District employees used their government-issued credit cards to charge more than $3 million in non-travel-related expenses during the second quarter of the fiscal year, including thousands of dollars for document shredding, fast food, cable television and electronics.
Most of the charges between January and March appear to be run-of-the-mill, cost-of-doing-business expenses such as printing, direct mail, membership organization fees, software licensing, office supplies, shipping, hardware and furniture.
But there are some curious expenses as well.
There was a $2,000 payment from the city’s Office of Human Rights to Democracyinaction.org, for example, which describes itself as a “progressive nonprofit whose core activity is providing e-advocacy tools to other progressive nonprofits.” Human Rights Director Gustavo Velasquez told The Examiner he was unfamiliar with that charge.
The Department of the Environment spent $799.60 at Maryland’s Anglers Sports Center for 40 no-harm eel traps, which it needed for an ongoing eel survey. The city contributed more than $400 to the Public Broadcasting Service. The Office of the Attorney General has a $17.98 monthly Netflix account.
Agencies charged $2,725 for Comcast Cable, $4,347 at Best Buy and $7,173 for shredding — the Office of the Mayor spent $2,409 for shredding on March 10. The single largest charge went to the Department of Health on Jan. 16: $18,905 with the medical technology company Masimo.
Employees spent $1,170 at Subway and $888.25 at McDonald’s. The Department of Transportation spent $1,170 at Subway on Jan. 16 and $3,900 at Panera Bread on Jan. 19 to feed inauguration staff and volunteers.
The Navy Yard Valet, meanwhile, charged the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs $635 over three months to clean uniforms worn by three inspectors in the Office of Weights and Measures.
