Lobby of the $225-$250/night Antlers Hotel in Colorado Springs, where County Attorney Todd Starr used his county credit card to pay for a room, in violation of County policy which requires County employees to get a per diem instead for travel.
An Open Records Act request by Daily Sentinel reporter Charles Ashby examining expenditures by Mesa County Commissioner Janet Rowland and County Attorney Todd Starr over the last year found both made questionable purchases that arguably violated County policy.
Rowland and Starr charged Public Health Department Jeff Kuhr with doing the same thing, but in his case they called it a fireable offense.
County employees are not allowed to use a County credit card for out-of-town trips. Instead, they are supposed to get a per-diem (a fixed daily allowance) for their expenses.
Use of County credit card for out of town trips, and spending taxpayer funds on parties
In spite of this policy, the Sentinel discovered Todd Starr himself used a County credit card on three out-of-town trips within the past year, to pay for hotel rooms and meals. Last November Starr attended a meeting in Colorado Springs, where he used his county credit card to pay a total of $1,051 for lodging at the upscale Antlers Hotel, and $52.62 for a meal. Rooms at the Antlers cost $225-$250/night, while rooms at Colorado Springs LA Quinta — a suitable alternative for a public employee — cost $101-$121 — less than half the amount Starr spent.
Mesa County Attorney Todd Starr
The commissioners have also reprimanded Kuhr for having missing receipts.
A $49,000 “forensic audit” the County had done on Kuhr found he had 45 missing receipts out of 1,912 transactions over 12 years as Director of the Public Health Department. About half of those were for parking meters, which don’t provide receipts.
Starr had two missing receipts last year. One on April 15 was for $111.
Rowland used her county credit card at two separate hotels to attend a National Association of Counties conference in Washington, D.C. One charge was for the same night for a room she never used.
Rowland had taxpayers pay Warehouse 25SixtyFive a 45% tip for a $1,241 after-hours Christmas Party
Rowland also reprimanded Kuhr for spending money on team-building meetings for his staff at local restaurants, but Rowland herself spent $1,241 in taxpayer funds on an after-hours Christmas party for county employees at Warehouse 25SixtyFive Kitchen & Bar on Dec. 1, 2022.
The tab was so high because Rowland left a 45% tip.
The Sentinel writes,
“From June 2022 to earlier this month, Rowland spent a total of $8,437 on her county credit card and Starr spent more than $11,000. By comparison, Kuhr spent about $1,866 during that same period.”
Read the entire article in the Daily Sentinel about Rowland’s and Starr’s expenditures here.
The Sentinel also published an editorial today based on their findings, writing,
“If Kuhr’s mishandling of a credit card and receipts is a fireable offense — and Rowland and Starr have certainly insisted that it is — then they [Rowland and Starr] both need to resign immediately.”
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Support local journalism and reporter Charles Ashby by subscribing to the Daily Sentinel here.
Who watches the Watchmen? I know for a fact all state/county employees with a p-card must pass an online class where they are clearly told and tested what qualifies as acceptable use before even being issued one. There are indeed also exceptions and allowances for mitigating circumstances; but sweet jesus the hypocrisy here of spending impropriety accusations by Starr and Rowland to Dr. Kuhn is absolutely appalling. So who ensures fiscal accountability from these supposed leaders and legal representatives of Mesa County….absolutely no one it seems. So we must rely to the free press, the sworn enemy of every conservative since Nixon, to expose just how corrupted our (local) gov in terms of rooting out fraud among its own. Cronyism at its finest!
Newspapers, and in large markets with rare exceptions, tv watch our alleged public officials. Any auditors working on county records work for the county, whether as regular employees or contractors. They are not independent of people who sign their pay checks.
So subscribe to the Sentinel. I don’t care how much you don’t like it. I have a few bones to pick myself. But it’s the only newspaper in town, and the only one capable of doing the work.
Newspapers, and in large markets with rare exceptions, tv watch our alleged public officials. Any auditors working on county records work for the county, whether as regular employees or contractors. They are not independent of people who sign their pay checks.
So subscribe to the Sentinel. I don’t care how much you don’t like it. I have a few bones to pick myself. But it’s the only newspaper in town, and the only one capable of doing the work.
Thanks for that nonsensical explanation of the role of newspapers. But please do tell me where I ever stated “I don’t like the Sentinel”?
It sure seems like you missed both the tone and point of my post, along with a pushing a fuddy-duddy idea that the fiscal managers/auditors of Mesa County are somehow slaves to their paycheck signers rather than to professional codes of conduct, policies, rules and responsibilities of the job. Get a clue, Mr. Magoo
Some of this makes good points. Some misunderstands the county policy. The per diem is for meals only. The p-cards are commonly used to pay for the hotel room.
As to cost of the room I would want to know why the Antlers hotel was chosen. If it was associated with a conference then there is a good reason to be at the location. But definitely should look for cheaper options.
I also think there is good justification for meals on top of per diem if entertaining for recruitment purposes, as Mr Starr later stated. I would want to know if he received the per diem on top of that amount though.
The large tip from Ms Rowland is kind of understandable. I have definitely double tipped before when I didn’t notice that tip was already added, but using county dollars one should pay better attention. I also question the wisdom of paying to take your employees to a nice dinner when other departments typically have a pot luck for the holiday party.
All that to say that this is the type of splitting hairs they applied to Mr Kuhr. What’s good for the goose, as they say.
There is future employment for Rowland and Starr at Red Rock Motors, as the two have extensive parody track records for dissembling, sluffing, grifting, and gaslighting, so well employed by the Republican Party.