Latest audit in City Council gas card usage presented to Financial Oversight and Audit Committee
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The City of El Paso's Chief Internal Auditor, Edmundo Calderon, presented his new report on taxpayer-funded gas card usage by members of City Council from the years 2020 and 2021.
ABC-7 reported on the numbers found within the report on Monday.
These new audits ABC-7 obtained are from 2020 and 2021, and they show similar spending habits from Hernandez, who is running for mayor, and Rodriguez, who is currently running for the County Commissioner Precinct 1 seat as a Republican.
The findings show that in 2020, Hernandez's gas card was used to spend $1,700 -- the highest among all city reps that year. A close second was Rodriguez, with a bit less than $1,700. In third place was former District 2 Representative Alexsandra Annello, with almost $1,400. The rest of the city representatives at the time spent less than $400 combined.
Listed is an entire breakdown of KVIA's coverage of the gas card audits, and subsequent follow ups from April 2023 till the publishing of this article.
• Internal audit investigates city council's use of taxpayer-funded purchasing, gas cards
• ABC-7 Xtra: Audit finds inconsistencies in taxpayer-funded gas cards
• El Paso City Council discusses "excessive" use of city representatives' taxpayer-funded gas cards
• City Representative Hernandez addresses questions on alleged "excessive" use of city-issued fuel card
• New report on El Paso representatives' use of taxpayer-funded gas cards
• El Paso representative hosts gas card giveaway
• ABC-7 obtains video showing husband of El Paso City representative using taxpayer-funded gas card
• Ethics complaint filed against El Paso District 3 representative following gas card misuse controversy
• How did former District 6 City Rep. Claudia Rodriguez spend $7,555.48 of taxpayer money in one day?
• Mayor Leeser: Auditor felt 'pressured' to 'change his report' on taxpayer-funded gas card audit
• El Paso City Council votes to have outside counsel search for independent investigator to look into purchasing and gas card audit findings
• El Paso D.A. says his office never declined EPPD investigation into misuse of city gas cards
• El Paso Rep. Hernandez accounts for 40% of taxpayer-funded gas purchases in 2023, audit says usage "appears excessive"
• City council working lunches that cost El Paso taxpayers $17,000+ since 2022 now off the table
• Rep. Hernandez refunds City of El Paso $6,700 for "excessive" gas card use, records show
JULY 2023
• El Paso City Manager terminates elected officials' use of taxpayer-funded gas card
• Ethics Commission finds City Representative Hernandez violated City Ethics Code
• El Paso auditor does further analysis of council members’ use of gasoline cards; information being withheld for now
• El Paso D.A. says his office never declined EPPD investigation into misuse of city gas cards
AUGUST 2023
• El Paso city representatives Kennedy, Annello respond to ethics complaints
• Annello fuel card complaint dismissed by city ethics commission
OCTOBER 2023
• Ethics complaint against El Paso Rep. Brian Kennedy withdrawn
FEBRUARY 2024
• FBI El Paso is done investigating city representatives’ use of taxpayer-funded gas cards
MARCH 2024
APRIL 2024
• Audit reveals more "excessive" gas card usage from city representatives in 2020, 2021
