A federal appeals court is considering whether to dismiss a massive citywide effort to force a vote on an Atlanta-area police and firefighter training center that city attorneys say is now “substantially complete.”
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had been silent for more than 14 months after hearing arguments in December 2023 over whether to overturn a lower court ruling that let nonresidents collect signatures as part of the “Stop Cop City” referendum effort. The facility is on land the city of Atlanta leased to the Atlanta Police Foundation. Opponents, who collected more than 108,000 signatures in 2023, say voters should be able to revoke that lease.
In the meantime, construction on the 85-acre (34-hectare), $115 million project continued apace last year. A spokesperson for Mayor Andre Dickens told The Associated Press on Wednesday that training has begun at the facility and classrooms are expected to be fully utilized by late March.
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