Spokesman For Atlanta Mayor Calls Recent Audit 'Contradictory'

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Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms / AP

A spokesman for Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms says a recent audit into city hiring practices is "contradictory."

Atlanta City Council commissioned the internal audit earlier this year. It came after an investigation by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which found that eight staffers were issued checks through the city's payroll system weeks before they received official job offers using funds from the airport and public works. 

The audit released Monday detailed eight findings.

They include that the campaign staffers were paid prior to city employment, their human resource files were incomplete and their hiring process was inconsistent with the city's established procedures.

People can read the audit's findings on page 1 under "summary."

In a written statement, spokesman Michael Smith said the employees were paid for work done on behalf of the city after the campaign ended.

"The findings themselves are contradictory, as the summary states 'the hiring process for the transition team was inconsistent with the City’s establish procedures,'” Smith said.

He also highlighted the fact that the audit shows the city has no formal policies or procedures for hiring transition team staff.

"The report also omits that this administration rejected the first checks, as they did not have the proper deductions," wrote Smith.

Smith added that the administration has introduced legislation to formalize the process for hiring members of a mayor-elect's transition team. That bill is making its way through Atlanta City Council. 

The report did not determine whether any laws were broken.