Alabama Music Hall of Fame Board elects to fire Burroughs

MONTGOMERY — The state board which oversees the Alabama Music Hall of Fame voted on July 30 to terminate its executive director, who had been put on administrative leave after she was asked to repay nearly $65,000 in misspent funds.

Sandra Killen Burroughs was at the center of a state audit released in May which found 29 significant issues at the museum and tourist attraction in Tuscumbia, including thousands spent on travel and meals, an improperly awarded bonus and other matters of noncompliance with state laws.

Burroughs, who has been the executive director since 2018, has been on unpaid leave since March.

Burroughs directed questions to her attorney John C. Saylor. He was contacted seeking comment but had not responded by press time Wednesday afternoon.

The Alabama Examiners of Public Accounts originally asked Burroughs, who also goes by Sandra Killen, to repay $114,637 earlier this year. That amount was reduced to $64,719 after she submitted additional information about expenditures.

Some of the audit findings raise concerns about day-to-day operations at the museum, including failure to maintain a listing of artifacts and memorabilia, failure to ensure the items were protected by insurance coverage and failure to remit sales tax from gift shop sales.

The audit stated the board failed to comply with open meetings laws, not notifying the Secretary of State of upcoming board meetings, holding virtual meetings without the necessary requirements and failing to ensure minutes were signed as required. Similar issues had been found in previous audits.

The July 30 board meeting was supposed to be accessible to the public via Zoom, but could not be accessed by Alabama Daily News. Board Chairwoman Judy Hood later apologized for the technical difficulties and told Alabama Daily News about the vote to terminate Burroughs.

Hood also said the board “has completed 80% of the concerns of the audit.”

She said several other state agencies have assisted the museum “get it where it needs to be” and be compliant with state laws, including procurement rules. The May examiners’ report was referred to the state attorney general for collection. The AG’s office does not comment on ongoing matters or confirm investigations, a spokesman said Wednesday.

Hood said the board expects to be reimbursed for the misspent funds.

Several of the current board members’ terms, including Hood’s, have expired. But she said members want to stay on while matters related to the audit are resolved.

“I wouldn’t want to hand this over to a new board at this point,” she said. “We want to do what needs to be done to get us 100% compliant.”

The hall of fame opened in 1990 and, according to its website, sees each year “thousands of tourists, school children, historians and music fans tour our facility to see, hear and learn of the many contributions Alabamians made to music.”

It receives state money from the Education Trust Fund. It has a $204,382 allocation this year and next.

Gov. Kay Ivey also recommended this year, and lawmakers approved, an additional $250,000 for the hall in the supplemental education spending bill.

The board’s next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 23.