ALTO, Ga. — The Alto Town Council unanimously approved a final amendment to the town’s 2024 budget during a called meeting Monday night, clearing a key step needed to complete the town’s state-mandated audit.
Council approved the amendment without objection.
Following the vote, Councilwoman PJ Huggins said the amendment was required to finalize the town’s 2024 audit.
“We had just finished our 2024 audit, and we have to amend the budget with anything that needed to be amended so the audit can be submitted to the state,” Huggins told Now Habersham.
After the meeting, Finance Officer Lisa Turner said the reconciled 2024 budget showed a deficit of $27,201. Turner said finalizing the 2024 numbers allows her to begin reconciling the town’s 2025 finances, a necessary step before work can move forward on a proposed 2026 budget.
Turner said she hopes to file the required paperwork for the 2024 audit with the state by Wednesday’s deadline.
The vote comes amid ongoing budget challenges for Alto. Council members have previously been told that unreconciled 2025 finances and audit-related workload have delayed development of a draft 2026 budget. Turner has said work on the state-mandated 2024 audit consumed much of her time, limiting progress on future budget planning.
Council has indicated it will continue working with staff and outside consultants to reconcile past finances and move toward adopting a 2026 budget once accurate numbers are available.
