County commissioners have asked their staff to review invoicing procedures for their own TDC.
“If we can learn from someone else’s mistakes, then let’s learn. We can always improve,” Commissioner Cecilia Jones said at the commission meeting May 22. Her comment came after a resident requested some changes and a review of TDC purchasing procedures.
TDCs use bed tax dollars primarily to promote tourism. They also were recently charged with spending millions of dollars in BP funds allocated for oil spill recovery.
Mark Bellinger, the former executive director of Okaloosa’s TDC, allegedly misused at least $1.4 million in public funds, some of which he supposedly used to purchase his home in Destin. Shortly after county officials uncovered some of the purchases earlier this month, Bellinger apparently committed suicide from a drug overdose.
Okaloosa County officials signed off on the purchases after viewing vaguely worded invoices marked for advertising and marketing purposes.
Bob Hudson, executive director of the Walton County Taxpayers Association, asked commissioners at their meeting to review how invoices are processed in Walton County to make sure the process isn’t susceptible to the same sorts of fraud.
“I have no reason to believe (the money) wasn’t all expended appropriately, but when you have something happen like this, it seems good to at least review your process to make sure there are safeguards in place,” Hudson said Wednesday.
The county’s TDC has a budget of $10.8 million for this fiscal year. The agency also was given $15 million from BP since the oil spill in 2010.
Hudson asked commissioners at the meeting to appoint a panel to review TDC invoice procedures with public input. He also asked that the TDC be brought under oversight of the County Administrator’s Office, one of the moves Okaloosa County has made to tighten its control in response to the scandal.
Commissioners bristled at Hudson’s requests.
“It’s almost as if you are saying something was done wrong in Okaloosa County, so obviously something was done wrong here,” Commissioner Sara Comander said.
TDC Executive Director Dawn Moliterno said Bellinger’s actions were not representative of her agency.
“It is a very unfortunate situation, but it is an Okaloosa situation,” she said at the meeting. “It was the act of one individual.”
Commissioners ultimately declined to act on Hudson’s request. Instead, Comander asked that Moliterno, Walton County Interim Finance Director Wanda Quimby, County Attorney Toni Craig and someone from the County’s Clerk’s Office meet to review the process.
Quimby said the meeting is scheduled for June 20.
Hudson said Wednesday he is concerned the review meeting will be conducted internally, and that he plans to continue to lobby for a more public review of the process.
Currently, all TDC expenditures over $25,000 that fall outside the agency’s annual budget must be signed off on by Moliterno and a TDC Advisory Council board member, and approved by the County Commission.
Invoices are then approved by the county’s Office of Management and Budget before being forwarded to the Clerk’s Office for payment.
Hudson said he wants to make sure the county and the TDC Advisory Council, which is charged with overseeing expenditures, are receiving enough information to know exactly how the money is being spent.
“Until we can see the process, we don’t understand it totally,” he said Wednesday.
He said the appropriations the TDC Advisory Council approves are often for marketing companies such as LKM out of Charlotte, N.C. Hudson is concerned the advisory board may not be given documentation on how the marketing agencies spend the funds so they can make sure the money is being used as intended.
Moliterno said earlier this week that the council makes most expenditures itself, but the ones that go through an outside agency always have appropriate documentation.
In Santa Rosa County, TDC Director Kate Wilkes said she was unaware of any moves by county officials to review invoice procedures.
“I don’t know how they would tighten them up,” she said. “We’re pretty tight.”
Read more: http://www.nwfdailynews.com/articles/invoice-50001-procedures-.html#ixzz1wSFb09Y5
“If we can learn from someone else’s mistakes, then let’s learn. We can always improve,” Commissioner Cecilia Jones said at the commission meeting May 22. Her comment came after a resident requested some changes and a review of TDC purchasing procedures.
TDCs use bed tax dollars primarily to promote tourism. They also were recently charged with spending millions of dollars in BP funds allocated for oil spill recovery.
Mark Bellinger, the former executive director of Okaloosa’s TDC, allegedly misused at least $1.4 million in public funds, some of which he supposedly used to purchase his home in Destin. Shortly after county officials uncovered some of the purchases earlier this month, Bellinger apparently committed suicide from a drug overdose.
Okaloosa County officials signed off on the purchases after viewing vaguely worded invoices marked for advertising and marketing purposes.
Bob Hudson, executive director of the Walton County Taxpayers Association, asked commissioners at their meeting to review how invoices are processed in Walton County to make sure the process isn’t susceptible to the same sorts of fraud.
“I have no reason to believe (the money) wasn’t all expended appropriately, but when you have something happen like this, it seems good to at least review your process to make sure there are safeguards in place,” Hudson said Wednesday.
The county’s TDC has a budget of $10.8 million for this fiscal year. The agency also was given $15 million from BP since the oil spill in 2010.
Hudson asked commissioners at the meeting to appoint a panel to review TDC invoice procedures with public input. He also asked that the TDC be brought under oversight of the County Administrator’s Office, one of the moves Okaloosa County has made to tighten its control in response to the scandal.
Commissioners bristled at Hudson’s requests.
“It’s almost as if you are saying something was done wrong in Okaloosa County, so obviously something was done wrong here,” Commissioner Sara Comander said.
TDC Executive Director Dawn Moliterno said Bellinger’s actions were not representative of her agency.
“It is a very unfortunate situation, but it is an Okaloosa situation,” she said at the meeting. “It was the act of one individual.”
Commissioners ultimately declined to act on Hudson’s request. Instead, Comander asked that Moliterno, Walton County Interim Finance Director Wanda Quimby, County Attorney Toni Craig and someone from the County’s Clerk’s Office meet to review the process.
Quimby said the meeting is scheduled for June 20.
Hudson said Wednesday he is concerned the review meeting will be conducted internally, and that he plans to continue to lobby for a more public review of the process.
Currently, all TDC expenditures over $25,000 that fall outside the agency’s annual budget must be signed off on by Moliterno and a TDC Advisory Council board member, and approved by the County Commission.
Invoices are then approved by the county’s Office of Management and Budget before being forwarded to the Clerk’s Office for payment.
Hudson said he wants to make sure the county and the TDC Advisory Council, which is charged with overseeing expenditures, are receiving enough information to know exactly how the money is being spent.
“Until we can see the process, we don’t understand it totally,” he said Wednesday.
He said the appropriations the TDC Advisory Council approves are often for marketing companies such as LKM out of Charlotte, N.C. Hudson is concerned the advisory board may not be given documentation on how the marketing agencies spend the funds so they can make sure the money is being used as intended.
Moliterno said earlier this week that the council makes most expenditures itself, but the ones that go through an outside agency always have appropriate documentation.
In Santa Rosa County, TDC Director Kate Wilkes said she was unaware of any moves by county officials to review invoice procedures.
“I don’t know how they would tighten them up,” she said. “We’re pretty tight.”
Read more: http://www.nwfdailynews.com/articles/invoice-50001-procedures-.html#ixzz1wSFb09Y5