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Finance director reports December figures; council approves monthly bills amid calls for audit and empowers mayor to negotiate settlement
Summary
City finance director presented December year-to-date figures; council approved bills for items 1–6 after some members expressed concern and, following an executive session, authorized the mayor with legal counsel to negotiate a grievance settlement for a former employee.
Lake City's finance director presented month-end figures for December and the council voted to pay a set of bills during the Jan. 14 meeting while some members said they remained uncomfortable approving payments before a promised forensic audit.
Financial director Brandon Carter delivered the monthly financial report for December. He reported year-to-date figures for the general fund, water, sewer and stormwater funds and described a general fund deficit and surpluses in enterprise funds. The transcript includes the reported numbers as provided to council; council members raised questions about the figures and one council member said she was “very nervous” about approving bills before an audit is completed.
Following discussion, the council voted to approve monthly bills (items 1–6 on the agenda). The transcript records the motion, a second and the chair’s call for a show of hands; no roll-call tally with specific member names was read into the record. One council member recorded reservations on the record but did not register a recorded vote against payment.
The council then entered executive session under what was recorded as "South Carolina thirty-four-seventy" to discuss negotiations, contracts, grants and legal advice. After returning to open session, the council moved and seconded a motion empowering the mayor, with the city attorney's advice, to negotiate an amicable resolution of the grievance/claims of A. M. Robinson, a former city employee. The motion passed on a council vote; the transcript records the motion, a second and approval by show of hands.
City staff and the mayor told the public that staff would continue to review finance and budget issues; council members asked for further information and an agenda item listing vacancies and outstanding follow-ups would appear at the next meeting.
