Posted on 06/25/2005 7:41:08 AM PDT by Dan from Michigan
4 county officials plan trip to Hawaii
Washtenaw taxpayers will foot most of the bill for commissioners' conference trip
Saturday, June 25, 2005
BY JANET MILLER
News Staff Reporter
Washtenaw County taxpayers are picking up much of the tab for four county commissioners to travel to Hawaii for a five-day conference next month in Honolulu.
The July 15-19 summer conference for the National Association of Counties has attracted national attention, and county officials in some states have canceled their travel plans.
Washtenaw County commissioners are split over whether the public should foot the bill for such travel at a time when the county is laying off employees and making other cuts, including the possibility of eliminating sheriff's patrols.
Board Chairman Wes Prater, D-York Township, is one of four commissioners planning on attending the conference. He said it is worth the taxpayer expense.
"It's important to continue education and training. Other employees of the county also go to conferences to keep up. ... It's keeping ourselves educated on the issues we face,'' he said.
But Commissioner Mark Ouimet, R-Scio Township, said now is not the time for taxpayers to fund travel for public officials. Ouimet is also making the trip, but says he is paying the travel, hotel and meal expenses out of his own pocket. The county will pay only for his registration fee, he said.
"For me, it would not be right to ask the county or taxpayers to pay for me to have this additional education,'' Ouimet said. Footing the bill himself, he said, "removes any doubt'' about his motive for making the trip.
That the other commissioners are using tax dollars to make the trip is up to them, Ouimet said. "But it's difficult to watch when we're about to let a hundred sheriff's deputies off.''
The other two commissioners scheduled to attend the conference are Stephen Solowczuk, R-Saline, and Robert Brackenbury, R-Pittsfield Township.
Cost to the county for the travel and conference is expected to top $7,000, which does not include the cost of food or incidentals. Solowczuk and Prater said they will use a portion of the $3,000 in the county's budget set aside for each commissioner for travel.
Brackenbury, who could only be reached by e-mail, said he planned on paying for his meals and other incidental expenses. He said the county would pay for his air travel, hotel and conference registration fee.
Brackenbury said he has only attended one out-of-state conference in the three years that he has been in office. He said he usually returns most of his travel funds back to the county for other uses.
County Administrator Robert Guenzel said Brackenbury's airline ticket, along with the tickets of Prater and Solowczuk, have been put on their county credit cards.
Airfare for the three commissioners range from $750 to $900 each, said Guenzel. Cost for a room is $195 a night and registration is $415 each. Commissioners are also allowed to expense food, Guenzel said.
The trip comes at a time when Washtenaw County faces growing budget problems. Some 132 county positions have been eliminated over the past couple of years, the county has trimmed $2 million from its budget and 15 to 20 employees have been laid off, according to Guenzel.
But it's important for commissioners to stay abreast of county issues, said Guenzel. "Professional development is absolutely crucial.''
Nancy Heine, president of AFSCME Local 3052, the union representing county supervisors, said the trip sends the wrong message to employees and taxpayers.
"We keep hearing how there's no money, but then they can go on a trip to Hawaii. It's a mixed message. ... This is highly inappropriate. This does not make your constituents very happy,'' she said.
Solowczuk said the exotic location is what's causing the stir. "If it was being held in St. Louis, no one would be saying anything,'' he said. Solowczuk said he had planned to attend the conference last year, but a heart attack prevented the trip.
"I had a voucher that I had to use up,'' he said. "It's important to learn what other counties are doing. ... I don't think a lot of people would like our jobs. It's been very hard making these decisions ... laying off people, cutting back.''
Hawaii, Prater said, is not an ideal location for the conference. "I wish it was in another place, anywhere on the continental United States, but not Hawaii. The problem is that it's so far away.''
While there's been national media attention about the conference, there hasn't been a drop in attendance, said Jeremy Ratner, spokesman for the National Association of Counties. About 3,000 people are expected to attend. While there have been 280 cancellations, that's about average, he said.
Next year, the conference will be held a little closer to home, in Chicago
$7,000 for a 4-day conference? Where are they staying, the Walforf Astoria? My last cross-country business trip (5 days) cost $1100 including per diem, and I stayed at the Embassy Suites for $93/night. Something isn't right!
Questionable to say the least, not only from a cost standpoint but also time spent as a measure of effectiveness. It will take a full day to recover from jet lag getting there and the last day will be mostly spent preparing to return. That leaves two days to "confer". Sounds like a boondoggle to me.
It is axiomatic in Defense work, you NEVER hold a conference in Hawaii.
Because the Public will freak out.
Idiot county folks.
Hey...throw a volcano into the scene and I'd think it would be well paid taxes.
Why can't these jackasses just videoconference or teleconference?
It is $7000 for FOUR people. This is actually amazingly cheap considering it is in Hawaii. When I go to conferences in Wash DC, NYC, SF, or FL the cost is around $2000 for 5 days just for 1 person.
Lower 48 to choose from, and they decide to fly over the Pacific to hold a conference on an island in paradise?!
I'm sure it's not about the location.
And I don't get the $7000 price tag without food included. I don't know if these people are staying at a lavish resort or the conference fee is outrageous or what, but I question that price. My last 5-day cross-country business trip cost $1100 and I stayed at a pretty decent hotel.
But it doesn't matter - even if it were free, John Q Public would have a FIT.
Still, it's bad PR to do this in Hawaii. The public will freak out no matter how good the prices are. It's better to do it in a place not so well known for tourism.
See #13, I didn't realize it was for 4 people. From a PR perspective, Hawaii is bad. People will freak out if the prices are wonderful.
It is "off-peak" time in Hawaii...
Puke alert. They could do it by teleconferencing and not leave home.
Traveling on state funds you are limited to the per diem rate. Anything beyond that and you will have to pay the difference out of your pocket. In my state the per diem is $6, $8, and $20 for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There is an allowance for high rate areas like SF, Miami, and NYC, and I imagine Hawaii as well. In that case you get an extra $2 a meal. The per diem is ridiculous since it is next to impossible to find meals that cheap in conference areas. There is also a per diem for hotels which for my state maxes out around $275 a night (including taxes). For a place like NYC or Washington DC, you may find it hard to squeak in under that rate. Find a cheaper place further from the conference center and you will wind up paying more for taxi fare every day. Hard to win. At least rental cars in Hawaii are incredibly cheap. About a third the cost on the mainland.
"My last 5-day cross-country business trip cost $1100 and I stayed at a pretty decent hotel."
Sorry, but I don't believe it. We're talking conference travel here, not a business trip. I'm on the speaker's circuit and travel to up to 12 conferences a year, plus incidental personal travel. Some conferences charge as much as $900 for registration fees. The cheapest conference I went to last year charged $300. There was one occasion with back to back conferences over 6 day period and the registration alone was $1450. It isn't cheap to rent out a conference center. For a national or international meeting the cost can easily go over a quarter million.
"It is "off-peak" time in Hawaii..."
I was there 2 weeks ago and it was great. Nearly deserted. I got a free double upgrade on my room. Paid $217 and got a $350 room.
I believe 7 from Jackson County Missouri are going.
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