By Dalton Main, Kentucky Public Radio
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Kentucky auditor's office says it was unable to assess the "reasonableness" of a luxury suite purchased by the Department of Fish and Wildlife last year.
The $3,900 suite at Louisville Slugger Field was listed under promotional expenses in the interest of spreading awareness for the department and its campaigns. But Terry Sebastian from the state Auditor's office says the benefits from the suite were unclear.
"Fish and Wildlife could not provide definite evidence as to which employees attended the events or which if any of their business partners attended."
Mark Maraccini with the Department of Fish and Wildlife says the partnership garnered a great deal of exposure for the organization.
"Competition for people's recreational time is more fierce than it's ever been, we don't get tax revenue here, we exist through the sale of hunting and fishing licenses, and we compete for that recreational time, so marketing ourselves to a diverse audiences of people who like to get outdoors is very important to us."
Sebastian says the auditor's report might be different with clearer documentation of the benefits. He says the purpose of the auditor's statement is to encourage all agencies to properly document expenditures and their benefits.