Public cost of Atlanta’s police and fire training center set to double

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports city officials confirmed Friday that a provision in the city’s lease with the Atlanta Police Foundation will add about $36 million to the $31 million public cost of the controversial $90 million complex championed by Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

Atlanta’s proposed police and fire training center will cost taxpayers more than double the $31 million previously estimated by Mayor Andre Dickens’ administration.

City officials on Friday confirmed that there is a provision in the city’s lease with the Atlanta Police Foundation that will add about $36 million to the public cost of the $90 million complex, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

The provision, called a “lease back,” requires the city to pay $1.2 million a year for use of the facility over 30 years. That is in addition to the $31 million city taxpayers are contributing toward construction.