Jonesboro City Council censures mayor over spending concerns
Jonesboro City Council censures its mayor
The Jonesboro City Council has unanimously voted to censure Mayor Donna Sartor following concerns over spending and whether the city exceeded its approved budget.
JONESBORO, Ga. - The Jonesboro City Council has unanimously voted to censure Mayor Donya Sartor following concerns over spending and whether the city exceeded its approved budget.
What we know:
During Monday night's council meeting, information presented to council members showed spending exceeded the budget by thousands of dollars.
The concerns include money spent on community events, including Juneteenth and Fourth of July celebrations. Questions were also raised about fireworks expenses and previous funding involving the city's Downtown Development Authority.
Council cites transparency, accountability
What they're saying:
City leaders said publicly addressing the spending concerns was necessary to provide transparency and accountability.
"This is part of going forward. Hey, something happened. This is what happened. Let's be transparent to the public," one city official said. "That's how we can hold, you know, be accountable, hold people accountable, and then allow us to move forward."
The official said acknowledging what happened also helps residents understand changes to the city's budget.
"But if we don't say, hey, this happened, then it's difficult for the public to know what's going on, to understand the budget changes that we make," the official said.
The unanimous censure represents a formal public rebuke of Sartor by the City Council.
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