INDIANOLA, Miss.–Three Indianola aldermen have been ordered to pay back just over $42,000, in a demand letter issued by the office of State Auditor Shad White. No charges have been filed, but White says the three went against the advice of the city attorney when they voted for payment to Spencer Construction, a company that did not have a contract with the city.
The payment was for a project that began in 2018, was stuck during the pandemic, but picked back up afterward, which took too long for HUD )Housing and Urban Development), who canceled reimbursement to the city.
Aldermen Marvin Elder, Reuben Woods and Sam Brock, Jr., all voted to authorize the city to pay the contractor, even though the city technically did not owe Spencer. The alderman may have believed the HUD money would come through since an extension had been sought.
Once the HUD money was denied, the aldermen were on the hook for more than $14,000 a pieve, said White.
