State watchdogs are questioning why the Ohio Department of Natural Resources provides purchasing cards to nearly a third of its 1,850 employees after they found one worker using such cards to pay for his home heating for more than a decade.

The Ohio Inspector General’s report issued last week calls for ODNR to review the necessity of issuing cards to so many employees and look to strengthen the review process for the cards, which are used like credit cards.

This follows the finding that David Insley, a supervisor at a fish hatchery in Erie County, had since 2000 paid for propane to heat his home on hatchery grounds, costing the state $5,163 since 2004.

“The bigger concern grows out of what happened here. There was a great example of ODNR having a tough time managing the oversight of the use of the card in this particular instance,” said Deputy Inspector General Carl Enslen. “So the question becomes is oversight being well done everywhere (and) is there really a necessity to have that many cards out?”

Statewide, there are 4,045 purchasing cards issued for the state’s 54,049 employees, according to a Dayton Daily News analysis of state data.

Only one agency has even half the 1,216 cards that ODNR issues. That is the Department of Transportation, which has 743 cards and 5,371 employees. Job and Family Services has 3,698 employees and 139 cards.

ODNR officials say they are reviewing the OIG investigation, which was launched at ODNR’s request.

“ODNR cooperated throughout the investigation of former employee David Insley. We also conducted an internal investigation which led to his termination in June,” said agency spokeswoman Bethany McCorkle.

In addition to the purchase of propane, the OIG report said that the four employees of the hatchery — each of whom had a purchasing card — questioned the purchase of blacktop sealer, fertilizer and mulch as possibly used at Insley’s house on hatchery grounds.

Insley was charged in January with theft, but the charges against him in Erie County court in Sandusky were dropped in June.

Insley told state investigators that a supervisor told him he could charge the state for propane, though he was unable to name the supervisor or when he was told that, according to the OIG report.

The Castalia fish hatchery in Erie County is one of six fish hatcheries operated by the ODNR. It is where all of the state’s steelhead trout is raised, as well as rainbow trout used to stock state lakes.

ODNR is responsible for the state’s nature conservation efforts, wildlife and natural resources.