Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Public Safety Training Center: Mayor’s office breaks down the budget
Rendering of proposed Atlanta Police Training Center (Atlanta Police Department )
ATLANTA – The city of Atlanta says it will save nearly 15% over the next 30 years with the completion of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.
A spokesperson for Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens broke down the plan, which can sometimes seem more confusing than it should, given the way the city says the deal with the Atlanta Police Foundation is structured.
What has been widely reported is the agreement for the city of Atlanta to make a one-time payment of just over $30 million to help finance the building of the training center.
Tour rundown, infested Atlanta police academy
Rats, cockroaches and raw sewage. That describes the conditions Atlanta recruits and officers endured trying to conduct classwork at the old police academy. Atlanta’s police chief gave reporters a tour of the unsafe facility hoping people would see why he is pushing for the construction of the planned training site in DeKalb County.
The Atlanta Police Foundation would then raise $60 million, including a $20 million loan for its portion of the building costs. This agreement was passed in September 2021. In return, the APF would then “lease” the city the facility.
Right now, the city pays more than $1.4 million a year for its various public safety training venues and needs. The city pays that money out to various vendors and says it’s at the mercy of the current market value in the city, which many analysts say currently is the most overpriced in the country. The city also argues the current venues were not exactly created for the purpose of housing first responder training.
By signing a “lease” with APF, the city says it has locked in its annual “rent” for both police and fire departments fixed at $1.2 million. The mayor’s spokesperson says money goes to repaying the APF’s loan, as well as the facility’s operational and maintenance expenses. It saves the city $200,000 annual or about $6 million over the 30 years, according to the mayor’s spokesperson.
The Atlanta City Council passed that resolution unanimously in December 2021.
Once the 30-year lease is over, the city will take over full ownership of the training center.
Inside look at police training center
FOX 5 gets an up-close look at the site of the controversial Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.
The city considers the annual payment budget neutral, if not a savings. The mayor’s spokesperson also says it consolidates several leases into one, simplifying the process.
The mayor’s office has said in the past it regrets not getting ahead of a well-organized opposition to the facility which has spread its own narrative. Several recent budget meetings have seen overwhelming opposition to the site.
Funding approved for Atlanta training center
An Atlanta city committee approved funding for the site of the planned Atlanta Public Safety Training Center. This despite protesters’ last efforts to sway city leaders.
Last week, the finance committee voted 5-1 to approve a plan for Atlanta to pay its share of the more than $30 million.
Committee member James Winston abstained and Committee member Liliana Bakhtiari was the sole “no” vote.
“My district does not want this. I still lack clarity on some of the funding aspects. [I have] a lot of questions that have not been answered,” Bakhtiari told FOX 5 on May 24, following the vote. “The city did not do a good job of messaging around this. We gave out a lot of mixed information. We didn’t know who was driving this project. There were missed signals between different entities.”
The next full council meeting is slated for Monday, June 5 at 1 p.m. with additional budget meeting, including public hearings over the two days following.
ATLANTA — As if the Atlanta Falcons’ Sunday couldn’t get any better, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Daron Bland gave Atlanta an early Christmas present.
But only after stealing one from Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White.
Leading 26-24 inside of two minutes to play, the Cowboys’ defense needed a stand Sunday night — and Bland stripped the ball from White’s grasp, forcing a game-sealing turnover.
Tampa Bay entered Sunday leading the NFC South by one game over Atlanta, but the Falcons (8-7) dominated the Giants (2-13), taking a 34-7 victory Sunday afternoon inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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Coupled with the Buccaneers’ loss, Atlanta and Tampa Bay now share the same 8-7 record — but since the Falcons swept the season series, they own the tiebreaker. Thus, Atlanta leads the NFC South through 16 weeks.
The Falcons controlled the division for much of the early part of the season before losing control in Week 14, when they reached the end of their four-game losing streak while Tampa Bay had won three consecutive games.
Atlanta, which led the NFC South by two games in mid-November and held the division lead entering December, now merely has to win out to secure its first NFC South title since 2016 and its first playoff trip since 2017.
The Falcons close the season with a Sunday Night Football road game against the Washington Commanders (10-5) on Dec. 29 before hosting the Carolina Panthers (4-11) in the finale Jan. 5.
Tampa Bay, meanwhile, hosts the Panthers and New Orleans Saints (5-9, pending Monday night game) to finish the campaign.
The Buccaneers have a 52% chance to win the NFC South compared to the Falcons’ 48% chance, according to The Athletic‘s playoff projections model.
But ultimately, the only number that matters to Atlanta is two — the Falcons’ magic number, as any combination of their own wins or Buccaneers losses that equates to two sends Atlanta to the postseason.
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Atlanta, GA
Michael Penix Jr. shines in Atlanta Falcons’ debut victory over New York Giants | NFL on FOX Pod
Video Details
Dave Helman sits down to recap the Atlanta Falcons’ victory over the New York Giants! Within the conversation, Helman reacts to Michael Penix Jr.’s debut and explains why he had an impressive performance for the Falcons!
1 HOUR AGO・the nfl on fox podcast・6:13
ATLANTA — After falling behind by a touchdown early in the second quarter, the Atlanta Falcons (8-7) scored 34 unanswered points to close out Sunday’s 34-7 victory over the New York Giants (2-13) inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Atlanta has eclipsed seven wins for the first time since 2017, and it now enters the final two games of the regular season with a shot at the postseason — and with a jolt of energy from rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
Here’s who’s rising and falling after the Falcons’ victory …
QB Michael Penix Jr.
The consensus from Atlanta’s side postgame on Penix: He played well.
Rookie quarterbacks can go either way in their debut. Penix was solid, completing 18-of-27 passes for 202 yards, no touchdowns and an interception that bounced out of tight end Kyle Pitts’ hands and into the arms of Giants cornerback Cor’Dale Flott.
Consider Sunday a success for Penix, who provided no reason to stop dreaming.
OLB Matt Judon
Judon’s season overall hasn’t been what many expected when Atlanta sent a third-round pick to the New England Patriots for his services in August, but he’s turned a corner lately — and played his best game of the season Sunday.
The 32-year-old Judon collected one sack, two quarterback hits, a pass deflection and returned an interception 27 yards to the endzone for his first career touchdown.
Judon wore plenty of blame when he was struggling. He deserves similarly strong credit when he plays at the level he did Sunday.
ILB Kaden Elliss
Elliss is the only player in the NFL with a sack in each of the last four consecutive weeks, according to the Falcons’ communication staff. He was excellent Sunday, logging a team-high seven tackles and two quarterback hits.
The 6’2″, 238-pound Elliss notched one sack — a forced fumble that was recovered by outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie and gave Atlanta’s offense the ball in plus-territory.
Since inserting Elliss into the pass rushing plan more frequently, the Falcons’ pass rush — and defense as a whole — has made considerable strides.
TE Kyle Pitts
Pitts was targeted only twice — one went for seven yards, and the other led to Penix’s interception on a pass that hit his hands.
After a four-catch game against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 15, Pitts failed to carry that production back home. He now has one or fewer receptions in four of the Falcons’ last five games and five of their last seven.
Evidently, Pitts’ minimal production since the calendar flipped to November wasn’t solely due to quarterback Kirk Cousins.
There really isn’t much to complain about regarding Atlanta’s performance. Perhaps a slow start? A missed field goal from kicker Riley Patterson, who responded by making his other two field goals and all four extra points?
For the first time this season, there’s only one faller.
The Falcons return to action at 8:20 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 29, against the Washington Commanders inside Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland.
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