Home › News › Local
Rio Rancho audits mayor's card charges
RELATED STORIES
More Local
- ABQTrib.com to remain available
- Former Marine to serve two years in jail for killing Albuquerque robber
- Wilson-Pearce battle for U.S. Senate exemplifies party's disparity
MOST RECENT TRIB STORIES
-
ABQTrib.com to remain available
08:48 a.m., February 25, 2008 -
Congressman is indicted
08:37 a.m., February 23, 2008 -
Series of attacks target Green Zone
08:36 a.m., February 23, 2008 -
Iran is defying U.N., agency says
08:35 a.m., February 23, 2008 -
Waterboarding approval probed
08:34 a.m., February 23, 2008
TRIB IN THE BLOGOSPHERE*
- Ty Murray Invitational thrills fans in Albuquerque
- Is Rome Burning?
- Ominous Skies
- The Road to Invalidation
- Albuquerque company participates in “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”
*Note: The Tribune does not create and is not responsible for the blogosphere's headlines and stories. These links to blogs talking about ABQTrib.com are automatically generated. Use them at your own risk.
STORY TOOLS
SHARE THIS STORY [?]
RIO RANCHO — Mayor Kevin Jackson's city-issued credit card has been revoked because of concerns over nearly $8,000 in purchases made primarily at the Santa Ana Star Center for food, concert tickets and suite rentals, city officials said.
"Mr. Jackson is adamant that no city funds have been misspent," Jackson's attorney, B.J. Crow, said in a statement issued Saturday.
Dick Kristof, director of financial services for the city, told the Albuquerque Journal in a copyright story Sunday that the credit card was canceled May 17. A new one issued to the city "is not available" to Jackson, Kristof said.
City spokesman Peter Wells said a city audit of the credit cards records will continue.
Meanwhile, Jackson is being asked to justify other charges on the credit card, including "various lunches" and one purchase for $11 worth of alcohol. City policy does not allow public funds to be spent on alcohol.
"If they were for private purchases, he would have to reimburse us," said interim city manager Jim Babin.
City records show that Jackson reimbursed the city on May 24 for about $600 of the $8,000 questioned.
Jackson signed a card holder agreement in March 2006 for the credit card that outlines the rules on its use. The agreement states "under no circumstances will I use the purchasing card to make personal purchases."
In a May 24 letter to his administrative assistant, Jackson claims he did not specifically ask for some of the entertainment charges to be put on the city's card.
"This past week, I was shown a bill for my credit card that had many charges on it that I did not make," the letter states.
Jackson's letter recommends changes that better track expenditures for travel and the event center, and requests a monthly report on all expenses from the mayor's budget.
All of the questionable purchases appeared on the monthly summary of purchasing that Jackson signed.
Purchases that raised concerns included:
April transactions for about $2,600 worth of tickets and refreshments for concerts, New Mexico Scorpions playoff tickets and a business dinner with new city manager Jim Payne.
March transactions of about $1,100 worth of Santa Ana Star Center purchases.
February transactions of about $1,900 in tickets, including $1,600 for Willie Nelson tickets.
November transactions of $1,281 for travel and events center tickets.
Jackson is also facing an investigation by a U.S. Inspector General over allegations that he misspent federal grant funds while running his former nonprofit, New Mexico Family Council-Best Choice.
