City Auditor speaks to city council about audit regarding Mayor’s use of city resources
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - For the first time since the report was released to the public, the Colorado Springs City Auditor addressed questions from Colorado Springs City Councilors about the Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Hotline report, alleging a misuse of city resources by Mayor Yemi Mobolade.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Colorado Springs Mayor responds to audit regarding use of city resources
When KRDO13 Investigates first covered this story, we learned that the Auditor found the Mayor's security detail accompanied him to non-city business five separate times.
- The elected official picked up their children from school, and all individuals proceeded to the City
Administration Building. - The elected official attended the child's elementary school graduation and then attended a City event.
- After attending a City event, the elected official picked up the child from school and then proceeded to another City event.
- Between City events, the elected official and the security detail picked up dry cleaning.
- Before attending a City event, the elected official and security detail picked up dry cleaning.
The auditor ruled the personal stops were incidental to official city business. They say they did not find evidence that the security detail was directed to perform any personal errands on behalf of the elected official alone.
City Finance records showed that between May and June, 2025, a city-owned vehicle was used by the elected official’s spouse for 152.5 miles, according to the audit. Finance records confirmed that the use was subsequently reported and the appropriate IRS fringe benefit reporting was completed.
However, the Auditor also found that there was no policy regulating the use of city resources by elected officials.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Mayor Yemi Mobolade announces re-election campaign, answers questions about audit report
At the Mayor's re-election campaign kick-off, KRDO13 Investigates asked the Mayor about the audit and what tangible steps were being made by his office to implement a policy regulating the use of city resources, as he had previously said in a statement, "My administration will take the Audit Committee’s recommendation under consideration as we work to strengthen transparency and accountability moving forward."
"Many large cities have already figured this out. We have not. So this is an opportunity for us to grow up, in many ways. The city auditor is actually starting to research other cities and then went, yeah, Colorado Springs. This doesn't have any clear rules around this. But the good news is we have a lot of great examples of top 50 cities that are already doing this. And it's not this is not this is not new or an issue for them," Mayor Mobolade said at his re-election kick-off.
However, according to the Colorado Springs City Auditor, it doesn't have to be the Mayor to implement this policy.
On Monday at the city council work session, Natalie Lovell, the city auditor, presented those findings of the audit to the city council and answered any questions.
Lovell reiterated her findings of no policy applicable and the strong recommendation of the auditor's office to create a policy.
"Our recommendation was directed to the administration to develop a clear and enforceable policy to address these gaps," Lovell said.
"I think having a policy is completely appropriate and necessary," said Councilor Nancy Henjum, who has now become the second city councilmember to publicly back the creation of a policy.
While the policy could come from the city council, a representative from the Mayor's Office said they were working on creating such a policy at the work session on Monday.
"Right now, I will say that a policy is going to be developed to address these issues," Deputy Chief of Staff Travis Easton said. "We just had one meeting about it last week."
KRDO13 Investigates did reach out to the Mayor's Office for a more specific update and will update this article when we hear back.
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