With the number of inmates at the Atlanta City Detention Center steadily declining and the cost to maintain the facility steadily rising, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is reiterating her call to explore the sale of the city’s jail, according to a press release.
Carefully defining the goals and the processes to make the sale a reality will take some very deliberate collaboration with local, state and federal officials who may have an interest in taking over the detention center.
“Selling the ACDC will save taxpayers millions of dollars,” said Mayor Bottoms.
Mayor Bottoms has already directed City staff to work towards identifying new positions for Corrections staff.
It is possible the jail may be more valuable as a vehicle for future private development, given its proximity to the Underground, Georgia State, and The Gulch.
“We are reimagining what this property could be,” said Mayor Bottoms. “With many big developments going on in the area, the jail itself has become prime real estate. That will certainly have to be weighed along with its potential use as a detention facility for some other jurisdiction.”
In addition to any funds generated from a possible sale, taxpayers would see an immediate savings of approximately $33M a year in the cost to run the facility; money that could potentially be spent on several other important City initiatives.
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