PETERSBURG- Va. -- The city of Petersburg has changed the way it pays for travel expenses.
Monday city leaders announced the implementation of a new purchasing and travel card program which requires approval before they can be used. The city of Petersburg said the new card program will replace all existing credit cards and allow more monitoring of spending.
“This new simplified process will eliminate invoice creation, faster receipt of payments and improved cash flow, and the city will also receive a return on investment,” said Petersburg City Manager William E. Johnson, III.
In addition, cards can be used to make small purchases up to $2,500, and anything greater will go through the standard procurement process.
This comes after a CBS 6 investigation that aired last week.
CBS 6 reporter Melissa Hipolit found sheriff Vanessa Crawford charged nearly $ 20,000 on her city issued credit card for business trips to Las Vegas and Texas. Similar trips for Richmond and Henrico officials came in at less than $4,000.
Crawford said the charges were for legitimate expenditures such as training, development and networking.
