Two audit requests failed in Augusta commission meeting
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - It’s been a conversation for months now, how city officials are spending your tax dollars on their credit cards. On Thursday in commission chambers there were two different audit requests on the table to look into city spending but neither ed.
The talk of an audit today in commission went nowhere. But the decision wasn’t unanimous, commissioners on both sides of the debate felt strongly about whether city financials need to be looked into.
Two different audit requests on the table both of them, not making it past this paper.
The first, a request by John Clarke and Catherine Smith McKnight for a forensic audit of all city departments. It failed 7 to 3.
“A forensic audit is utilized to extract facts to be used in a court of law,” said Odie Donald, city .
They’re mostly used to uncover fraud or embezzlement crimes but the two commissioners said they wanted a detailed, thorough audit to clear up concerns about taxpayer dollars.
“The citizens do deserve to know what’s going on and for us to be transparent to them,” said Catherine Smith McKnight, District 3.
Others felt without any indication of wrongdoing in certain city departments it would be a waste of your money.
“We owe it to the public not to spend their money on a forensic audit,” said Commissioner Dennis Williams, District 2.
Next, a substitute motion by Sean Frantom asked for an audit of all city credit cards. That failed too 8 to 2. But how did we get here?
A few weeks ago, our I-Team found Mayor Davis charged $70,000 to city credit cards in the last 18 months. Commissioners realized they were breaking state law and decided to enact a credit card policy that would check the spending of city credit card holders. Around that same time, Mayor Davis called for an external audit of his own credit card usage too.
“Now show me something that was done wrong or is being done wrong and I’ll go along with it,” said Commissioner Williams.
Despite all the requests, the audit talks once again sit in limbo.
Again on Thursday, Mayor Davis said he’s still requesting the current city audit of all departments be expanded to include his credit card usage. The city attorney also said they will be ready to present the credit card policy to commissioners on July 13.
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