Walker County has formally adopted a new state legislated policy regarding county employees and county-issued credit cards. The new policy features stricter guidelines and restrictions for the cards' use, as well as mandated oversight within the county government.
The Georgia Legislature passed the policy back in July 2015, and any county that wished to be able to authorize credit cards for governmental use needed to approve the resolution.
Walker County Commissioner Bebe Heiskell said she doesn't expect the resolution to impact the day-to-day business of the county too much.
"We only had three elected officials - the sheriff, the clerk of court and the commissioner - with a card," she said.
Even before the new resolution, Heiskell said the county imposed restrictions on the cards' use, such as forbidding cardholders from using their card for food or services in the county while not on county business, though she gave an example of a county employee taking a business owner out to lunch to try to establish business in the county as an approved in-county use. However, Heiskell said, the cards' primary use was for out-of-county events such as workshops and conventions.
The new resolution mandates that county employees pay a late charge if they turn the tickets for their charges on the card in late, or if they lack an official invoice for the charges. Furthermore, each elected official has to sign a user agreement with the county stating that he or she understands and will follow the rules and limitations for the card's use. The card can be confiscated if the official is found to have broken the rules he or she agreed to.
Heiskell said Walker County has never had a problem with county-issued cards before. She believes a reported serious misuse of a credit card that occurred elsewhere in the state is what spurred the Legislature to make the new mandates.
"This shouldn't create any extra work for our employees," Heiskell said. "Maybe a bit more work for the officials to keep track of invoices, but nothing serious."
Heiskell said she did not mind approving the resolution.
"It's not really a big deal with me. I don't see anything wrong with it," she said. "It just puts a little more responsibility on the cardholder and keeps them on their toes. If you're doing what's right, it's not going to matter at all."