5 Things to Know: NC Auditor Promises City Council Probe

NC Auditor Threatens City Council Probe

Newly elected NC Auditor Dave Boliek has stepped into the ongoing controversy that has swirled in the wake of Charlotte City Council’s reported settlement with CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings earlier this month.

Boliek sent a letter to Mayor Vi Lyles on Tuesday informing her that his office will investigate the settlement in the interest of transparency. Neither the mayor nor council members have spoken openly about the amount of the settlement, a proactive measure of appeasement for Jennings, who had threatened to sue the city for harassing texts he received from then-council member Tariq Bokhari last summer.

Council member Tiawana Brown did state in a Facebook reply last week that the total amount of the settlement was $300,000.

Charlotte city attorney Anthony Fox has insisted that disclosing any details about the settlement would violate privacy privileges guaranteed to Jennings and any other city personnel by law, though legal experts have repeatedly disagreed.

In his letter, the NC auditor encouraged the mayor to administer a release of all pertinent information regarding “the potential disbursement of public dollars outside of the public view,” adding that he plans to carry out an investigation of other “unknowns.”

“The Office of the State Auditor will be asking how much money has reportedly been paid, whether a payment exists, where did money for a payment come from, and several other pertinent questions,” NC Auditor Boliek wrote. “Even if the payment was worth one penny, it should be disclosed to the public in a timely and transparent manner. There is no tax dollar free from public scrutiny.”

County Commissioner Speaks Out About ICE Aggression

Mecklenburg County Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell spoke out against the aggression and intimidation tactics being shown by ICE agents in family-friendly locations at Tuesday night’s commission meeting, responding to reports of masked agents who were present in the parking lot of Central United Methodist Church during preschool pickup earlier that day.

“There has been a disturbing increase in intimidating and aggressive activity,” Rodriguez-McDowell stated. “Even today the agency descended upon a church preschool on Central Avenue with nearly a dozen vehicles. The fear that these tiny, innocent residents of our county are feeling is real and completely uncalled for … I call on ICE to find actual criminals who put the public at risk, not parents who are just trying to survive and provide for their families.”

In related news, WSOC and Telemundo Charlotte reported Wednesday that Noel Antonio Alfero Escobar, the man arrested outside of Charlotte East Language Academy last week, was the victim of misidentification but was taken into custody anyway because he was undocumented despite having no criminal history.

Following that arrest, the Charlotte East Language Academy PTA released a statement calling on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education to create and uphold policies that would protect their students’ “safety, dignity and peace of mind – regardless of immigration status.”

The organization released another statement following confirmation that Escobar had not been the original target of ICE’s operation: “The detainment was public, sudden, and traumatic. Children saw it happen. Families were afraid. Staff and students were shaken. And a family in our community is now facing a devastating separation. The father detained was collateral damage in an unrelated operation — something we’ve known for some time.

“This pattern of enforcement near schools is spreading fear and destabilizing families across our district,” the statement continued. “This is an urgent, district-wide issue. With ICE activity increasing, the stakes are only rising. We call on CMS leaders to: Acknowledge the harm these actions cause students and families; provide trauma-informed training for all staff; and communicate clearly and compassionately about families’ rights and available resources.”

NC House Passes Budget, Hurdles Ahead

The state House gave final approval to its budget proposal Thursday, with one of its lead authors predicting a hard road to passage of a final spending plan, according to reporting by Lynn Bonner with NC Newsline.

The budget passed with a bipartisan 86-20 vote. Some Democrats who spoke Thursday said they hoped House negotiators would be able to keep the items they liked in the final version in negotiations with Senate Republicans.

The House and Senate budgets are marked by glaring differences that must be resolved before both chambers vote on a compromise that will go to Democratic Gov. Josh Stein for his consideration. The chambers are far apart on how much to raise teacher pay and on future cuts to individual income tax rates.

“Do we have a long road? Absolutely. We all know this is a process and this is a first step,” said Rep. Donny Lambeth (R-Forsyth), a House senior budget writer. “We will not be intimidated. We’re going to hold strong.”

Rep. Abe Jones (D-Wake) said he felt good voting for a budget with big teacher raises. The House budget proposes to increase new teacher pay from $41,000 a year to $48,000 for the next school year, and to $50,000 the following year. Jones said he wanted to strengthen the House negotiators’ position when members sit down with senators.

“I wanted our team to go in with a strong hand,” he said. “Y’all defend what we’ve done here. I hope we can come out strong with most of what we have painfully, thoughtfully put in. It deserves to be defended.”

This reporting was originally published by NC Newsline, a Raleigh-based nonpartisan, nonprofit newsroom.

Jackson Reaches Settlement with FirstKey

NC Attorney General Jeff Jackson announced that 161 tenants around the state will receive refunds from FirstKey Homes after the Charlotte-based real estate company levied “significant and unexpected” utility-related fees.

Consumer complaints against FirstKey alleged that the company mistakenly required renters to transfer utility accounts from the company’s name to their own, despite their leases instructing them not to do so. FirstKey agreed to compensate tenants for 200% of the incurred fees and distribute $250 to those who were told to transfer their utilities but did not incur any fees.

“I thank the North Carolinians who filed complaints with my office,” Jackson said in a statement. “People across the state are our eyes and ears, and when we learn of an issue, we’ll do everything in our power to work with businesses and resolve it to help consumers.”

Any North Carolinian who feels they’ve been scammed or mistakenly charged by a company or business is encouraged to file a complaint with the NC Department of Justice online or by calling 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.

Man Missing for Nine Years Found in Junked Car

The crew at a scrapyard in Davidson County found the skeletal remains of a man who was reported missing in Charlotte nine years ago in a car on their property, CMPD announced this week. According to a release from the department, the staff called the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office after discovering the remains in a car on May 14.

Investigators with the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) processed the crime scene, finding that the vehicle was registered to Mattie Mae Funderburk, whose son was reported missing from Clairemore Place near Hornets Nest Park in northwest Charlotte in May 2016.

The remains were later identified to be those of her missing son, Lee Anthony Funderburk, whose cause of death has been determined to be homicide.