City of Wagoner requests forensic audit over ‘transparency’ concerns

By John Dobberstein, Editor

The Wagoner City Council voted Monday night to seek a forensic audit of the city’s finances after complaints about a lack of transparency in the city’s spending have escalated in the last several months.

The council voted 6-2 to request the examination from State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd’s office, although the inquiry – projected to cost about $80,000 — probably wouldn’t begin until 2025 due to a backlog of requests in that office.

City Councilor Patrick Sampson took to Facebook Tuesday to explain the vote and why he felt an audit was needed. He said he doesn’t support government overreach but he is concerned there have not been adequate checks and balances on spending decisions.

While the city has regular audits by an independent firm every year, a forensic audit “will go a little deeper into things potentially happening,” Simpson said, adding that he has received numerous demands from citizens for more transparency.

“From my understanding, they will find stuff,” Samson said in his video. “This is definitely not a dig at the people in the administration or the other council members. It’s another way to hold us all accountable for what we’re doing. And if there are some things that need improvement, we need to address it and fix it.”

Mayor Dalton Self, who’s been in office less than a year, told KJRH he was forced to end the Bluegrass and Chili Festival after the city lost $60,000 from the event recently.  

KJRH reported that Scott Yandell, who’s new to Wagoner and the Wagoner Economic Development Authority board, said he’s found holes in past expenses and budgeting that requires a hard look from the state auditor’s office.

“I find that our city is very inefficient in the number of employees it has per its population. It’s deficient in its services,” Yandell told the news station. “It seems to run excessive budgets.”