Chattooga County Sole Commissioner Andy Allen says the county’s 2025 financial audit has been completed and approved by the Georgia Department of Revenue, marking another step in the county’s efforts to address financial reporting and accounting concerns.

In an update Wednesday, Allen said county officials are now reviewing findings identified in the audit and working with department heads to determine how best to correct any problems.

“The 2025 audit is complete and approved by DOR. We are currently working with department heads who had findings to determine the best path to resolve any issues,” Allen said.

The announcement follows months of work to bring the county’s financial records up to date.

The county’s 2024 audit, released earlier this year, identified numerous deficiencies involving accounting procedures, financial oversight, purchasing practices and recordkeeping. Among the findings were incomplete financial records, insufficient documentation for certain expenditures, problems with bank reconciliations and instances in which departments exceeded their approved budgets.

During a public meeting in July, Allen and county officials reviewed the 2024 findings and discussed corrective measures, including improvements in accounting procedures, staff training and financial oversight.

The 2025 audit had also fallen behind the state’s required filing deadline, making its completion a significant development in the county’s ongoing effort to bring financial reporting up to date.

Allen said the county will release the completed report to news organizations after officials finish reviewing the findings with department heads.

“Once we complete the process, we will provide the 2025 audit to all media outlets,” Allen said.

The specific findings in the 2025 audit have not yet been made public, so it remains to be seen which issues have been corrected and whether additional deficiencies were identified.

Sources: Statement from Chattooga County Sole Commissioner Andy Allen; Chattooga County Government — July 16, 2026, Audit Findings Meeting; Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts — Local Government Audit Requirements.

Verification note: The completion and Department of Revenue approval are reported from Commissioner Allen’s statement. The 2025 audit itself has not yet been available for independent review. Georgia’s Department of Audits and Accounts is the agency responsible for tracking local government audit submissions, so DOR approval should not be treated as confirmation of that agency’s compliance status.