Mayor's Office Addresses Procurement Card Misuse Findings

The Baltimore City Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has released a report revealing that staff members in the Mayor’s Office did not adhere to proper guidelines regarding the use of procurement cards (P-cards) for certain purchases, including food and flowers for events.

According to the findings, 336 transactions totaling $167,455.06 were flagged for lacking necessary waivers or involving items that are not permitted under city policy. Despite this, the questioned transactions represent less than 1 percent of the Mayor’s Office's total P-card expenditures, which exceeded $36 million since June 2022.

The report highlights that approximately $52,588.78 of taxpayer money was spent on food and beverages at Baltimore Orioles and Ravens games, a practice reportedly consistent with previous administrations due to the city’s ownership of a mayoral suite at both venues. Additionally, the investigation noted that city funds were used for internal celebrations and employee appreciation events, which have not been uniformly regulated across other city departments.

P-cards are intended for small purchases within government agencies, but purchases like food and flowers require a waiver from the Bureau of Procurement (BOP). The P-card manual explicitly prohibits the use of these cards for retirement parties, holiday celebrations, and employee appreciation events. However, the BOP has allowed some expenditures for the Mayor’s Office that were denied for similar requests from other agencies.

In response to the report, John David Merrill, the mayor's chief of staff, pointed out that the questioned transactions account for only 0.19 percent of the Mayor’s Office budget during the review period. Mayor Scott emphasized that the report did not indicate any intentional misuse of the cards and noted that one staff member responsible for non-compliance is no longer with the office.

“It’s not about whether any of the expenses were illegal or inappropriate, it’s that folks didn’t follow the protocols that were already in place,” Scott stated. He also defended the city’s use of sky boxes at sporting events, asserting it is a common practice to host community members and stakeholders.

To prevent future issues, the Mayor’s Office plans to implement additional training for P-card users, conduct more regular audits, and enhance procedures for transaction approvals.

Reported by HarborBeat based on AFRO American Newspapers (source).