A new audit of the More MARTA capital fund program shows that the transit agency owes $865,630 rather than the $70 million claimed in last year’s audit from the City of Atlanta.
]According to WABE, the City of Atlanta claims the transit agency overshot its operational budget by $70 million for expansion projects funded by a city sales tax. The city hired accounting firm Mauldin & Jenkins to conduct the audit.
However, a new assessment by KPMG shows that MARTA actually owes the More MARTA capital fund $865,630 as of June 30, 2022.
The MARTA Oversight Committee (MARTOC) released the findings of KPMG’s independent audit of the More MARTA program, which found that MARTA’s enhanced bus service calculations from 2017 to 2019 were correct, “disproving the City of Atlanta and Mauldin & Jenkins’ previous erroneous calculations,” according to a press release from MARTA.
“KPMG’s findings are a clear win for MARTA, our customers, and the future of transit improvement and expansion,” the press release said.
City of Atlanta Chief Communications Officer Allison Fouché said the city maintains that MARTA owes $70 million.
“We stand by our initial audit and look forward to working with MARTA on the remaining $60 million owed to Atlanta taxpayers,” she wrote in a statement to WABE. “We received the document, and it is currently under review by our Finance team. We will provide further details once the review is complete.”
The dispute between MARTA and the city came to a head last summer after Mayor Andre Dickens and other city leaders criticized MARTA’s plan to shut down access to Five Points Station during a lengthy renovation.
Dickens also questioned the cost of the project following the city audit and expressed concerns over the station being closed during the 2026 World Cup matches set for nearby Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
After reaching an agreement with the city last November to keep one station entrance open during construction, as well as bus pick-up and drop-off, MARTA said the city is dragging its heels on permits to begin the renovation.
“We would like to use this opportunity to urge the City of Atlanta to expedite the approval of permits for the Five Points Station Transformation Project so that we can begin deconstruction,” MARTA said in its press release on the audit findings. “Because of the delays, it is already behind schedule, and it is critical that we begin work to deliver this transformational project for our riders, our system, and the downtown area.
