"I have to plead ignorance," said Highlands College President J. Randy Pierce. "It's not something where we thumbed our noses at anyone. It was an honest mistake."
Gov. Sonny Perdue ordered state employees in October to stop washing cars to conserve water during the ongoing drought. He also banned installing landscaping at new state facilities and power-washing buildings.
Some folks apparently didn't get the memo.
Several state employees, including Pierce, used their government purchase cards to pay for car washes after the governor's edict came out, according to records obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The newspaper looked at purchase cards used by state employees from Sept. 27 through Oct. 31, the most recent data available. Employees spent more than $12,000 during that period at car washes and landscaping businesses and for pressure-washing services. Most of those purchases were made before Oct. 24, the day Perdue issued the washing ban.
But some employees used their cards to pay for car washes on the day of the order or during the following week.
Pierce washed his state car, at a cost of $13.95, at Magic Touch Car Wash on Oct. 29, according to the purchase card records.
Georgia Highlands officials said usually they get a memo from the University System of Georgia chancellor's office when the governor issues an order.
Dana Davis, who handles public relations for the school, said some staffers got the memo, but it probably never made it to the president's office.
"It's sounds like the dog ate my homework (excuse), but it's really the truth," she said.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2007/12/204763