Opryland is site of Tennessee auditor training

For five days this August, auditors, special investigations agents and other Tennessee Department of Revenue employees will learn about recent law changes and how best to do their jobs.

They’ll do so at Nashville’s Gaylord Opryland hotel, for a cost of about $100,000 — at a time when budget shortfalls could mean layoffs for state employees.

Drew Johnson, executive director of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, an independent organization that advocates for smaller state government, called the training trip a “boondoggle.”

“There’s no justification whatsoever for giving employees what amounts to a paid vacation,” he said. “They can’t justify it.”

About $11,000 of the trip’s tab goes to a “resort fee,” which pays for Internet access, phone calls, access to a gym, a copy of USA Today, bottled water and transportation, according to the department’s funding request.

Sara Jo Houghland, spokeswoman for the revenue department, said the training is necessary for 350 or so employees who attend to obtain professional certification. Employees from offices throughout the state attend.

Ms. Houghland said the department has “taken measures to cut costs departmentwide” but has not lowered its training budget. The training week, called “Team Week,” is cost effective because it teaches auditors how to bring in the optimal amount of tax revenue, she said.

Trips such as the Department of Revenue’s “Team Week” are under increased scrutiny in the face of an ever-tightening state budget.

On Wednesday, Gov. Phil Bredesen said declining state revenues will force him to lay off some employees.

Lydia Lenker, spokeswoman for Gov. Bredesen, said talking now about where the governor is looking to make cutbacks is premature, but departments will need to determine whether training sessions are useful.

“It may turn out to be that the training itself is vital,” she said.

Gov. Bredesen cannot explicitly make training cuts since these expenditures are not budget line items, Ms. Lenker said.

Mr. Johnson argued that departments could find cheaper ways to train employees, possibly by sending trainers to satellite offices or through conference calls.