The Atlanta City Council Tuesday approved an ordinance that prohibits all spending on city issued credit cards that isn’t directly related to city business.

The ordinance identifies a laundry list of banned purchases: dry cleaning, alcohol and tobacco, plane tickets for family members, cash advances, gift cards, calling cards, memberships at wholesale warehouses, in-room hotel movies and mechanical repairs for personal vehicles.

VIDEO: Previous coverage on this issue

Feds demand 8 years of Reed, mayor’s office travel and p-card records The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Channel 2 Action News have obtained a federal grand jury subpoena demanding spending records of former City of Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and his cabinet. The subpoena follows investigations by the AJC and Channel 2 that revealed questionable spending during Reed's two terms. Investigations found city-issued credit cards (or p-cards) were used for expensive meals, limo rides, luxury airfare and more.

Most, if not all, of the items listed were examples  of inappropriate purchases under former Mayor Kasim Reed's administration uncovered by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Channel 2 Action News. The news organizations' reporting also became the subject of subpoenas from federal prosecutors investigating corruption at City Hall.

The ordinance represents the combined efforts of Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ administration and council members Andre Dickens and J. P. Matzigkeit, who sponsored the legislation.

“In keeping with our Administration’s commitment to building an ethical, transparent and fiscally responsible government, we have taken yet another significant stride towards sound stewardship of public dollars,” Bottoms said in a statement.

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Georgia Lt. Gov. Lester Maddox, angry about an article, burns a copy of The Atlanta Constitution in the state Senate on March 10, 1971, saying the paper did not have the "guts, integrity, manhood or decency" to report the situation accurately. (AJC file)

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Managing Partner at Atlantica Properties, Darion Dunn (center) talks with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens during a tour following the ribbon cutting of Waterworks Village as part of the third phase of the city’s Rapid Housing Initiative on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025.
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