Council Tightens Restrictions on City-Issued Credit Card Use
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On Jan. 21, the Atlanta City Council voted unanimously to tighten the restrictions for the use of city-issued credit cards.
The new restrictions come less than a year after the U.S. Department of Justice subpoenaed the credit card records of various city employees in the ongoing investigation of the administration of former Mayor Kasim Reed, 11 Alive reports.
“This credit card legislation is another important step toward a more accountable and transparent government,” Councilman Andre Dickens, one of the bill’s sponsors, said in a statement. “By working with the mayor’s administration, law department and finance team, we continue to build the public’s trust in their government.”
Highlights of the reforms include new restrictions of card use — including but not limited to the purchase of alcohol, gift cards or items for personal use. The use of cards by anyone other than the authorized cardholder or CFO’s approved personnel is prohibited, and new definitions of the legal consequences for violation or misuse of cards has been drafted, according to city materials.
“In keeping with our Administration’s commitment to building an ethical, transparent and fiscally responsible government, we have taken yet another significant stride towards sound stewardship of public dollars,” Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said in a statement. “The legislation defines once-inexplicit guidelines, sets unequivocal expectations for card holders and outlines legal consequences—including termination of employment and criminal charges—for any violations of these new standards. I look forward to signing this new policy into law.”