Recent concerns regarding Grand County Commissioners’ travel budgets have been expressed in the newspapers and at Grand County Commission meetings. These concerns include lack of transparency as to how these funds are being used, disparate travel budgets among the Commissioners, and a seemingly lack of accountability for reimbursed expenses.
I was delighted that copies of “Resolution No. 2799, A Resolution Amending the Grand County Travel Policy for County Travel Expense Reimbursements and Repealing Resolutions 2218, 2791, 2793” were made available by the county at the Commission meeting on January 6, 2026. Until I read it.
This resolution contains no mention of accountability or transparency for elected officials and elected officials are not required to obtain prior approval for travel. It is unclear if elected officials are required to submit travel receipts. Maybe this resolution should be updated?
Transparency is crucial so that voters can see how their tax dollars are being spent. Thorough documentation also protects commissioners from specious accusations of improper expenditure of taxpayer funds.
A Grand County Travel Authorization and Expense Form exists and per diem expenses follow the U.S. General Services Administration rates (and not the 2007 rates included in the resolution). Let’s break down how commissioners Winfield and Martinez might spend their budgets of $7,500 each for travel using the federal rates for 2026.
An average round trip from Moab might be 550 miles (round trip from Salt Lake is 470 miles and St. George 680 miles). That cost is $385 for vehicle reimbursement per trip (550 x $0.70 per mile). Say that each trip is 2 days long. Meals and lodging would amount to $300 ($150 for meals and $150 for lodging). Therefore, a 2-day trip would cost approximately $685. This estimation can likely absorb any registration or conference fees.
Given the above travel expenditures, a $7,500 budget covers almost 11 overnight in-state trips for 2026. So, taxpayers are paying for 22 trips in 2026 for just these 2 commissioners. If the commissioners drive to meetings and back the same day, like commissioner McCandless told me she often does to save money, or they carpool, it covers even more trips.
The travel destination, purpose, and individual trip budgets of all commissioners should be available and transparent, so voters know where the commissioners are going and how each trip benefits Grand County.
Saxon Sharpe
Grand County
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