County-wide travel ban doesn’t extend to the top in Prince George’s County. Fire & other employees told to stay home. County Exec in Africa.

Employees of the Prince George’s County (MD) Fire/EMS Department and all county agencies are still in the process of giving back two weeks pay as part of a furlough plan conceived by County Executive Jack Johnson. Like other state and local governments across the country, Prince George’s County has also implemented other tough cut backs on spending.

An order outlining severe restrictions on things like training, printing, office supplies and membership fees is the current guideline for the fire department and other county agencies. Among the restrictions is a ban on travel except “for most critical agency core services or mandated employee certifications”.

The order goes on to say, “If employees wish to travel for any reason (for example to speak at a conference) they must either get the sponsoring organization to pay the expenses, or pay the costs themselves”.

As we write this Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson, along with other top county officials and business leaders, are in Africa. It is part of a trade mission. Beyond that there is a certain amount of secrecy over the trip. This morning’s Washington Post has an article by Rosalind Helderman outlining some of her efforts to find out the basic details:

Where in Africa? Johnson’s chief spokesman isn’t saying, exactly. The executive was visiting Cameroon for sure, said spokesman James P. Keary, but he said the trip might involve stops in other countries.

Keary said he could not release a complete list of county workers who accompanied Johnson (D), nor say whether the county would foot the bill for the trip, as taxpayers have done for Johnson’s past overseas missions. In his six years in office, Johnson has visited India, Senegal, Gambia, Nigeria and Tanzania.

When Helderman didn’t get answers to her questions she went right to the top:

Johnson did not return a message left on his cellphone. His chief of staff, Michael D. Herman, who Keary indicated was traveling in Africa with Johnson, answered his cellphone yesterday and then hung up. He did not return a subsequent message or e-mail.

Keary said it would be false to suggest any secrecy surrounds the trip.

What the Post article didn’t mention is the current travel ban for county employees. A number of fire department employees have contacted STATter 911 over recent days wondering if the trip to Africa falls within the money saving guidelines put in place by Jack Johnson’s own administration.

It appears we will have to wait to get an answer to that question.