Brookhaven official blamed for mishandling Fla. contract, allowing company to charge extra $2.5M

NORTH LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Brookhaven city official is being accused of mismanaging a contract when he worked in North Lauderdale, Florida, according to a new report from the Broward Office of the Inspector General.

The Broward OIG says that Steven Chapman “engaged in gross mismanagement” when he was the director of North Lauderdale’s Finance Department. Chapman is currently the Deputy City Manager/Chief Financial Officer for the City of Brookhaven.

The 312-page report says Chapman did not properly oversee the city’s contract with Waste Pro.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Between January 2012 and September 2021, Waste Pro overbilled the city and its residents $2,589,753.48. The city was overbilled nearly $600,000 for residential solid waste services. The rest of the money came from overbillings directly to residents.

The OIG’s report goes on to say that Waste Pro did not properly list franchise fees in monthly reports, meaning they underpaid the city.

The report says that no one city employee was responsible for managing Waste Pro’s contract, but that Chapman should have ensured that Waste Pro’s rates were correct.

TRENDING STORIES:

• GA grandmother found dead, covered in blood. Police arrested her 15-year-old grandson
• 15-year-old dies days after church van, SUV crash in north Georgia
• Man ‘executed’ over parking space at Lenox Square. Shooter gets life in prison without parole

Chapman joined the City of Brookhaven in 2016, but the overbilling from Waste Pro continued for years after his departure.

The OIG says that Waste Pro did not engage in any misconduct. The report says that Waste Pro has not accepted responsibility and says the city agreed in actions to the rates it charged.

Waste Pro did provide the city with a check for $92,000 for some of the franchise fees it underpaid, but has not paid back anything else.

The City of Brookhaven issued the following statement:

“Steve Chapman has been working for the City of Brookhaven since September 2016. He separated his employment from North Lauderdale in 2014. Between 2012 and 2014, Mr. Chapman implemented the policies of the governing body of North Lauderdale and under the leadership of the city manager.”

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS:

Missing Gwinnett man’s body found in truck, police say it’s a homicide

©2024 Cox Media Group