NC State Auditor says Cary report shows a culture of ‘extravagant spending’
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- NC State Auditor released a 2,595-page report finding a culture of ‘extravagant’ spending.
- Much of the $24.2 million spent on town visa cards lacked invoices or receipts.
- Auditor highlighted items like $220 ribeye steaks and $802 monthly car allowances.
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Cary under scrutiny
The town of Cary has been in the spotlight since late November, when Town Manager Sean Stegall was put on administrative leave without any explanation from the town. Stegall resigned Dec. 13, 2025, amid reports of questionable spending. Here is ongoing coverage from The News & Observer.
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At first, the investigation into Cary’s spending focused only on what happened under former Town Manager Sean Stegall, North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek said Thursday.
As Boliek’s office kept digging, though, it took a wider view of the town’s spending, he said. Stegall can be tied to “some of the most concerning” spending. But the report, which the office released Thursday, revealed a deeper issue within the town.
“What our team has concluded is — and there’s no better way to say it — that there’s a cultural problem in terms of extravagant spending of taxpayer dollars in the town of Cary,” Boliek said.
Seven months after Cary town manager Sean Stegall resigned amid allegations of questionable spending, the N.C. State Auditor’s office released its 2,595-page report on the town’s spending.
Boliek presented the findings at a press conference at the state auditor’s office alongside his staff. He listed examples from the report that he felt illustrated the extravagance of the town’s spending, including:
- $220 bone-in ribeye steaks.
- Glasses of wine costing $48 each.
- $802 monthly car allowance for the mayor and every town council member, which Boliek called “unique.”
- $1,600 of Ray-Ban sunglasses for the town council. Boliek said council members attended a ribbon-cutting for a new park, where the sunshine was intense. So Stegall decided to buy the council Ray-Ban sunglasses.
- $86,000 on video production costs and $35,000 to produce a documentary of a town staff retreat in Wilmington, first reported by INDY Week in May. Boliek said his office will publish the videos on its website.
“We’ll let you draw your own conclusions about whether that’s a return on investment of taxpayer dollars,” Boliek said of the Wilmington retreat costs.
Stegall has not responded to a phone call from The News & Observer following the release of the report, The N&O reported.
The problem with procurement cards
Beyond Stegall, Boliek criticized the town for an issue he said he brought up at previous Council of State meetings — the amount of employees who have procurement cards, or, as Boliek called them, town Visa cards. Of the town’s total workforce, 62% of staff, or 828 employees, had a town visa card.
In contrast, Charlotte gives only 800 of its employees town visa cards, Boliek said — 10% of their workforce. Much of the $24.2 million spent with Cary’s Visa cards did not have invoices or receipts attached, either, creating an “accountability problem.”
Stegall declined to interview with the state auditor’s office, Deputy State Auditor Beth Ray said. But Boliek said he spoke with Cary town council members, staff, Mayor Harold Weinbrecht and acting town manager Russ Overton. All were cooperative, and no one refused an interview.
From those conservations, Boliek said Cary has a “fresh attitude” on accountability for where its money is going. He encouraged all elected municipal officials to “err on the side of micromanagement” and be fearless in asking tough questions of their professional staff.
“Taxpayers don’t mind if money’s being spent,” Boliek said. “They want to know how it’s being spent, and they want to believe and know that the intent is to get a return on investment of the expense of those dollars.”
The town is holding a news conference at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at town hall to outline the town’s response and will release findings from the law firm the town hired to review its concerns.
This story was originally published July 16, 2026 at 3:07 PM.
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