Muskogee City Council, Citizen's Group Asking For State Audit

A citizens group and the Muskogee City Council both plan to independently ask the State Auditor to find answers to questions the citizens group has long been asking.

Organizers of a petition drive to request the audit believe the city is misspending money and being irresponsible in asking for a $77 million bond issue they believe is filled with vague proposals. As their drive gathered steam, Muskogee Mayor Patrick Cale and City Councilor Melody Cranford announced plans to co-sponsor a resolution requesting an audit with the same questions as the citizens group.

The draft resolution from the Council asks the auditor to examine the financing of the “Three Corners Development”; look for conflicts of interest in the “Project Sunshine” development, look at contracting for property along the Shawnee Corridor, and find any conflicts of interest in a Downtown Revitalization grant program.

Organizers of the petition drive said the audit request drafted by the city matched their language exactly.

“Now all of a sudden, they're paying attention and want to do something,” said Ryan Lowe, who said it was their effort to force an audit that got the city to go along.

“I'm excited to help them, now that I know what their concerns are, their specific avenues and subjects they want looked at,” said Mayor Patrick Cale, who denied knowing enough specifics before to go anything about it. “This is the first time we've seen this, the first time, so I think our reaction was pretty swift,” he said in a news conference called by the city.

The citizens behind the petition drive say they’ve asked for the audit in public and private meetings with no response from City Manager Mike Miller or the Mayor.

“This is something we are doing to say ‘we heard you and we heard you loud and clear,’” said newly elected Ward 3 City Councilor Melody Cranford, who several times urged the Citizens group to stop complaining during the news conference. “You should celebrate a victory and you should say our council heard us. We are actually stepping out and giving you what you asked for, so please respect us.”

The Council resolution will be heard Monday night, July 8, according to the Mayor, who said he doesn’t know when the Auditor's office might address the request.

Mark Hughes, another of the petition organizers, was incredulous that the city was now supporting an audit and suggested it was only because of a vote in August on a bond issue that the same citizens had also questioned.

“Now, all of a sudden, they want to be transparent and open, now that they need our vote?” he asked.

Mayor Cale said the city would pay for the audit and estimated it would cost between $40,000 to $80,000.