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PRINCETON, W.Va. — West Virginia State Auditor JB McCuskey was at the Mercer County Board of Education meeting Monday night to recognize a Mercer County Board of Education employee for her outstanding use of the local government purchasing card (P-Card), earning the highest rebate of any local entity in the entire state.
Julienne Smith, the Mercer County Schools Accounts Payable Supervisor, was presented with the Leona Ketz Award. The Leona Ketz Award is presented to public servants who have proven to be dedicated to using their local purchasing card for transactions, to earn their entity high rebates.
Mercer County Board of Education has consistently been leading the way in total spending put on the P-Card and in rebates earned. Since 2014, because of the commitment to using the P-Card, Mercer County Schools has earned over $647,000 in rebates. This is money that is returned to the county school system for use as they see fit. Since Auditor McCuskey took office, local school boards have earned more than $6.8 million in rebates.
“I am so proud to present this award to Julienne Smith, she represents the best of our public servants,” WV State Auditor JB McCuskey said. “Through her hard work, she has earned her county nearly $650,000 that can be put back into schools to help students in Mercer County. She is a shining example of how beneficial the P-Card can be to local communities and deserves to be recognized.”
Since 2020, Mercer County has used the P-Card more than any other Board of Education, County Commission, or local entity which participates in the State Auditor’s Office Local Government P-Card program and has earned the highest rebate.
In 2022, Mercer County Board of Education used the P-Card for nearly $10 million in payments.
“The P-Card is the preferred method of payment, it is safe, protects against fraud and offers an incentive in the form of a rebate,” Jim Smith, Director of the State Auditor’s State and Local Purchasing Card Divisions said. “Mercer County BOE recognized these benefits and, for years, Julienne has committed to taking the necessary steps to pay the county’s bills with the P-Card.”
The P-Card is a credit card used by state and local governments and agencies. Similar to a personal or business credit card rewards program, users receive rebates from the bank that issues the card. It can be used on everything from small purchases, such as office supplies, to large purchases such as copy machines or building materials.
The P-Card also offers a more efficient method of streamlining the payment process and helps to fight fraud and abuse, because P-Card transactions are tracked, and fraudulent use can be identified quickly.
The Award is named after its first recipient, McDowell County Schools Director of Finance Leona Ketz.
