Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick has announced a special audit of the City of Willard.
The audit was initiated by resident petition. 406 signatures were submitted requesting the audit.
A statement from Willard’s City Administrator Wes Young states, “the estimated cost of the special audit is between $80,000 and $125,000, with the City of Willard responsible for paying the actual costs incurred upon completion.”
Per that statement no start date has been announced.
In a press release from self-described “Chief Petitioners” Angie Wilson and Megan Applegate they state that the audit is the result of citizen concerns following the 2023 resignation of former mayor and alderman Corey Hendrickson and his subsequent conviction earlier this year for wire fraud and identity theft at his place of employment, Prime, Inc.
In their statement Wilson and Applegate state that residents made requests to the Board of Alderman to pursue an audit following the public’s awareness of Hendrickson’s crimes.
They state that the Board never took up the issue for a vote, prompting them and other residents to pursue an audit by petition.
The last State audit of Willard was conducted in 2010. It was largely critical and identified “deficiencies in internal controls, noncompliance with legal provisions, and the need for improvement in management practices and procedures.”