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Resident presses council over $20,000 tree-service payment lacking paper backup
Summary
During public comment, resident Garner Rushner asked whether a $20,000 tree-service payment has backup documentation; the city secretary said the invoice existed in email but was not printed into the paper folder, and the budget committee flagged broader vendor-folder documentation problems.
A Golson resident publicly questioned whether the city could locate documentation for a reported $20,000 payment for tree work after earlier budget material referenced the amount without an attached receipt.
Garner Rushner (S1), identifying himself with an address during public comment, said that a $20,000 check for a tree service “had no backup” and asked staff to confirm whether a receipt or invoice had been found. “There was a $20,000 check written for a tree service that had no backup,” Rushner said.
City staff (S3) responded that the apparent omission was a filing issue: the invoice existed in email records from 2024 but had not been printed into the monthly folder. The budget committee later reported several vendor folders for fiscal 2025–26 contained checks without invoices or receipts and noted missing timesheets for the city secretary. Committee members recommended instituting purchase-requisition and invoice-matching procedures and promised a fuller report at the next meeting. The transcript contains no evidence that funds were misappropriated; the issue in the meeting centered on incomplete paper records and documentation practices.
