Olsen defended travel

EAGLE MOUNTAIN — Two weeks before former Eagle Mountain mayor Brian Olsen was accused of taking city money for trips he didn't take, he told city officials "the reimbursement is legal," according to a tape of the meeting obtained by the Deseret Morning News.

No mention of a criminal investigation had been made prior to the Oct. 3 City Council session, but Olsen was responding to some City Council members' questions about his reimbursement requests.

Specifically, some of the council wanted to know why the mayor requested a budget of $8,000 for travel reimbursements. Previous mayors' budgets for travel had been $250.

Olsen, who resigned Friday, was charged Monday in 4th District Court with seven third-degree felony counts of misuse of public funds.

On the tape of the Oct. 3 meeting, Olsen refers to a flier written and handed out by Councilman Vincent Liddiard at a meeting on Sept. 22.

"Have there been any misuse of public funds?," said the flier. "Our perception is that something is amiss, not that there is blatant illegal activity."

Liddiard asked for information about city expenditures and an outside audit of the city's procedures.

Some residents of Eagle Mountain who attended the Sept. 22 meeting — called by the City Council to resolve clashes with the mayor over the city's budget— also had questions for Olsen.

Olsen declined to answer questions until another meeting.

On Oct. 3, the next regularly scheduled council meeting, Olsen allotted himself time on the public agenda to make a statement. His statements lasted about 20 minutes, all of which was recorded.

"As mayor, I'm only interested in the facts," said Olsen, the city's first full-time mayor. "Anything which is proactive and constructive in building the city, that's what I will embrace. So, tonight, here are the facts."

In a proposed amendment to the city budget, Olsen had requested $8,000 for travel reimbursements, at which some City Council members balked.

"The fact is, the mayor has no city-issued car, nor is there a vehicle available for the mayor to use for city business," Olsen said, according to the tape. "I'm told by the city attorney that I'm entitled to mileage reimbursements for city business."

Olsen justified the amount of his budget request by referring to the city's former public works director and former city administrator, who both had car allowances in their contracts. In the city's 2006 budget, the public works director received $5,750 for the year for travel costs "no matter if he traveled or not," Olsen said.

The city administrator received $5,700 for a car allowance.

Neither position was reimbursed for mileage.