by Neil Richard
Editor's Note: As a brief reminder, the results below are broken down into different categories and time frames. The three main time frames are:
The major categories are Expenses, Reimbursements, and Repayments. Within the Expenses and Reimbursement categories, the data is further broken down into Transportation, Food, Lodging, Registration Fees, and Unknown. Transportation is further broken down into Gas, Tolls, Taxis, Parking, Mileage, and Airlines.
Additionally, there are special notes for data related to Virginia Association of Counties (VACo), National Association of Counties (NACo), and Anomalies. Anomalies are data points that raise questions about their veracity, missing receipts, or calculation errors.
One additional note about Ruby Brabo's travel. Due to the complexity and sheer volume of travel that was done, the article below will not be as detailed as it could be. In trying to strike a balance between educating the public on the basics and sharing over 500 sheets of documents, we have tried to find an acceptable middle ground. While it would be unfair to Ms. Brabo to not share the same level of detail we have for her peers, it would also be unfair to the public to require them to wade through pages of information to get to the data they need.
Registration Fees totaled $867.37. These included the Governor's Summit on Rural Prosperity, the 2017 VACo Annual Conference, and a Base Building Outlook meeting in Quantico. Hotel bills were $2,207.71. These included hotels in Coloumbus, Ohio, Decatur, Texas, and Frankfurt, Kentucky. Food expenses were $134.55. Parking fees totaled $311.00. Unknown expenses were $50.42 paid at the Berry Hill Resort in South Boston, Virginia. The receipt does not describe what the expense was for.
Reimbursements
Toll expenses were reimbursed for $24.70. Taxi fees were $79.66. Parking costs were $13.00. Mileage reimbursement was $725.57. Airline fees were reimbursed for $1,025.16, including $412.10 for airfare to the "KACO Conference" in Kentucky and $247.46 for the NACo Fall Board Meeting in Texas. Meals were 32.60.
Repayments
A total of $13.00 was repaid to the County. This repayment was for Parking that was reimbursed for a Leadership Forum Planning Meeting.
Anomalies
One Columbus, Ohio hotel stay in July 2017 during a NACo conference shows two adults on the bill. The stay at the Omni Resort did not include a charge of $290.22, which would have followed suit with the other bills that had a similar percentage of the final bill paid earlier as a deposit. There is also a missing receipt and bill for a charge of $41.14 to the same Omni Resort.
Registration Fees totaled $180.00 and included the Virginia Municipal League and the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce. Hotel fees were $2,318.41 and included stays at hotels in Richmond, Virginia, Washington, D. C., and Sun Valley, Idaho. Meals totaled $121.20. Parking Expenses were $245.00. Taxi costs were $42.17. Unknown Expenses were $21.66.
Reimbursements
Tolls were reimbursed for $24.70. Parking was $22.00. Mileage reimbursement was $375.72. Airline fees were reimbursed for $883.40 for the trip to Sun Valley, Idaho. Meals totaled $10.63.
Repayments
While Ms. Brabo did not have any repayments during this time period, NACo did make two payments to her for a total of $823.43. The first payment, in the amount of $287.00, covered one night's stay at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D. C. The second payment, in the amount of $536.43, covered airfare, mileage, meals, and other fees for her trip to West Palm Beach, Florida.
Anomalies
Within the second NACo Repayment, NACo calculated mileage reimbursement incorrectly and owes another $0.32. Neither NACo Repayment had an accompanying deposit sheet for being deposited with the County. It does appear the second reimbursement was for expenses paid directly by Brabo. There was also a "Luggage Hold" reimbursement for $3.00 that had no accompanying receipt. The Unknown Expenses of $21.66 were labeled as "Parking Fees" on the County's Control Sheet but the receipt from the Washington Hilton showed the total amount was split between "Shops" ($3.16) and "Food and Beverage" ($18.50). The "Shop" line item was further described as "LE CAFE."
Registration Fees totaled $635.00 and included events by the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce and VACo. Hotel expenses were $2,889.83 and included stays at the Omni Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia, the Gaylord Resort in Nashville, Tennessee, and the Providence Marriott in Providence, Rhode Island. Parking cost $274.00, largely from airport parking lots. Taxi expenses totaled $16.56.
Reimbursements
Toll fees were reimbursed for $82.70. Parking totaled $35.00. Mileage reimbursement was $935.22. Airline costs were reimbursed for $339.31 for a NACo meeting in San Diego, California. Meals were $30.39.
Repayments
Ruby Brabo made two payments to the County for a total of $66.99. The first payment was for $56.99 to reimburse the County for a payment made to the Phoenix Park Hotel. The second payment for $10.00 was to cover a charge at the Omni Homestead Resort. NACo made two payments for a total of $722.16. The first NACo Repayment was for parking, tolls, and mileage for a total of $126.84. The second NACo Repayment was for Brabo's early arrival at the hotel in San Diego, California. This second Repayment for $595.32 was deposited by the County.
Anomalies
The stay at the Omni Resort in Hot Springs was for two adults for four nights in one King bed. The County was charged $406.56, only a quarter of the total bill of $1,626.24. This falls in line with a payment being made as a deposit. One three day trip through Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Maryland resulted in a Reimbursement of $585.49. However, not all of the documentation was fully provided for as the listing was so long it said "OVER" at the bottom. The reverse side was not included in our FOIA request and thus Toll expenses for a total of $31.85 were not shown. However, all of the receipts were in the FOIA packet. There is a payment to the George Washington Hotel for $22.87 that is unaccounted for and not documented. It only appears on the credit card bill. The first NACo Repayment had a math error and Brabo is owed $5.56.
Reimbursements totaled $4,642.76.
Repayments totaled $79.99.
NACo Repayments totaled $1,545.59 with only $595.32 going to the County.
In an effort to hear directly from the Supervisors on the topic of travel, we asked them a few questions. Ruby Brabo did not respond to our email.
Continue reading:
Editor's Note: As a brief reminder, the results below are broken down into different categories and time frames. The three main time frames are:
- July 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017
- January 1, 2018 to June 30, 2018
- July 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018
The major categories are Expenses, Reimbursements, and Repayments. Within the Expenses and Reimbursement categories, the data is further broken down into Transportation, Food, Lodging, Registration Fees, and Unknown. Transportation is further broken down into Gas, Tolls, Taxis, Parking, Mileage, and Airlines.
Additionally, there are special notes for data related to Virginia Association of Counties (VACo), National Association of Counties (NACo), and Anomalies. Anomalies are data points that raise questions about their veracity, missing receipts, or calculation errors.
One additional note about Ruby Brabo's travel. Due to the complexity and sheer volume of travel that was done, the article below will not be as detailed as it could be. In trying to strike a balance between educating the public on the basics and sharing over 500 sheets of documents, we have tried to find an acceptable middle ground. While it would be unfair to Ms. Brabo to not share the same level of detail we have for her peers, it would also be unfair to the public to require them to wade through pages of information to get to the data they need.
July 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017
ExpensesRegistration Fees totaled $867.37. These included the Governor's Summit on Rural Prosperity, the 2017 VACo Annual Conference, and a Base Building Outlook meeting in Quantico. Hotel bills were $2,207.71. These included hotels in Coloumbus, Ohio, Decatur, Texas, and Frankfurt, Kentucky. Food expenses were $134.55. Parking fees totaled $311.00. Unknown expenses were $50.42 paid at the Berry Hill Resort in South Boston, Virginia. The receipt does not describe what the expense was for.
Reimbursements
Toll expenses were reimbursed for $24.70. Taxi fees were $79.66. Parking costs were $13.00. Mileage reimbursement was $725.57. Airline fees were reimbursed for $1,025.16, including $412.10 for airfare to the "KACO Conference" in Kentucky and $247.46 for the NACo Fall Board Meeting in Texas. Meals were 32.60.
Repayments
A total of $13.00 was repaid to the County. This repayment was for Parking that was reimbursed for a Leadership Forum Planning Meeting.
Anomalies
One Columbus, Ohio hotel stay in July 2017 during a NACo conference shows two adults on the bill. The stay at the Omni Resort did not include a charge of $290.22, which would have followed suit with the other bills that had a similar percentage of the final bill paid earlier as a deposit. There is also a missing receipt and bill for a charge of $41.14 to the same Omni Resort.
January 1, 2018 to June 30, 2018
ExpensesRegistration Fees totaled $180.00 and included the Virginia Municipal League and the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce. Hotel fees were $2,318.41 and included stays at hotels in Richmond, Virginia, Washington, D. C., and Sun Valley, Idaho. Meals totaled $121.20. Parking Expenses were $245.00. Taxi costs were $42.17. Unknown Expenses were $21.66.
Reimbursements
Tolls were reimbursed for $24.70. Parking was $22.00. Mileage reimbursement was $375.72. Airline fees were reimbursed for $883.40 for the trip to Sun Valley, Idaho. Meals totaled $10.63.
Repayments
While Ms. Brabo did not have any repayments during this time period, NACo did make two payments to her for a total of $823.43. The first payment, in the amount of $287.00, covered one night's stay at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D. C. The second payment, in the amount of $536.43, covered airfare, mileage, meals, and other fees for her trip to West Palm Beach, Florida.
Anomalies
Within the second NACo Repayment, NACo calculated mileage reimbursement incorrectly and owes another $0.32. Neither NACo Repayment had an accompanying deposit sheet for being deposited with the County. It does appear the second reimbursement was for expenses paid directly by Brabo. There was also a "Luggage Hold" reimbursement for $3.00 that had no accompanying receipt. The Unknown Expenses of $21.66 were labeled as "Parking Fees" on the County's Control Sheet but the receipt from the Washington Hilton showed the total amount was split between "Shops" ($3.16) and "Food and Beverage" ($18.50). The "Shop" line item was further described as "LE CAFE."
July 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018
ExpensesRegistration Fees totaled $635.00 and included events by the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce and VACo. Hotel expenses were $2,889.83 and included stays at the Omni Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia, the Gaylord Resort in Nashville, Tennessee, and the Providence Marriott in Providence, Rhode Island. Parking cost $274.00, largely from airport parking lots. Taxi expenses totaled $16.56.
Reimbursements
Toll fees were reimbursed for $82.70. Parking totaled $35.00. Mileage reimbursement was $935.22. Airline costs were reimbursed for $339.31 for a NACo meeting in San Diego, California. Meals were $30.39.
Repayments
Ruby Brabo made two payments to the County for a total of $66.99. The first payment was for $56.99 to reimburse the County for a payment made to the Phoenix Park Hotel. The second payment for $10.00 was to cover a charge at the Omni Homestead Resort. NACo made two payments for a total of $722.16. The first NACo Repayment was for parking, tolls, and mileage for a total of $126.84. The second NACo Repayment was for Brabo's early arrival at the hotel in San Diego, California. This second Repayment for $595.32 was deposited by the County.
Anomalies
The stay at the Omni Resort in Hot Springs was for two adults for four nights in one King bed. The County was charged $406.56, only a quarter of the total bill of $1,626.24. This falls in line with a payment being made as a deposit. One three day trip through Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Maryland resulted in a Reimbursement of $585.49. However, not all of the documentation was fully provided for as the listing was so long it said "OVER" at the bottom. The reverse side was not included in our FOIA request and thus Toll expenses for a total of $31.85 were not shown. However, all of the receipts were in the FOIA packet. There is a payment to the George Washington Hotel for $22.87 that is unaccounted for and not documented. It only appears on the credit card bill. The first NACo Repayment had a math error and Brabo is owed $5.56.
18 Month Grand Total
Expenses totaled $10,314.88.Reimbursements totaled $4,642.76.
Repayments totaled $79.99.
NACo Repayments totaled $1,545.59 with only $595.32 going to the County.
Supervisor's Response
In an effort to hear directly from the Supervisors on the topic of travel, we asked them a few questions. Ruby Brabo did not respond to our email.
Continue reading:
No comments:
Post a Comment