Elgin Councilman Demands Review of City Credit Card Spending After $232 in Uber Rides and $100 Baggage Fee Surface

An Elgin City Councilman wants the city to audit every credit card charge made by council members over the past year after questioning expenses that included rideshare trips and overweight luggage fees.

Councilman Anthony Ortiz raised the issue during a city council meeting Wednesday night after reviewing bills paid by the city. He did not allege any wrongdoing. But he said the charges showed the city needs clearer rules for how elected officials spend public money.

Among the expenses Ortiz questioned were $232 in Uber rideshare costs and a $100 overweight luggage fee. Both charges were tied to a conference trip taken by Councilman Corey Dixon.

While the expenses did not violate any existing city rules, Ortiz said the city should be more careful about what it pays for with taxpayer money.

"We as a council should be more proactive in discussing this and finding a middle ground on all this spending we are doing on credit cards," Ortiz said. "We all get paid to be on the council, and a lot of these expenditures we should pay out of pocket."

No written rules for council spending

City Manager Rick Kozal told the council that while city employees follow a written manual for what expenses can be charged, no such guidelines exist for council members.

"What governs expenses by employees doesn't necessarily match what the council thinks is appropriate," Kozal said.

Kozal said an employee charged for overweight luggage fees would be told to pack better before being assigned another work trip. No such standard currently applies to elected officials.

Councilwoman Diana Alfaro, a newer member of the council, said she was given a city credit card without any written instructions on how to use it.

"I didn't even know if I should keep receipts or not," Alfaro said. "I work in state government so I know in government you just keep receipts. Then I was told I had to pay the sales tax. I was like, OK, I didn't know."

Alfaro agreed the city needs clearer rules.

"There should be guidelines so it's clean-cut," she said.

Conference spending under scrutiny

Ortiz also questioned how much of the council's conference budget has been used. The council's budget allocates $9,000 for conferences and related expenses. Ortiz said about $3,000 has been spent so far this year.

He noted there is an "unspoken rule" that every council member receives $1,000 to cover expenses when attending a conference.

"In my opinion, me being a normal dude and not being a millionaire, a couple of hundred bucks is a lot of money," Ortiz said. "I think the community should know when a couple of hundred bucks are being spent to stay at a hotel or take an Uber."

Ortiz also pointed out that the council passed a requirement last year mandating that members attending conferences provide a report about what they learned and how it could help the city. According to Ortiz, no such reports have been provided.

Council agrees to review

Ortiz's motion asked city staff to analyze all credit card expenditures from 2025 through the present, update the city website to reflect those costs correctly, and return with recommendations for best practices.

"If we are already doing best practices, we'll keep doing it, but if there's something we can fix, then we fix it," Ortiz said.

Mayor Dave Kaptain said he supports the review.

"I'm a big believer in transparency," Kaptain said. "This is certainly something we all talk about, transparency, so the public knows what goes on in government. This follows through with that. I will support that."

Dixon, whose charges were referenced in the meeting, was not named during the council session. He did not violate any rules. When contacted Thursday, Dixon said he supported the review.

"I wholeheartedly support transparency, and I support measures to keep an eye on all who is spending in the course of doing business for the city, including city staff," Dixon said. "A complete review of all P-card transactions and reimbursements as well as nonbudgeted expenses that are being made by other city means should be extended to the city manager's office and all departments."

The Chicago Tribune reported the story on May 28, 2026.

Key details:

• Councilman Anthony Ortiz raised concerns about city credit card spending
• Expenses questioned included $232 in Uber rides and a $100 overweight baggage fee
• City Manager Rick Kozal confirmed no written spending guidelines exist for council members
• The council's conference budget is $9,000, with about $3,000 spent this year
• Mayor Dave Kaptain and Councilman Corey Dixon both supported the review
• City staff will analyze spending from 2025 to present and return with recommendations