TAYLOR, Mich. – Why does the mayor of Taylor have unpaid bills to a city-owned golf course?
The Local 4 Defenders uncovered records from the Lakes of Taylor Golf Course that said Mayor Rick Sollars owes more than $10,000. When Local 4 asked Sollars he said that he wasn’t sure and would have to check.
There are unpaid bills from July of 2020 and from June of 2021, both are for the Sollars Leadership Pac. According to a recent statement, Sollars’ campaign owed more than $13,000 to the city-run golf course.
Related: Taylor Mayor Rick Sollars indicted on fraud, bribery charges
Insiders within Taylor City Hall said they were aware the mayor wasn’t paying the bills, but didn’t feel they could speak up on his abuse of the city-run golf course.
Karen Drew: I understand that there were some events that you held at the golf course and there are some outstanding bills there.
Rick Sollars: We just had one on, I think it was last Thursday, that may be the only one. I’m not 100% sure, I would have to check with my campaign finance treasurer.
Karen Drew: Why would it not be paid if it wasn’t? Because we have records here from The Lakes of Taylor that say you had an event in June and July and you owe more than $10,000.
Rick Sollars: That I’m not sure of. I would just have to check, as long as we have the invoice I would have assumed that’s been paid. But I’ll have to check with the golf course director. If not, It’ll be paid ASAP.
Three days after Local 4 confronted Sollars, the Local 4 Defenders checked with Taylor City Hall and the mayor’s $13,000 golf tab was paid.
Rick Sollars: It’s on me. We owed it and we paid it yesterday.
Karen Drew: Obviously that’s the question. You are running a city. You’ve got a bill for over $10,000 you didn’t pay and you didn’t pay it until I brought it to your attention. Might make people wonder how you are running the city.
Rick Sollars: Well, mistakes happen. I’m not making excuses for it. Karen, when you brought it to my attention I had not seen that bill.
Sollars went on to say that he’s up-to-date with all other bills. Local 4 is checking into that.
Local 4 also reached out to the golf course to find out why the bills were allowed to go unpaid for so long.
Read: Complete Local 4 Defenders coverage