Commissioners approve policy revision separating PCARD and travel card rules amid resistance from some members

Denton County Commissioners Court on May 19 approved a revision to the county purchasing policy that removes travel uses from the PCARD policy and aligns procurement rules with a newly adopted travel and training expense policy.

County staff explained the change is a product of the county’s new Workday system, which treats travel transactions differently from PCARD transactions. Scott, a county staff member involved in procurement, said the change was required because the way the travel card integrates with Workday differs from the county’s prior accounts-payable processes.

“Workday has an issue with how the travel card ties into payroll and accounts payable,” Scott said, describing the change as a system-driven alignment. County staff and the auditor's office recommended the amendment to avoid reconciliation problems and to enforce differing rules for travel versus PCARD spending.

Several commissioners criticized the need for two cards and the potential added burden on employees. One commissioner said they would likely vote against the change because it adds cards and complexity, though the court ultimately approved the amendment. Commissioners asked staff to continue exploring whether the two codes can be combined in the future and to improve communication with employees about the change.

The amendment was passed by the court; staff will implement the policy update and report back if further consolidation of card codes becomes feasible.