Augusta, GA

Federal rental aid audit prompts Augusta to bring in outside investigators

Published

1 month ago

April 29, 2026

Federal rental aid audit prompts Augusta to bring in outside investigators

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Auditors say they can’t fully verify how millions in federal pandemic dollars sent to Augusta were spent.

City leaders have approved an Office of Inspector General investigation into the Housing and Community Development Department.

Augusta’s housing department received about $26 million in emergency rental assistance funds during the pandemic.

Auditors verified roughly $13.3 million was spent properly, most of it through payments to United Way. About $6.2 million was returned to the federal government because it went unused.

But auditors could not confirm how $6.8 million was used.

Audit reveals mismanagement

Auditors said money was mixed with other accounts, transactions were recorded inconsistently, and there was not a clear paper trail to track where specific dollars went.

Auditors said that made it difficult to know how the money was spent.

Emails obtained show City Administrator Tameka Allen asked auditors whether this was mismanagement and whether federal money was used for other expenses.

Auditors responded their findings pointed to mismanagement but said determining criminal wrongdoing was outside their role.

“It kind of felt like a hit in the stomach because our goal is to find out what is truly happening,” Allen said. “And unfortunately, they could not even provide us that information based on their expertise in the auditing field. So it goes to show that there’s a lot for us to do, a lot of things for us to correct.”

City leaders approved two outside groups to help them get back on track with their finances. Commissioners approved $32,500 a month for CKH Consulting Services to help with the finance department and $8,750 a month for BluLynx Solutions to help with Housing and Community Development.

Commissioners also voted to bring in the Office of Inspector General to look into the Housing and Community Development Department.

“The thing that I would like to stress to the community is that the governing body is being proactive and trying to make sure they do everything within the legal realms to come up with a solution as to what is actually going on in our Housing Community Development and what is necessary to actually earn the trust back from our constituents,” Allen said.

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Augusta, GA

Documentary premiere sheds light on Augusta homelessness, poverty

Published

49 minutes ago

May 31, 2026

Press Room

Documentary premiere sheds light on Augusta homelessness, poverty

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A red carpet premiere was held for a documentary examining homelessness, poverty and economic hardship.

The premiere for the documentary “Season of Drought” took place at the First Presbyterian Church on Telfair Street on Saturday.

The film includes experiences from people facing economic hardship in America, including in Augusta.

Attendees included Nomi Stanton from GAP Ministries and Jackson Drumgoole of Bridge Builder Communities.

Lia Barnes, a boom operator on the production, said working on the film was a great experience.

“My major at Augusta University is digital and visual storytelling so this is perfect for my field of work,” Barnes said. “I was more of an assistant boom operator. I helped but everyone on the set taught me a lot about what it means to be on a set, not just what it means to be a sound operator on set but everything else that has to do with it.”

The event also included an awards presentation and networking reception.

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Augusta, GA

Volunteers come together to clean up Augusta neighborhood

Published

11 hours ago

May 30, 2026

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Volunteers come together to clean up Augusta neighborhood

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Volunteers came together Saturday to help clean up an Augusta neighborhood.

The cleanup took place on Wheeless Road and Dorn Road.

Jeremiah Atkinson started the event as a way to clean up trash dumped in the area and help the community.

He said they had at least 30 bags picked up as of Saturday morning.

“My message is if you see one piece of trash, pick it up and help Augusta clean it up because I feel like that would be more efficient, just pick up one piece of trash a day, just one to help out the community,” Atkinson said.

Organizers also provided snacks for volunteers.

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Augusta, GA

What is the cheapest place to buy a home in GA? This city ranks 8 in US

Published

21 hours ago

May 30, 2026

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What is the cheapest place to buy a home in GA? This city ranks 8 in US

Housing costs are often the biggest Georgians deal with every month, so it’s important to try and save money where possible.

Last week, WalletHub released its ranking of the most affordable cities to buy a home. It analyzed 300 cities based on 10 metrics, with the biggest weight going to housing affordability and cost per square foot.

Best city to buy a home in Georgia?

Augusta ranked the highest among Georgia cities, ranking 8th overall and 3rd best in the midsized cities list.

Augusta real estate prices

According to Zillow, as of March, the median list price for a house in Georgia is $205,000 with a median sale price of $187,283. About 57% of sales are under the list price.

The average rent, as of April, is $1,365 per month.

Augusta cost of living

The MIT Living Wage Calculator reports the hourly pay needed to support yourself and/or your family, assuming full-time employment. For Richmond County (Augusta), it’s $20.31 for one adult, $28.16 for a two-adult household with one working, and $14.08 for a two-adult household with both working.

Children obviously increase the wage needed. Depending on how many adults are working, the necessary pay figures may increase by up to $13 for just one child, with more needed for additional children.

Worst city to buy a home in Georgia?

The Georgia city with the lowest ranking on the list overall was Sandy Springs. However, with 300 cities, landing at No. 151 doesn’t make it nearly the worst in the nation. Sandy Springs was No. 56 on the small cities list.