The town and its interim manager are asking for “the public’s patience” as they try to address issues found during a recent N.C. State Auditor’s investigation.
And, in a letter released today to the public and the media, interim town manager Glenn Holland said they were already taking steps to fix the problems, including terminating three employees identified in the report, ending white card fuel purchases at the airport and naming a bonded finance officer.
In addition, the release from Holland notes that he will recommend to the Mt. Olive Town Board at its September meeting employment of a CPA to reconcile the town’s bank statements and bring its financial records current from July 2025 to June 2025.
“We have all seen investigations of this nature result in little or no accountability,” Holland wrote in the release issued this morning. “I, and the Town of Mount Olive, take these findings seriously. We have been pro-active in our efforts to resolve many of the issues.”
Holland said even before the release of the State Auditor’s report, the town had suspended and subsequently terminated the employment of three employees identified in the report.
“We ask for the public’s patience as we daily work on resolving the remaining issues,” Holland wrote in the release.
In early August, the State Auditor’s Office issued a report noting several findings and recommendations involving Mount Olive’s Water Department and Municipal Airport.
The investigation stemmed from allegations received through the State Auditor’s Tipline. Major findings from the investigation included:
• Hundreds of water cutoff fees, which are issued if a customer fails to pay their monthly utility bill, were voided each month. The water department employee who voided the fees also manipulated the system so her own water service was not disconnected despite not paying her own utility bills.
• A sitting town commissioner failed to pay his utility bill for several months, but his water service was never disconnected. His $100 cutoff fee was voided nine times throughout the year, and he did not make a single payment on his utility bill in 2024 until OSA received an allegation, at which point his outstanding balance was $942.
• Mount Olive’s utility rates were improperly entered into the town’s utility system, resulting in more than $210,000 in lost revenue to the town.
“Proper management at the local level is incredibly important to ensuring resources are not abused and protocol is followed,” said State Auditor Dave Boliek. “Our Investigative Division took a deep dive into Mount Olive’s finances and uncovered several concerning issues. Local officials agreed with the findings in our report. Now, it’s time for our recommendations to be put into action.”
Investigators also discovered that fuel at the municipal airport, which the airport operator is contractually obligated to purchase, was instead purchased by the Town of Mount Olive. Further, the airport operator was allowing customers to purchase fuel on in-house credit, and Mount Olive’s finance director had no process to verify monthly fuel commission invoices from the airport operator.
When asked to provide names of those released from the town’s employment, town clerk Sheila Davidson forwarded a link to a Goldsboro News-Argus article detailing the names.
The information requested is public information.
According to the news article provided by town officials, Watia Best, 37, the Mount Olive Water Department office manager, and Rashonte Pettit, 31, the Water Department’s water clerk and billing specialist, were the staffers who were suspended on Jan. 30.
Best received an annual salary of $47,243, and Pettit received an annual salary of $36,920, Turner said.
Best has been employed by the town since March 2021 and Pettit has been employed by the town since March 2022, Davis said.
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