A former Auburn city employee will not be convicted of a misdemeanor if she meets a few conditions in the next six months, according to the Cayuga County District Attorney.

Michele Godfrey agreed Tuesday in Auburn City Court to carry out 100 hours of community service and sign a public letter of apology.

If those and some other conditions are met by July 13, the charge of second-degree falsifying business records will be dismissed, DA Jon Budelmann said.

The agreement also states Godfrey has to pay complete restitution, including a fee the city paid for a class she never attended, and discontinue any formal appeals with the city over the incident, according to Budelmann.

The former deputy city clerk was arrested and fired after city officials accused her of submitting a false time sheet and mileage totaling $51.38, according to reports.

She was allegedly spotted in her backyard when she was supposed to be attending a training seminar.

In her public letter obtained by The Citizen, Godfrey states that she accepts full responsibility for her actions.

“I, more than anyone, should have known better than to turn in falsified time cards, meal and mileage vouchers,” stated Godfrey, who Budelmann said is working at a new job in Syracuse.

Godfrey's attorney, Richard Gunger, did not return phone messages Tuesday night.

Though Godfrey was charged in July, her case received renewed attention recently.

Last week, it became public that during the fall, Auburn city officials allowed a handful of public works employees to return $10,000 worth of stolen items without fear of prosecution or termination.

Law enforcement officials have claimed the public works situation would have been much more difficult to prosecute than Godfrey's case because of the evidence involved.

But some officials have referred to the two instances as examples of a double standard at city hall.

City officials have not released the names of any public works employees who returned missing items.

According to Budelmann, Auburn officials asked prosecutors to try and work out a resolution in Godfrey's case that would limit the amount of taxpayer money spent. Discussions over a resolution date back to the September, and Godfrey's letter is dated Dec. 30, he said.

Budelmann also said his initial desire was to seek a plea in the case because of the fact that she is a public official.

“But my main concern was that she accepts responsibility for her crime. She has,” Budelmann said.

Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net.