A new report by the Colorado Springs city auditor flagged multiple instances last year where Mayor Yemi Mobolade used his security detail and city vehicle for personal use.

The report, written by City Auditor Natalie Lovell and approved by the city’s Audit Committee on March 26, identified five instances in 2025 when Mobolade’s security detail attended personal events with him. It also found that the mayor’s wife, Abbey, had used a city vehicle for travel in May and June.

The Audit Committee stated that elected officials such as Mobolade were not categorized as city employees, which meant that policies around personal use of city resources were not as clearly defined. The report said both issues had mitigating factors, but should be outlined in future city policy.

“The Audit Committee strongly recommends that the administration for the City of Colorado Springs establish a clear and enforceable policy governing elected officials’ use of City resources, specifically including police detail and use of City vehicles,” the report said.

The report did not name Mobolade, only referring to actions by an “elected official.” Still, the Mayor’s Office is the only elected position in the city with a dedicated security detail. A spokesman for the mayor confirmed Friday that the report was about him.

In a statement on Friday, Mobolade said the report indicated that city resources had been “used appropriately.” City councilmembers split on the seriousness of the report, with one calling it proof of an “abuse of power” and misappropriation of funds.

“I appreciate the city auditor’s thorough review of this matter, particularly because no policy related to this currently exists,” Mobolade said in the statement. “As we do with all reports, my administration will take the Audit Committee’s recommendation under consideration as we work to strengthen transparency and accountability moving forward.”

Mobolade was elected mayor in 2023. He will be holding an event on Monday to kick off his reelection campaign a year ahead of the next election.

The City Auditor’s Office is responsible for providing independent financial oversight and reviews of department spending and polices. The office also operates an anonymous hotline for fraud and waste complaints, which was where this investigation originated.

The Auditor’s Office reported five instances in 2025 when the security detail accompanied Mobolade on personal trips before or between city events. Two of the incidents involved making stops to pick up dry cleaning before heading to a city event.

The other three incidents involved Mobolade’s children. According to the report, the mayor was accompanied by the security detail to pick them up from school before going to a city building, and the detail traveled with them between an elementary school graduation and a city event.

The report found that all the stops were “incidental to official travel” and that the security officers had not been sent for trips on Mobolade’s behalf.

“A mayor who is expected to be present and engaged morning, noon and night should also be able to attend to his children and family while doing the work of the city. I think most people understand that,” Councilmember Nancy Henjum said Friday.

The other allegation in the report was that the mayor’s wife drove a city vehicle for approximately 150 miles in two months last year. City spokesman Max D’Onofrio said this was during a time that Mobolade’s personal vehicle was in the shop.

The report found that the trips were reported after the fact and were appropriately listed as a “fringe benefit” to the Internal Revenue Service.

Colorado Springs’ policy manual for civilian employees states that city vehicles may only be used for city business.

In a letter sent to The Gazette on Friday, City Council President Pro Tem Brian Risley said the report was a troubling use of taxpayer-funded resources during a time when Colorado Springs faces major budget shortfalls.

“If an ordinary city employee made government vehicles available to their spouse or routinely asked police officers to chauffeur them on their personal errands, would it be acceptable? Or would it trigger disciplinary action?” Risley wrote.

Risley and Henjum both said they would support council actions to set stricter policy rules around elected officials using city resources.

Councilmember Dave Donelson, who is one of the liaisons to the Audit Committee, said it was a gray area whether the council could set ethics policy for the Mayor’s Office. Donelson said one outcome would be for the mayor to adopt the same policies that are in place for the city’s police and fire chiefs it comes to city vehicles.

“It would need to be spelled out. And if people want to know what the checks and balances are for those rules, the checks and balances are at the ballot box,” Donelson said.