Most on board have trip expenses

Four of the five members of the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors have traveled at county expense this year, with the total cost coming to just under $6,000, according to county travel records.

From Jan. 1 to Oct. 1, according to the figures complied by the county Auditor-Controller’s Office, supervisors John Gray, Dick Pland, Teri Murrison and Paolo Maffei did some official business traveling this year.
   

Supervisor Liz Bass was the only board member not to submit travel expenses.

In all, the expenses — for meals, event registration, hotel stays, mileage reimbursement and air fare — came to $5,965.

Auditor-Controller Debi Russell noted that in a few instances, some figures were charged during the Jan. 1-Oct. 1 timeframe, but the actual travel occurred just before Jan. 1 or after Oct. 1.

“It’s a snapshot at a point in time,” she said.

The vast majority of the supervisors’ travel was for events sponsored by various governmental associations.

Pland had the priciest travel bill, at $2,781. He was followed by Gray ($1,835), Murrison ($1,131) and Maffei ($218).

Pland’s figures are for five trips — to San Diego, Reno, Sacramento twice and Olympic Valley. During the travel, he attended three events hosted by the California State Association of Counties (CSAC), one hosted by the National Forest Counties and Schools Coalition and one hosted by the Regional Council of Rural Counties.

Gray’s travel expenses are for six trips — to San Diego, Mariposa and Sacramento four times. Gray, a first-term supervisor, attended two new supervisor trainings, one event hosted by the Yosemite Gateway Partnership and three events hosted by CSAC.

Murrison, whose upcoming travel plans to a property rights conference in Denver have raised eyebrows at the state Fair Political Practices Commission, logged expenses for five trips this year — to Sacramento three times, Irvine and Monterey.

The Monterey trip pertains to a CSAC conference set for November. The county paid Murrison’s $500 registration fee in advance. Other supervisors are also expected to attend and be reimbursed.

In addition to that trip, Murrison submitted expenses for three events hosted by CSAC and one by the Farm Bureau. She also was a guest speaker at the Marian Bergeson Excellence in Public Service Seminar held in Irvine, but the county was reimbursed the $229 it cost for Murrison’s trip.

Maffei was reimbursed for travel to Jackson, Redding and Gardnerville, Nev., where he attended an event on oak tree regeneration and two events hosted by the Central Sierra Resource Conservation and Development Council.

Russell noted that sometimes supervisors’ reimbursement doesn’t reflect the total cost of the events they attend.

Maffei for one, said he does what he can to save the county money. For instance, he said during the upcoming CSAC conference in Monterey, he plans to stay in an RV park instead of a hotel.

When asked if supervisor travel is worth the cost, Pland responded: “Absolutely.”

He pointed to the $2.6 million granted to the county and school districts as part of the four-year extension of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act of 2000 as proof.

Pland was among a Tuolumne County contingent to travel to Washington, D.C., to lobby Congress to renew the act. That trip, though, came in the fall of 2008, and wasn’t included in the recently obtained travel figures.

Pland added that attending the events hosted by CSAC and Regional Council of Rural Counties, in particular, allows him “to make sure what they’re doing reflects the interest of Tuolumne County.” Both groups lobby on behalf of their member counties.

"Sometimes conferences are fun and game — with drinking and fooling around — not in our case,” said Maffei.