Auburns Voice: FORENSIC AUDIT SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT FUND !!!
- Staff Report
- Jan 12
- 4 min read
The City Manager, Megan McGowin Crouch has expanded her dominating and controlling efforts over the City Council Members by including an Auburn Citizen in using the City Attorney Paul Clark and his legal jargon in trying to control the Truth.
Paul Clark states that we citizens cannot request information that has not been published or put out for consumption while always quoting Alabama Code 35-12-40 (1975) using his own interpretation.
Unfortunately, he is incorrect. We as citizens have the right to any financial document that show expenditures of our tax dollars. He has also stated that the time and expense would be too great. If getting numbers on just two line items for 7 months is too great of a burden on the city staff. Maybe we need a new City Manager and staff.
The process for getting Public Records Request is rather simple but the City Manager has decided to increase the bureaucratic steps by involving the City Attorney with its added expenses. We citizens need complete transparency. Even our council members cannot figure out the flow of money from items on the agenda that they have approved but are intertwined with other items.
The City has over 36 Individual Funds, some being referred to as Enterprise Funds. I have researched just one of those enterprise funds, the Solid Waste Management Fund. That is the fund that controls our garbage, trash and recycling pickup within the City of Auburn. I have researched documents of this fund dating back to its inception from 2009 until 2024.
Two different line items (Salary/Wages) and (Employee Benefits. It took 14 years to increase the Salary/Wages by $541,479 but it only took the last 2 years to increase Salary/Wages by $632,498. It took 14 years to increase Employee Benefits by $248,319 While it only took the last 2 years to increase by $403,038.
I already have had 12 correspondence from the City Attorney Paul Clark. I even went to his office off E. Samford Ave. but was directed by the receptionist that he works at his office at Auburn City Hall. I then requested a meeting with the City Attorney at his office at City Hall but was denied by the City Manager. I am just trying to figure out if we have any rights at city hall or we at the mercy of their rules.
I also request the following: How much of Finance Director/Treasurer Allison Edge Salary come from the Solid Waste Management Fund. Also, any other on full Time employees salary come from the Solid Waste Management Fund. Quote from the Auburn City Attorney email “The City does not maintain any public writing response to your request because none of Ms. Edge’s salary is paid by the Solid Waste Management Fund, and no “non full-time” employees’ salaries are paid from the Solid Waste Management Fund."
During a private meeting, that was recorded by the City Manager, in the City Hall conference room I meet with Mayor Pro Tem Beth Witten, City Manager Megan Crouch, and Finance Director/Treasurer Allison Edge concerning the Solid Waste Management Fund Issue. I ask a simple question of what is comprised of Solid Waste Management Fees. She was quoted "It's the fact that I'm a general fund employee But I manager those funds. And so those need to pay for my time. That is what it is" Then I ask, so part of your salary comes from the management fee. Allison response "Anybody that's involved in that function"
It is estimated by the City Finance Director that there will be about a $2,000,000 loss in the Solid Waste Management Fund in 2025. Mayor Pro Tem Beth Widden said in that same meeting that the council did not want to increase the Garbage Fees because of the Pandemic, even though it had been years later.
I initially just wanted to understand the two financially bloated line items of Salary/Wages and Employee Benefits for the Solid Wasted Management Fund but NOW it seems to be worst than I ever expected.
We Auburn Citizens expect more out of our well paid City Manager and her staff. We expect justifiable increase in these fees by our Auburn City Council. We citizens feel that this council let us down even after holding 3 work session and 2 council meetings did not understand the losses in 2023, 2024 2025.
Curbside collection had a 36% increase while Backdoor collection increased by 107%. Backdoor collection is mainly used by the Handicapped and the elderly.
We Citizens demand a Forensic Audit of Solid Waste Management Fund !! Immediately !!
The yearly audits that the city has done by Machen McChesney is not worth the paper it is written. Go to the pages 25-28 of the 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report and read or ask any account what value that this audit is.
It has been to long since our wonderful cities in Alabama have gone through real audits. Even our Alabama League of Municipalities have had no involvement in keeping our cities responsible. A bill in the Alabama Legislature needs to be passed to make all City Governments go through a state audit each year like our state departments go through. We citizens deserve to know where all the distribution of our taxes not just in our state government but also in our cities governments. DO WE NOT??
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