Mileage reimbursements for the Walker County Commission and the process of approving those types reimbursements have come into question over the last week, including during a commission meeting on Monday.
Mileage reimbursements for commissioners were first questioned publicly in a social media post on Friday, Oct. 13 by Jordan Madison, a candidate for Walker County Commission Chairman.
“In my quest to better understand how our county’s finances are managed, I requested access to our county’s financial records. During my review, I stumbled upon a significant concern related to the expense reimbursements of our commissioners,” Madison told commission members during the public comments section of Monday’s meeting.
“Over the past two years, District 2 Commissioner (Jeff Burrough) expense reimbursement for mileage and fuel has reached over $65,000,” Madison continued. “To put this into perspective, let’s compare this to our other commissioners. Commissioner Stephen Aderholt of District 4 received no mileage reimbursement for the same timeframe. The same applies to Commissioner Keith Davis of District 1. Commissioner Jim Borden of District 3 received less than $600 in mileage reimbursement. Chairman Steve Miller, received around $2,000.”
Madison said the difference between Burrough and the others raised concerns for him.
“Accumulating over $65,000 in reimbursements in two years would mean driving over 60,000 miles annually, all while serving a part-time position in a single district – District 2.,” he said.
Madison finished his comments by saying the verification process needs to be examined and he has asked for more financial records, dating back to the beginning of Burrough’s tenure on the commission. He said that request was made by email two weeks ago, and he had not received a response. Madison said he would consider legal action if the records were not available by Friday, Oct. 20.
Madison said he was asked to meet with Miller and Burrough after Monday’s commission meeting. At that time, he was given a one sheet record showing from October 2020 to October 2023 Burrough’s reimbursements over that time totals $69,970.92. That amount at a reimbursement rate of 56 cents per mile would equal 124,919.86 miles in a 3-year period.
The Community Journal received the financial records Madison had obtained from him on Wednesday, Oct. 11. Interviews by TCJ were conducted with Commission Chairman Steve Miller and Burroughs on Thursday, Oct. 12 and Friday, Oct. 13, respectively.
Burrough said he is following the Code of Alabama, which entitles elected officials to be reimbursed for their travel expenses. Burrough also said audits are done every year on the commission by the state.
“This isn’t a part-time job,” Burrough said. “This is a full-time position and no one should think to come into the job and not work the hours it requires. It is really a 24/7 job.”
Burrough said he usually averages 500 to 600 miles per week. District 2 has approximately 340 miles of roadway. He added that he drives his own vehicle. He would not comment on why other commissioners do not get reimbursed, only saying, “I can only speak to what I do.”
The District 2 budget does include $20,000 for fuel, which was increased last year from $10,000, Burrough said. That budget was unanimously approved by the commission with the 2024 fiscal budget approved on Sept. 18.
Other commissioners drive their own vehicles as well. District 1 Keith Davis, District 4 Steven Aderholt and Chairman Steve Miller all drive their own vehicles. District 3 Jim Borden drives a county vehicle. Commissioners are paid $36,500 per year and also receive a $600 per month expense allowance.
Miller signs the reimbursement checks, but he said he has no authority to question the amounts, because they are approved by the commissioners during meetings each month. Miller cited an issue in 2022 where he wanted to get an attorney general opinion on what his authority/duties were, but commissioners voted 3-0 with one abstention to allow county attorneys to review the matter, which he said came back to agree with the rules that had been made by the commission pertaining to the chairman’s authority.
“So what authority do I have?” Miller questioned.
Madison contacted The Community Journal on Wednesday afternoon to say he had received more paperwork from the county and provided that information, which shows from December 2016 to August 2020 Burrough received $46,517 in reimbursements, which would bring the total to $116,487.92 over an almost 7-year period. It also pushes the total mileage driven to 200,600.
