The bidding process for Turner Field is well underway, with offers on the property due later this month. Still, Fulton County and Atlanta leaders have yet to agree on a long-running dispute over who gets to decide the fate of the ballpark.
Mayor Kasim Reed has said the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority alone has the power to approve a development deal. But Fulton County has insisted it has a say, and Atlanta council members are wondering if they, too, get to weigh in.
In a recent meeting with the city council’s finance committee, Reed didn’t rule out the possibility of the council also taking a vote, but said approval by Fulton County isn’t required.
“Fulton County may have a different opinion,” Reed told the finance committee in October. “But that’s my opinion and that’s the opinion I’ve gotten from every attorney I’ve consulted with.”
Chairman John Eaves has long maintained that the county gets a final vote. On Monday, he stood his ground during a public meeting with residents near Turner Field.
“Despite what you’ve heard, Fulton County is still a player in all of this,” said Eaves, who was joined by Commissioners Marvin Arrington Jr. and Bob Ellis, who sit on the recreation authority board. “We own assets. We own property. We own parcels. And any transaction that occurs does require our approval.”
The final approval question has perplexed the commission and city council alike in the years since the Braves announced their planned departure to Cobb County. And though city and county officials have made public statements about working collaboratively on the sale of Turner Field, the governments have yet to agree on this critical element.
To hear what State Rep. Margaret Kaiser, a Grant Park resident, and other people living near Turner Field say about the pending deal, visit myAJC.com.
About the Author
