Roswell city officials ran up a tab of at least $4,800 for their three-day work retreat this month at the Reynolds Plantation, 106 miles away in Greensboro.
Financial records from five north Fulton cities show these planning sessions can run the gamut, from a shoestring event for $700 in Sandy Springs to more than $10,000 for Johns Creek.
The Roswell retreat, held Jan. 31-Feb. 2, included nine people — Mayor Jere Wood, six council members, City Administrator Kay Love and a facilitator, who did not charge for his services. All spent two nights at the Reynolds facility near Lake Oconee.
The bill includes $3,189 for room and tax, $1,374 for catering and another $316 for miscellaneous items. Another several hundred dollars went for meals.
Councilwoman Betty Price objected to the site from the start and said she will pay a portion of her hotel tab from her own pocket.
Some residents say the trip was unnecessary.
“This makes no sense to me,” Roswell businesswoman Janet Russell said, adding there are plenty of hotels in the city.
Jake Lilley, a member of Roswell For Fiscal Responsibility, agreed.
“Just last year, the Roswell Convention and Visitors Bureau started a campaign called ‘Find it all in Roswell,’” he said. “I guess now they will need to change their slogan to ‘Find it at Lake Oconee.’”
Mayor Jere Wood said he appreciates public scrutiny, but he thinks critics are not looking at the big picture.
“We got more input on how we spent $5,000 on a retreat than I got on the last budget for $100 million,” Wood said.
Working retreats or conferences allow government leaders an opportunity to focus on goals in an informal setting.
This is Roswell’s first retreat in several years, spokeswoman Julie Brechbill said.
Here’s a look at other cities’ work conference expenses:
— Alpharetta held its planning retreat at Hotel Indigo in Athens Jan. 20-21. Total cost for 12 people was $2,950. Of that, $2,130 was for meeting space and overnight accommodations. There was no facilitator.
— Milton paid $300 for food and room for its retreat at Atlanta National Golf Club in Milton, May 3-5. About 20 people attended at some point during the retreat. It paid $6,500 for a facilitator, Marie Garrett, to run the meetings.
— Johns Creek held its strategic planning workshop June 1-2 at the Stone Mountain Conference Center. Cost was $4,976 for the 30 people who attended the first day and the 20 who attended the second. Three people spent the night. The facilitator is paid $10,000 a year to provide services to the city.
— Sandy Springs held its annual planning session Jan. 30 at the city-owned Heritage building, four miles south of City Hall. The city paid $700 for lunch catered by Three Sisters Catering of Sandy Springs.
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