Town unveils tracking page amid sweeping audit of spending practices
The Town of Cary on Thursday launched a web page to track reforms after North Carolina’s state auditor released a 2,600‑page report that described what the auditor called a culture of extravagant spending among town officials. The announcement arrived the same day the audit and other reviews were made public and follows additional scrutiny from an independent special review commissioned by the Town Council.
The state audit identified roughly $1 million in "questionable purchases", including specific line items that drew attention: a $4,164 dinner for Town Council members at a fine‑dining restaurant and $1,600 for 10 pairs of Ray‑Ban sunglasses for council members. Town officials say the new web page lists nearly 40 recommendations they plan to implement, drawn from three separate assessments: the state auditor’s report, the town’s independent annual audit and the special review by the law firm Womble Bond Dickinson.
- State auditor report: 2,600 pages documenting oversight gaps and questioned expenditures
- Special review (Womble Bond Dickinson): identified structural vulnerabilities in the town’s form of government
- Town tracking page: nearly 40 recommendations to be implemented
“This type of spending was acceptable, not only to town management, but was not really questioned by the council,”
The quote came from State Auditor Dave Boliek as officials outlined the findings. The special review singled out former Town Manager Sean Stegall, saying he "directly and indirectly contributed to Cary’s spending problems" and flagged the town’s separation of elected officials and daily operations as a source of vulnerability. That report warned that the separation "can cause an elected body to become too dependent on the manager and ordinary reporting channels for information."
What the town says it will do
Cary leaders held a news conference the day the auditor’s report was released. Councilmember Carissa Johnson acknowledged responsibility, saying, "The responsibility for fixing this does fall on us." Town officials said changes have already begun, including adjustments to policy aimed at stronger financial oversight. The new web page will be used to track implementation of the recommendations identified across the three reviews.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Questionable purchases (total, audit) | ~$1,000,000 |
| Council dinner at fine‑dining restaurant | $4,164 |
| 10 pairs of Ray‑Ban sunglasses for council members | $1,600 |
The stakes are both local and statewide. For Cary, the findings raise questions about who in town government exercises effective fiscal control and how elected officials receive and act on oversight information. For Wake County and state officials, the audit adds to broader scrutiny of municipal spending practices and the mechanisms that allow those practices to go unchecked.
None of the elected officials who were in office during the period covered by the reviews provided responses to WRAL’s questions about how much responsibility they accept for the spending issues. The town says the tracking page will provide transparency on progress implementing the nearly 40 recommendations, but residents and watchdogs will likely watch whether the changes produce durable oversight and clearer lines of accountability.
As Cary begins to roll out policy adjustments and tracking, the central questions remain: will reforms change behavior and system weaknesses, and can council and staff restore public confidence in the town’s stewardship of taxpayer dollars?
