Ethics Commission: Agency head reimburses public expenditures for morale-building – By Charleston Gazette Staff (wvgazettemail.com) / Oct 8 2018
Ethics Commissioners have approved a conciliation agreement with the executive director of a Regional Intergovernmental Council for Ethics Act violations involving spending on morale-building events for his employees.
Colt Sandoro, executive director of a Regional Intergovernmental Council serving Boone, Clay, Kanawha and Putnam counties, agreed to reimburse the council $352 and undergo ethics training for the misuse of council funds.
According to the Ethics complaint, Sandoro had used $350 of council funds for a morale-building event at Uncork and Create on Dec. 14, 2016. Participants at the downtown Charleston business are provided with a canvas, paint and brushes, and encouraged to create personal artwork.
Eight days later, Sandoro used $190 of council funds for an employee Christmas lunch at the Aldelphia Sports Bar in downtown Charleston. According to the complaint, alcoholic beverages were not provided at either event.
According to the agreement, the per-person cost of both events totaled $60, exceeding the $25 per person annual limit on use of public funds for employee recognition events under the Ethics Act.
Sandoro also spent $37 of council funds to buy a gift from Edible Arrangements for an employee who had a death in the family.
In the conciliation agreement, Sandoro stated that he was unaware at the time that the Regional Intergovernmental Council was a public agency subject to the state Ethics Act.
Sandoro agreed to reimburse the difference between the $540 total cost of the employee events and the $225 total permissible expenditure under the Ethics Act, as well as the cost of the bereavement gift, for a total of $352.
