For Fire District 13 management - Taxpayers pay pricy hotel and restaurant tabs

The administrators and com-missioners of Fire District 13 spent more than $12,000 traveling around the state to various trade gatherings last year.

Receipts and reimbursement records obtained through public records requests show that Chief Roy Horn hit the road seven times — once for training and six times for various conventions and conferences. The district’s records show that of those six trade gatherings, then Commissioner Jim Grove and Commissioner Chuck Hedlund each attended three; Secretary Deborah McFarlane attended two; and former Commissioner Doug Avery made it to one.

In contrast, two neighboring fire districts spent much less on road trips for their elected officials and staff. Fire District 11, the Mt. Erie department, spent around $1,500 for hotels and restaurants last year, according to Chief Mike Noyes. And Fire District 2, the McLean Road department, spent $2,632 on travel expenses, said Chief Bryan Ekkelkamp. And the Town of La Conner didn’t spend any money on food or lodging for Fire Chief Dan Taylor, said Finance Director Maria De Goede, although the town spent about $1,400 on travel for other town officials.

The most expensive of Fire District 13’s tax-funded trips was a three-day sojourn at Campbell’s Resort in Chelan last May, which cost the district more than $4,300. Nearly $1,000 of that was mileage reimbursement for Grove, Hedlund, Avery and McFarlane, who apparently each rode in separate vehicles.

The Lake Chelan trip, which was one of three Washington Fire Commissioners Association gatherings attended by District 13 officials in 2013, also produced one of the biggest restaurant bills — four people enjoyed dinners ranging in price from $31.95 for New York steak to $39.95 for lamb chops at the Wapato Point Cellars in Manson near Lake Chelan on May 31. That tab came to $181.77, including a $20 tip, and was charged to a district MasterCard issued to Grove.

A five-night trip to Pasco in October by Horn and com-missioners Grove and Hedlund for another Fire Commissioners Association gathering cost the district $3,579, including the $300 per person event registration fees. Grove put $887.65 for a room at the Red Lion Hotel on the district’s MasterCard issued in his name. That amount included restaurant purchases charged to the room.

Horn and Hedlund stayed at the Best Western — Horn’s room tab was $947.60, and Hedlund’s was $632.40 — both charged to the district MasterCard issued to Horn. Later, Horn reimbursed the district $315.20 for his room upgrade.

The records also show that in March 2013, the district spent more than $1,800 to send Horn, Hedlund and McFarlane on a two-day trip to Ocean Shores for another Fire District Commissioners Association gathering.

This year, the District 13 officials have still been going on out-of-town excursions. At last week’s board meeting, Horn and his wife Maggie, who is the district’s administrative assistant, were talking about their trip to the Washington Fire Chiefs Conference, which was held May 19 through 23 in Eastern Washington.