Butler County Commissioner Jim Eckstein on Wednesday targeted county Treasurer Diane Marburger for her travel expenses.

Eckstein chided Marburger, claiming she was overspending on a June trip to Clarion County for the annual County Treasurers Association of Pennsylvania.

“She did it deliberately,” Eckstein said.

He bashed Marburger, who wasn’t at the meeting at that time, before the commissioners could vote on travel requests. Commissioner Dale Pinkerton said Eckstein was out of line.

“This isn’t the time for this,” Pinkerton said.

Commissioner Bill McCarrier agreed, stopping Eckstein from speaking further.

However, Eckstein resumed his critique during commissioner comments, which now occur near the end of the meeting.

He said the $200 daily cost was too high.

Marburger, who arrived prior to public comment, rebutted Eckstein’s comments. She explained the cost included meals and use of the meeting rooms at the Holiday Inn.

As president of the treasurers association, Marburger is required to stay at the host site for the conference.

She said the cost falls within a state cap set for annual meetings of such associations.

Marburger disagreed with the comment Eckstein made on her travel request form that this was an example of entitlement.

“This is not entitlement,” she said.

During an interview, Marburger stressed Eckstein didn’t ask her any questions about the trip. He just wrote remarks on the form.

“He never called me,” she said.

Eckstein said during the meeting his repeated complaints about the travel expenses of county employees and elected officials don’t qualify as criticism.

He termed his commentary as just stating facts.

Marburger had another way to describe Eckstein’s remarks.

“I would call that shortsightedness on his part,” she said during the interview.

However, Eckstein wasn’t restricted to criticism. He praised the public defender’s office for saving money on a trip.

But he vehemently objected to his fellow board members changing the policy for commissioner trips.

The board voted 2 to 1 for commissioners listing their trip expenses ahead of time just as employees and row officers do.

Eckstein, who outspent his fellow commissioners so far this year by scheduling more trips, accused Pinkerton and McCarrier of trying to prevent him from traveling.

“You’re trying to restrict the amount of money I spend,” Eckstein said.

McCarrier disagreed.

“This is about transparency,” he said.

McCarrier insisted he wouldn’t stop Eckstein from attending conferences.

“I’m not here to police Commissioner Eckstein,” McCarrier said.

He questioned why Eckstein, who touts transparency in government as one of his goals, would oppose having his projected expenses available to the public.

“What do you fear about this?” McCarrier asked.