OPINION: City of Florence's travel policy needs overhaul

The city of Florence’s travel policy needs an overhaul in wake of revelations two city councilmen have incurred significant costs compared with other council members.
Councilmen Billy D. Williams and Ed Robinson have been reimbursed $62,584.93 for travel since Jan. 1, 2007, even though none of the trips were approved ahead of time by the full council.
Ironically, Robinson made the motion 12 years ago to adopt modifications to the city’s travel policy.
The resolution he endorsed was passed, requiring city council members to ask for approval before traveling out of state and capping each members’ out-of-state travel at $2,000 per year.
Williams was reimbursed $13,198.09 in 2007, $16,291.27 in 2008 and $4,927.14 through March 2009 for travel costs. Robinson received $9,636.34 in 2007, $13,791.09 in 2008 and $4,741 in the first quarter of 2009.
The expenses were for legitimate events, from what we can tell, but the expenses exceeded the city’s $2,000 per fiscal year ceiling on out-of-state travel per council member.
Williams’ and Robinson’s two largest reimbursements in 2008 were for trips to the Congressional Black Caucus meeting in Washington, D.C., and the National League of Cities Congress of Cities in Orlando, Fla.
The problem with travel becomes one of institutional control. Florence City Manager David Williams might have signed off on the payments after they were submitted, making them legitimate since he is employed at the discretion of the council. But when David Williams approves the payments, the council loses control over the costs outside of allocating a lump sum for the budget.
The last time the council voted on a travel policy, Billy Williams, Robinson and Bill Bradham were members of the legislative board. The other three current members, Buddy Brand, Steve Powers and Octavia Williams-Blake, and Mayor Stephen J. Wukela, weren’t in office when it was passed. We think they would welcome a chance to revisit such policies.
We wonder if the mayor and other council members are confused about the policy. They shouldn’t be. Wukela has spent $1,171 on travel so far this year. His predecessor, Frank Willis, spent $228.19 in 2007 and $1,971.74 in 2008.
We also wonder if they’re outraged over the fact Billy Williams and Robinson spent $62,584.93 on travel in just over two years. They should be. The rest of the entire council only spent $13,046.83 on travel since Jan. 1, 2007.
“I feel we ought to eliminate out of state (costs) completely unless a council member is an appointed board member or an appointed national committee member,” Bradham said. “If not, there should be no more out-of-state travel.”
Councilman Williams said his lobbying efforts for the city during his trips to Washington paid off in grants and investment in Florence. The trips allowed him to meet with federal elected officials who represent Florence.
“We didn’t bring the money back just for Ed and myself’s districts,” he said. “We brought the money back for all the people of Florence. My position is as long as we get it here, we got a staff that can direct how it can be spent.”
Federal money streaming to Florence is a lifeline for any city council, but it should happen within the established framework.
“I know we have an upper hand (in relationships with elected officials), and we can’t afford to lose it,” Robinson said.
Councilmen Williams and Robinson maintain the travel is essential to bring money into District 1 and District 2, two of Florence’s poorest areas on the north and east side. They probably are right, but they should let other council members know of their intentions before taking off.
We’re not sure we want to eliminate all out-of-state travel. A moratorium would be counterproductive.
The best course of action would be a revised travel policy, re-emphasizing council approval for out-of-state trips. Ask all council members and other city officials to sign a document, stipulating they understand the terms.
Do not reimburse them if they fail to follow procedure.

— Unsigned editorials represent the views of this newspaper. Editorial Board members are Mark Laskowski (regional publisher), James Bennett (regional editor), Sam Bundy (sports editor), Kimberly Ginfrida (news editor), David Johnson (regional circulation director), Charles Tomlinson (Lake City News & Post editor) and Jackie Torok (metro editor).