Fulton County is offering $56.5 million for Atlanta's jail in letter
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ATLANTA - Five members of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners sent a letter Monday offering $56.5 million to purchase the Atlanta City Detention Center from Atlanta.
Atlanta jail purchase offer
What we know:
Fulton County commissioners sent a letter Monday to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and the Atlanta City Council offering $56.5 million to buy the Atlanta City Detention Center. County officials said the offer matches a 2025 valuation by commercial real estate firm CBRE Group, Inc. and reflects $75 million in needed renovations at the facility.
What we don't know:
City officials have not indicated whether they will accept the proposal before it expires Aug. 31 at 5 p.m.
Longstanding jail space dispute
The backstory:
Fulton County has tried to acquire the facility for over 17 years to address detention space needs that primarily serve Atlanta. In July, Dickens withdrew a previous $80 million sale deal and invited a new proposal from the county.
By the numbers:
County leaders said taking over the building would save Atlanta nearly $27 million annually in operating costs. Over the past 25 years, Fulton County has contributed more than $550 million to Atlanta redevelopment initiatives, including $53 million in property tax revenue to tax allocation districts in the last year. The current lease for the jail expires at the end of the year.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, who released a copy of the letter sent to Atlanta officials.