Mayor Williams rebuts social‑media allegations, says investigation underway and disputes prior administration’s actions

Mayor Vita B. Williams spent a substantive portion of the meeting addressing social‑media posts she attributed to former mayor Fred Burton. Williams denied allegations of misappropriating funds, called many posts "straight up untruth," and said the city has turned relevant documentation and a former‑office computer to the city attorney and investigators. “We are not engaged in corruption. We are not engaged in stealing taxpayer dollars,” Williams said in her address.

The mayor detailed negotiations with a developer that she said culminated in an agreement that erased expected impact‑fee revenue and credits that would have reduced the city’s receivable impact fees, and she said that, had the prior administration not approved certain agreements or credits, the city would have received substantially more in fees. Williams alleged past actions she described as problematic — including a property purchase she said was overpriced (434 McKeever Road) — and said the DA’s office had reviewed certain records previously and found no criminal finding from an earlier complaint. She said the city now is conducting its own review and has opened an investigation; the transcript shows no formal response from the former mayor during the meeting.

Council did not vote on the mayor’s presentation; staff referred the evidence discussed to the city attorney’s office for review. Because these are allegations made in a public meeting by the mayor about prior officials and private parties, reporting here is limited to what was said on the record. The mayor framed her remarks as a transparency exercise and urged residents to consult public records posted to the city website for detailed minutes and prior presentations.