ECHA: Credit Card Use For Spouses –

EDGAR CO. (ECWd) –

“Public Funds”

Public funds, property or credit shall be used only for public purposes (Il. Const., Art. VIII, Section 1 (a)). Time and time again, we run into people that cannot figure out they do not have the authority to use public credit for non-public use.

With the Edgar County Housing Authority (ECHA), this paragraph doesn’t seem to exist. The documents below show a myriad of charges made to the ECHA public credit card within the past year.

These purchases show up on the November credit card statement.

$228.80 – Airline ticket for spouse of commissioner

$25.00 – Agent fee for spouse airline ticket (half of the $50 charge)
$170.00 – Commissioner Spouse registration fee

$170.00 – Commissioner Spouse registration fee

$143.74 – Hotel at Indianapolis Airport for Commissioner and Spouse

$387.10 – Airline ticket for ECHA contracted Attorney

$80.66 – Hotel for ECHA contracted Attorney

$744.75 – Hotel for ECHA contracted Attorney

$76.04 – Hotel at Indianapolis Airport

Granted, some of this has been reimbursed to the Housing Authority, and we will publish what has and has not been reimbursed – but that does not negate the fact that the act of using the public credit is considered a felony. If you don’t believe us, ask the former Mayor of Pekin, IL. People v. Howard, 228 Ill.2d 428 (2008)

View the Credit Card Statement here.

[gview file=”edgarcountywatchdogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ECHA Credit Cards 1.pdf”]