WILLISTON – The North Dakota State Auditor’s Office has reissued its audit of the City of Williston after retracting an initial audit Oct. 29 to allow the city to supply more information.

“The subsequent facts provided changed the determination that the City of Williston entered into a joint venture which was not disclosed. Because of additional information, two of the findings from the initial audit report were removed,” the auditor’s office reported.

“At the end of the day, having factual and objective reports is crucial,” said Auditor Joshua Gallion. “Regardless of the optics, we want to do the right thing. We’re here to serve the citizens of North Dakota and we wanted to present a full opportunity for the City of Williston to respond.”

The original audit highlighted several areas of concern, including a violation of state law regarding closed or confidential meetings and nearly $92 million in outstanding contracts related to the airport that failed to be disclosed in the financial statements.

According to the State Auditor’s office, Williston’s auditor signed an assurance that all information had been provided. The state finalized and released the audit Oct. 28. The city then responded it had not finalized its information, prompting the retraction of the initial audit.