Barrow Journal

Statham’s 2017 millage rate will drop slightly, if it is approved at the city council’s October meeting.
The “rollback” millage rate, which will raise the same amount of tax money as in 2016, is 4.917 mills, city clerk Mai Chang said Tuesday.
The millage rate now is 5.133 mills.
The rate will be on the next month’s agenda.
The council heard another complaint about the city’s Fiscal Year 2015 audit, which has not been completed.
The audit has been the subject of complaints for months, and the city has changed accounting firms to finish the audit.
The firm of Hawkins & McNair is working on the audit.
When the firm was hired in the spring, it raised questions about how the financial records were kept.
That led to additional hiring so the city would have municipal accounting experience.
The city’s accounting software also is being changed. New software is being installed this month. Changing the process and moving information from one system to another is expected to take a few months.
Cheryl Aaron criticized the city for its lack of an audit.
She charged it has not been completed because of “significant missing cash – upwards of $175,000.”
Mayor Robert Bridges disputed that, saying no cash is missing.
Aaron accused city officials of “mismanaging the money.”
She also said the city’s police department needs to be disbanded and its duties turned over to the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office.
See full coverage of Tuesday's meeting in the Sept. 20 edition of the Barrow News-Journal.