Atlanta Council Votes 8–7 to Sell City Detention Center to Fulton County for $68 Million
Atlanta — In Atlanta, a city in Fulton County, Georgia, the City Council voted 8–7 on October 19 to approve the $68 million sale of the Atlanta City Detention Center to Fulton County, adding roughly 1,300 beds amid overcrowding at the Rice Street county jail, which operates under a federal consent decree.
Under the deal, the city will keep using part of the facility under a $1-a-year lease lasting up to 50 years; the county's existing lease of space in the building expires in December. The agreement follows months of negotiation led by Mayor Andre Dickens, and Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts supports it.
The seven no votes — Michael Julian Bond, Byron Amos, Jason Dozier, Eshe Collins, Liliana Bakhtiari, Kelsea Bond and Antonio Lewis — raised concerns over the finances, the future of city corrections staff, the county's capacity and staffing under Sheriff Patrick Labat.
According to FOX 5 Atlanta, the council debated the deal for about three hours. City officials estimate the sale would save roughly $18 million to $20 million a year in recurring costs, against current operating costs of about $30 million a year. Beyond citing sheriff's staffing and the federal consent decree over the main jail, opponents also argued the building should be converted into a community resource center rather than remain a detention facility.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：亚特兰大市政厅。图片来源：Netherlands Embassy 摄，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 2.0。Photo: Atlanta City Hall. Source: Netherlands Embassy, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
