WEBBERS FALLS — Police officers say they have used the town’s fuel credit card to put gas in town trustees’ vehicles on several occasions.

Both Police Chief Tim Brown and Officer Mark Adney said Mayor Jewell Horne told them to use the Fuelman cards assigned to them to put fuel in her and other trustees’ vehicles.

Adney said the number of times he has put fuel into other vehicles can easily be traced on the town’s fuel purchase records because he puts the odometer reading in as 100,000 when it is not his patrol car being fueled.

Town records show Adney used that code once in January and three times in February. His other odometer entries were 14,000, 144,000, 146,000 and 177,000 in February.

Brown used a progressive odometer reading during that time. He said he put gas in Horne’s vehicle once but never fueled other trustees’ vehicles.

The practice of using police credit cards to fuel trustee vehicles will be stopped, Horne said last week.

Town auditor Barry Spyres said it would be a better accounting practice to reimburse trustees for their mileage.

“Cost reimbursement is always better,” Spyres said.

Horne said she is considering changing to that system but has not had an opportunity to take it to the board of trustees for a vote.

She said she had gasoline put in private vehicles to reimburse trustees for driving to Tulsa or Fort Smith to take water samples or to pick up supplies.

“Johnny Pollard made trips to Tulsa to pick up parts,” Horne said. “We’ve had trouble with the sewer, we’ve had trouble with the water plant. He’s gone to pick up parts, he’s taken water samples to Tulsa. Loren Dwyer’s done the same thing — gone to Fort Smith, Muskogee, numerous times, Tulsa.”

The amount of gasoline, according to Fuelman records, varies from less than seven gallons to more than 19 gallons.

“I just figure up — if I was figuring I would just figure about how many times I think they’ve used the car — kind of go by that. But really and truthfully, I doubt they are even getting the gas that they’re using for the town when they put gas in their car there.”

Reach Liz McMahan at 684-2926 or lmcmahan@muskogeephoenix.com.