Atlanta sends $68 million counteroffer to Fulton County over possible sale of city jail

The city of Atlanta has made a counteroffer to Fulton County in the continued negotiations over the possible purchase of the Atlanta City Detention Center.

In August, five Fulton County commissioners sent an offer to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and the Atlanta City Council offering to pay $56.5 million for the downtown jail.

County leaders pointed to a 2025 broker opinion of value from a commercial real estate firm as well as the renovation cost for the facility, which they estimated would be around $75 million.

On Monday, Dickens sent his response, calling the county's offer a "constructive starting point for continued negotiations."

The mayor had previously offered the detention center to the county for $80 million, but withdrew that offer in July, asking county leaders to send him a new proposal. In a letter obtained by CBS News Atlanta, Dickens offered a new price for the ACDC, one that hit a middle ground between the previous offer and the county's counteroffer.

"Recognizing that time is of the essence, the City is prepared to further reduce its offer and sell ACDC to Fulton County for $68 million, a discount of more than $76 million off the aforementioned appraised value of $144.6 million," Dickens wrote.

The mayor argued that some of the items that Fulton County officials noted in their list of needed repairs had been addressed by the city.

As part of the offer, Dickens asked that the county keep space in the ACDC to house Atlanta detainees and that Fulton County conduct annual independent assessments of the facility's physical conditions. The mayor also asked that the county hire any city employees displaced because of the transaction.

Alongside the jail purchase, Dickens said another of the city's conditions would be that Fulton County would commit $200 million over a decade to creating a hospital in partnership with Atlanta, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Atrium Health.

"This agreement gives us an opportunity to address both an immediate detention challenge and another fundamental responsibility we share; ensuring residents have access to quality healthcare," he wrote. "The savings generated by this transaction provide Fulton County with greater capacity to make that investment while still producing significant savings for County taxpayers."

Dickens gave Fulton County a deadline of 5 p.m. on Sept. 21 to respond to his offer.

A struggle to fix poor conditions at the Fulton County Jail

Atlanta and Fulton County's negotiations come as the county continues to try and improve conditions at the county jail.

Federal monitors have repeatedly flagged staffing shortages at the jail. An independent monitor last year found that some housing units were staffed by a single deputy overseeing nearly 200 inmates across multiple areas. Security towers were often left vacant, and more than half of the assigned posts were empty during some shifts.

A 2024 Justice Department investigation described the jail as hazardous and unsanitary, citing flooding from broken plumbing, infestations of rodents and insects, filthy cells, and exposed wiring. Investigators also documented more than 1,000 assaults and more than 300 stabbings in 2023, many of which were underreported.

The Justice Department and county officials announced in January 2025 that they had entered into a court-enforceable consent decree. An independent monitor has been visiting the county's jails and documenting the issues and any progress in fixing them.

Earlier this year, Fulton County leaders approved a $1.3 billion plan that involved building a new "special purpose facility" designed to house vulnerable populations - including detainees with mental and physical health needs, as well as other renovations. Construction on that new facility is expected to begin in 2028.

The county has also proposed reducing overcrowding by not accepting misdemeanor arrests, barring some exceptions. 

Currently, Fulton County has leased space in the ACDC, allowing up to 700 detainees to stay in the facility. That lease expires at the end of the year.