Calais has $469,581 year-end surplus Report contradicts statements that councilors had spent city’s extra funds

CALAIS – The city ended its year with a $469,581 surplus, auditors said in their report on the city’s finances.

The report appears to rebut statements by the newly elected mayor that councilors in the past year depleted the city’s surplus.

Two meetings have been scheduled next week to address the auditors’ report:

. Newly elected Mayor Judy Alexander has set a meeting of the City Council finance committee for 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9, in the council chambers.

. Councilors Billy Delmonaco, Ferguson Calder and Alan Dwelley have called a special meeting for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. l1, so that auditors can present their report to the council. That meeting also will be held in the council chambers.

The charter states that special meetings may be held on the “call of the mayor, or of three or more members of the council by causing a notification to be given in hand, or left at the usual dwelling place of each council member.”

The regular council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12. All the meetings are open to the public.

The issue of the city’s surplus erupted last month when Alexander, who was running for mayor, claimed in a candidate profile published in a local newspaper that after her previous term as mayor, the city’s $450,000 surplus had been spent. She also claimed that money had to be borrowed to meet payroll until tax revenues were received. Alexander was elected mayor in November 1998 and served for two years.

On Oct. 14, Dwelley responded in print, saying Alexander’s accusation about the surplus was not true.

During candidates’ night, Alexander’s opponents, then-Mayor Eric Hinson and Councilor Joyce Maker, also denied the allegation.

Then, just days before the Nov. 5 election, Alexander mailed out campaign brochures that included the same statement.

Alexander later blamed acting City Manager Jim Porter for providing her with the information, something he has denied.

Alexander faced a hostile council just minutes after she was sworn in at the November council meeting. Some councilors said they were upset that she had made statements that suggested they had squandered the city’s surplus.

Although the four continuing members of the council questioned her ability to lead the city, they stopped short of calling for a no-confidence vote.

On Friday, the city’s financial director, Tammy Ginn, said that the city’s surplus was never spent down and that the city never had to borrow money to meet payroll.

In the management letter issued by the auditors, which discusses problems discovered during the audit, the auditors made no mention of the issue.