Mayor LaToya Cantrell says she would welcome a legislative audit into how the city handles its accounts payable systems and vendor payments.
During a Wednesday news conference, Cantrell responded to city council vice president Helena Moreno’s demand that the city government open its books to auditors because of past due payments to people and companies who have worked for the city. Moreno’s demand came after several teens who were employed by the city’s summer jobs program came forward to say they still haven’t received payment for their work. Moreno also claimed the city owes a contractor $7 million for projects it completed in 2022.
While Cantrell did not disagree with any potential audits, she took issue with what she feels is Moreno and the council’s vendetta against her.
“I’m not against any investigations,” Cantrell said. “I think that this particular city council: that’s all they’ve been about, quite frankly. It’s been a waste of time. It’s been a waste of money, but at the end of the day, if it proves that practices are effective or even practices can be improved upon, then I’m all for it.”
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