The Fayette County Commission will determine next week if it wants to revive its purchasing card program, allowing select employees to spend up to $250 on goods and services.

The program was abandoned in May 2006 after problems arose with accountability, including the multiple swiping of cards to circumvent the previous spending limit on purchases. But under a pilot program recommended by county staff, that could be controlled, according to Chief Finance Director Mary Holland.

The proposed program would allow only three departments to use the cards initially: the sheriff’s department, fire and emergency services and the court clerk’s office, Holland said.

Under the proposal, the department head will choose which employees are issued the cards, and the department head will also be responsible for insuring compliance with county regulations, Holland.

County finance staff will be able to audit the accounts to see if the rules are being complied with, Holland said.

The proposal was presented to the county commission Wednesday afternoon during its workshop meeting. The matter will be up for a potential vote at the commission’s Aug. 9 meeting.

The card would also be used for lodging for travel accommodations and also for emergency purchases should the need arise, Holland said.
Commission Chairman Jack Smith suggested communicating with the county’s vendors to make sure the county’s guidelines were followed or the vendors could face consequences.

Holland noted that 30 percent of the requisition orders processed by the finance department for 2007 were for purchases of $250 or less, and the department also processed $22,000 in payments for petty cash reimbursements to employees.

Interim County Manager Jack Krakeel said the system should result in a significant time savings for the finance department, and Holland noted that the county’s banking vendor, Bank of America, allows for the purchasing card statements to be automatically reconciled with the county’s accounting system by downloading the information from the bank’s computers.

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