JACKSON (MCT) — As the public — and the economy — demands more frugality and accountability from government, one expense that costs Mississippi taxpayers millions a year appears to have gotten little attention or trimming.

Food.

State agencies from the governor’s office on down hold luncheons, dinners and seminars and pick up the food tab. The total costs are difficult to divine from state records, but the “food for business meetings” labeled payments alone from fiscal 2004 to ‘11 totaled about $13 million. The “food for persons” category would appear to challenge that total, but its expenditures are mingled with nearly $280 million of food purchases that include hospitals and other programs that serve masses. And other food expenses — many millions — are paid as per diems and reimbursement to individual employees or credit cards.

Until recently, it would have been nearly impossible for the public, media, watchdog groups or even state lawmakers to scrutinize any state agency spending on food or other specifics. But some recent “sunshine” laws passed by the Legislature, and the work of the nonprofit Mississippi Center for Public Policy, are providing online access to state spending details in relatively searchable formats.

Could the spending on meals be cut? Agency officials’ answers are mixed.

‘Still taxpayer money’

“It’s big money,” said State Auditor Stacey Pickering. “Of course it could be reduced.”

Pickering’s agency is one of the lowest spenders on meeting meals — an average of less than $800 a year over eight years — among the larger state agencies. He said since he took office in 2008 he’s virtually eliminated such spending.

“That responsibility rests with every agency head, but few of them ever sit down and go through the minutiae of how they spend money,” Pickering said. “If they did, they would find thousands and thousands of dollars they could save.”

The state Department of Education has been one of the biggest spenders on meals, averaging more than $612,000 a year on food for meetings. But it’s also one of few that appears to have greatly curtailed such spending to date.

Department spokesman Pete Smith said education officials, including Superintendent Tom Burnham, who took office last year, have realized such spending on meals for meetings is “completely unacceptable.” For fiscal ‘11, the agency spent $387,000, compared with $772,000 for fiscal ‘04. For fiscal ‘12, Smith said, the figure should be even lower.

Smith said the agency has cut out some of its conferences, looked for free or cheap public facilities for gatherings and is trying to use video conferencing, teleconferencing and other technology for meetings.

Smith said training required by federal programs is still being done.

“It didn’t hinder the mission,” Smith said. “… It was a leadership decision.”

Other officials appeared to take umbrage at questions about their food or meeting spending.

Although he declined to be interviewed about the average $103,500 a year his agency has spent on food, Attorney General Jim Hood’s office issued a statement saying such expenditures are for meals during the training he is required to provide law enforcement, judicial employees and prosecutors. It said the spending is from federal money, fines or other special funds, not direct state tax dollars.

“Mississippi is a safer place because of this training and we plan to continue,” the statement said.

Several agency officials noted that the bulk of their spending on meals and conferences comes from federal or other funds.

Forest Thigpen, president of the watchdog group Mississippi Center for Public Policy, bristles at this.

“I am sick and tired of politicians and bureaucrats who treat federal money as if it’s Monopoly money,” Thigpen said. “It’s still taxpayer money.”

‘Promotional expenses’

The Mississippi Development Authority is another big spender on meals. Just how big is hard to determine. From ‘04 to ‘11 its food for “persons” and “business meetings” totaled more than $659,000. But it also spent $823,600 labeled “promotional dinners receptions” and $44,300 labeled “promotional dinner MDA employee.” It also spent about $7.8 million listed as “promotional expense MDA only,” which would appear to include some food costs.

But officials with MDA, the state’s economic-development agency, said providing meals and entertainment for consultants and potential clients and promoting the state at events is a large part of its mission. And they said their agency brings billions to taxpayers in return, landing new businesses and jobs for Mississippi.

Kathy Gelfton, deputy director of MDA, said drastically cutting the agency’s spending on food and entertainment would be a bad move. She said Mississippi spends less on such recruiting measures than other states.

“I believe it would hinder economic development,” she said. “… I understand for people who don’t understand economic development those numbers may look really large. But I don’t know another agency that can say it’s cut its (number of employees) by 15 percent over the last 10 years …. We’re trying to work smarter.”

Training required

Several agencies said having conferences and training sessions is mandatory, a requirement of the federal programs they administer or professional certifications their employees must keep current.

Melinda McGrath, interim director of MDOT, said since she took the helm in March she has pushed to reduce spending on meals, meetings and travel. But, she said, her agency is huge, about 3,500 employees, and is required to provide training and updates to keep up with federal and regulations and industry practices.

MDOT has spent an average of at least $141,000 a year on meals for employee meetings and training.

“I said, ‘Look guys, we’re not going to feed somebody lunch just because it’s convenient to them’,” McGrath said. “There’s got to be a viable reason, like if a meeting is going to run 5, 6 or 7 hours and it would be better to keep them there and keep working through lunch.”

McGrath said MDOT already uses video and other technology for meetings, but some meetings don’t lend themselves to the technology.

McGrath and others said it’s often cheaper to feed employees than to let them charge meals to the state in “per diem expenses. When tate workers travel they are allowed up to $31 to $46 a day for meals, depending on the area.

But Pickering disagrees.

“We have two main training sessions a year, that our accountants and CPAs have to have,” Pickering said. “We bring in an expert for the training. They have their per diem for lunch, but I’m not going to cater it. I think it’s cheaper to do it that way.”

Mansion meals

The governor’s office is another relatively big spender on food, with much appearing to be for the Governor’s Mansion. Spending listed on the MCPP site for the governor averaged about $129,000 a year since ‘04. But a look at Department of Finance and Administration records for the last three fiscal years shows amounts ranging from about $180,000 to $200,000 a year.

Some of the mansion food appears to be top drawer, such as food from Halperns Purveyors of Steak and Seafood, an Atlanta-based shop that ships gourmet beef. The governor’s office has spent nearly $44,000 with Halperns over the last three fiscal years.

Governor’s spokeswoman Laura Hipp in a statement said, “The Governor’s Office and Mansion have reduced spending each fiscal year on food purchases and other needs just as most every agency has had to reduce spending. The amount an agency spends on all of its needs should be reassessed each year with the goal of finding ways to save taxpayer dollars.

“The cost of food for the Governor’s Office and the Mansion includes receptions such as the Dixie National Junior Sale of Champions, Christmas receptions for legislators, the media and Christmas Ornament Contest winners, and award events, like the Medal of Service. The cost also includes food for the governor and first lady and for trustees who live on the mansion grounds.”

Barbour’s office and mansion spending has generally been lower than his predecessor’s, budget records show. In 2001, governor spending was about $3 million. For ‘11 it was about $2.6 million and Barbour’s has been as low as $2.2 million in ‘07.

Sunshine and transparency

Some officials said they understand the public is looking for more accountability and less spending.

“They see the waste and they see agencies that maybe are not sacrificing the way they are,” Pickering said. “Some of the voter anger and that of the TEA parties is justified, very justified.”

House Appropriations Chairman Johnny Stringer said lawmakers have been setting most agency budgets as “lump sum” and he would like to have more control over spending.

“I think we need to designate more what goes where, and they need to justify when they move money around,” Stringer said.

Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, now a gubernatorial candidate, helped push for “sunshine” legislation to make government spending records more accessible to the public through the DFA’s website. He said he is pleased that Thigpen’s group is making records even more searchable at Seethe spending.org.

“That was our intention with the sunshine act for DFA to do with its transparency website,” Bryant said. He said he has been pressuring DFA to make its spending database as easy to use as Seethespending.org and the agency assured him it’s in the works.

Bryant vowed to push for more transparency and cuts in government expenses such as food and travel.

Pickering also praised Seethespending.org and the transparency site.

“Roaches run when you turn the light on,” Pickering said. “Transparency is good. Is it difficult sometimes? Yes, but if you’re a good steward, you ought to be glad … Government officials have to realize, ‘I better be real clear about the reason I’m spending on this, or maybe I shouldn’t be spending it.’”

Thigpen said he wants to see government trim the fat. But he said “by far the bulk of government spending is in personnel” and some major overhauling is needed.

“We need to look at whole programs we don’t have to have,” Thigpen said. “We can make things more efficient, but there are some things government just shouldn’t be doing. Some things or agencies might have had a purpose when they were created. But like Ronald Reagan said, ‘The closest thing on earth to eternal life is a government program.’”

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(c)2011 The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.)

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