The state audit that began in December continues in Clay County, in spite of what the Missouri Auditor calls continuous stalling.
About 9,000 county residents signed a petition that was circulated by a group called Citizens for a Better Clay County. They are asking the state auditor's office to take a close look at financial records.
Last week a judge denied commissioners' request for a preliminary injunction to stop the audit.
"Essentially what happened is the Clay County Commission asked a court to stop us from doing our work, and the court said no, so we continue on," said Nicole Galloway, Missouri Auditor.
Galloway does not discuss what investigators find until audits are complete.
County residents are worried about the potential for corruption and wasteful spending. They also want greater transparency.
"We can't just march in and start looking at things, we have to be invited in somehow," Galloway said.