{"id":4816,"date":"2026-07-17T10:39:05","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T10:39:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4816"},"modified":"2026-07-17T10:39:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T10:39:05","slug":"five-new-things-state-auditors-found-in-their-town-of-cary-investigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4816","title":{"rendered":"Five new things state auditors found in their Town of Cary investigation"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n The town of Cary has been in the spotlight since late November, when Town Manager Sean Stegall was put on administrative leave without any explanation from the town. Stegall resigned Dec. 13, 2025, amid reports of questionable spending. Here is ongoing coverage from The News & Observer.\n <\/p>\n

Read more Kyle Busch memorial races will be hosted on famous NC racetrack. When and where<\/a><\/p>\n

The North Carolina State Auditor\u2019s office released a 2,600-page detailed report Thursday following a lengthy investigation into spending in the town of Cary.<\/p>\n

While the state auditor\u2019s report confirmed details that previously have been reported, including excessive spending on meals and travel, there several new revelations.<\/p>\n

The investigation was launched earlier this year after numerous reports of questionable spending by former town manager Sean Stegall. Stegall was placed on paid administrative leave in November and was forced to resign in mid-December.<\/p>\n

Here are five new things revealed in the state auditor\u2019s investigative report on the Town of Cary:<\/p>\n

Town Manager Sean Stegall bullied staff and displayed erratic behavior, according to the report. This was alluded to when the town announced his resignation, but the report provides more detail.<\/p>\n

\u201cOSA (Office of the State Auditor) received reports from both town staff and council members of intimidation, pressure, bullying and erratic behavior on the part of Mr. Stegall. One employee said that Mr. Stegall \u2018blowing up\u2019 in a meeting became increasingly frequent over time. \u2018He became very emotional and very loud or he might disappear.\u2019 One council member told us that at times Mr. Stegall would not allow her to speak or voice concerns, even threatening to shut down projects for her district.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring our interview with the Town Clerk, she told us more about her experience working with the former Town Manager. \u2018[Y]ou could never go against [Mr. Stegall]. You could never tell [him] \u2018no.\u2019 [Mr. Stegall] always wanted the best. You could never say no to him. If you did, you were picked on, you were marginalized, all these things.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Use of procurement cards, or town-issue Visa cards, went way beyond other North Carolina major municipalities.<\/p>\n

Read more NC state auditor finds culture of \u2018extravagant spending of taxpayer dollars\u2019 in Cary<\/a><\/p>\n

The audit found 62% of Cary employees had been issued a procurement card, compared to 10% in Charlotte, 16% in Raleigh and 15% in Durham. Auditors found numerous, previously unreported examples of improper or questionable spending and a lack of supporting documentation, particularly from Stegall.<\/p>\n

Charges included:<\/p>\n

In addition to part-time salaries, council members receive annual allowances of $9,626 for vehicles ($10,950 for the mayor) and $2,460 for phone, internet and other digital devices. Council member Sarika Bansal has turned down the allowances, while Council member Bella Huang opted for a town cellphone instead of the digital allowance. The vehicle allowance is $528 more than the average annual car payment.<\/p>\n

Stegall has not been paid a lump-sum severance of $194,832<\/a> because it was based on his returning town property and providing access to his text messages associated with town business.<\/p>\n

\u201cAccording to town officials, Mr. Stegall refused to comply with these conditions and therefore did not receive this severance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stegall repeatedly and wrongly told officials the town had not fallen below its fund balance, which is a sum of money equivalent to 33% of budget general fund expenditures set aside in case of emergencies. In fiscal years 2023 and 2024, the town fell below the fund balance before recovering in fiscal year 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cNevertheless, during a Quarterly Council meeting in November 2025, Mr. Stegall stated multiple times that the town\u2019s fund balance had not \u2014 nor had it ever \u2014 fallen below its minimum threshold. Whether he knew that the town had fallen below the fund balance threshold is uncertain.<\/p>\n

\u201cFormer Councilwoman Jennifer Robinson told investigators, \u2018We had a work session after I was unelected, but before we had the review of [Mr. Stegall]. And in that work session [Mr. Stegall was asked], \u2018Have we ever broken our Fund Balance Policy?\u2019 And [Mr. Stegall] was like, \u2018No! We\u2019ve never broken the Fund Balance Policy.\u2019<\/p>\n

Read more Wake DA: Criminal investigation continues into Cary financial misconduct<\/a><\/p>\n

This story was originally published July 16, 2026 at 1:28 PM.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Audit exposes procurement card misuse, improper expenses, council allowance details, status of Sean Stegall severance and Cary\u2019s fund balance policy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4778,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nFive new things state auditors found in their Town of Cary investigation - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4816\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Five new things state auditors found in their Town of Cary investigation - 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