A formal request made by the residents of the Village of Leslie has prompted Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick to launch an official audit of the municipality, which is located in Franklin County. Citizens gathered and submitted 34 signatures to initiate the petition audit.

“When citizens are concerned about the way their local government is operating and take the time and effort to gather signatures to request an audit, we take that duty very seriously and endeavor to give them the information they need to hold their government officials accountable for their decisions,” said Fitzpatrick. “An audit of this nature will take a considerable amount of time to complete, but we will work as efficiently as possible to do our work in a timely manner.”

This marks the first time the State Auditor’s Office has conducted an audit of the Village of Leslie. The audit officially commenced with an entrance meeting with village officials on Wednesday, March 6. Residents were required to gather 23 signatures to initiate the audit, and submitted 34 signatures that were verified by the Franklin County Clerk.

Individuals may provide confidential information for consideration during the audit of the Village of Leslie to the State Auditor’s Whistleblower Hotline at 800-347-8597, by email at moaudit@auditor.mo.gov or by visiting www.auditor.mo.gov/hotline.