Morton to get $799K after nearly $1M stolen by former clerk

Owen Sexton, The Chronicle, Centralia, Wash.The Chronicle

Oct. 29—After denying the City of Morton's insurance claim earlier this year following former Morton clerk-treasurer Tamara "Tammy" Clevenger pleading guilty to embezzling almost $1 million, Morton Mayor Rick Mead announced the Association of Washington Cities Risk Management Service Agency has changed its tune.

The insurance pool will award the city a substantial sum to recoup embezzlement losses, he said during the monthly Morton City Council meeting on Monday, Oct. 27.

While the city was still not awarded its initial claim to be reimbursed for the full amount Clevenger embezzled from 2012 to 2022, $937,548, the insurance company awarded the City of Morton $799,000, Mead announced.

He attributed the Association of Washington Cities Risk Management Service Agency's decision to finally make the payout to the work of Morton City Clerk LuAnn Ward and the rest of the city hall staff in finding documents that proved the city's claim after the insurance company initially tried to pay the city only $21,000.

"When that ($21,000) check arrived at city hall, we talked about it and we didn't want to cash that check, or do anything with it, until we had further talks with them," Mead said. "And when we had talked to them, it wasn't really the greatest. They were really hanging their hat on the situation they said was fraudulent and proved to be fraudulent ... LuAnn, she had been in and out of that folder from time one, because she was the one who pretty much led the whole investigation for the auditors. She was bound and determined. She knew that she had seen that paperwork in that file of papers that she had. And she went to work on it, she found it, she made phone calls to Jim Gerwig, the old mayor, and amongst all of that, they went back to the insurance company. And the insurance company came back to us and said that with everything that was found, they had to pay us. They ended up paying us $799,000, and that is due to the work of city hall."

During her time as clerk-treasurer, Clevenger stole $937,548, a 2024 audit conducted by the Office of the Washington State Auditor discovered.

This included at least $311,727 of cash that citizens had brought in to pay for city services between November 2015 and December 2021, and at least $625,857 by writing city checks to herself and depositing them in her bank account starting in February 2013 and ending December 2021.

She also made unauthorized cash withdrawals with the City of Morton's ATM card.

Clevenger is the second former City of Morton official to be charged within the last year for financial fraud committed during their employment in Morton.

For her guilty plea, Clevenger was sentenced to five years' probation and ordered to repay the full amount she'd embezzled back to the city.

Following the meeting, Ward told The Chronicle that Clevenger will also have to pay back $799,000 to the insurance company.

Big Ole on the move

At the end of the meeting, Morton Loggers Jubilee committee member Punk Mettler announced that the new "Big Ole" statue currently located in the Jubilee Arena will finally be moved to the intersection of Westlake Avenue and Second Street in Morton where the old statue once stood sometime in November.

The new statue was commissioned after wood rot got into the base of the old "Big Ole," threatening its stability, and the new statue was carved by wood carving and chainsaw artist Jacob Lucas of Bonney Lake back in May. Moving the new "Big Ole" was delayed until a newly designed stand aimed at preventing base rot was fabricated.

The old statue, carved by Rod Blair in 1983, was taken off the rotting base and also moved to the Jubilee Arena this past summer, as previously reported by The Chronicle.

After the meeting, Mettler told The Chronicle there are still plans to build a canopy over the old "Big Ole" statue to protect it from the elements in the future as it will continue to stand in the Jubilee Arena. He anticipated that project to be carried out next year.

Budget, living in RVs and dangerous dogs

During the meeting, councilors unanimously approved the City of Morton's 2026 budget. The budget approved was balanced, with current revenues and expenditures both totalling $1,209,064, according to the council's agenda report.

Per state law, municipalities are required to approve and maintain annual balanced budgets.

As for specific funds, revenues and expenditures totalled $199,530 for the street fund, $20,265 for the cemetery fund, $100 for the drug fund, $31,000 for the tourism fund, $30,000 for the capital projects fund, $798,695 for the water fund, $961,746 for the sewer fund and $4,702,156 for other projects.

In total, both revenues and expenditures were projected to be $7,952,556 for 2026.

As for living in RVs, Morton City Councilor Jason Sawyer held a town hall event earlier this month to talk to residents about the amendment they had passed in September.

The Chronicle had initially reported they had amended an ordinance from 1998 to declare living in RVs a public nuisance. It was not reported that previously living in an RV was considered a misdemeanor, causing confusion amongst residents.

While a misdemeanor is a criminal charge punishable with both fines and jail time, a public nuisance may only lead to fines or jail time if it persists and escalates, according to state law.

At the town hall he held, Sawyer stated residents brought up other concerns about the ordinance including overpopulation in the area which may force more people to have to live in RVs.

Other situations were brought up as well, including those living in RVs on their parents' property while being caretakers for their parents and currently occupied RVs at the city's parks.

"Lastly, in terms of enforcement, and I got this a lot, what is the purpose of this enforcement? Why are we doing this?" Sawyer said. "Our community wants us to clarify the why."

As the original ordinance was written almost 30 years ago, Sawyer suggested workshopping further amendments to the ordinance for the future.

Morton City Councilor Richard Vanderlip thanked Sawyer for holding the town hall and concurred that the ordinance was in need of further amendment. However, he also said other factors were at play, including liability for the city as most RVs are not up to living and fire safety codes.

"We just went and made it to where it wasn't criminal, then the city can work with you, enforcement can work with you," Vanderlip added.

Given an entire new Morton City Council is about to be chosen in November's election where the majority of the council will be replaced, Vanderlip stated it might be best to table the issue until the new council is sworn in next January.

"This is my last year on the council. If I was staying here I would say 'yes we need to (amend right now).' No one on this table except for you Councilor Sawyer is going to be here," Vanderlip said. "So the torch is being passed to you."

Sawyer concurred, as he felt trying to workshop another amendment and get it passed in the next two months would rush the process.

"God forbid this council gets it wrong, and then that council has to bear the brunt of it. I think that we've all played that game too," Sawyer said.

As for the dangerous dogs roaming around Morton, the issue was brought to the council by resident Bobbie Dalton.

"Major consensus from the people that I've talked to is that we have a loose-slash-aggressive dog issue within the city limits of Morton. People that used to be comfortable with walking the streets of Morton are now being intimidated and threatened by aggressive dogs that are not restrained in any way — either by a fence or a leash or a tie down, or whatever," Dalton said.

She asked the council if this was a liability for the city and asked about any possible enforcement actions that could be taken by the city after she had initially gone to the police about a neighbor's dog.

"I had the chief of police at my house, taking the report, talking to the dog's owner, but then it occurred again. My neighbor had to fight off this same dog with a broom just to get to her car," said Dalton. "Somebody is going to end up getting hurt. Where do we draw the line?"

Per current city code, it is unlawful to have a dangerous dog without a certificate of registration — which requires the owner to have a proper enclosure to confine the dog along with a clearly visible dangerous dog sign posted, or have the dog muzzled and restrained by a "substantial chain or leash."

Owners failing to obtain a certificate of registration for their dog are subject to a $250 fine, and an additional $250 fine for each muzzle and chain violation.

Vanderlip stated that with the existing code, "enforcement needs to enforce it."

Mead added he planned to sit down with Morton Police Chief Cole Cournyer in the morning to see what else could be done about the issue — especially given the Morton Police Department's current staffing shortage.