Request #1754
City officials and PIOs,
Good morning. My colleague Susan Goulding and I are writing a story about city-issued credit and debit cards, and the local policies that govern their use.
--Does your municipality have a credit/debit-card use policy?
--If so, what does the policy say? When was the policy approved? Who is covered under this policy?
--Does your city issue credit/debit cards to the city manager and individual office holders? If so, who is issued a city credit/debit card in your city?
--Aside from individually-issued credit cards, do any city officials have access to credit cards belonging to the city for general use? If so, please list these individuals and their titles.
--What are the policies and procedures of reporting city credit/debit-card activity, if any? How often must this type of activity be reported?
If we've contacted the wrong person at your city, please feel free to forward this message to the appropriate party.
We're aiming to wrap up research by 5 p.m. Friday. Please send any replies to both Susan and me.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to email us or call my cell with any questions.
Many thanks for your time and consideration.
Correspondence
Dear Ms. Leung,
Below are the responses to your questions regarding city-issued credit and debit cards. Attached for your convenience is a copy of the City's Credit Card Policy.
Sincerely,
Denise Kehn
Records Specialist
City of Garden Grove
714-741-5036
-Does your municipality have a credit/debit-card use policy?
Yes
--If so, what does the policy say? When was the policy approved? Who is covered under this policy?
The policy establishes the guidelines for credit card use and the responsibilities of the card holders. The current policy was approved on December 1, 2015.
--Does your city issue credit/debit cards to the city manager and individual office holders? If so, who is issued a city credit/debit card in your city?
The City Manager, Department Heads (including the Fire Chief and Police Chief) and Division Managers are issued credit cards upon request and approval of the Finance Director.
--Aside from individually-issued credit cards, do any city officials have access to credit cards belonging to the city for general use? If so, please list these individuals and their titles.
Public Safety staff have access to department credit cards for emergency purposes upon approval of the Fire Chief or his designee. Public Works Department staff also have access to department cards for business and emergency purposes upon approval of the Department Head or his designee.
--What are the policies and procedures of reporting city credit/debit-card activity, if any? How often must this type of activity be reported?
Card holders are responsible to submit statements and backup receipts to Accounting on a monthly basis for review. The Finance Director submits a summary of charges to the City Manager on a monthly basis.