Mayor Henderson Settles City Unrest About Missing Funds

By Janell Williams

Mayor Skip Henderson has begun to put the residents of Muscogee County at ease as he brought in Deputy City Manager Pam Hodge to explain her findings about the recent finance audit. Hodge presented her findings on the audit in a PowerPoint presentation after thorough research. 

After a week of scattered community rumors regarding the internal audit performed on the finance department, the City Council decided to straighten out this detail as the investigation proceeds. A recent audit alleged that the finance department had $45.1 million in missing funds. As this information raised concerns for Muscogee County residents, the finance department researched further to see where the funds were allocated. After what was described as many tiresome and sleepless nights, Hodge concluded that “Every dollar of the $45.1 million can be documented with a deposit, a bank statement, a cash receipt, and a canceled check.” While an investigator is still looking further into the allegations of misused funds, Mayor Henderson hopes the provided documentation can cease any unrest in the community.

Hodge’s presentation showcased no missing funds totaling the $45.1 million in the general ledger account used by the City Finance Department named Lockbox 2175. Hodge and some City Council members agree that “there are improvements that need to be made in the revenue division.” Councilman Bruce Huff (District 3) voiced his concerns about the allegations, as well as gratitude for Ms. Hodge for clarifying, as he witnessed the unrest while visiting a local church the weekend before, “If we had $45.1 million missing, the city would have recalled the entire Council, as well as the Mayor. So there had to be something we did not understand in the system.” As the investigation continues, the Finance Department and City Council hope the information produced to the public thus far can retort some of the wavering residents.