A Gibbons councillor who received a letter of reprimand has issued a statement on the matter.
On May 10, Gibbons town council said Amber Harris allegedly broke several sections of the code of conduct relating to the use of her town credit card.
The alleged misuse involved Harris paying for personal car insurance with the card as well as making four separate March withdrawals that totaled up to just over $2,000.
"Earlier this year, my personal debit card was compromised, and I had an emergency situation where I did not have access to funds," said Harris. "I used the town’s credit card and paid the amounts back in full before any letter was issued to me.
"I thank the town for confirming that all funds have been paid in full and I apologize for this incident without reservation."
Harris then went on to relate the incident being brought up to a 2021 sexual assault involving herself and a former councillor.
"The fact that this matter is being raised now is retaliation against me for taking legal action and not allowing the current town council to 'keep quiet' about the sexual assault to which I was a victim," Harris told MIX 107 in a written statement.
Gibbons Mayor Dan Deck responded to these allegations saying that the two incidents are not related.
"That is absolutely not the case," said Deck. "This came to me as a 'this is what is going on' in that [Harris] used her card to pay for vehicle insurance...and then it was discovered she was taking cash advances for her personal use. Nobody on council knew, and nobody on administration."
"It has absolutely nothing to do with the legal case."
Harris has been a councillor with Gibbons since 2013 and is currently serving her second term on council.
As a result of the letter of reprimand, Harris was removed from all council committees and other appointed bodies. She was also asked to return her corporate credit card.