A new policy sparked by questionable use of public funds has led Atlanta Beltline staffers to pay back more than $4,000 that would otherwise likely have been picked up by taxpayers, according to a review by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
An earlier analysis by the AJC of a different time span prompted the Beltline to repay hundreds of dollars of taxpayer-funded expenses that city officials deemed inappropriate. But this new review of expenses filed since tighter controls were put in place in August 2011 showed many questionable charges were caught before they wound up on the taxpayers’ bill.
Among the charges that were initially submitted for taxpayer reimbursement but were instead paid by Beltline staffers are hundreds of dollars in alcohol bills, tickets to a Halloween party and expensive hotel stays.
City officials said the findings were proof that the stricter oversight was effective.
“We’ve reviewed, revealed and corrected all of the issues,” said Brian McGowan, who heads Invest Atlanta, the city’s economic development arm. “We take our role as stewards of taxpayer dollars very seriously, and taxpayers can rest assured we are operating efficiently and effectively.”
The Beltline, which seeks to encircle Atlanta with a 22-mile loop of rails, parks and transit, has been under scrutiny since a city audit released this summer questioned the way its staffers use taxpayer funds. Its leader, Brian Leary, was ousted last month after the AJC reported he used taxpayer money to buy a wedding gift and pay a dry cleaning bill and other questionable expenses between April 2010 and May 2011.
The Beltline said Friday that Leary was paid $97,500 in severance, six months of his annual salary.
But concerns about the Beltline’s spending predate the audit. McGowan, whose agency oversees the Beltline’s use of public funds, suspended the Beltline’s credit card reimbursements in August 2011 and ordered a stricter review process.
The new policy, enacted this summer, involves a line-by-line vetting by an accountant hired to focus on the Beltline’s spending and requires staffers to meet a “reasonability” threshold on meals and expenses.
Documents obtained under the Georgia Open Records Act show that the controls have prodded staffers to repay a range of costs, including hundreds of dollars in alcohol charges at meals, a $450 dinner at Empire State South, and a $1,900 bill for a Beltline staffer’s four-night stay at a Florida resort for a May conference.
Beltline officials also initially sought to bill taxpayers $300 for two tickets to the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia’s Spooktacular Party, billed as an adult-themed party with cocktails and a dinner buffet. But those costs weren’t included when city officials asked the agency to review and resubmit its expenses this summer.
Other items that Beltline staffers have repaid include about $200 in alcohol charges for a dinner at a swank New York restaurant in October 2011, a $40 donation to a Commerce Club benefit, and about $1,500 of what the Beltline calls “personal” charges at a State Bar of Georgia meeting in August 2011.
Although those items are a fraction of the $120 million in taxpayer funds the project has received through the pledge of future increases in property taxes generated by new development along the route, Beltline officials are wary of how inappropriate expenses play in the public’s eye.
“This truly is a project so many people in Atlanta are proud of, and we absolutely have to make sure we’re really good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” said John Somerhalder, chief executive of AGL Resources and chair of the Beltline’s board of directors.
Beltline staffers, meanwhile, are working to make sure Leary’s departure doesn’t derail their progress. Deputy Lisa Gordon has been named interim director, and the board will soon meet to discuss a search for a permanent leader. In addition, the Beltline will open a long-awaited section of trails on its eastern flank in mid-October.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said he has an ironclad commitment to the Beltline, which he called a “transformational effort.” He said in an interview that he is confident it remains on track.
“We are going to complete and build the Beltline,” he said.
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