Skrep: NYC trips on cards justified

The word “timeshare” has appeared on Luzerne County debit card bills, raising visions of vacation retreats.

But county officials say the lodging billed under “Manhattan Club Timeshare” was for regular hotel rooms in New York City.

No written contract was required, and the rooms for $208.44 per night were more affordable than other hotels, said county Public Information Officer Kathy Bozinski and Commissioner Greg Skrepenak. The county received a government rate, they said.

“The county does not own a time-share in New York City,” Bozinski said Tuesday.

“These were not fabulous luxury condos. They were looking for good economical rooms, and the New York Police Department recommended the place,” she said.

Skrepenak stayed at the Manhattan Club four times in 2006 and 2007, according to a VISA billing summary released by the county.

Three other employees logged stays: Deputy Chief Clerk Bill Brace, five; Human Resources Director Doug Richards, one; and Chief Clerk/Manager Sam Guesto, two.

Skrepenak said all these trips involved meetings with New York City police to identify crime-fighting techniques, including a police records management system that the county is trying to implement here.

The expense is more than justified, he said, because big-city crime is hurting the area and draining county finances, Skrepenak said. Criminals are leaving New York City and coming here, he said.

The trips allowed county officials to develop a rapport with New York City law enforcement, which will be helpful as new crime-related problems arise, Skrepenak said.

The debit cards also list expenses from a trip to Los Angeles to study gangs, but Skrepenak said people may not realize the trips were reimbursed through money confiscated in criminal investigations and arrests.

Guesto said the county received reimbursement for roughly $9,000 of the $40,000 in debit card expenses.

Debit card spending became an issue before the November election, when minority Commissioner Stephen A. Urban disclosed that county officials were ignoring the county’s policy to submit receipts and file them in the controller’s office.

He has also complained that some of the trips were not publicly approved in advance.

Skrepenak said all expenses were budgeted, and he does not believe commissioners are mandated to obtain prior approval.

County Controller Maryanne Petrilla said Tuesday that she has received the VISA summary in response to her request in October, and her staff is scrutinizing each payment to make sure there were no charges for non-county business.

Petrilla, who will become a commissioner in January, said her staff is interviewing employees and matching conference dates to bills for meals and lodging.

She said she will require employees to reimburse the county if any abuse is detected, though she’s found none to date. Petrilla said she will also use the research to recommend improvements to the county’s travel reimbursement policy that should be followed by all employees, including elected officials.

Skrepenak said he apologizes for failing to submit receipts from the debit cards, but he said the public will see that nobody ripped off the county.

Guesto said all expenses were for meals or trips that benefited the county, and he is frustrated that individual expenses are not being put into context.

For example, Election Bureau Director Leonard Piazza used the debit card to buy a coffee from Starbucks on one day of a county-related trip when he did not charge the county for a breakfast or lunch.