Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Quick glimpse at county travel coin

So all these media folk are drowning the county finance department in record requests, asking to look at travel for departments, elected officials, your mama, whoever.  

 (Mostly this all has to do with Commissioner Vice Chairman R. Larry Smith who likes to target the lone traveling female on the commission because – according to some – he’s vindictive and she nominated someone else for the board chairmanship, but I digress.)

Anyhoo, figured I’d get in on this. The reality is, people freakin’ travel and you’re going to pick up the tab. It’s typically for continuing education. And yeah, every now and then you get someone who wants to be a little sneaky, maybe play a round to two on the links. Go to the bar. Go to wherever.

Heh. 

Whatever.

So, click right smack here for a list of more than 30 departments and how much they spent on travel and education in fiscal year 2011 through FY 2013, and so far this current fiscal year, which started July 1.

Note, that these are just the raw numbers, and the expenses include all sorts of stuff, like certification fees, etc. (Also, it’s actually travel AND education.)

Again, feel free to browse; I’m not breaking it down for ya.

Other than to say that overall costs have dropped each of the past four years, and the public defender’s office still continues to hold the top spot. 

It also looks like (currently) the folks over in circuit court, the county clerk’s office, and the criminal court judges are keeping it real at ZERO. (That’s just so far this year. I’m sure they’ll drop some coin later. Heh.)

The property assessor is up there at almost $11,000 along with the attorney general ($9,000); Planning & Development ($9,000); Purchasing ($6,700); County Mayor ($6,650), Juvenile Court Judges ($6,500) and . . .  I gave you way too much.

Again, click right smack here.

And remember, the Knox County Commission approved these budgets. Without asking questions.

Heh.

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