Town Manager Jim Chaousis says he didn’t realize he had done it — charged $471.43 for a home oil payment on the town of Boothbay’s credit card on Dec. 19, 2011.

In reviewing a credit card statement for Dec. 5, 2011 through Jan. 4, 2012, Boothbay’s board of selectmen saw the charge sandwiched between two charges for printers and supplies. The board asked Chaousis to track the action down.

“When I did track it down, I was embarrassed to find out I was the one who had used the card,” Chaousis said. “I immediately contacted the auditor to find out how to address the error in the correct fashion, reported my findings to the board, and paid back the town.”

Chaousis said he does not remember if he used the card itself for the purchase, or if he just had its information on file at the time of use.

The board discussed the usage in executive session after the Feb. 13 meeting as a personnel issue.

“I apologized and actually suggested some kind of disciplinary action be taken,” Chaousis said. Disciplinary action was taken, but neither Chaousis nor the board will disclose what the action was.

“It has never happened before. A mistake was made and it has been addressed,” Chairman Chuck Cunningham said. “I can’t speak for the entire board, but I believe it was a one-time thing.”

In response to the incident, the board of selectmen drafted a credit card policy for town employees. The first draft was presented at its Feb. 27 meeting. Cunningham said the policy addresses who is permitted to use the municipal credit card and how it may be used. Cunningham said the board expected to finalize the policy at its March 12 meeting.

Use of the card by an employee will require authorization by the town manager; usage by the town manager will be authorized by the board chairman. Employees will also sign an agreement acknowledging understanding of the policies and procedures for the restricted use of the credit card, which are:

• No personal or private expenditures are permitted;
• No regular operating expense, i.e., phone bills, Internet agreements, will be charged;
• All expenses will be pre-approved;
• Documentation of each expense must be submitted with the credit card statement to the board;
• No cash advances will be permitted;
• Violations of use will result in disciplinary action up to and including termination or prosecution.
• Any non-approved charges or charges without receipts will be deducted from the employee’s paycheck until the amount is paid in full.

“Rather than make excuses, I accept all responsibility for what happened,” Chaousis said. “And I hope the public is satisfied with the results.”