A forensic audit of the Town of Hennessey started Tuesday, a Times & Free Press reporter learned Thursday afternoon.

It’s being conducted by the State Auditor & Inspector’s office at the request of District Attorney Mike Fields of Enid.

The reporter asked during public comments at the board’s 6 p.m. meeting if any of the trustees had asked for the audit.

No one volunteered. “I was happy to see them here,” said Town Administrator Tiffany Tillman. It’s her office that has been accused of wrongdoings.

Fields told the Times & Free Press in a statement that he requested the audit after receiving a report from another state agency.

“The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation conducted a preliminary inquiry into possible financial concerns at the Town of Hennessey and based upon the findings of that inquiry, I requested an audit by the Oklahoma State Auditor & Inspector’s Office,” Fields said.

Tillman said she’d planned to tell the board about the audit and a letter dated Oct. 10 from State Auditor & Inspector Cindy Byrd.

Byrd’s letter states that the town will receive monthly invoices on the cost of the audit and they are payable upon receipt.

Tillman said she was told the audit will be over records from the past five years and auditors will pull items over three-month periods.

How long will it take?

“It could be months,” Tillman said. “They are finishing up a couple of other towns.”

Tillman added the town will pay for the audit and, when asked about a cost estimate, said she didn’t know.

Mick Dodson, general counsel for the Auditor & Inspector’s Office, was one of the two staffers who is working on the audit.

Tuesday was his second trip to Hennessey.

Dodson spoke at the July town meeting after Trustee David Jones contacted the auditor’s office when he was unable to get financial - and other - records.

Dodson had explained that trustees could get any records they wanted, not just public records.

Vice Mayor Harold Shaw said Thursday night that he had contacted Dodson after he spoke to the board.

In July, Dodson told trustees the audit would cost $75,000 and would take six months to complete.

The town has a yearly financial audit, but forensic audits look for financial misconduct by employees, or officers of an organization.

All trustees were present for the monthly meeting: Mayor Clif Vogt, Trustees Bert Gritz, Randy Bohnstedt, Jones and Shaw.

Visitors in the audience: Ruth Ann Hobbs, Carolyn Maddox, Jackie Smith, Les Cofer, Meagan Tillman, David Tillman, Starla Fukand sa, Frank Patton, Wanda Choate, Sharon Pollard, Denise Meloy, Regina Wanzer, Ashley Zielny, Logan Tillman, Georgia Tillman, Barbara Platt, Lara Melz, Rachel Rodgers, Ashley Zielny, Shane Voskuhl and Peggy Patocka.

Town staff at the meeting were Tillman; Town Hall Office Manager Shelley Burch (also town treasurer); Deputy Town Clerk Kati Walters; Street Dept. Supervisor, Alyssa Kubat; Library Director, Steven Mitchell; Children’s Librarian Ruby Rodriquez, and HPD Officer Matthew Bruner.

Members of the audience were given 30 minutes for a Q&A with the board during the Board of Trustees meeting.

See upcoming editions for those discussions.