ELLIS COUNTY – Ellis County resident and former Glenn Heights City Manager Aretha Ferrell-Benavides, who returned from a job on the east coast several years ago to take the role of city manager in the City of Duncanville, was terminated last week from her role in that city.
Ferrell-Benavides was out of town during the special called meeting where the Duncanville City Council voted 4-3 to terminate its first black African American city manager.
In remarks read by her attorney at the meeting last week, Ferrell-Benavides said she had returned to the area and looked forward to the opportunity as “it was a chance to come home and be near my 95-year-old grandmother, family, and friends.”
In her remarks, Ferrell-Benavides revealed it had been discovered there were two sets of financial books “with conflicting information between both books.
“As the team began to dig deeper, they began to question other procurement and funding practices used by the city. This review process resulted in rigorous procurement reform to work toward compliance with Texas Procurement Laws.”
She also mentioned it was discovered “employees and many vendors accustomed to open procurement and payment without documentation or contract” were not happy with these findings.
“Finally, in looking at the funding of the City’s Hotel Occupancy Tax Fund, the economic development director was questioned by finance staff regarding the validity of funding the local community theater and chamber of commerce with the funds and several special events.
“Ultimately, the state attorney told the city that the funding was not legal, and that if change occurred they would not be required to pay back the funds,” Ferrell-Benavides’ remarks read.
The now terminated city manager’s annual review had been scheduled for this week, but Duncanville City Councilmember at Large Patrick Harvey, asked the review be done last week when Ferrell-Benavides was out of town at a pre-scheduled meeting.
Comments from all the Duncanville City Council were heard at that meeting.
Duncanville Mayor Barry Gordon, one of Ferrell-Benavides strongest supporters even though he had not been when she was hired, spoke positively of her service with the city during her tenure.
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