Discord over finances continues within Swansea Town Council.

At a special called meeting Oct. 18, the council once again pondered questions about the town’s management of finances when town officials said the council should put off receiving their regular pay because of revenue shortages.

In an interview with the Chronicle, Council Member Michael Luongo said town officials asked council members to hold off getting their pay at the same time an agenda item was posted calling for bonuses and retention pay.

“It didn’t make any sense,” he said.

Luongo and Council Member Simmons also expressed concerns that council members were being asked to hold off on their pay, but Mayor Viola McDaniel did receive her pay.

McDaniel did not immediately respond to the Chronicle’s request for comment.

Nothing was resolved with the agenda items at the meeting, which discussed amending the 2022-23 budget council passed in August. Luongo said the meeting ended with all items tabled until the next regular meeting.

None of the items appear on the agenda for council’s regularly scheduled Oct. 24 meeting, which was released Oct. 21.

At the Oct. 18 meeting, council did approve the temporary hiring of a CPA to help prepare the council for a proper budget preparation.  

Hopefully, Manly Garvin of Greenwood will “clear the books” on the town finances so Swansea can finally do some accurate accounting, Luongo said.

Earlier this year, Luongo and Simmons brought a lawsuit against the mayor, clerk and auditor. seeking an explanation for why $3.3 million in town assets are unaccounted for.

Auditor John Brown did address the missing funds when he addressed council before it passed its 2022-23 budget Aug. 22.

“When I attempted to test fixed assets by comparing the fiscal year 2020 ending balance to the fiscal year 2021 beginning balance, there were no amounts included in the accounting system for fiscal year 2021,” he said at that meeting. “Hence my statement that the fixed assets are understated by at least $3.3 million. That was the total fixed assets for the year 2020.”

Brown has since filed a countersuit against the council members, alleging he is being libeled and defamed.