Trading cards: Here's what's next with tracking the Augusta mayor's expenses

The future of the Augusta mayor's spending habits is in the cards.

When Mayor Garnett Johnson submitted office expenses for reimbursement earlier this year, the list shone a light on what the mayor spends money on and why. Johnson had been using a personal card for the recent expenditures, which ranged from office supplies to expenses incurred when Johnson visited Washington, D.C., for a state dinner at the White House, a White House Christmas party and the most recent State of the Union address.

Is the amount enough? Is it too much? The Augusta Commission this week voted to resolve the spending request and to approve a new expense review policy. Here's how it happened:

Does the city even have an expense card policy?

Yes and no. The official city policy sets an expense-card spending limit of no more than $500 a day or $5,000 a month. Exceptions can be made by city Finance Director Donna Williams, who acts as the administrator for the cards. But the mayor's $41,000 reimbursement request last December exposed what she considers a drawback of the current policy: Spending limits can't always match unexpected costs, such as renting a stage teleprompter for First Lady Jill Biden's visit to Augusta last November. So, Johnson had been using his personal card for some expenses, lending it to staffers.

Why not just reimburse the mayor?

Johnson will be reimbursed, but it seems that no city policy currently exists that details procedures to reimburse the mayor's personal money spent on government purposes. Augusta's city administrator has confirmed that the mayor's purchases were legitimate.

What happens now?

With Johnson recusing himself, the Augusta Commission voted to approve the mayor's reimbursements. If Johnson incurs further expenses, they are directed to be applied to a new expense card for the mayor. Meanwhile, city finance staffers will prepare an updated reimbursement policy to address the stated shortcomings of the cards' low limits.

What's next?

A proposed new reimbursement policy is expected to come under commissioners' review as soon as Sep. 24.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Augusta to reconsider new expense account policy for mayor