The Hotel-Motel Tax Performance Review Board, a division of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, voted this week to look into how Richmond Hill handles hotel-motel tax. Greensboro and Buford were also named in the review.

It is unclear exactly why the cities are being investigated, and a representative with the Board could not be reached Tuesday.

City Manager Mike Melton said the procedure is standard practice and “we can justify our hotel/motel tax. We’ve already done that with the department of audits. Whenever the department of audits sends them (DCA) our audit report, it is automatically looked into.”

According to the DCA website, The review board was created in 2004 by the Georgia General Assembly to hear complaints about expenditures of Hotel/Motel tax revenues. The DCA is charged with the responsibility for administration of the Performance Review Board and the complaints process.

Complaints can be filed by taxpayers, local governments, innkeepers, or private sector nonprofit organizations. The performance review board meets annually to hear complaints, and issues a written report of its findings which includes such evaluations, judgments, and recommendations it deems appropriate.

The Board's findings are then transmitted to the Commissioner of DCA for a final determination regarding any remedial action that might be deemed appropriate. It is unclear whether this step has been taken yet.

- For more on this story, see Saturday’s paper.