The City of Atlanta auditor’s office will soon begin an extensive review of the embattled Atlanta Department of Watershed Management.
Watershed Management is already under investigation by Mayor Kasim Reed’s administration, the city law department and Atlanta Police Department after several reports of mismanagement and theft. Missing or stolen items include 28, 700-pound industrial water meters worth $5,210 apiece, copper, pipes and more. A backhoe worth about $80,000 has also gone missing in recent months but has not yet been reported stolen to police.
The audit comes at the request of District 9 Councilwoman Felicia Moore who has roundly criticized Commissioner Jo Ann Macrina’s management of the agency, including awarding five-figure raises to several employees in recent months. Macrina has defended that move, which was reversed by Mayor Kasim Reed, as necessary to retain top talent.
City Auditor Leslie Ward said the review will focus on Watershed’s inventory management, master security plan and office of safety and security, and should be completed by August.
Reed’s administration declined to give details about its investigation of the department, but City Attorney Cathy Hampton said the law department has interviewed a number of employees with complaints about working conditions at the department.
Those employees are receiving protection under federal whistle-blower laws, which is designed to prevent retaliation or being fired as a result of complaints, Hampton said.
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