ATLANTA — Atlanta council members grilled the Atlanta DOT after an audit showed some concerning findings about a major infrastructure package.
In May 2022, Atlanta voters approved a set of ballot measures to make big investments in the city’s infrastructure. But only a fraction of that has been spent, according to a report by the city auditor.
“The sentiments that went through me were anger, embarrassment, but then, more importantly, a feeling of defeat,” Councilman Alex Wan said.
Councilmembers expressed frustration and concern at a meeting Wednesday that the Moving Atlanta Forward Plan may seem to be falling behind.
“This is a city of Atlanta problem that has stretched on for decades,” Councilman Amir Farokhi said.
Councilmembers brought up “Renew Atlanta,” which was an infrastructure package from 2015 that ran behind schedule.
Voters approved the Move Atlanta Forward proposal back in 2022.
Atlanta officials said at the time that the measures approved by voters included two bonds and a special sales tax renewal, greenlighting a $750 million funding effort for transportation, recreation, public safety, and the arts.
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Funds were split between a $400 million infrastructure bond and a $350 million TSPLOST extension, effectively a $0.04 tax on every $10 purchase for retail transactions in Atlanta, according to city officials.
Now, the Atlanta City Auditor’s Office reports less than 10% has been spent.
The auditor’s report found that “as of August 2024, $47 million had been spent on Moving Atlanta Forward projects, less than 10% of project funds.”
The Atlanta Department of Transportation says they have spent more money since then. However, the dashboard shows the program has since paid $69 million on projects, or 9.3% of the approved funds.
In their examination of the funding package, the auditor’s office found that projects were slow to progress and that districts with the least amount of spending had higher poverty levels than the others.
“That was eye-opening but not shocking,” Councilman Antonio Lewis said.
The Atlanta Department of Transportation says some projects have not made it to construction because they are more complex than others and need additional community input.
The mayor’s office indicated weather may have caused some delays, and emergency repairs forced some projects to be prioritized over others.
The report also found that there was not a central oversight mechanism, and having one “may improve consistency across the three project delivery departments.”
Those departments are Transportation, Enterprise Asset Management, and Parks and Recreation.
Due to the audit’s findings, the office made several recommendations to help the programs get back on track, for oversight, spending tracking, and overall project management.
According to the audit’s highlights, the recommendations were either agreed to or partially agreed to, with completion dates set for June 2025 at the latest.
However, Council members expressed apprehension about if the projects would be completed.
“I’ve heard from a number of constituents that they are giving up, we are just giving up that we are actually going to get these projects,” Wan said.
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