Some members of the Atlanta City Council are calling for a greater role in the investigations of theft and mismanagement at the Department of Watershed Management.
The city is now conducting an inquiry into several aspects of the department, including theft, employee concerns, and water quality issues. City Auditor Leslie Ward is also examining the agency’s security measures, as requested by District 9 Councilwoman Felicia Moore.
Post 2 At-Large Councilwoman Mary Norwood said she and others wanted a greater role in the inquiry after employees came to a recent council meeting with reports of abuse and mismanagement.
“Employees don’t typically do that … unless something is way out of kilter,” Norwood said. “We thought it was very important to show we are involved and engaged.”
She’s behind legislation now headed to full council that would require departments investigating Watershed to provide regular reports to the city utilities committee about the work.
Watershed has made repeated headlines in the past several months for thefts including twenty-eight 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.
A spokeswoman has said Watershed is actively investigating all reported thefts and, if substantiated, reports those cases to the Atlanta Police Department. The department is now implementing a loss prevention program.
Watershed Commissioner Jo Ann Macrina welcomed the council’s involvement. “I’m more than happy we’ll be investigating this even deeper,” she said.
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