Today the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office received its copy of the Annual Financial Report of Bradley County for the year ended, June 30, 2007.

Because earlier in the budget year the Bradley News Weekly questioned the credit card purchases of the BCSO, it is worth noting that the auditors found all of the Sheriff’s Office credit card purchases to be compliant with the law and for official purposes.

The auditor did note some minimal use of the credit card for official items other than emergencies or travel and recommended when it is not an emergency to utilize the county’s purchase order system to make those non-travel related purchases. However, the auditor did note that the county’s credit card policy did not prohibit such use and if that was the county’s intention, the policy needed to be clarified.

The BCSO would like to point out that each time the credit card was used for official purposes for non-travel related items that were not emergency related; the credit card purchase resulted in a savings to taxpayers or was used because the vendor did not take purchase orders. For example, on 1/22/07, two vacuum cleaners were purchased for the BCSO and because they were on sale at the time, the employees decided to use the credit card instead of a purchase order to take advantage of the sale time, which was ending. This legitimate use of the credit card actually saved taxpayer money on the cost of the vacuum cleaners.

Sheriff Tim Gobble commends the men and women of the BCSO for being good stewards of taxpayer money and performing their duties in an exemplary manner.