WEST SILOAM SPRING, Okla. -- A West Siloam Springs city official is being investigated by the city auditor in connection with alleged irregularities in city funds, according to City Attorney Jot Hartley.
The city's board of trustees voted on Tuesday to put Kathy Osbourn on paid medical leave until Nov. 19 while the investigation is being conducted. Osbourn serves as town manager, an appointed position that pays $70,000 a year, as well as town clerk, an elected position that pays $50 a month, Hartley said.
The irregularities in the town's expenditures came to light during a routine examination of financial records in September, Hartley said.
"We're in the process of investigating those," he said. "Whether they are improper or not, we'll know after our auditor and our CPA have completed the investigation and given the opinion to the board."
"With regard to her employment as town manager, she has been placed on a medical leave until Nov. 19, 2018, which is our next regular board meeting," Hartley said. "That's prescient to a preliminary agreement with her council and me that was approved by the board tonight. She is also on leave as town clerk until Nov. 19, 2018, both pending an investigation and the results of that investigation, which we hope to present to the board Nov. 19."
Osbourn was hired to work as town manager in August 2017. At the time, city officials said that Oklahoma law allowed Osbourn to hold both the town manager and city clerk position because the town clerk does not have a vote on the board of trustees and the town manager position is not elected.
The town manager's job responsibilities include managing governmental affairs of the numerous departments, board, authorities and commissions; reporting the town's financial condition to the board of trustees each month; and general supervision of department heads.
Hartley said that no criminal complaint has been lodged against Osbourn at this time and said he is advising everyone not to prejudge her. He said he hopes to present the results of the investigation at the Nov. 19 board of trustees meeting.
"Everything will be made public, there is no attempt by anybody connected with the town, me, the trustees, the chief of police, no one is trying to hide anything and we're just trying to make sure that we do the best job we can to identify everything that needs to be examined before we come out and make any conclusions," he said. "The term due process has been overused recently, but we want to make sure due process is given in this instance."
General News on 10/17/2018