Last week, Atlanta city department leaders marched one by one into the City Council chambers to lay out how much money they need to operate for the next year. One department’s budget hearing in particular caught our attention: Corrections.
“This is one of the more glaring budgets,” Councilman Dustin Hillis said after the department gave a presentation laying out its funding priorities. “We’re spending $16 million to keep up a jail that houses an average (daily population) of 46 people.”
The Department of Corrections, which runs the Atlanta City Detention Center, is asking for a 15% increase in its yearly budget for Fiscal Year 2023, which begins July 1. That’s up from about $14 million for the current fiscal year.
The jail holds people accused of violating city ordinances, almost all nonviolent crimes. Bookings have slowly increased since the start of the pandemic, but the average number of people there on any given day remains under 50. Only two, sometimes three, floors of the 11-story building downtown are used to hold detainees.
Credit: Bill Torpy
Credit: Bill Torpy
Last week local activists questioned why the division needs such a large budget, and said those funds and city-owned space can be better utilized.
The detention center and its budget have been under a glaring spotlight since former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced her intent to close it. That plan received pushback from the City Council last year, who instead approved plans to create a Center for Diversion and Services at the ACDC building while keeping the jail open. Plans to build out that center are in the works.
“Corrections has also probably gotten a lot of mixed messaging from our prior mayor, from saying we’re going to close ACDC to where we are now, so you’re probably doing the best you can with the direction there, or lack thereof,” Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari told department leaders on Tuesday. “I’m still very confused how we need 108 sworn officers for an average of 40 or so people a night.”
Credit: robert.andres@ajc.com
Credit: robert.andres@ajc.com
Interim Corrections Chief Elder Dancy said the money is needed to handle day-to-day booking and staffing at the jail and at Grady Memorial Hospital. The proposed budget includes pay increases for corrections officers.
The council has until late June to amend and pass the budget.
---
Tuesday is Election Day! We’ll leave it to our friends over at The Jolt to tell you all about the federal and state races on the primary ballot. But team City Hall has you covered for the Atlanta-specific ballot referenda that ask if the city should put a total of $750 million toward transportation and infrastructure.
---
Public Works Commissioner Al Wiggins, Jr. recently told us his department is in recovery mode, as they assess their solid waste fees to make critical decisions about staffing and equipment needs. The city just entered into a $19 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit challenging the fees.
At the same time, his department is seeking ways to increase productivity and cut costs by possibly using autonomous mowers, mobile cameras, and vehicle routing software — technology officials say will help turn Atlanta into a “smart city.”
---
Last week, Mayor Andre Dickens signed legislation sponsored by Councilmember Jason Winston to allocate $1.5 million toward the relocation process for tenants at the condemned Forest Cove Apartments. The city wants local property owners with vacant units to contact housing@atlantaga.gov if they want to provide housing to some of the residents plagued by mold and housing damage due to the neglect of the complex’s private owner.
---
As we enter another hot Atlanta summer, the city’s 12 public pools will open this weekend, and will once again be free to visit:
---
Send us any feedback, story ideas, tips or City Hall insider info at wilborn.nobles@ajc.com and jdapelouto@ajc.com. We’re also on Twitter, @jdcapelouto and @WilNobles.
