Watch VideoInvestigating city trip paid by taxpayers
Story By: James Jarman
Source: KOAA
News First Investigates looked into travel expenses for a conference attended by representatives from Colorado Springs and Pueblo.
Responses to open records requests submitted by News First to both cities show Colorado Springs paid $1,522.42 and Pueblo spent $17,498.19 on the trip.
Those records also show, only one person from Colorado Springs went to the National League of Cities Conference in March.
7 people from Pueblo flew back to Washington D.C. during the time conference was held there.
Receipts show the Embassy Suites is where 7 in the Pueblo contingent stayed. They include 5 city council members and 2 city administrators. The total bill for their stay was $8,306.03.
For Colorado Springs, City Councilman Randy Purvis was the only person to go. He stayed at the Hilton Washington for 4 day convention and his bill that the city paid was $1,025.92. Receipts show the entire bill for Pueblo taxpayers was $17,498.19.
To send Purvis there, Colorado Springs taxpayers paid $1,522.42. Vice Mayor Larry Small says the city usually only sends one representative to conferences like that in an effort to save money.
"We feel that one primary representative is all that we need to these conferences," said Small, "that individual can represent us, bring back information to us."
Pueblo City Manager Dave Galli defends the $17,498.19 bill, saying the conference educates city leaders on how to move the city forward. "One of our past council members used to say, 'I know it costs money to get informed and get that information, but how do you measure the cost of not having the information?'" said Galli.
He also says Pueblo used the trip as a lobbying effort -- they met with congressmen and congressional staffers. And according to Galli, a similar league of cities lobbying trip paid off last year.
"Most recently we were able to secure a contract if you will, with the military to receive funds in association with the operation of our airport because of the military use for training," he told us, and he also explained that the city's getting $550,000 dollars a year for 5 years to support the airport.
The March 2008 trip receipts also include a meal at the exclusive Marcel's restaurant in D.C. A roughly $1,600 meal was paid on a Pueblo City credit card, but Galli says the city consultants later reimbursed the city for all of it except $200 for 2 people -- congressional staffers "and congressional staff members, the dinner has to be paid for by the municipality, not by the consultant or the lobbyist," said Galli.
So, the city consultant deducted $1,400 from their monthly bill to the City to make up for that dinner. And if you think that money-shuffle sounds a little sneaky, Galli couldn't disagree more. "I don't think it was sneaky at all," he said, "I mean I think if it was sneaky, I mean, it's clear that it was paid for and I think it's entirely the opposite."
Galli said on this last trip, they lobbied to try to get $3.5 million for city sewer system repairs and upgrades, we should know in about 60 to 90 days if they get it.
