The City of Parkville has responded to a political action committee’s attempts to initiate a petition audit of the city.
Last week, Parkville residents were mailed a letter regarding the petition audit campaign, which was recently launched by Citizens for a Better Parkville. According to a statement released by the city on Wednesday, Nov. 13, the city prepared information for residents to provide a greater understanding of its practices as they pertain to finances, transparency, accountability, economic development and compliance with laws and ethics policies.
This information is provided on the city’s web site at parkvillemo.gov/auditpetitioninfo. The release states that the city strives to communicate with its residents in an open and transparent manner and the letter and online information are part of the effort to keep citizens informed.
“You may receive a request to sign a petition calling for a state audit of the City of Parkville,” the letter to residents states. “If performed, the cost of this audit would be paid for by the taxpayers of Parkville. The audit expenses can be significant – other local governments in Missouri have paid costs ranging from $30,000 to $100,000 for their audits. Before you consider signing the petition, please take the time to review information the city has compiled addressing the petition initiative directly, including information describing government financial and ethical safeguards currently in place.”
Signed by the mayor, board of aldermen and city administrator, the letter states that should a state audit take place, the city will fully cooperate.
On its Facebook page, Citizens for a Better Parkville shared a post from its own audit page and responded that “It seems like a strange thing for the city of Parkville to spend time and money lobbying its citizens to not sign an audit petition if they truly have nothing to hide.”