The Atlanta City Detention Center and the Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative are central components in a high-stakes legislative dispute between Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, the Atlanta City Council, and the Fulton County Board of Commissioners
Mayor Dickens bundled a proposal to sell the Atlanta City Detention Center (ACDC) to Fulton County for $80 million (appraised at $144 million) as part of a package deal to secure county approval for his $5.5 billion Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative (NRI)
The friction escalated when Fulton County commissioners voted down the Mayor’s proposed extension of six Tax Allocation Districts — the critical funding mechanism needed to fuel the NRI — while simultaneously pursuing a standalone $1.3 billion plan to build a new county jail. In response, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners passed legislation demanding further information from the City of Atlanta before reconsidering the TAD extensions.
In a written repsonse to Mayor Dicken’s letter regarding the sale od the detnetion center, Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barret said: It is clearly in all our best interests to come to an agreement quickly as time is of the essence. As your letter points out our current arrangement to lease beds at ACDC ends in several months and if we are not able to come to terms with the City this month, we will need to go to contract with an alternate provider for the ~450 inmates currently housed at ACDC.
Proponents of the sale of ACDC to the County say the deal makes good fiscal sense for the City. Not only will the city have $80M in capital to invest as it sees fit, but the City will also save ~$25M/year that is currently spent to operate and maintain ACDC.
