After receiving complaints about possible irregularities and misappropriations of the town’s funds and the trustee’s salaries, Muskogee County District Attorney Larry Moore sent an investigator with the district attorney’s office, Richard Slader, to start investigating town records.
During the investigation Slader said he discovered a large amount of money that may have been misused. He said based on that information Moore requested an investigatory audit of the town records by the State Auditor and Inspector’s office in Oklahoma City. Moore said Slader is still investigating Webbers Falls town records.
“This isn’t an issue that was created over night. We are going to do a thorough investigation. We are not investigating one person,” Moore said.
Slader said he started the investigation on June 8.
After completing the payroll records Slader said he would be looking through ordinances passed by the town and grants the town has received.
“We want to know where the proceeds of all grants went and sales tax money, all salaries and bonuses paid to the mayor and trustees and where money collected in traffic fines went,” Moore said.
“Based on information there has been possible misappropriations of monies in excess of $300,000,” Moore said.
“I’m on the third week and right now I don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel yet,” Slader said.
Slader explained that the misappropriation of the $300,000 could be from the salaries of the trustees over many years, but he is still going through payroll records.
“I’m a long ways from getting anywhere,” Slader said.
Moore wants the state auditor to especially look at town collections for fines, fees and utility services, as well as the expenditures of grant monies and possible illegal compensation to trustee members.
Horne said that Webbers Falls ordinances require a five-member board. She said two positions are empty and will be filled in the July special election. Consequently, the three-member board must vote the same for a quorum to exist in order to conduct town business.
“The real issue is not that $300,000 was misused. The issue is where are the ordinances. These ordinances have not been located and we are wondering what happened to them,” Webbers Falls Mayor Jewell Horne said.
In regard to the allegation against Horne giving herself raises and about how much she is getting paid, Horne said the town trustees did authorize the amount of pay she has received as mayor. She said she receives the same amount of pay as the mayor who served when she was out of office for two years.
“All the trustee members received pay under the same ordinances, which authorized the mayor’s pay. These are the ordinances that we have not been able to locate,” Horne said.
“It just isn’t fair to make out as if somehow I have misused huge sums of money,” Horne said.
Former Trustee Matt Myers said he resigned his post in May after serving two years as vice mayor.
“I felt like I was unable to get anything accomplished. I didn’t want to be a part of the town not running correctly,” Myers said.
Myers said he was on the board for a total of four years, and he thinks within this last year things started getting worse.
“I think what caused it is when one of the trustees asked to see the ordinances for the pay of elected officials. No ordinances could be found; then the question of why the town hasn’t passed an ordinance arose. Some of the board members expressed concern about the monthly compensation and asked to see the ordinances, which authorized the mayor’s pay as well as their own no one was able to locate the ordinances,” Myers said.
Myers said pay has to be set by board members but it was never done.
“I can’t believe through all the tenure there was never any set pay for officials,” Myers said.
Moore said the town’s elected officials couldn’t give themselves a raise while in office; that it is against the law.
Myers said when he was a trustee he was earning $550 a month along with the other trustees. Horne reportedly takes a $1,100 monthly salary for being mayor, $1,500 as town manager and $700 for serving on the East Central Gas Authority Board.
“I don’t want to bash anyone. I think the facts will speak for themselves but that is a lot of money for a town with around 725 residents. Horne even gets full coverage insurance and doesn’t pay a dime,” Myers said.
Horne allegedly walks out to stop votes
Myers said Horne has walked out of meetings, just leaving what is suppose to be a five-member board without a quorum to conduct a vote and stalled them from voting on electing a new mayor.
Horace Lindley administrator for the town of Gore said every odd year in April the trustees on the board vote for a new mayor. He said the ordinances (or laws) have to be approved by a majority of the trustees.
According to Susan Dwyer, Webbers Falls newly-elected town clerk, a petition was circulated on behalf of the board. The petition asks that since the board only has three members, the board should elect two other members in order to make good decisions on voting for a new mayor, setting policies, board appointments and election of officers.
Dwyer said the town goes by the ordinances provided by the Oklahoma Municipal League.
However, several complaints have been made about Horne walking out of the meetings to stop the three-member board from voting for a new mayor.
“There are allegations that I have thwarted attempts to elect a mayor. Myers was nominated and being voted on to take my place when he abruptly resigned and walked out of the meeting. Henry Tipken stood up and said he resigned and walked out of the meeting. The meeting was over due to the lack of quorum,” Horne said.
Horne explained that the next night an emergency meeting to address the vacancies for the upcoming special election was held and Tipken decided not to resign,” Horne said.
She said now there are three trustees on the town board, but a special election was already pending so the trustees added that vacancy to the resolution.
The special election to select two trustees is slated for July 14.
Myers said he thinks Horne is stalling in hopes of getting board members that will approve of her (Horne’s) style of government.
Horne said a large number of townspeople requested that choosing a new mayor be postponed until after the special election.
Dwyer said the focus should not be on Horne. She said there have been new mayors elected but Horne has always been brought back to serve as mayor.
Horne said there is a plan to replace the mayor position with a city manager, which performs the same service for the town of Gore. She said this plan is very unpopular with the town’s people.
Horne said the next regular board of trustee meeting will be one week after the upcoming special election, and electing a mayor from among those elected to the council will be the first order of business.
Horne has served as town trustee, city manager, water administrator, gas administrator and even police commissioner over the last 20 years.
