FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Media contact: countyclerkmedia@oklahomacounty.org 

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma County Clerk Maressa Treat today joined Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna in recommending an independent audit of Oklahoma County’s finances and said she will ask county leaders to go a step further by examining the fragmented financial systems currently used across county offices.

Treat said she proactively reached out to the auditor’s office in August and has been meeting with Auditor Cindy Byrd and her staff to identify solutions to the county’s systemic financial reporting processes. Treat today reiterated her commitment to cooperate with auditors and provide whatever records, documentation and staff assistance are necessary to conduct a thorough review.

“I welcome an audit, and my staff and I are fully committed to assisting auditors in every way possible,” Treat said. “Oklahoma County taxpayers deserve complete confidence in the financial information their government provides. When errors occur, our responsibility is to identify them, correct them and determine what changes are necessary to keep them from happening again.”

Recent scrutiny of county finances follows the discovery of accounting errors affecting the reported balance of Oklahoma County’s reserve fund. Treat emphasized that no county money has been found to be missing. Rather, the discrepancies have resulted from human errors involving dates or financial figures being entered incorrectly.

Treat said those errors highlight a larger problem she has previously raised: Oklahoma County does not operate under a uniform financial system across its elected offices and departments. Different offices utilize different processes and systems, making it extraordinarily difficult to create meaningful countywide checks and balances capable of identifying human error before it affects financial reporting.

“This isn't a case of millions of dollars disappearing. The money isn't missing,” Treat said. “What we have identified are errors in how information was entered and reported. But taxpayers should expect systems to be in place that catch those mistakes. Right now, Oklahoma County has multiple offices operating through different financial systems and processes, and that makes effective countywide checks and balances nearly impossible.”

Treat said the problem extends beyond any one elected official or county office and cannot be solved simply by correcting individual accounting entries.

“That is why I believe an audit is important,” Treat said. “I expect a comprehensive review will identify systemic weaknesses that Oklahoma County needs to address. We should not be afraid of that finding. We should use it as an opportunity to build a stronger, more transparent and more accountable financial system.”

In addition to supporting an audit of county finances, Treat said she is asking county leaders to authorize an additional review specifically examining the financial systems and processes used by each county office. That review should identify differences among existing systems, evaluate weaknesses in the current structure and determine what would be required to move county offices toward a common financial platform or other integrated solution.

A uniform or integrated system could provide county officials with a clearer financial picture while establishing stronger safeguards to identify discrepancies and human error. 

“We need to stop looking at county finances office by office and start looking at the system as a whole,” Treat said. “If one office is operating on one system and another office is operating on something entirely different, we are creating unnecessary opportunities for mistakes and making it harder to catch them. Oklahoma County needs a financial infrastructure that allows information to be reconciled, verified and understood across county government.”

Treat’s office has also taken steps to strengthen its internal financial operations and will continue evaluating additional safeguards while the broader audit process moves forward.

“The county budget is healthy, and county government continues to meet its financial obligations,” Treat said. “But that does not mean we should be satisfied with the status quo. I want taxpayers to know that when we find a problem, we will disclose it, correct it and work to fix the system that allowed it to happen. Transparency means being willing to examine your own processes, and accountability means being willing to change them.”

Treat said she looks forward to working with the District Attorney, State Auditor, Board of County Commissioners and other county elected officials to ensure any audit is comprehensive and results in actionable recommendations.

“This should not be about pointing fingers,” Treat said. “It should be about getting the facts, identifying weaknesses and building a financial system worthy of the taxpayers we serve.”

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Oklahoma County Clerk’s Office
320 Robert S. Kerr Avenue, #203, Oklahoma City, OK 73102
405.713.1540