North Carolina spent more than $111 million operating Hurricane Helene base camps across western North Carolina, but auditors say officials did not track enough usage data to determine the value taxpayers received.

A report released Tuesday by the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor examined 55 base camps and comfort stations operated through North Carolina Emergency Management and Texas contractor SLSCO LTD. The facilities supported first responders, utility crews, state employees and disaster survivors with shelter, meals, showers and laundry.

Expenses totaled $111,067,464 over roughly seven months, averaging $516,593 per day. The largest site, in Swannanoa, accounted for about $27 million. Auditors calculated that a one-night bed cost about $800 and a meal averaged $41.67.

The report found rates were generally based on anticipated attendance rather than actual use. Neither the state nor the contractor consistently tracked meals served, showers taken, laundry loads or restroom use because the contract did not require those measurements. Auditors recommended recording usage rates and per-service costs to strengthen future emergency contracts.

State Auditor Dave Boliek acknowledged the camps were essential immediately after Helene, but said $111 million was “no small total” and the missing metrics made it difficult to assess the return on the expense.

North Carolina Emergency Management defended the spending, emphasizing the unprecedented disaster required housing and logistical support for thousands of responders from North Carolina and 39 other states. The agency said the Federal Emergency Management Agency reviewed the invoices, found the costs necessary and deemed them eligible for 100% federal reimbursement.

A previous Hurricane Helene after-action review identified fragmented resource tracking as a weakness and called for modernized logistics systems. The audit now gives that problem a price tag and a lesson for the next disaster.

Cary residents packed Town Hall Thursday night and confronted elected leaders after a state investigation described excessive spending, weak controls and poor oversight of taxpayer money.

At the council’s first regular meeting since the report’s release, speakers accused members of ignoring warning signs and leaning too heavily on former Town Manager Sean Stegall. Some demanded resignations or a recall process, while one resident called the council’s claim that Stegall alone dominated town government “pathetic,” FOX8 reported. 

The North Carolina Office of the State Auditor found Cary had issued 828 procurement cards to about 62% of employees, compared with a 16% average among nine other large municipalities. Employees made more than 60,000 card transactions totaling $24.2 million from January 2024 through December 2025. Auditors did not label that entire sum improper, but flagged purchases lacking a clear government purpose or appearing excessive. 

Examples included $121,314 for videos tied to a Wilmington retreat, $65,653 for a ghostwriter to produce a book about Stegall’s management style, $1,600 for 10 pairs of Ray-Ban sunglasses and more than $100,000 in purchases without complete receipts. 

Resident Marie Inserra urged lawmakers to authorize a local recall election. Michael Anderson asked everyone appearing in the retreat’s “Dancing Queen” documentary to resign, WRAL reported. 

An independent review commissioned by Cary echoed the oversight concerns and recommended restoring an internal auditor and notifying the council before land purchases above $300,000. The council adopted an anti-retaliation policy for employees reporting misconduct and launched a public dashboard tracking nearly 40 recommended changes. 

Stegall resigned in December 2025 after being placed on leave. Cary officials say he restricted information reaching council members, but State Auditor Dave Boliek said elected leaders failed to ask tough questions. Thursday’s backlash showed promised reforms have not ended demands for accountability.

North Carolina has made its highway license plate camera program permanent, allowing law enforcement agencies to place automated readers beside state-maintained roads as officials tout public-safety benefits and privacy advocates warn about mass tracking. 

The 2026 state budget authorizes the North Carolina Department of Transportation to enter agreements with the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) for automatic license plate reader systems on state land and rights-of-way. The SBI may act for federal, state or local agencies and must report annually on policies, data requests and camera totals. 

Automatic license plate readers photograph plates and convert images into searchable data, including plate numbers, times, locations and vehicle descriptions. The SBI’s April pilot report said 17 agencies had installed cameras at 140 locations by March 15. By that date, Raleigh’s three cameras had recorded 14.8 million plate scans. From July 1, 2025, through Jan. 31, 2026, they generated 956 National Crime Information Center alerts, including 227 stolen-vehicle alerts. 

The report credited the technology with helping recover missing people and stolen vehicles, identify homicide suspects and intercept drugs. Republican House Speaker Destin Hall and Senate leader Phil Berger told WRAL that public-safety gains outweigh privacy concerns because motorists are visible in public. 

Critics argue the system creates a searchable record of innocent drivers’ movements. The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina has said existing safeguards are insufficient to prevent abuse. WRAL found only Raleigh and Asheville among 32 pilot agencies had policies specifically addressing surveillance concerns involving protests or protected groups. 

State law requires written agency policies, limits data use to law enforcement purposes, bars traffic-ticket enforcement and generally caps retention at 90 days. Unauthorized access or disclosure is a Class 1 misdemeanor.