A deeper look into Augusta mayor’s spending habits

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – We are looking into questions about reimbursing Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson for his credit card expenses.

The mayor himself brought the subject up to commissioners on Tuesday, asking for more than $40,000 to cover various expenses over the last six months.

The issue that commissioners brought up isn’t whether the mayor is breaking a policy. It’s that one doesn’t exist that covers this particular issue.

The mayor is asking for reimbursements to his personal credit card, and in doing so, he found the city has no policy in place to grant his request.

The mayor’s office does not have a city-issued credit card. Instead, the mayor makes purchases using his personal card.

From January to June of this year, the mayor is asking to be reimbursed more than $40,000.

“We continue to operate in a very conservative manner as it relates to taxpayer dollars. We believe in giving dollars back, we’re committed to that. I pledge that and that’s what we’re going to continue to do,” said Johnson.

These purchases include close to $10,000 spent to bring First Lady Jill Biden to the city and a $2,400 invite to a state dinner at the White House back in May.

These expenses, according to the mayor’s chief of staff, had to be made immediately.

The totals also exceed the city’s spending limit when it comes to city-issued cards.

Augusta’s Finance Director Donna Williams says it’s a $500 limit per transaction or a $5,000 limit per month.

“They were well within our budget. These were dollars that were used to promote and to grow the city of Augusta not only economically, but to have guests to come to our city to help us promote the city of Augusta. So those expenditures were well beyond our budget,” said Johnson.

When asked if it’s a requirement for the mayor to have a city-issued card, Williams says that’s not her decision and that what is currently being requested is not addressed in existing policies.

When asked if he’d be open to a city-issued card, the mayor said, “I’m open to that so long as it has a limit to where we can accomplish the things we need to accomplish. This is not a case where we’re spending dollars and not asking for any accountability. There’s complete accountability to the process. And it’s the same process as I would use if I had a city-owned credit card.”

And just to note here, the mayor is not breaking policy of any kind.

Again, the issue that was brought up is that the finance director says there isn’t a policy that covers this.

This isn’t the first time questions have come up about an Augusta mayor’s credit card use.

Our I-TEAM questioned the previous mayor of Augusta, Hardie Davis, about his charges on a county-issued credit card three years ago.

We exposed thousands of dollars Mayor Hardie Davis racked up at local restaurants and hotels, as well as questionable charges made to non-profits and contractors.

Our investigation uncovered Richmond County did not have a credit card policy in place at the time, which violated state law.

Commissioners adopted the current credit card policy after we brought this to light.

However, the policy they adopted three years ago to become compliant with Georgia law does not address the use of personal credit cards for government business.

And that’s what commission is looking at address now.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.