Expense reports show how Killeen council members, mayor spent the city’s money during D.C. trip

The Killeen Daily Herald 
By Paul Bryant | Herald Staff Writer
October 30, 2022 at 07:05AM

City spokeswoman Janell Ford, who also went on the trip, said that $3,054.18 must be reimbursed from council members. That amount, City Manager Kent Cagle said Friday, is additional airfare for some council members’ spouses and registration fees.

After obtaining the reports through a Texas Public Information Act request, the Herald examined the documents that show what it cost the city to cover airfare, hotel rooms, meals and other expenses.

Riakos Adams

Meals, four nights at the Grand Hyatt, airfare and registration totaled $2,859.92 for Riakos Adams. As with the other council members, the city paid $65 for the “president’s reception” and $80 for the “Eisenhower luncheon,” for $145 in registration fees.

His flight cost $737 through American Airlines at the Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport, and the Hyatt was $349 each night.

For each person Killeen sent, the city’s meal per diem was $373 for the trip. At Tier 5, the rates were $19 per day for breakfast, $22 for lunch and $38 for dinner.

Ramon Alvarez

For Ramon Alvarez and his spouse, the total cost was $3,961.32. According to documents, Alvarez owes the city $1,345.67.

For two Uber rides, he paid $88.73 to travel 9.16 miles.

Michael Boyd

The city paid $3,911.13 for Michael Boyd and his wife, and he owes $843.22 in reimbursement.

The plane tickets cost $877.21 apiece, for a total of $1,754.42. For one Lyft ride, he paid $33.99.

Nina Cobb

For Nina Cobb and her husband’s expenses to make the trip, the documents show it cost the city $3,759.03, including $737 for each ticket, or $1,474.40. She owes the city $865.29.

No other expenses are shown.

Jessica Gonzalez

Jessica Gonzalez’s cost to to the city was $2,868.98. Her flight was $737.20, and she spent $9.06 for a private ride.

No other expenses are shown.

The city, according to documents, owes her $9.06.

Nash-King

For the mayor, her trip cost $3,067.84, including $877.21 for airfare. The city owes her $67.91 in reimbursements.

In Uber rides, Nash-King paid $37.91 to travel 5.77 miles.

Jose Segarra

The city paid $2,860.72 for Jose Segarra to attend the conference, including $737.20 for airfare. According to documents, that is all that was spent to cover Segarra.

Ken Wilkerson

For Wilkerson, the city’s cost to cover his trip was $2,949.64. He is owed $89.72 in reimbursements.

His plane ticket cost $737.20 and his Uber trips cost $49.72. Wilkerson used Uber a third time for $40.

Janell Ford

On Friday, after multiple requests for her expenses, Ford said that her flight — a round trip from Killeen to D.C. — cost $487.20. As with the mayor and council members, her hotel room for four nights cost $1,604.72 and the registration fees for the conference totaled $145.

“Additionally, the daily per diem rate is attached to be reimbursed to me — same as with the council members,” she said.

Also, the Herald asked Ford to explain why her airfare was hundreds of dollars less than the cost of the mayor’s and council members’ tickets.

“I believe they all flew out early in the morning to avoid delays and ensure prompt arrival,” she said. “Although, I flew out separately in the afternoon and arrived later that day. Nationwide airport pricing fluctuates greatly depending on date ticket is bought (and) time of day for flight.”

The Herald requested the receipts for all council members, the mayor and Ford on Oct. 12. It was answered by the city on Oct. 25 without the documentation for Ford, and the newspaper asked a second time for the city to provide Ford’s receipts on the same day. Cagle said on Friday that not providing Ford’s expenses was an “oversight.”

The trip

During the trip to Washington on Oct. 8-12, the mayor, Cobb and Segarra met with congressional staffers and others to talk about how they can help address the city’s housing costs, infrastructure deficiencies and property-tax exemptions for veterans. Their activities for four days were documented in a single press release by Ford on the final day of the conference.

At previous conferences, the city has sent some members of the council and city staff to the annual event in D.C., but the Herald, which publishes stories every year on the trip, could not find another case in recent years in which all seven members of the council and the mayor made the trip.

Another difference this year: Congress was not in session at the time Killeen officials went to D.C. earlier this month. For years, the City Council has stressed one of the important parts of the trip is that they’re able to meet and talk with members of Congress.

But those national politicians, such as Sen. John Cornyn and Rep. Roger Williams, were not available at the time, leaving the Killeen delegation to meet with their staffers instead.

According to the AUSA website, “the annual meeting is designed to deliver the Army’s message by highlighting the capabilities of organizations and presenting a wide range of industry products and services. AUSA accomplishes this task throughout the entire event by providing informative and relevant presentations on the state of the Army, panel discussions and seminars on pertinent military and national security subjects, and a variety of valuable networking events.”

AUSA is a national advocacy group for the Army that has chapters across the country, including its largest in the Fort Hood area.

Worth the trip?

To some, the cost to attend the conference — whatever it is — was not worth much to Killeen residents.

“AUSA is nothing but an Army lovefest,” Pete Stanonik posted on the Herald’s Facebook page. “Don’t know what this expenditure can possibly bring back to improve Killeen. City Councils 5 or 6 years ago stopped going because of public backlash. Old trip reports should have told council members that little to nothing came of attendance.”

During the public comment period of a City Council workshop on Tuesday, JoAnn Purser, a Killeen ISD board member and former Killeen councilwoman, thanked the mayor and council for representing the city at the AUSA conference.

“Sometimes, it’s that one contact, that one visit you make that makes the difference, especially when those generals come back to this area and meet with us,” Purser said.

The AUSA annual meeting in 2023 is scheduled for Oct. 9-11 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center — the site of this year’s event.