An Austin Energy supervisor paid his neighbor $27,611 for lawn care and landscaping at two utility sites, overpaying the neighbor by as much as $16,200, according to a recent investigative report by the Austin City Auditor’s Office.
The report, released late last month, stemmed from a larger review by city auditors into potential misuse of city credit cards. The office launched the effort last year after a separate investigation found that a former Austin Energy employee had routed nearly $1 million to fictitious vendors over six years.
The broader review, which examined transactions on all city-issued credit cards from July 2024 to June 2025, uncovered two vendors that auditors could not verify. Further investigation found two city code violations by the Austin Energy supervisor, while the other instance proved inconclusive.
Brian Molloy, chief of investigations for the Auditor’s Office, said the case showed the value of the broader review. The office informally aims to conduct one integrity project each year, he said…