Adding to the fractured negotiations surrounding a possible Atlanta city jail sale, Fulton County's top administrator said he would skip a Thursday bargaining session. And then after county commissioners ordered him to attend, County Manager Zachary Williams changed his mind.
U.S. District Court Judge Marvin Shoob, looking for a breakthrough in a situation growing more complicated, had asked Atlanta and Fulton officials to meet in his chambers in hopes of forging a deal to end the county's chronic jail overcrowding.
On Tuesday, Williams told Shoob he wouldn't be at the meeting, giving the following reasons in a letter: the sensitive nature of the discussions with the city, the county commission's rejection of the city's $85 million offer and the judge's order threatening to incarcerate the commission if it didn't reach a binding contract to buy the jail soon.
However, Fulton Commission Chairman John Eaves sent an email to Williams and County Attorney David Ware directing them to attend. Eaves said he had the backing of commissioners Joan Garner, Liz Hausmann and Tom Lowe, a majority of the board.
On Wednesday, Williams, who was not available for comment, complied. County spokeswoman Ericka Davis verified in an email that Williams would be present.
The county manager found himself caught between two factions of commissioners -- and a jail deal was still no closer than before.
"I had some concerns, along with other commissioners, about the effect of the county manager attending a meeting that was not an order of the court," Fulton Commission Vice Chair Emma Darnell said. "We had been advised that it's somewhat risky to attend a meeting with a federal judge who has threatened incarceration over a consent order."
Shoob has become increasingly frustrated with no jail deal in place, threatening to lock up Fulton commissioners and ban Atlanta police from bringing inmates to the Fulton jail. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Atlanta Chief Operating Officer Peter Aman, Eaves and Williams were invited to the judge's chambers.
The judge has prodded the the county to make a deal to comply with a 2006 consent order stemming from a lawsuit citing filthy, dangerous and crowded conditions at the Rice Street jail. Shoob deemed Fulton in contempt because 3,400 inmates were forced to sleep on the floor over the spring and 1,400 did so in August.
Shoob believes the city's 1,314-bed jail offers the best short-term solution, but negotiations between the city and the county have been at a stalemate. The judge thought the two governments had agreed on a $40 million sale, which the city had offered 16 months earlier. However, Atlanta recently raised the asking price to $85 million, closer to market value.
Meantime, the Atlanta mayor said the city wasn't really interested in selling the jail anymore. Also, commissioners said they were leaning toward building new jail space and finding alternatives to incarceration, such as electronic monitoring, pretrial intervention and diversion courts.
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