The Columbus mayor has asked the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office to investigate the release of some personal information from the city’s finance department.
Reports of the requested probe sparked fears that city administrators were trying to ferret out whistleblowers who reported problems in the city’s revenue collections. Those whistleblower reports triggered an internal audit and a private investigation commissioned by city councilors.
Mayor Skip Henderson said he asked for the probe because someone in the city government released personal tax information related to City Manager Isaiah Hugley, who owned a janitorial service called Hugley’s Facility Management.
A resident filed an open records request related to that business, and was provided information that should not have been disclosed, the mayor said, adding, “We can’t do that.”
The information later was posted online, he said.
The resident requesting that information was Nathan Smith, a frequent critic of the city government who occasionally speaks on council’s public agenda, during meetings.