Drummond requests investigative audit of turnpike authority

Amid swirling allegations involving the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA), Attorney General Gentner Drummond has requested that state Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd conduct an investigative audit of the agency.

“I have had many conversations over the past few months with legislators, community leaders, private citizens and state employees who have expressed a wide array of concerns with the financial conduct of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (“OTA”),” Drummond wrote in his Wednesday letter to Byrd. “These concerns include but are not limited to improper transfers between the OTA and the Department of Transportation; improper contracting and purchasing practices; and inadequate internal financial controls.”

In December, a Cleveland County district judge held that the OTA had willfully violated Oklahoma’s Open Meetings Act because of vague wording in its January and February meeting agendas.

Drummond said that violation is particularly troubling.

“Such a blatant disregard for openness and transparency suggests to me a willingness to engage in any manner of unlawful conduct,” he wrote.

The audit request comes amid Sunshine Week, which this year ran March 12-18. The annual, nationwide event promotes public access to information and open government.