Atlanta Business Group Unhappy With City's Inaction on Transportation Projects

"In a letter to Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Midtown Alliance President and CEO Kevin Green wrote that the 'level of city inaction and dysfunction we are experiencing is the worst we have seen in two decades,'" reports J. D. Capeluto. Green calls the situation "untenable" and points to projects such as the Juniper Complete Street Project, which "is more than 10 years old and is at risk of exceeding a spend-by deadline for federal funds 'due to repeated and avoidable city delays.'"

According to Capeluto, "[m]any of the delays stem from the city’s procurement process, which involves selecting companies to plan or execute multimillion-dollar projects like road improvements, Green said." The city's procurement department "came under the microscope several years ago under former Mayor Kasim Reed’s administration, after several City Hall employees — including the former top purchasing officer — were convicted of accepting bribes from contractors looking to do business with the city." Rather than letting the department manage contracts, "Green proposed that the city allow community improvement districts to manage the contracts and project work in their areas." As Congress considers a massive spending package that could bring the city billions for local projects, "Green said it’s especially important that the city streamline its process for transportation projects."

"In a statement, a spokesman for the mayor’s office said the letter 'does not provide the full context or accurately describe the current authorities' the CIDs have under city code." Councilman Amir Farokhi "said he is working on city legislation that would allow some CIDs to handle procurement themselves."