Columbus Chief Financial Officer Milton Rawle resigned Tuesday night, a week after he returned from an unpaid suspension for failing to comply with job performance standards.
Multiple city sources confirmed city councilmen accepted Rawle’s resignation during an executive session of Tuesday’s regular meeting in the Municipal Complex. His resignation is effective immediately.
The city plans to keep former Columbus certified public accountant Mike Crowder on as a part-time consultant until it can find someone to replace Rawle, multiple city officials confirmed.
Councilman Bill Gavin, of Ward 6, said Crowder will likely present councilmen a comprehensive report of the city’s financial situation during the regularly scheduled council meeting March 5. Crowder handled CFO duties for the city during Rawle’s 16-day suspension, which began Jan. 16 and ended Feb. 12. The city paid him $100 per hour to handle chief financial officer duties.
Neither Rawle nor Crowder could not be reached for comment by press time.
Rawle, who has worked for the city since 2013, was suspended for 16 working days (what amounted to 28 calendar days since city administration operates on a four-day work week) without pay after councilmen took issue with not being made fully aware of a mounting budget deficit until it was too late to avoid it.
Columbus operated at an $881,000 deficit in Fiscal Year 2018, which ended Sept. 30. Rawle did not report that information to the council until November, when he asked them to amend the budget for the already completed fiscal year. Councilmen have since openly criticized Rawle for not providing them with a clear picture of city finances.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.