UPDATE: Fort Valley mayor calls for tighter controls after GBI review

UPDATE (7/31/26): Fort Valley Mayor Shakeena Reeves says the GBI credit card investigation began before her administration and before she took office.

In a statement posted by the city Friday afternoon, Reeves thanked the GBI and Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for conducting the review but said the city still needs to strengthen its financial policies, internal controls and oversight.

“My administration inherited significant financial challenges, including outstanding audits and the need to strengthen financial reporting and oversight,” Reeves wrote. “Completing those audits and improving our financial processes are essential steps toward ensuring that every taxpayer dollar is properly authorized, documented, and accounted for.”

Reeves said she plans to work with City Council, the city administration and Finance Department to address those concerns.

“As Mayor, I believe our responsibility extends beyond simply asking whether an expense is legal,” Reeves wrote. “We must also ask whether it reflects sound judgment, fiscal responsibility, and respect for the citizens who entrust us with their resources.”

City of Fort Valley/Facebook

City of Fort Valley/Facebook

ORIGINAL STORY:

FORT VALLEY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney Anita Howard says she will not pursue criminal charges following a Georgia Bureau of Investigation review of the City of Fort Valley’s use of city-issued credit cards.

According to Howard’s office, the GBI found no evidence of fraud, personal gain or purchases unrelated to city business.

In response to a 41NBC inquiry Friday, the GBI said the Peach County Sheriff’s Office and Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office requested its assistance on September 23, 2025 to conduct “an investigation pertaining to allegations of misappropriations of city funds by Fort Valley City officials.”

The DA’s office said the investigation focused on banking records connected to four former city leaders: Police Chief Dennis [DJ] Flores, City Administrator Gary Lee, Financial Director Eddie Mason and Mayor Jeffery Lundy.

The GBI found that the mayor and each City Council member had an annual training budget of $10,000. Most of the questioned purchases were made at hotels and restaurants, while others were made at Best Buy and auto parts stores.

According to the district attorney’s office, those purchases were connected to city spending for training, computer equipment, the fire department and the Public Safety Firearms Complex.

Howard confirmed her decision in a letter dated July 30 to Fort Valley Mayor Shakeena Reeves, the GBI and City Administrator LeMario Brown.

“While this investigation ultimately did not reveal any basis for criminal charges, it did spotlight the need for city officials to develop policies and procedures that comply with best practices in government spending, bookkeeping, and accounting,” Howard said. “Such policies, with a focus on transparency, stewardship, and personal accountability, would promote greater fiscal responsibility in the use of taxpayer dollars and help increase the public’s trust in leadership and finance.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.