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City inquiry into $13K found in safe uncovers no crimes

Kaysville• Kaysville City Manager Shayne Scott says the investigation that led to the discovery last year of $13,000 in a Kaysville Public Works Department safe has concluded with no revelations of misdeeds.

Scott says the investigation could not “prove any misuse of money,” though investigators also could not definitively disprove misuse, either.

Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings’ office launched an investigation into the public works department in 2016, as sought by the city, stemming from unspecified allegations of improprieties. Investigators discovered the $13,000 in the course of their efforts and Scott said Friday they could not track the origin of the funds with 100 percent certainty.

“Was I super disappointed? Absolutely,” Scott said.

Officials have said the money came from the sale of scrap metal accumulated in the public works department, but there was no paper trail of receipts to verify that, the Standard-Examiner (http://bit.ly/2vGtJFH ) reported Monday.

Public works administrators “completely went around the process, which is the most egregious problem to me,” Scott said. New procedures have since been implemented to assure proper handling and reporting of funds generated from scrap metal sales.

The $13,000 — used for things like gloves and meals for department employees, officials have said — accumulated over 13 years, Scott said, while Larry Mills ran the department.

Mills was removed as supervisor after the discovery of the money, but remained in the department until his retirement last November.

As for the broader inquiry by Rawlings’ office, Scott is not sure exactly where that stands.

“I don’t know if the investigation is completely concluded,” Scott said. “We just haven’t gotten the definitive word from (Rawlings).”

Asked this week whether the inquiry has concluded or if it’s still ongoing, Rawlings declined comment.

Neither Hiatt nor City Councilman Dave Adams, who had pushed for the inquiry into the public works department, could immediately be reached for comment.