The Mayor of Cary is floating the possible sale of land purchased using more than $1 million in public funds. The purchase was flagged in a recent state audit of the town's financial practices.
The land is at 600 and 604 Kildaire Farm Road near Cary Elementary School.
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A 2,600-page report from the North Carolina State Auditor's Office said former town manager Sean Stegall purchased the land against the recommendation of an assistant town manager and without full knowledge of town council members.
"Even if the purchases were made with good intentions, the appearance of limited transparency can undermine public confidence," Mayor Harold Weinbrecht wrote in a recent online blog post.
The state auditor's report says Stegall split the purchase into two parcels in order to stay below a $1 million spending limit that would require town council approval. The two parcels also had different owners, according to the state auditor. Auditors say a lack of controls led to the land's eventual purchase.
Weinbrecht wrote that the land does not represent the best use of public resources and selling it would return tax dollars, demonstrate fiscal responsibility, and reinforce that major financial decisions deserve transparency.
But those living near the land warned town leaders at a council meeting on Thursday against selling, citing overdevelopment and historic preservation concerns.
"It's clear that selling this land would primarily be a face-saving measure after the devastating audit," Cary resident Casey Midkiff said. "The town should keep this land and preserve it, maybe even make it into something that commemorates the history and preserve the wildlife there."
The state audit said Mayor Pro Tem Lori Bush requested that an assistant town manager look at several properties including the two on Kildaire Farm Road.
In a previous email to WRAL, Bush said the request was "exploratory" and that there was not a specific council-approved project for the parcels.
"I asked staff to look at several properties, including 600 and 604 Kildaire Farm Road, as part of exploring potential sites that might support community priorities such as green infrastructure (given its proximity to the Higgins Greenway) as well as affordable housing and other public uses near downtown," Bush wrote.
Weinbrecht said the possible sale will be addressed at a future meeting.