Fulton County, Atlanta leaders clash over jail deal and tax districts

Fulton County, Atlanta leaders clash over jail deal and tax districts

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A Fulton County commissioner responded Tuesday to a letter from Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, escalating a financial dispute between city and county leaders over the future of the Atlanta City Detention Center and a broader package of fiscal demands. Commissioner Dana Barrett, in a letter sent Tuesday, said Dickens’ offer to sell the Atlanta City Detention Center (ACDC) to the county for $80 million was not a standalone proposal. Barrett said the full package presented to the county also included more than $1 billion in Tax Allocation District (TAD) extensions, a $200 million investment in a hospital, and tens of millions in additional county commitments — totaling more than $1.4 billion in value, in exchange for an asset the city valued at $144 million. In his July 30 letter to the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, Dickens said the city proposed selling the Atlanta City Detention Center — appraised at approximately $144 million — to the county for $80 million. He said the deal would have expanded detention capacity, protected workers, preserved the Diversion Center and saved taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. “The purchase of ACDC was one component of a much broader package,” she wrote, adding that the city asked for more than $1.4 billion in value in exchange for an asset it valued at $144 million. Barrett said she shares the mayor’s assessment that purchasing the detention center for $80 million could save the county…

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