City gas cards may have been misused, audit chief says

The Clarion-Ledger, 11/12/8

The head of Jackson’s internal audit department said Tuesday she suspects systemic misuse of the city’s gasoline cards because of lapses in city oversight.

Because the city isn’t properly tracking how much its employees spend through its Fuelman discount gasoline service, “we think there is a possibility of fraud and improper use,” said Valerie Nevels.

This could mean hundreds of dollars a month in unneeded and questionable charges that could nullify the savings of Fuelman’s 30-cent-a-gallon discount.

All vehicles owned and operated by the city have a Fuelman card for gas purchases at participating stations. Employees are supposed to turn in receipts and report odometer readings to help confirm the gas card was used for approved expenses.