The Spring Lake Board of Commissioners failed to approve several budget amendments during its February 9 meeting following disagreements over arts grant and state funding.
Commissioners also heard updates on several late audit reports and the town’s broader financial status.
Later in the meeting, commissioners met behind closed doors, voting 3-2 to fire Town Manager Jon Rorie.
Late Audits
In September 2025, the North Carolina Local Government Commission voted to withhold a small amount of Spring Lake’s sales tax revenue, about $37,500 total, for not turning in several years of late financial audits.
The Local Government Commission, an entity that monitors fiscal health for municipalities throughout the state, took control of Spring Lake’s finances in 2021, following the discovery of massive financial mismanagement within the town’s government. During this time LGC assisted town leadership in organizing and repairing the town’s financial status, but focused on future finances rather than past audits.
During the Monday meeting, Finance Director James Overton presented the status of these late audits, dating back to 2020. Overton said audits for 2020 were completed in March of 2021, and 2021 audit requirements were waived by LGC because financial records were in such poor condition that an audit could not be completed.
Audits for 2022 have been sent to Cherry Bekaert, a public accounting firm, and are expected to be completed by February 28, according to Overton’s presentation. A contract has been awarded to Carr, Riggs & Ingram, another accounting and advisory firm, for audits from 2023 through 2025.
Clash Over Budget Amendments
Commissioners failed to approve several budget amendments during the meeting, causing some disagreement and tension among them.
Each year, the Arts Council of Fayetteville | Cumberland County awards about $4,000 to Spring Lake for arts programming and installations. Historically, these funds have been accepted by the board and a committee decides later which arts project will receive the funding for the year. In previous years, these funds have been used to install murals and other arts-based projects on local buildings and landmarks.
Since these funds are a yearly award, the $4,000 was included in the town’s 2026 budget, Overton said. However, this year the arts council awarded the town an additional $7,000. That means a budget amendment is necessary in order for the town to accept the additional money while deciding how best to use it for arts related activities. Because these two grant awards are being added together, the budget amendment totals $11,000.
In another budget amendment, town staff recommended that about $137,000 in Powell Bill funds be allocated to replace an over 20-year-old backhoe in poor condition.
The Powell Bill is a state-funded program that provides financial assistance to municipalities for road and street maintenance. Municipalities must use a specific portion of this funding within five years, or risk not receiving their share of the funds for the following fiscal year. This year, Spring Lake must use these funds prior to the end of the fiscal year on June 30 in order to qualify for the funding to be renewed.
Throughout presentations of both of these proposed budget amendments, Mayor Pro Tem Fredricka Sutherland and Commissioner Jackie Jackson voiced concerns about how the town is accounting for the funds..
Sutherland, Jackson, and Commissioner Tony Burgess voted 3-2 against each individual budget amendment, prompting disagreements among commissioners. Commissioners Soña Cooper and Adrian Thompson were the lone votes in favor.
“We are voting against taking money,” Mayor Kia Anthony told commissioners. “I want the public to be aware that we are, now twice, voting against taking money that we have received already.”
Sutherland said she didn’t want to debate Anthony about the rejection of the budget amendments. “Ma’am, I have the right to vote the way I feel like I want to vote,” Sutherland said.
“I want the community to know that we are not voting to not take the money,” Jackson said, “We are voting because it’s not specified on the documents how the money is being spent.”
The Spring Lake Board of Commissioners meet again on February 23 at Spring Lake Town Hall, 300 Ruth St. The meeting starts at 6 p.m.