ATLANTA — In a letter sent to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens on Monday, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners has offered to purchase the Atlanta City Detention Center.
Commissioners offered to pay $56.5 million for the jail, which they say takes into account the $75 million in necessary renovations at the facility.
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They say the detention center’s lease between Atlanta and Fulton County expires at the end of the year. Their offer expires at the end of the month, the letter says.
The board’s letter says they have been trying to purchase the detention center for the last 17 years “to improve public safety and to address the need for adequate detention space,” but the city has resisted.
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“We agree that ACDC should be fully available for utilization by the County, but Atlanta has consistently resisted finalizing a deal to make that happen,” the letter reads.
Commissioners say transferring the detention center to Fulton County will save the city $27 million per year, “which will sit largely unused if the County vacates the facility at the end of this year.”
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