Stonecrest council amends city charter to allow contractor or staff internal auditor and relaxes reporting frequency

The Stonecrest City Council on Sept. 22 unanimously approved a home‑rule ordinance to amend Article 3, Executive Branch, Section 3.12 of the Stonecrest City Charter to allow the city to hire either a contractor or a full‑time employee to serve as the city internal auditor and to change the minimum interval for presenting audit reports to the council to at least twice a year. Councilmember Thaat, who presented the ordinance for second reading, said the change "simply adds a few requirements and additional abilities" so the council can "hire a contractor or an FTE to serve in that internal auditor role." The ordinance language read by the city clerk described the change as codification and provided for severability and an effective date. The council voted to approve the second reading by voice vote, recorded as 5 to 0. The amendment will be sent to the DeKalb County superior court for filing and to the city clerk's office for recordkeeping. The ordinance removes a restriction the city described as preventing it from hiring non‑staff auditors; council discussion said the amendment restores the city's flexibility to use either contractors or employees and lowers the reporting floor from quarterly to biannual, while preserving the council's ability to request audit reports more often. Councilmember Thaat thanked the city's legal team, including Alicia Thompson, and the city clerk's office for preparation. After passage, council directed the city clerk and legal staff to transmit the amendment to the state office and to update the public charter document on the city's website.