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State leader calls for second audit amid questions about city probe of MARTA spending

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Published  August 24, 2024 11:06pm EDT
MARTA
FOX 5 Atlanta

Does MARTA owe Atlanta $70M?

MARTOC is the joint legislative committee that was created to oversee MARTA. In a letter sent earlier this week, the chairwoman of that committee called for a second look at the numbers that showed MARTA owed tax payers as much as $70 million.

ATLANTA - Days after Atlanta city leaders released an audit of more MARTA program spending that showed the transit authority may have overcharged taxpayers millions for services never rendered, one state lawmaker is raising an eyebrow at the findings published by Cobb County-based accounting firm Mauldin and Jenkins.  

State Rep. Deborah Silcox, who serves as chairwoman of MARTOC—the legislative body that acts as a ‘watchdog’ over MARTA spending—says she has concerns about the report and called for a second audit.

"I want to make sure that it was fair to the city of Atlanta and to MARTA," she told FOX 5."When I had a chance to see this audit that was paid for by the city of Atlanta I questioned the methodology."

While MARTA admitted to some errors between 2020 and 2022 summing up to about $20 million, the transit authority disputed the claim it owed the city $40 million for expanded bus and train services from 2017-2019. 

In a letter to MARTA officials Tuesday, Silcox said she found it troubling MARTA’s responses weren’t included in the audit’s final report and echoed the transit authority’s claim that auditors used a flawed formula to come up with the numbers.

"They are periodically required to submit audits to the committee and it is our job as a committee and my job as chairman to review those audits and to make sure that the money is being spent wisely," she explained. 

Silcox said KMPG was already in the process of conducting a separate audit paid for by MARTA that was due to the committee by August 31st. She says she wants to see the accounting firm review initial findings in the Mauldin and Jenkins audit. 

"I just would like to see another set of numbers and another professional opinion about this whole situation," she added. 

In response to a request for comment, a city spokesperson said: "The audit speaks for itself, and the scope and parameters were agreed upon by both parties after protracted pushback by MARTA. However, Mayor Dickens draws circles and looks forward to engaging with MARTA leadership to execute all recommendations with urgency for the good of Atlantans and the entire region."

It’s unclear how long it would take KPMG to complete a second audit or review the initial findings but Silcox told FOX 5 MARTOC will be looking at all of this in great detail.