JEFFERSONVILLE —
About $78 at Victoria’s Secret. Around $185 at Paoli Peaks. One hundred two dollars and sixty cents at French Lick Springs Resort. And even a $20 charge linked to playboy.com.
All of the above are items that can be found charged to a city of Jeffersonville credit card. They’re all listed on newly released credit card statements that are now available in the Jeffersonville Clerk-Treasurer’s office.
The statements relate to an Indiana State Board of Accounts audit of city finances, released in late 2008, that led to a misdemeanor conversion charge against Clerk-Treasurer Peggy Wilder. Wilder has repeatedly said she thought the credit cards were in her name, not the city’s. The audit revealed that wasn’t the case.
The personal purchases were repaid privately, not by the city.
ON THE STATEMENTS
The non-city related purchasing took place between 2000 and 2005, though statements all the way up to late 2008 are now on file.
There are numerous restaurant and retail purchases. Several charges to online music services — such as eMusic and Rhapsody — were made. Hotel charges appear on 18 of the statements, between April 2000 and July 2003.
A few of the charges are cryptic. A reporter called the toll-free number listed along side the “PEI ONLINE” charge and was thanked for contacting playboy.com customer service. A toll-free number listed alongside the IBILLCS.com charge directed callers to “jump into fun, exciting live talk now” and has bikini photo galleries.
“Certainly, those are inappropriate to be on the city’s credit card,” said Jeffersonville City Council President Nathan Samuel.
Samuel said he hasn’t seen the statements and isn’t interested in looking through the purchases. However, he added, “I’m glad they’re available. Glad they’ve finally been released.”
There are also numerous charges which appear to be related to city business, such as to Indiana Cities and Towns and National League of Cities.
All but the last few credit card bills were mailed to City Hall and are listed in the name of the city of Jeffersonville, care of Peggy Wilder. And the card statements are headed “Visa Business.”
Finance charges were paid every year the city had the card, totaling about $10,662. There are numerous over-limit charges – totaling $1,219. About $1,742 in late payments were also charged.
The account was routinely past due, many times by hundreds and sometimes by more than a thousand dollars.
In early 2008, the balance went from $11,869 to $71.43 after an $11,799 payment was mailed in.
GETTING THE RECORDS
The release of the statements has been a long time in the making. The Evening News asked for them in the summer of 2008. That request was denied, as Wilder’s office claimed they were not public record, but personal statements. The audit revealed otherwise.
A second request, made in November 2009, was finally delivered upon this week.
Jeffersonville City Attorney Darren Wilder, Peggy Wilder’s ex-brother-in-law, said part of the delay was getting copies of the credit card statements — which hadn’t been on file at City Hall — from the Indiana State Board of Accounts. After those copies were received, the city had planned to redact the personal purchases contained on the statement.
Initially, Darren Wilder said, Indiana Public Access Counselor Andrew Kossack indicated that would be legal. The paper challenged Wilder to cite the Indiana statute that would allow such redaction.
Darren Wilder said he went back to Kossack at that point.
“I explained again [and Kossack] had a different opinion,” he said.
Not all of what the paper asked for was delivered upon. Only credit card statements from the city’s Fifth Third Bank account have been released. A second card, issued by Republic Bank, is referenced in the state board of accounts audit. Those statements were requested at the same time as the Fifth Third statements, but Darren Wilder said they were not among what the board of accounts released.
A formal complaint to the access counselor’s office may be filed by the paper in the coming weeks.
Peggy Wilder did not return calls to her office or cell phone Thursday seeking comment.
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