Countywide : Sheriff’s Dept. Will Be Reimbursed for 2 Trips

Ending a 3-year-old dispute over an accounting matter, the Board of Supervisors Tuesday unanimously agreed to reimburse the Sheriff’s Department for $477.96, the cost of two trips taken by Sheriff-Coroner Brad Gates in 1986.

On separate trips that year to Sacramento and Visalia, Gates was flown by his department’s Aero Squadron Reserve Unit rather than commercial jets. Gates opted to use the special aviation unit--a volunteer group of deputized private pilots and planes--because he said it was more convenient than using a commercial carrier.

The volunteer pilots provide their personal aircraft for department assignments without pay, though the pilots are reimbursed for fuel. The fuel costs for Gates’ two trips, both involving department business, was $477.96. Commercial flights to both destinations would have cost $392.

Gates paid the private pilots out of the Sheriff’s Department petty cash fund, but when he sought reimbursement from the county, he was rebuffed. County auditors said the trips violated county government’s travel policy because the personal escort cost more than a commercial flight.

But last month, the county administrative office recommended that the supervisors reimburse the Sheriff’s Department for the two trips. On Tuesday, the board voted, 4 to 0, to pay the money and end the accounting dispute. Board members did not discuss the issue before taking the vote.