Cary town leaders are working through a new financial plan after a 2,600-page investigative report found the town’s savings to be below the minimum requirement.
During a finance committee meeting at 5:15 p.m. on Monday. The committee is focused on addressing the 5 recommendations from the auditor that pertain to the council only, and includes Mayor Harold Weinbrecht and council members Brittany Richards and Carissa Kohn-Johnson.
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Monday was the group's second meeting.
Town leaders were asked to participate in financial training following the July release of the 2,000-page audit, which came after allegations of wasteful spending by former Cary town manager Sean Stegall and the town’s internal controls.
Some ideas are already emerging. That includes having a group of Cary citizens oversee and make recommendations about the town council’s pay and benefits.
“I like the idea of a citizens group, because that takes the politics out of it,” Weinbrecht said.
The idea also appealed to some Cary residents.
“There should be another person vetting things, so I’m for it,” said Vincent Lee, who moved to Cary last year.
“I think that may be ok. Of course, it would depend on what kind of qualifications the committee members had,” said Marcia Cottros, a 30-year resident of Cary.
The auditor’s report alleged spending policy violations by town employees. Auditors found tens of thousands of dollars' worth of purchases that lacked clear government purpose, the report said. Those purchases included high-cost meals, alcohol expenses, travel costs, and spending tied to retreats and promotional activities, according to the report.
Some issues may be trickier to solve. That includes how and when the town should pay for council members and staff to attend conferences and travel. Those were problem areas found in the state auditor’s report. Out of the 39 recommendations made by the State Auditor’s Office in the report, two have been completed.
Monday, there was plenty of discussion on the topic, but few solid solutions just yet.
“Travel and training is something we need clarity on immediately,” said Kohn-Johnson. “I don’t think we can wait a year for a commission to do that.”
Kohn-Johnson floated the idea of a moratorium if no solutions can be settled on soon.
“We are doing our homework and reporting back here in these committee meetings,” said Kohn-Johnson
Cary leaders are looking at other towns and cities around the state - including Raleigh - to try and find solutions.
"There's a lot of moving parts," said interim town manager Russ Overton. "By the end of the week, most of the 39 recommendations will be in research, followed by development. I'll just say it again, 39 recommendations is a lot of work."
Johnson says this committee will provide an update on its work to the full town council next week. Nothing will be voted on just yet, but she stressed the goal is still to make change in Cary as quickly as possible.