A group of Dallas City Council members is demanding answers about who approved an $800,000 Republican midterm convention in September without requiring an upfront deposit. Now, the city says it is stuck with the bill and is requesting an audit, KERA reports. Council members are also seeking clarification on who is responsible for collecting reimbursement from the Republican National Committee.
“The city has yet to receive reimbursement from the RNC for additional public safety costs incurred during the convention, leaving Dallas taxpayers to cover expenses that should have been repaid,” states a Nov. 9 memo signed by Council Members Paul Ridley, Adam Bazaldua, Paula Blackmon and William Roth. “This is unacceptable to us and raises serious questions concerning why the City did not in advance obtain financial security for the anticipated costs and efforts to collect the money owed.”
According to Kevin Oden, the city’s emergency management director, the police and fire departments took on much of the cost, which included personnel pay, overtime, barricades and vehicle use. During a financial committee meeting in October, Oden explained that the “overwhelming majority” of the expenses were already budgeted for, but did not elaborate on how expenses were budgeted for the event…