Friday, March 12, 2004
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Friday, March 12, 2004 |
| AMEX account unpaid by DAPC taints credit of former employees By J. FRANK LYNCH An American Express account used by employees of the Peachtree City Tennis Center and Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater when the Development Authority of Peachtree City still operated those facilities apparently hasn’t been paid in months, say officials with the Peachtree City Tourism Association who now manage the venues. Virgil Christian, executive director of the DAPC until resigning in October, is the card’s primary account holder, said Bernard McMullen, city manager and Tourism Association officer. The card is not a corporate account, McMullen said, but was authorized for multiple users. Because American Express does not differentiate between users of a consumer card, the $14,000-plus balance due is showing up on the credit histories of each of the employees whose names were attached to the account. But the workers, who were all kept on as Tourism Association employees when the Development Authority gave up operation of the city venues last fall, say they paid Christian for their charges long ago. That money apparently never made it to American Express, McMullen said. Meanwhile, the employees have destroyed their cards. Calls to Christian’s home seeking comment were not returned before presstime. McMullen explained what happened this way: A tennis pro might take a group of players on an out-of-town tournament, charging expenses to the card, and then get reimbursement from parents. “The money for those items in most cases was then given to the Development Authority,” said McMullen. “But the DAPC did not use those funds to pay those charges, but to pay other bills.” The Tourism Association addressed the concern with employees in a meeting last week, and discussed several options before agreeing to ask American Express to accept payment on the charges incurred by employees still working for the PCTA to remove their liability. “We voted on a course of action, but it has not been settled,” said McMullen. “We need to get in contact with American Express and find out if they are willing to do what we’re asking them to do.” McMullen said the PCTA would make payment to American Express for whatever balance it is determined that the workers were responsible for. Then, the PCTA would set up an accounts receivable showing what was owed in return by either Christian or the DAPC, which has no source of income and is essentially bankrupt. “The Tourism Association’s action last Wednesday was to ask Virgil Christian if he was willing to cooperate with American Express to resolve this,” McMullen said. “Basically, we’re just trying to take care of our employees.”
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