LAS VEGAS -- First class flights, five-star hotel rooms, even access to the mini bar are paid with taxpayer money. The I-Team first exposed the millions spent by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority earlier this year. Now a change in policy to reign in spending.
All the money comes from room taxes. After three years of nearly every single expense getting the green light, from $600 hotel rooms to year-long airline club memberships to first class flights from coast to coast, the LVCVA has modified its policy for travel expenses.
Read the LVCVA's 2008 travel policy
Read the LVCVA's 2011 travel policy
First class flights were criticized before. Now they aren't an option. Everyone must be in coach for flights less than four hours. Business class is only available on international flights or domestic longer than four hours.
If execs are traveling for day trips within Clark County, like to Laughlin for example, their food will not be reimbursed. There were more specifics about what will be reimbursed for employees. These are not related to wooing clients.
Room tax money will reimburse employees for limited alcoholic beverages, access to hotel pay-per-use gyms, in-flight WiFi, plus blankets and pillows, plus access to exclusive airline lounges.
During our investigation, we found multiple cases where LVCVA staff spent thousands for the most expensive flights and hotel rooms available. The LVCVA defended the pricey decisions, saying staff needed to be rested, even while attending conferences, not wining and dining clients.
In the new policy, the words "reasonable" and "prudent" are used to show staff good judgement about booze and airfare. But there's no definition of what those exactly mean and managers still have final say. That was essentially a rubber stamp in our initial investigation.
LVCVA workers union chief Al Martinez said reform is good, but the changes don't go far enough. He said it's a joke.
"They get their little blanket and pillow paid for. I almost started laughing, to be honest with you. I buy my own blanket and my own pillow when I travel. But I think it's ridiculous," he said.
The union is currently in negotiations with the LVCVA to get some pay cuts that had been taken in the last few years. Martinez expects to use this new policy as part of leverage.
The LVCVA said it "regularly reviews policy and updates according to business needs or for clarity."
