KY auditor reviews Matt Bevin’s use of state aircraft and calls for more transparency
Kentucky Auditor Mike Harmon is calling on state lawmakers to take action for greater transparency on the usage of the state’s aircraft by elected officials.
In a review released Wednesday of the use of state aircraft by former Gov. Matt Bevin and Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton between January 2016 and September 2019, Harmon said only 16 of 309 flights had their purpose documented.
He said he reviewed travel provided by the Kentucky State Police aircraft branch and the state Transportation Cabinet’s Capital City Aircraft Division. Aircraft operated by the state police were used on 289 of 309 flights.
Under state law, the purpose of flights in aircraft operated by state police does not have to be documented.
“Law enforcement flight activities need to remain confidential and undisclosed, but flights transporting government officials do not require the same level of privacy,” said Harmon in his report.
“Though these flights are not law enforcement missions, KSP flights transporting officials, including the governor and lieutenant governor, are not explicitly required to comply with statutory flight information requirements.”
While not required by law, the Bevin administration created and used an allocation form to document the percentage of official and non-official flight time and to calculate reimbursement amounts for non-official flights, the audit said.
The internal forms were not provided to the KSP or the Transportation Cabinet, which would “offer an added layer of transparency in the process,” Harmon said.
“Unlike flights for law enforcement purposes, protection from disclosure requirements shouldn’t extend to the use of taxpayer owned and funded aircraft by their elected leaders for both official and non-official business,” Harmon said.
“That is why I’m advocating for changes in law by the General Assembly that will create a consistent way to disclose the purpose of flights by the governor and lieutenant governor.”
Harmons’ review found at only 16 of 309 flights had documented purposes.
The 16 trips with documentation were among the 20 flights taken using the state Transportation Cabinet’s Capital City aircraft, he said.
None of the 289 flights on state police aircraft, costing more than $800,000, had a documented purpose.
Harmon’s audit also found that reimbursements for personal flights on state aircraft did not include state police overnight crew fees.
Since 2017, state police has billed overnight crew fees as executive security costs instead of reporting them to the governor’s office.
Before 2017, state police flight information submitted to the governor’s office included more than $8,300 in flight crew fees.
Of that, $5,200 was for flights reimbursed by a “non-state entity,” Harmon said, but these crew fees were not included in the reimbursement. The non-state entity was not disclosed.
If a non-state entity reimbursed 100 percent of the flight costs, the $5,200 billed to taxpayers likely should have been included, Harmon said.
Bevin first declined to say last September why he took state planes outside of Kentucky over two years. He later disclosed the purpose of 148 trips.
“This report should serve as a basis for improving transparency and accountability when it comes to our state airplanes and how elected leaders use them,” said Harmon.
“It is my hope that the General Assembly, along with current and future governors, carry out our recommendations as a commitment to taxpayers for open and good government.”
Harmon sent his findings to Gov. Andy Beshear, who took office last Dec. 10.
The analysis can be reviewed on Harmon’s website.
Harmon said he originally intended to review the use of state aircraft by both Bevin and Beshear, but documentation for Beshear was not sufficient enough to compare the two administrations.
Beshear said he support Harmon’s call for more transparency about the use of state aircraft. He has said he will disclose the purpose and funding for every trip he takes.
Senate President Robert Stivers had no immediate comment on the review. House Speaker David Osborne said through a spokeswoman that he declined to comment at this point.
This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 10:03 AM.
