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Councilmembers reintroduce call for forensic audit of Wilmington Housing Partnership over missing loan proceeds

3539076 · May 9, 2025
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Summary

Councilmember Shanae Darby presented a resolution asking the city auditor to investigate roughly $3.4 million in loan proceeds tied to the Wilmington Housing Partnership, a probe first requested by the council in 2019 but never completed. The committee did not vote on the resolution; it will be scheduled for a future council meeting.

Councilmember Shanae Darby told the Community Development and Urban Planning Committee on May 8 she would reintroduce a resolution requesting a forensic audit of the Wilmington Housing Partnership, which she said was associated with roughly $3.4 million in loan proceeds that were not accounted for and with development projects that were not completed.

Darby said the City Council previously passed a resolution in 2019 directing the auditing department to investigate the Wilmington Housing Partnership but that the audit was never carried out. "Where did it go and why didn't the projects get completed along with the missing money?" she asked during committee remarks.

The item was introduced and discussed but not voted on in committee; the chair explained that as a resolution it does not require committee approval and will be placed on an upcoming full council agenda for consideration. Committee members did not take a formal vote during the meeting.

Darby framed the resolution as a transparency and accountability measure to track taxpayer dollars and determine whether current developers or nonprofit partners involved with past work should be held to account. The committee did not adopt the resolution or set a final hearing date; the chair said the matter will be calendared for a future council meeting, possibly May 22 or the first Thursday in June.

Next steps: The resolution will be scheduled before the full Wilmington City Council for consideration; if adopted the auditor’s office would be asked to produce a forensic audit report documenting loan flows and project outcomes related to the Wilmington Housing Partnership.