VALLEY MILLS, Texas (KXXV) — It's been years since the City of Valley Mills has completed audits — Mayor Pro Tem Craig Godby says the city still lacks receipts to complete audits for previous years.
- Years of incomplete audits
- Financial experts say this can shine a negative light on the city
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"It was not a priority — it just wasn't," said Valley Mills Mayor Pro Tem, Craig Godby.
25 News sat down with Godby last month to discuss the city's failure to file audits within the past few years — with audits due again next month, he explained why the city is so behind.
"It was something that we all knew we had to do needed to do, but it wasn't a priority, and it's taking us a while to get where we're at," Godby said.
He says the lack of audits means the city can't apply for grants to help the city pay for needed items in the community.
Central Texas economist Ray Perryman says audits help set financial standards for any city.
"The rating agencies don't have the city's ratings of AA or AAA or whatever the ratings may be based on the quality and strength of their financial, and they rely on those audits and statements," Perryman said.
"Probably a dozen or so every year have revoked because they haven't provided enough financial information."
Perryman says a lack of audits undercuts the city's credibility within the community.
"It raises suspicions in people's minds that there might be a problem and something they would be afraid their auditors might uncover and shine a light on in an audit report," he says.
In 2021, an investigation involving former city secretary Celia Rodgers looked into claims of misappropriation of public funds, falsifying government documents, and obstructing government operations.
Rodgers was accused of deleting 4,200 files from the city computer system, including hundreds of city payroll files and documents.
In the investigation report, one former city council member said this about Rodgers:
"She was good at bouncing money between accounts — 'Robbing Peter to pay Paul' kind of thing, and that they believed Celia was shuffling money."
The deleted files have since been restored — the case was presented to a grand jury which declined to file charges.
Despite the outcome, Godby says it still plays a role in current audits.
"The way the records were not kept, things were not done exactly the way they needed to be, especially in 2020 and 2021," he said.
"We're having to try somewhat to go back and reconcile that information and we've had trouble finding receipts and things like that."
