An independent audit found that Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria received an extra $260,964 in longevity and cost-of-living payments, including a $31,664 lump-sum adjustment in 2023.

The findings, presented Monday at a special City Council meeting by MDD Foresnic Accountants, follow a state inspector general report earlier this year that flagged $180,000 in overpaid longevity funds.

“Trust in government at the end of the day is everything,” City Councilor Robert Van Campen said. “If we lose trust in the city government … then the whole system breaks down.”

The independent audit flagged questionable payment practices to DeMaria, including $30,000 longevity bonuses issued just months apart in 2021, longevity payments hidden in obscure accounts, and payments processed outside the payroll system

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