Yukon’s Mayor Addresses Critical Audit Findings
Yukon’s mayor and a former city manager are addressing claims of mismanagement and misconduct found in a scathing audit.
Yukon Mayor Brian Pillmore and former City Manager Jim Crosby are responding to a forensic audit that exposed decades of mismanagement. The findings from North American Forensic Accounting were released this week.
Pillmore told KOCO-TV that the city has identified more than 100 action items to address financial and leadership issues.
Meanwhile, Crosby defended his tenure as city manager in an interview with the TV station, claiming all financial decisions were council-approved and audits were passed.
“You don’t just don't go transferring money individually yourself. There was nothing done wrong to my knowledge,” Crosby said.
Yukon’s mayor disputes Crosby’s claims, citing documented improper transactions, including $185,000 diverted to a nonprofit without authorization.
The audit also revealed outstanding checks, explicit material and a lack of whistleblower protections.
Edmond Removes Discriminatory Language from Land Records
Edmond is the first city in Oklahoma to remove discriminatory language from existing legal mapping documents. The move comes in response to a new state law.
Plat documents are the official land records that determine the boundaries and uses of a specific plot of ground.
Despite national law and court precedent, some plats in Edmond continued to have discriminatory language precluding Black people and other minorities from owning or operating on specific properties.
That changed when the city’s first Black Mayor, Darrell Davis, signed the removal of the language in a ceremony this week at the Edmond Chamber of Commerce.
Davis removed language from the Highland Park Addition Plat, the first to include discriminatory wording dating back to 1909.
The move was paved by state legislature efforts over the last two years, allowing municipalities to change outdated, discriminatory language on land plat documents.
Oklahoma Medicaid Director To Leave OHCA This Month
Oklahoma's Medicaid Director Traylor Rains is leaving the agency at the end of the month.
An Oklahoma Health Care Authority spokesperson told StateImpact Rains is taking a job with Deloitte.
Rains served as director for nearly three years.
The Authority's CEO, Ellen Buettner, shared with board members during their Wednesday meeting that Rains’ predecessor, Melody Anthony, will serve as the interim state Medicaid director.
“We're really grateful that she's volunteered to come back and serve while we make sure we get the right person to fill the big shoes that Traylor leaves," Buettner said.
Rains’ tenure included the Medicaid unwinding, which is an eligibility process states resumed after a pandemic pause.
It also spanned Oklahoma’s transition to managed care, where OHCA went from paying providers directly to paying private companies to coordinate some enrollees’ care.
Oklahoma National Guard to Support Presidential Inauguration
Members of the Oklahoma National Guard will be on duty for the Presidential Inauguration Monday.
The guard says about 100 members will support the District of Columbia National Guard.
They'll focus on security and other duties.
The group is expected to stay in the nation's capitol for seven to ten days.
National Guard involvement in presidential inaugurations dates back to 1789.
*Note: The next episode of the KGOU PM NewsBrief will be on Tuesday, Jan 21.
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