Scottville commission calls for investigation following revenue sharing mishap. 

Scottville commission calls for investigation following revenue sharing mishap. 

SCOTTVILLE — The City Commission took action Monday during its regular meeting to open an investigation into why the city nearly missed the 2020 state revenue sharing reporting deadline. Acting City Manager Matt Murphy, who also serves as the police chief, reported to the commission that the city received a communication from the Michigan Department of Treasury on Nov. 25, the day before Thanksgiving, informing the city manager that the state had not yet received its annual revenue sharing report, though an email had been sent to City Manager Courtney Magaluk on Nov. 6. Since Nov. 30 Magaluk has been on maternity leave. 

Murphy said he and City Treasurer Kathy Shafer worked several dozen hours, including on Thanksgiving, and over that following weekend, to complete the report and meet the deadline, which was the following week. The city’s state revenue sharing is about $47,000.

Following Murphy’s report, the commission took action to appoint Murphy, Mayor Marcy Spencer, and City Attorney Carlos Alvardo to determine why the timely preparation of the revenue sharing report was overlooked and also to determine whether there are any other reports or tasks that may not have been performed. In the City of Scottville, the city manager is the main contact with the state on items such as revenue sharing. By opening up the investigation, the acting city manager, mayor and city attorney will be requesting access to all emails, correspondence, and telephone voice messages addressed to any employee of the city. 

Mayor Spencer said the loss of revenue sharing could have been devastating to the city’s finances. 

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