The Cumberland County town of Spring Lake is no longer under state financial control.
A commission managed the town's budget after an audit uncovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in misspent funds.
Mayor Kia Anthony announced the news in a .
"We did it!!! We regained financial control of the Town of Spring Lake," she said.
The Local Government Commission (LGC), which is chaired by State Treasurer Dale Folwell, took hold of the town's purse strings after a 2021 audit revealed former finance director Gay Tucker She was fired and later convicted on federal embezzlement charges and sentenced to four years in prison.
In addition to Tucker's embezzlement, the audit found accounting errors and undocumented spending. The town also received a $1 million loan without LGC approval, which put its credit rating at risk.
"The Town of Spring Lake is proud to announce that as of August 1, 2024, or as soon as the newly hired bonded Finance Director starts at the Town, full financial control will be officially returned to the Town's elected Board of Commissioners and designated fiscal officers," town officials said in a statement.
The Local Government Commission, which monitors how local governments spend money, took financial control in October of 2021. State managers poured over financial records and instituted new polices.
Strong property tax revenue, along with daily bank account audits put the town on the path to recovery.
