Fort Worth Transportation Authority officials have reimbursed the agency for a half-day ski trip that occurred during a February transit conference in Colorado, and city officials say they're looking deeper into the T's other travel expenditures to ensure that there's no foul play.
"Anybody in public service, whether it's City Council or another entity, when you're spending taxpayer dollars you just need to be careful," said Fort Worth Councilman Jungus Jordan.The three officials who paid the $115 reimbursement were T President Dick Ruddell, Senior Vice President Tony Johnson and T board member Rosa Navejar, spokeswoman Joan Hunter said. The ski trip was included as an optional activity for attendees of the South West Transit Association annual conference Feb. 12-15 in Denver.But after questions were raised about the the expense, the officials decided to reimburse the T, Ruddell told the Fort Worth City Council in a Sept. 24 e-mail."While this conference activity provided a valuable networking opportunity with transit officials from around the country, we believe it was an event that should have been paid personally by those who attended it," wrote Ruddell, who is president of the association.T staff and board members have spent at least $53,000 on conference trips since May 2011, according to a report by CBS station KTVT/Channel 11.Fort Worth City Council members, who appoint eight of the nine T board members, say they plan their own review of the T's travel expenditures.Jordan added that he and Mayor Betsy Price asked the T this summer to hire a firm to conduct an outside performance review, to ensure that the T is conducting its business properly as it applies to the Federal Transit Administration for a $415 million grant for the proposed TEX Rail commuter line.TEX Rail would connect southwest Fort Worth to Texas Christian University, the Medical District, the Stockyards, Grapevine and DFW Airport, and could be part of a private development extending the lines as far northeast as Plano or beyond.But the project is four years behind schedule, and expected to open no sooner than 2016 - and that's if the T can secure funding.Jordan said that to his knowledge the audit hasn't been conducted, and he hasn't been given an explanation why.City officials have criticized the T several times this year, saying they're tired of delays on building the TEX Rail project.In March, after Price publicly scolded the T for dragging its feet on TEX Rail, Jordan said he and other city leaders impressed on the T board and staff the importance of taking care of every detail."After the mayor's presentation, we told them, you need to focus on getting this done, not travel as much as you have, make sure every dollar possible is going toward this project," Jordan said.On a day-to-day basis, the T operates on revenue from a half-cent sales tax charged in its member cities, including Fort Worth and Richland Hills.T officials also billed taxpayers for a Dallas conference, where they stayed in hotel rooms rather than driving home, according to the KTVT report.Gordon Dickson, 817-390-7796Twitter: @gdicksonHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
