The Atlanta City Council approved Mayor Kasim Reed’s nearly $568 million budget Monday, but not before intense discussions over spending millions more on the Municipal Court of Atlanta.
In rare disagreement with the mayor, District 11 Councilwoman Keisha Lance Bottoms pushed back against legislation allocating $3.9 million more in fiscal year 2015 to the municipal court.
Bottoms, an attorney, has for months advocated for the judges to take on a heavier load and open their courtrooms five days a week. The councilwoman and some of the municipal court judges clashed in a recent public safety committee over the court’s operations.
Municipal court judges have long been criticized for overseeing hearings just four days week, a practice they say stems from deep budget cuts made by former mayor Shirley Franklin during the worst of the recession.
“As I’ve said repeatedly, the court and all the judges wish to be open five days a week,” said Chief Judge Herman Sloan to the council Monday. “The core concern has always been having sufficient staffing to be open five days a week.”
Sloan said Reed’s plans to spend $3.9 million on the court will, among other things, help fund roughly 40 new positions it needs to operate a fuller schedule.
But councilmembers such as Bottoms point out the court has more than a dozen vacant positions and hasn’t spent all of its previous funds, and therefore should not be granted the additional money.
“I think we have some incredibly smart and talented and hardworking judges, but I think what has happened in the way it’s structured is that we don’t have any accountability,” Bottoms said.
She ultimately supported Reed’s budget proposal, but is now backing efforts to place benchmarks on the court’s performance. Bottoms introduced a bill Monday to amend the city’s charter to allow Atlanta officials greater control over judge compensation and courtroom operations.
Bottoms said she voted in favor of the budget despite losing the court funding battle because she “did not want to throw out the baby with the bathwater.”
The budget passed 14 to 1. District 9 Councilwoman Felicia Moore voted against the legislation.
Other highlights:
- The Eastside tax allocation district is in tact. Reed had proposed closing the district, a move that would help the city redirect the funds to help pay for an anticipated infrastructure bond worth up to $250 million. But his administration later softened its stance because of supporters who say the taxing district is still needed to help revitalize areas such as Auburn Avenue. District 1 Councilwoman Carla Smith successfully passed an amendment Monday to withdraw its closure.
- No raises for police and fire employees this year. Union leaders have met with Reed officials during the past year over "salary compression" —- the issue of some public safety workers being paid higher wages than longtime employees with more experience. But the mayor has said he won't approve raises or address salary compression while the city remains embroiled in a $48 million lawsuit with public safety unions over pension reform he championed in his first term. A judge has yet to rule on the legal challenge.
- Nearly $1.5 million in increased funding to Code Enforcement. District 12 Councilwoman Joyce Sheperd backed legislation to give an additional $1 million to code enforcement to help clean up and close down abandoned, dilapidated homes. District 10 Councilman C.T. Martin also sponsored legislation giving the department about $430,000 to cut grass on private property. It wasn't immediately clear whether this legislation is in conflict with a state law prohibiting governments from giving away services for nothing in return.
City auditor gets some help. District 8 Councilwoman Yolanda Adrean sponsored an amendment to hire a new investigations manager at the auditor’s office to the tune of roughly $83,000 annually.
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