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Regular Council Meeting August 25, 2014 Page 7 for the PEDC to state the findings, as well as the recommendations that were listed and also give the Council an update on what they've done. Council Member Hashmi said he thought it would be a beneficial meeting if Mr. Defenbaugh was there. He said he had no objection to meeting if Mr. Defenbaugh was going to be at the meeting to answer questions. Mayor Frierson said to his knowledge an invitation would be extended. Council Member Lancaster wanted to know the location of the meeting and Council Member Pickle said they were not sure yet. City Council discussed dates of September 15 and September 16 for possibly meeting with the PEDC. Council Member Hashmi said if Mr. Defenbaugh was not going to attend the meeting that he did not want to attend and ask for clarification on Mr. Defenbaugh's attendance of the meeting. Mayor Frierson said city staff would be in touch with Mrs. Barrentine to coordinate one of these dates. 18. Discuss and act on forwarding the results of the Defenbaugh investigation of the PEDC as it relates to the performance of the PEDC director to the Texas Attorney General and Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts for compliance with the Texas Economic Development Act. Council Member Hashmi said he placed this item on the agenda and then made the following statement, "We have all seen the results of the recent Defenbaugh Investigative Report. The results may not be conclusive due to the lack of ability on part of the investigative firm to issue subpoenas, etc. It certainly does point out some of the short-falls that we have in our policies and procedures. While we as leaders of our community want to correct those flaws, we are also obligated to make efforts to recover those tax payer's funds if misappropriated whether intentionally or unintentionally. Private enterprises may run their businesses however they want, however when it comes to people responsible for tax payer money, they are held to a different standard. Even if policies and procedures are not present there is a certain level of judiciary responsibility that requires you to spend the tax payer dollar appropriately. Based on the report there might have been some transgressions. To clear this issue and to restore the confidence of the people in our city government and to follow the rules of transparency, accountability, equality and justice, everyone is held to the same yard stick of justice that this great country is all about. I would request that the council members join me to forward this matter, as it pertains to the former director of PEDC to the Texas Comptroller's office and to the Texas Attorney General's office to assess whether this matter requires further assessment and /or investigation into the acts of public officials who are responsible for tax dollars." Council Member Lancaster expressed her concern that there were possible wrong doings and that she would like to have an outside entity look at it to determine if there was or was not wrong doings. She said it was certainly an opportunity to clear some people's names and that would be very welcome. She also said she thought they were all too close to this problem, and thought they needed to have someone to stand back, and look at it, and tell them if this was wrong, or was not wrong. Council Member Lancaster encouraged the City Council to send it to the Texas Attorney General's Office. Mayor Frierson said it was the same statement Council went through whenever Mr. Wright and Dr. Hashmi made a motion and a second to find a firm from outside of Lamar