State auditor: Rochester City Council misused taxpayer money

State Auditor Rebecca Otto has said that the Rochester City Council's monthly dinner outings misused taxpayer money and may have violated open meeting laws.

The state auditor's review of expenses from 2014 through 2016, when the meetings stopped, show the outings cost taxpayers roughly $10,000.

According to the letter sent by the state auditor's office, the meals should have been recorded as taxable income for the council members in attendance.

The long-standing gatherings ended last fall when some residents and council members raised concern. They argued that the meetings were difficult for the public to attend.

Among them was council member Nick Campion, who stopped attending the meetings in protest in April of 2016.

"Over time, I just really came to grips with how difficult they made it for the public that was interested to stay engaged," Campion said.

But Mayor Ardell Brede said in the past that the gatherings were valuable because they allowed council members to get to know each other.

"We got to know one another as people, not just as a council member," Brede said. "This is where I'm very disapointed in the way that ruling is coming."

Dinners were held at a variety of locations in Rochester, from high-end restaurants to BBQ joints and, one time, McDonalds, according to Brede. Costs ranged from $133 to $1,017.

It's not clear at this point whether council members will reimburse the city for the dinners.