Norman resident urges council to continue forensic audit after auditor "found some things"

Cheryl Ann Denton urged the Norman City Council on May 27, 2025, to continue a fiscal-year 2025–2027 comprehensive forensic audit plan and retain the contracted forensic auditor after the auditor identified issues in city records.

Denton, speaking during the meeting's miscellaneous-comments period, told the council the auditor had produced the work the job announcement sought and that she "has the chops to do the job." She said council members were "a bit upset with what she's uncovered" and urged the council to "continue the FY25 to FY27 comprehensive audit plan that she put in place and presented to council."

Why it matters: Denton framed the audit as a tool to find waste and recover funds that residents expect to support infrastructure and services. She said the auditor was authorized to review city offices and present a full report, and alleged there are legacy funds and promised infrastructure improvements that lack explanation for where money went.

Denton also recommended a pay structure tied to savings, saying, "for every dollar she saves Norman residents in our tax dollars, she get a 25% an hour raise for every $1 she saves us," and added, "I think we ought to keep her for the next 20 years to keep you people honest."

The comments did not prompt a council discussion or a vote. As the meeting agenda notes, the council does not respond to speakers during miscellaneous comments because of Oklahoma's Open Meetings Act rules. The transcript does not record any motion or direction from the council in response to Denton's request.

Denton also urged enforcement of accountability broadly, saying, "nobody's above the law," and pressed the council to explain where certain legacy or grant funds allocated over past decades were spent.

No formal action to extend or modify the audit contract appears in the meeting record; the transcript records Denton's comments only.