Auditor Fitzpatrick answers the call of Odessa residents who demanded a performance audit of city operations

A $1.3 million mistake made by officials in the City of Odessa triggered a wave of concern from residents demanding greater transparency and accountability, and now Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick is answering their call by launching a performance audit of the city. Fitzpatrick announced today that his office has begun a petition audit of the city at the request of residents that officially commenced with a meeting with city officials on Monday, October 26.

In March the City of Odessa announced the discovery of an Energy Cost Adjustment (ECA) miscalculation the city finance director estimated at $1.3 million. While the city offered eligible electric utility customers a credit for the portion of the ECA charges that were miscalculated during the period May 2019 through January 2026, hundreds of residents who wanted more transparency from the city responded by signing a petition to request an audit by the State Auditor's Office. Citizens gathered enough signatures to trigger the audit in a matter of a few weeks.

"The people of Odessa have spoken loudly and clearly and we take our duty to fulfill their request for an audit of the city very seriously. I understand many residents feel the city is lacking in transparency and their level of trust of city officials has waned, which is why an audit is needed to pull back the curtain and give everyone a good look at how the city is operating, and how it can improve," said Auditor Fitzpatrick. "I greatly appreciate the time and effort of the people of Odessa who gathered the signatures necessary to initiate this petition audit and I want them to know we will spend the coming months performing a detailed review of city operations with the goal of putting their city on a path toward being more efficient, effective, and accountable."

This marks the first time the City of Odessa has been audited by the Missouri State Auditor's Office. The audit was initiated by a citizen petition that received 434 signatures of registered, resident voters certified by the Lafayette County Clerk. Residents needed a minimum of 392 signatures to trigger the petition audit.

Individuals may provide confidential information for consideration during the audit of the City of Odessa to the State Auditor's Whistleblower Hotline by dialing 800-347-8597, by emailing moaudit@auditor.mo.gov, or by visiting www.auditor.mo.gov/hotline.

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