Internal audit recommends reducing Atlanta courtrooms, cutting staff
A scathing 70-page internal audit has recommended that Atlanta taxpayers could save more than $2 million by cutting the number of municipal courtrooms by more than half and trimming the number of judges and staff.
The audit, released Monday afternoon by city auditor Leslie Ward, suggests the city reduce the number of active municipal courtrooms from nine to four. Ward’s report shows that while the number of cases heard in municipal court has remained steady over the last three years, the budget has continued to increase.
The report also recommended that the chief judge review and consider reducing the number of charges that require a court appearance as an alternative way to increase court efficiency and reduce costs, and that court sessions should be staggered to reduce wait time and the potential for overcrowding.
About the Author
Ernie Suggs is an enterprise reporter covering race and culture for the AJC since 1997. A 1990 graduate of N.C. Central University and a 2009 Harvard University Nieman Fellow, he is also the former vice president of the National Association of Black Journalists. His obsession with Prince, Spike Lee movies, Hamilton and the New York Yankees is odd.
