Atlanta City Council delays decision on jail sale to Fulton County

Following weeks of heated debate over the sale of the Atlanta City Detention Center to Fulton County, the Atlanta City Council has put the item on hold for two weeks. 

Fulton County has agreed to pay $68 million to the City of Atlanta to convert the current detention center into an additional jail because of overcrowding at Fulton County’s jail, known as Rice Street. 

Council members remain concerned about the upgrades needed at ACDC, how many employees will be retained if the county takes over the facility, and how the millions of dollars from the sale will be used. 

A letter from Atlanta CFO Muhamed Ralla outlined the financial terms of the agreement, which was discussed by the finance committee on Sept. 30. Ralla recommended that the $68 million proceeds be placed into the fund balance or utilized for one-time, related projects. 

The city is expected to retain a smaller, leaner corrections unit to administer municipal offenses. ACDC’s current operating budget is roughly $30 million, which Ralla estimates will drop to $10 to $12 million per year for staff retained by the City. 

About $75 million in upgrades are needed at ACDC, according to Fulton County. Council member Jason Winston said questions are still outstanding, and suggested council slow down the process. 

“We deserve the right to continue to dive into those numbers before moving this legislation forward,” Winston said. “What other costs are associated with us being able to maintain a presence in the building?” 

Council member Wayne Martin, who motioned to hold the item in committee, wants to further the conversation about how to use money from the sale to assist with mental health “so that we can keep people out of jail.” 

“It could alleviate a lot of concerns that members of the community have around how we better serve our detainees,” Martin said. 

At the Oct. 5 Atlanta City Council meeting, Michael Collins from Play Fair ATL spoke during public comment. Collins said the Professional Association of City Employees Union (PACE) is concerned that there is no plan for ACDC employees. 

“ACDC employees do not desire to work at Fulton County or for Fulton County. Certainly not at Rice Street, which is a facility that has had major staffing problems. Currently, PACE is opposing the sale,” Collins said. “We remain opposed to this plan, which is much more about the mayor getting funding for his Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative, and much less focused on what is best for the people of Atlanta or incarcerated people.”

Devin Franklin, senior counsel at the Southern Center for Human Rights, said Fulton County owns and operates or has access to multiple detention facilities with a “significant amount of unused capacity among those facilities.” He estimated 452 unused beds across county-owned facilities in Union City, Marietta and Atlanta – despite the county’s claims of overcrowding.

“Those beds are going unused largely because of staffing issues,” Franklin said. “If [Sheriff Patrick Labat] does not currently have the staff necessary to utilize the beds he already controls, how will he staff the additional beds Fulton County seeks to acquire?”

The meeting continued as council members approved a special use zoning permit for a personal care home in southwest Atlanta and a grant for Atlanta Memorial Park Conservancy.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Council member Antonio Lewis proposed a resolution requesting that the City of Atlanta and Atlanta Housing conduct a comprehensive study to identify and expand public housing inventory. The item will be discussed at the next community development committee meeting.

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