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The Washington County Sheriff's Office will start using credit cards to help them with travel arrangements so deputies can continue to attend advanced training.

Sheriff Scott Owen told the Washington County Commissioners that the problem they have run into is that almost none of the hotels they contact will accept checks or purchase orders. By statute, Sheriff Owen said the Sheriff's Office can have a credit card solely for the purpose of travel expenses. He said they were wishing to apply for a credit card for the purpose of accommodations and expenses related only to travel.

This will make things simpler for the Sheriff's Office deputies. Sheriff Owen said they will continue to use the credit card they already have for gasoline. He said they want to train their people properly and get them the proper accommodations in a timely matter.

A majority of the travel will be in-state. Sheriff Owen said if they have to send people out of state for training, they will send them to an adjoining state. He said a policy will also be written for the new credit cards that the deputies will have to follow. The plan for now is to use the credit cards in the Sheriff's Office to make electronic reservations at hotels / motels that deputies could stay in while attending the necessary training they need.

If the credit cards are used for food, Sheriff Owen said the deputies will still have to go through expense reports and show receipts to validate the purchase. He said the credit cards will generally stay in his possession and the possession of his Administrative Assistant, Lee Ann Meade.

A credit limit line of $2,500 has been set for each card. Sheriff Owen said he does not expect an expense to be over $500 to $600 at a time. He said they should be able to pay off a bill immediately when it comes to the attention of Washington County.