In his plea agreement, the 47-year-old Democrat said his actions caused a loss to taxpayers of between $250,000 and $550,000.

An audit could pinpoint the exact cost to taxpayers of Stenger’s behavior. As auditor, Galloway also has subpoena power that she could use to extract information that council members may not have access to.

Among the schemes outlined in the plea was one in which developer John Rallo, who funneled campaign cash to Stenger, won bids on two properties in Wellston that were purchased for a total of $525,000, far less than the county spent cleaning them up and preparing them for sale.

Page’s call for an audit of the Partnership was met with support from St. Louis Comptroller Darlene Green.

“An audit is a reasonable step and justified at this time,” said Green spokesman Tyson Pruitt.

The plea follows a yearlong, wide-ranging federal investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith said investigators had hours of recorded meetings in Stenger’s home and office, hours of recorded phone calls, and firsthand accounts of numerous people in and out of county government.