Muskogee City Council Approves Audit Of City Projects, Citizens Asking For Separate Audit

Muskogee City Council approved a state audit for four developments after a citizen petition raised concerns about transparency. Organizer Mark Hughes said he wants a separate audit before the August 27th bond vote, while Muskogee Mayor Patrick Cale says it doesn't make a difference when the audit is completed.

Monday, July 8th 2024, 10:09 pm

By: Kaitlyn Deggs

MUSKOGEE, Okla. -

The Muskogee City Council passed a resolution Monday night to request a state audit of four city developments.

This comes after hundreds of people signed a petition for their own audit on the same projects.

The citizens want to know if there are any conflicts of interest and if tax dollars are being spent properly.

Some people say they were glad the city approved an audit, but they still want their own audit, so the results come directly to them.

The City Council is asking the state for an audit on four different developments, including an area on the Shawnee Bypass that would add retail, restaurants, and housing, as well as the Downtown Revitalization Project.

Some say it’s a good idea to make sure there are no issues.

“I think everything does need to be cleared up, the citizens need to be informed but also answers need to be made so I think this was a good step forward on that issue," County Assessor Ron Dean said.

Mark Hughes is one of the organizers of the petition to get their own audit to make sure everything is in order.

He thinks it should be done before the city votes on a multi-million dollar bond issue next month.

“If the audit comes up clean, ok, that sort of helps us clarify our position on the bond,” said Hughes. “If it comes up dirty, we don’t want to give you $77 million.”

Muskogee Mayor Patrick Cale says it doesn’t make a difference whether the audit is completed before the bond vote.

“I’ll be looking forward to it being a clean audit, and I suppose the citizens will be hoping for the same,” said Cale. “But if there’s something nefarious going on, or something that wasn’t handled right, well, they’ll get the credit for bringing that forward.”

Hughes says he will continue to ask people to sign a petition for a separate audit.

“We want our audit to be responsible to the people of Muskogee,” said Hughes. “We don’t want the auditor to be responsible to the City of Muskogee.”

The bond issue is on the ballot on Aug. 27.

The city says it will ask for an audit as soon as possible.