A probe sought of Rocky's Italy trip
Party leader James Evans said Wednesday he is sending a letter Friday to David Yocom formally requesting the investigation. He said several others will also send similar letters calling for investigation based on the precedent Yocom set during Salt Lake County Mayor Nancy Workman's misuse of public money case.
Yocom "is obligated to investigate Rocky and convene a grand jury in the same manner he did for Nancy," he said.
The call for the investigation comes a year and a day after Workman was bound over for trial.
Workman was acquitted of all charges.
City Council Chairman Dale Lambert, who initially asked his staff to investigate the trip when it appeared that tax dollars were involved in Anderson's trip, said Wednesday most of his worries were alleviated when the mayor revealed that no tax money would end up being used.
The crux of Evans' argument is that Anderson broke a state statute forbidding the use of public funds when he allowed his girlfriend, the wife of the city's deputy mayor, and other friends to have some of their food and lodging expenses paid while on a city trip to Torino.
While the $35,000 in tax money paid for initial trip expenses, the trip's total budget came in at $135,800. Private donations covered all expenses and the administration was able to pay back the tax money already spent.
Even though the trip was funded by donations, Evans argues those donations still qualify as "public monies" under the state statute since the city has specific rules governing the spending of donated monies.
According to city policy, such donations are to be put in special trust funds, separate from tax-dollar accounts but are still accountable to some of the same spending rules as other public monies.
"Trust funds are not exempt from the city's procurement policies and procedures" and city officials should "follow all procurement policies and procedures when procuring goods or services with trust fund money," according to the city's administrative policies regarding donated monies.
City records show officials did follow procedure when they put the $136,000 in private donations raised for the trip in an interest-bearing account. They also followed procedure in putting the trip's public-relations' contract out for bid. City records show Dunn Communications won that bid and was paid the lion's share, $90,000, of the total trip budget.
You can be the first to comment on this story.