Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht shares new information about what led up to the Cary town manager being asked to resign.
In a blog post, Weinbrecht said the now-former town manager went around the council to make a large land purchase.
According to the blog, Sean Stegall had the authority to spend up to one million dollars before needing to go before the town council.
According to Weinbrecht, the property Stegall bought exceeded that value. However, he said Stegall split the purchases to avoid crossing the threshold.
“Because the two parcels were acquired through separate contracts, each individual purchase did not exceed that threshold, allowing staff to execute the agreements without bringing them before the Town Council for approval,” Weinbrecht said.
The mayor also said he initiated a review of Stegall after learning the town spent more than $25,000 on a councilmember’s tuition.
“When I first learned of the tuition expense in October, I immediately questioned the town manager about it,” Weinbrecht said. “At that time, he defended the expenditure, and I was not aware of the full scope of the spending.”
Councilwoman Lori Bush has since paid back that money.
Stegall resigned earlier this month after getting put on administrative leave.
The state auditor’s office is now reviewing the situation.