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Lee County board moves forward with independent forensic audit after public debate over cost and oversight
Summary
The Lee County Board of Supervisors voted to engage an independent forensic audit, with the county administrator estimating fees 'will not exceed $113,000' and the board saying it will ask the school system to contribute up to $40,000; residents raised conflict‑of‑interest concerns about school‑board oversight and urged a fully independent review.
The Lee County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 18 confirmed plans to engage an independent forensic audit following public comments and a detailed cost estimate presented to the board.
Board members and witnesses debated who should oversee and fund the audit after recent allegations about missing or mismanaged funds were raised in public comment. Resident Robert Boneworks urged an independent probe and argued that the school board should not have oversight, calling that arrangement a "conflict of interest." Johnny Bone Gardner and other commenters agreed that the investigation must be independent.
County staff and the county administrator presented the selected firm's estimate and scope. The county administrator said, "we estimate our fees will not exceed a $113,000," broken down in the proposal as $17,005 for engagement planning, $60,500 for field work and $35,000 for reporting, with additional hourly rates for extra work (staff $250/hr, manager $350/hr, senior $450/hr). He added the county would not ask the school system to pay more than $40,000 toward the engagement.
Board members said they selected a firm with no local ties to maximize independence; one supervisor said the chosen company is "based out of California" and has no ties in Lee County. The board discussed that additional procedures identified during the forensic work could increase costs and would be considered by both boards if needed.
At least one supervisor stated the board had already voted to move forward and would seek public reporting from the audit team: "They will come to as many meetings as they want to report to the public on the findings of this audit team," the supervisor said.
The board’s action authorizes the audit engagement to proceed; the contract had not been signed at the time of the meeting, and the county administrator said additional hours beyond the not‑to‑exceed estimate would be billed at the quoted hourly rates and require further approval. No formal vote tally was recorded in the public transcript.
The next procedural step appearing in the meeting record is contract finalization and an invitation for the audit team to appear at public meetings to report findings.
