After IRS fines city, Augusta departments face internal audits
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The Augusta Commission on Tuesday approved hiring an outside firm to regularly audit city departments.
There’s been a lot of talk among commissioners about audits since they learned a few weeks ago that the city is being fined at least $2 million by the IRS.
Commissioner Catherine Smith McKnight, in particular, has been pushing for internal audits of city departments.
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The motion was approved Tuesday with eight commissioners voting yes, Jordan Johnson voting no and Bobby Williams abstaining.
The motion called for hiring a local third-party ing firm separate and independent from the external auditors who perform financial statement audits on an annual basis. This separate firm will perform regularly scheduled internal financial and operational audits on all city departments, ensuring every department is audited at least once every four years.
The firm will present findings quarterly to the full commission.
The IRS fines against the city stem from Affordable Care Act violations.
Under the law, employers like the city are required to file annual paperwork with the Internal Revenue Service related to the source of employees’ health insurance coverage. Not filing that paperwork can bring consequences.
That’s what happened with the city.
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