AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) -An independent audit flagged financial weaknesses in Augusta’s Housing and Community Development department, leaving $6.4 million in federal funds unaccounted for.
Bonnie Cox, a partner with Cherry Bekaert, presented the audit results. She said the review focused specifically on how the department received, used, and reported ERA funds, examining financial records from fiscal years 2021 through 2025.
The audit also drew on related work Cherry Bekaert had already completed, including a grants risk management and gap analysis report issued in October 2024. Cox said that earlier report identified weaknesses in how the department managed grants and laid out corrective actions that HCD leadership said they would take.
Breaking down the numbers
Augusta received approximately $25.9 million in emergency rental assistance funding. Of that total, $13.3 million can be clearly accounted for through payments administered by United Way. About $6.2 million was never used and was returned to the federal government. That leaves roughly $6.4 million in spending that HCD officials say they cannot fully explain or document…