Hoke County Commission’s Unbridled Travel Expenses

The Hoke County Commission, per capita, spends up to 10 times the amount in tax revenue for travel than Fayetteville’s mayor and city council members—22 cents vs. 2.

The News-Journal reported on Jan. 15 that the Hoke County Commissioners ran up bills for, “…$63,564.22, $37,571, $37,309, $26,969, and $26,355 for travel each year in recent years.” With five commissioners, that comes to roughly $12,715 per politician—using the largest figure. With roughly 58,000 residents in the county, it calculates to spending about 22 cents per man, woman and child in the county to visit, among other places, the nation’s capital, Miami, Tampa and other locations.

Conversely, the newspaper’s article also states the Fayetteville mayor’s travel and education budget is limited to $5,000 annually. The nine elected council members are each allotted $4,000 (slightly more than what is cost each Hoke commissioner to visit sunny Tampa last year).

Fayetteville has 210,000 residents, which means the municipality’s chief official spends less than 2 cents per man, woman and child in that tax base. The per capita travel-expense rate for council members is slightly below that figure.

Comparing per capita figures, Hoke County commissioner travel expenses are ten, almost 11, times higher than that of Fayetteville’s mayor and council—22 cents per resident, compared to two.

Even using the lowest travel-expense year for Hoke County Commission its bills still tower over those spent by Fayetteville’s leaders. Five commissioners equally dividing the $26,355 comes to an average expense, each, of $5,271 (more than the annual budget allowed for Fayetteville’s mayoy). That’s 9 cents per capita, more than quadruple those from Fayetteville, where frugal leaders travel to attract new businesses and jobs.

With nine Fayetteville council members at $4,000, and a mayor at $5,000, the city travel budget for the elected board comes in at $41,000 annually. With Hoke County spending $63,564.22—roughly 50 percent more—there’s no shortage of critics wondering if any sort of limit is imposed on their travel spending.

Raleigh Luxury Accommodations?

The response to our Freedom of Information Act request this month hints that concern is a legitimate one. During a 2024, two-day Hoke County Commissioner’s budget retreat in Raleigh, the elected officials racked up $2,372.59 in lodging/hotel bills, $3,000 in meals and $624.45 in mileage. Total drain on the Hoke County budget to conduct the meeting—one that would have been less expensive or free in Raeford—came to $5,997.04. That’s nearly $1,200 per commissioner.

The disparity in lodging expenses during the May trip highlights oversight—or lack thereof—concerns. One commissioner ran hotel/lodging charges up to $873.14. Another’s bill came in at $60.03.

Reserving rooms en-bloc is a budget-saving tactic employed by even moderate-sized firms. When that’s impossible for a small group, a cap on hotel expenses is also routine. Precisely why neither fiscally sound tactic isn’t employed by Hoke County is unknown.

Lodging totals for commissioners, itemized and in descending order, were $873.14, $693.24, $406.57, $338.62 and $60.03. All five members received an identical $600 meal allowance. Mileage reimbursement was also the same at $124.89, each.

The disparity in lodging expenses leads a few readers to speculate that no one among Hoke County’s paid staff is authorized to cap commissioner trip expenses, much less veto luxury/extended hotel stays without risking job security or harassment.