A special audit is on the horizon for the town of Maysville, after a group of residents submitted a citizen- petition last month requesting the State Auditor and Inspector’s Office take a closer look at the town’s records.
The SAI’s Office confirmed this week that Maysville citizens have submitted a petition withthe required number of signatures to secure a special audit of the town, and those signatures have been verified by the Garvin County Election Board.
Maysville resident Yvette Sullivan said she and other Maysville citizens began circulating the petition in June after months of frustration with a lack of transparency from town officials regarding issues with Maysville’s municipal water supply, as well as unfulfilled requests for records from town hall.
“There’s just a lot of shady things going on and we want answers,” Sullivan said.
To secure the audit, the group needed verified signatures from 10 percent of the town’s 648 registered voters, roughly 64 signatures. They submitted 82 signatures, which were collected over a two-week period between June 10 and June 24, according to Sullivan. Of those submitted, 80 were verified by the county election board.
Sullivan said she is one of a handful of Maysville residents who worked together to form the list of items the petition requested the SAI’s Office take a closer look at.
Petitioners have asked for an audit of the town’s books and records between July 2021 and December 2023, to determine:
• Whether American Rescue Plan Act funds were expended according to federal guidelines.
• If park, swimming pool and street funds were expended appropriately.
• If interfund transfers were appropriate, properly approved and documented.
• If each bank account served a valid purpose.
• If there was a statutory requirement to produce profit/loss statements.
• The accuracy of selected payroll payments to employees and if such payments were properly approved.
• If having one agenda for the Town and the Public Works Authority meetings complied with the Open Meeting Act.
• If responses to records requests complied with the Open Records Act.
• If utility billing rates were properly approved.
• If grant funds were expended in accordance with grant guidelines.
• If a town trustee improperly benefited by providing private hunting/fishing tours on town property and at the town lake.
• If a town trustee improperly disposed of a town shooting range.
• If the FY2021 independent audit reported $20,000 as missing and, if so, determine the disposition of the funds.
Maysville’s mayor, Cindy White, said she is in favor of the citizen-petition audit and said she has been advocating for a forensic audit of the town’s books since 2022.
“I didn’t want it to go down like this, but if this is the only way to get it done, then I’m all for it,” White said.
Oklahoma municipalities have the ability under state statute to request an investigative audit by the SAI’s Office. Under Maysville’s town board form of government, such a request would likely need to be made by the town board of trustees as the town’s governing body.
The town of Maysville will be responsible for paying the cost of the special audit, which is estimated to be between $25,000-$75,000.
Brenda Holt, director of the SAI’s forensic audit division, said Maysville’s special audit will now be added to the books and will get underway as staff are available to begin the audit.