PERRYSBURG, Ohio — An investigation by the Ohio Auditor's Office into the city of Perrysburg is complete and no evidence of wrongdoing was found, a city spokesperson said Tuesday.
No civil or criminal charges will be filed, city of Perrysburg spokesperson Marie Dunn told WTOL 11.
The Ohio Auditor of State's Special Investigations Unit opened a case in March 2022, regarding a complaint received by the Ohio Attorney General's Office that levied accusations against city of Perrysburg employees including city administrator Bridgette Kabat and human resource manager Kelly Chalfant.
The complaint, which was signed "The employees of the city of Perrysburg" and addressed to former Perrysburg City Council member Deborah Born on Jan. 11, 2022, accused Chalfant of using city time and a city laptop to work on her personal photography business and alleged that Kabat was using her position to the financial benefit of her husband and his company.
The investigation determined two instances where Kabat issued multiple purchase orders in amounts under the threshold that would require the mayor and city council's approval. Additionally, 15 out of 238 invoices reviewed referenced Kabat's husband in the "ship to" line.
The case was elevated as a result and Nichols Paper and Supply Company was subpoenaed regarding commissions paid to Kabat's husband, who works as a sales representative for the company.
Documents indicated that Kabat's husband received a quarterly bonus of 2.5% based on gross profit within his region. Six products were sold to the city of Perrysburg, which resulted in a bonus of $55.10 from 2016 through 2021. He was assigned by Nichols Paper and Supply Company for six weeks until a different employee was assigned to the account. He did not receive any commissions during that period.
Based on the dollar amount and the time period of Kabat's husband's assignment to the city's account, the task force determined no criminal or civil action was advised.
Kabat resigned from her position in February 2023, citing that she had accepted another job elsewhere.
The city of Perrysburg's law director responded to the claims levied against Chalfant and advised the photography work was done in relation to city business and as a salaried worker, no theft of time case exists.
Additionally, a separate complaint was received regarding a sinkhole allegedly declared by the city to be on private property to shift the cost of repairs to a private citizen. It was determined that the city completed the repair work and no additional steps were necessary.
All three complaints were investigated in one case and no wrongdoing was found regarding Kabat, Chalfant or the city of Perrysburg.
The findings of the investigation can be viewed at this link and in the document below:
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