Former Goodman Clerk Challenges City’s Audit

A former Goodman city clerk is asking why the city is not undergoing an audit.

Paula Brodie, who served for more than three decades as city clerk, asked Goodman Mayor JR Fisher on Tuesday night if the city plans to have an audit of the 2019 books.

Fisher said undergoing an audit is not required by statutes, and that city officials are working hard to gain a better financial picture.

When Fisher was appointed mayor in January of this year, the books were “out of whack,” he said.

“We’re working on all that.”

Brodie, who retired in December of 2016, said she worked for the city for four months during 2019. She said she didn’t want people thinking she stole funds from the city. She questioned Fisher why he wouldn’t want the previous year audited, to make sure all the figures were correct.

Fisher said city officials have done much work since taking over. Fisher was appointed after Mayor Greg Richmond resigned. The two had been embattled in a close mayoral race that transitioned into a legal ordeal after Fisher

challenged the race’s outcome.

The city clerk, Karla McNorton, resigned as well. Georgia Holtz later joined as city clerk.

Fisher said officials have changed banks, changed the city’s certified public accountant with whom they conduct business, created an employee handbook and oversaw a budget for the coming year.

In other business:

• Fire extinguishers were donated on behalf of several Goodman residents. The fire extinguishers will be placed in the new community building, which has had 19 paid rentals, Fisher said.

• Fisher reported that Police Chief Adam Miller’s monthly tally recorded 273 work hours, with 140 incidents. Those figures included 35 traffic stops and seven citizen assists.