By Cade Fowler - bio | email
ALBANY, GA (WALB) – Albany City Commissioners did not vote on a settlement with the Cutliff Grove Family Resource Center Tuesday night.
Instead, they decided to ask the District Attorney to investigate whether the center misused federal money.
Leaders voted 5 to 1 to request the investigation.
They're not saying there was criminal wrongdoing. They say they simply want to see a paper trail for $364,000 Cutliff Grove got to build low to moderate income apartments on Broad Avenue.
The project never happened and the city had to repay the federal government.
Most commissioners say they're responding to constituents who want answers.
"We have to be mindful that we work for our constituents and the citizens of Albany and they were very clear that they didn't want us to accept the proposal and that was something I thought was important for us to make sure their voices and concerns were heard. And that's why you got the decision that you got today," said Ward 3 Commissioner Christopher Pike.
The one nay vote came from Commissioner Tommie Postell who said this decision will lead to costly legal battles.
He said, "If they send the D.A. in their now, I don't know what they'll find. But I don't think they're going to find anything criminal because the people didn't take nothing. They made a mistake in some of the allocation, but it wasn't stolen."
When asked if he wanted to avoid a potential lawsuit, Postell said, "That's what we're going to get."
Many people cheered when the decision was made.
Some taxpayers were angry that the city initially planned to settle with Cutliff Grove by simply taking over the land which is worth $74,000 without asking for the Center to pay back the rest of the money.
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