Mississippi Development Authority questioning expenses Md. company paid for travel

The Clarion-Ledger, 6/19/7

Airfare for employees’ significant others, limousine rental agency services and last-minute plane tickets topping $1,400 are among taxpayer-funded items purchased by the Maryland-based company hired to manage a Hurricane Katrina grant program.

But some expenses charged by Reznick Group of Bethesda, Md., are getting more attention than others from the Mississippi Development Authority, the agency in charge of the $3 billion Homeowner Grant Program.

Reznick Group, one of the largest public accounting and consulting firms in the nation, is responsible for processing Mississippians’ grant applications, verifying whether they are eligible for awards of up to $150,000, and reporting and tracking the grants.