City audit finds gaps in Atlantas fuel controls, recommends 17 fixes

The Atlanta City Auditor presented a performance audit on controls over fuel consumption that found gaps in how the city tracks and secures fuel for city vehicles and equipment. The audit examined Fuel Focus and AssetWorks records and site conditions across city fueling locations and recommended 17 actions to improve monitoring, recordkeeping and site security.

The audit team, led in the presentation by Brandy Bell, reviewed Fuel Focus transaction records from Jan. 1, 2018, through July 16, 2024, site visits to 18 fuel locations and system and policy documents. The report said Fuel Focus recorded about $45,000,000 in fuel costs for 15,800,000 gallons dispensed at tracked sites during that period and that Fleet Services purchases roughly 3,000,000 gallons annually. The audit noted that Fuel Focus and AssetWorks now store vehicle and gas-can capacities and that daily limits and failed-odometer attempt limits have been set, but that staff workarounds and data gaps remain.

Why it matters: incomplete or inaccurate fueling records and unmonitored fuel sites raise the risk of fuel misuse or theft and make it harder for departments to bill costs to the proper units. The audit identified patterns that could mask misuse, including shared employee identification numbers, inactive employee…