Tempers flare as council members spar over budget, proposed audit, lobbyists

One Goldsboro City Council member didn’t vote to approve the budget because it did not include funding for a forensic audit of the city’s books.

Another took exception to what he characterized as a tax hike disguised as a 17.5% water and sewer rate increase that he said local residents can’t handle with COVID-19 continuing to batter the local economy.

And a third council member who voted ‘No’ on a motion to approve the city’s formal spending plan for the 2020-21 fiscal year argued that more time was needed to ensure every dollar was spent wisely — and took aim at an $80,000 allocation for consulting, including funds set aside for Friends of Seymour, a group that lobbies on behalf of the city and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.

Tempers flared during the council’s meeting Wednesday morning before the board voted 4-3 to approve both the water and sewer rate increase and City Manager Tim Salmon’s proposed budget.

Antonio Williams, Taj Polack and Brandi Matthews voted against both measures.

From Mayor Chuck Allen telling Ms. Matthews that he was “about tired of you telling me I’m not honest” to Ms. Matthews being abruptly cut off by Allen as she delivered closing remarks, the final few moments of the session brought with them a fair share of fireworks.

The following exchanges were among the most notable:

• Williams, on multiple occasions, referred to a closed session during which council members were, he said, told that there were “a lot of problems” with the city’s books.

“There was a lot of problems. A ton of problems,” he said. “A lot of bad behavior. A lot of departments doing incorrect things.”

Williams did not give specifics, but said the information was enough to warrant a forensic audit of the city’s finances — that without an allocation for the independent investigation included in the 2020-21 budget, he would vote against passing it.

“We have to have a forensic audit. I mean, look at the Board of Education and what they’re going through. We have citizens asking them to all step down due to their lack of attention to their financial health,” he said. “I’m not saying that we’re the School Board. But I am saying we need to assure our citizens that we are paying attention to how their tax dollars are being spent. The forensic audit allows us to do so.”

• Williams and Ms. Matthews also took issue with funding Friends of Seymour.

“Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is important. We have a Military Affairs Committee that informs us how things are going regarding Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. I support our base, but in these tight budget times, it is tough for me to justify to my constituents an $80,000 allocation of funds to a group that some members of our council are just learning about,” Williams said. “We have cut the budget for a lot of our outside agencies. I do not think it would be fair to not look at cutting that budget. I hope Friends of Seymour can understand the complexity of our budget and our need to cut costs to where we are able to keep our city moving forward.”

Ms. Matthews agreed, and also had a problem with Allen and other council members’ ties to the organization — a relationship she and Williams both characterized as a conflict of interest.

“Can we get some clarity, because I have an extreme issue with the Friends of Seymour as well. This is in no way me not supporting the base or the airmen and women and their families because I agree we should support them wholeheartedly. That is not what this is about,” she said. “We have council members who sit on that board and on their finance board and they’re voting making decisions about money that we’re giving to them.”

City attorney Ron Lawrence said he was not prepared to discuss whether or not council members’ seats on the Friends of Seymour Finance Committee constituted a conflict of interest.

• Ms. Matthews also argued that because the city had until the end of the month to pass the budget, more time should be given for council members to review and discuss it.

“I don’t think we’re in a position to vote on this budget at all. I have looked at this book every day since I’ve got it, and I still can’t get through all of it,” she said. “I will not believe that everybody on this board has had a chance to go through this book the way we should.”

• Things got heated between Ms. Matthews and Allen when the mayor told the councilwoman that defunding Friends of Seymour was not possible, given that a contract is already in place.

“We’ve got a contract,” he said.

“From 2014. It does not include an end date,” she replied.

“It doesn’t matter,” Allen fired back. “We’ve still got a contract.”

The mayor then told Ms. Matthews that he would be happy to answer any questions she had about the organization, and she responded, “I want you to be fair, and I want you to be honest.”

“I’m about tired of you telling me I’m not honest, OK?” Allen said. “I have never told you one thing that was wrong, to my knowledge.”

• At the end of the meeting, council members were given an opportunity to deliver closing remarks. Williams spoke at length about the need for a forensic audit but when, after he concluded his remarks, Ms. Matthews started to speak, she was cut off by the mayor’s gavel.

“I just think it’s real disappointing,” Matthews said before Allen sounded the gavel.

“I wasn’t done talking,” Ms. Matthews exclaimed.

“I’m sorry,” Allen said, standing up and grabbing items off the table. “Go ahead and talk.”

Ms. Matthews did not finish her remarks.

Here is video of the exchange: