Atlanta City Budget 2025 | Transportation issues

ATLANTA — The Atlanta City Council is expected to consider an $854 million budget Monday amid concerns about insufficient transportation funding.

The proposed budget for fiscal year 2025 provides $51 million for the Department of Transportation. This represents an increase of 2% following the 11% budget cut in the transport sector last year.

Some worry the city won’t provide enough money to complete many road projects.

On a section of Cascade Road lined with orange markers, TaWayne Sheffield has heard about road improvements since he bought his home in 2020. Work has begun, but problems remain.

“They only started working earlier this year,” Sheffield said. “It’s like pothole heaven.”

Advocacy groups like Propel Atlanta complain that a 2 percent budget increase isn’t enough to cover inflation.

“We have money to build projects, but we don’t have enough money in the operating budget to hire staff and purchase supplies,” said Rebecca Serna of Propel Atlanta.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said the department is committed to “spending prudently and managing resources effectively”. We are confident that the allocated dollars will cover the next twelve months.

The press release goes on to mention that the ministry has obtained millions in “external funding”.

At a recent budget hearing, department officials expressed confidence.

“I think a lot of cities don’t have the capital funding that Atlanta has,” said Deputy Commissioner for Strategy and Planning Betty Smoot-Madison. “We have this major $450 million T-SPLOST and bond program.”

The city council can modify the city budget. Members have until July 1 to adopt a final version.

Here is the full statement from the Ministry of Transport:

“We believe the proposed budget allows the Atlanta Department of Transportation (ATLDOT) to make significant progress in project design and delivery while continuing its efforts to recruit and retain high-quality personnel to carry out our planned initiatives.

ATLDOT is vigilantly taking steps to improve the department’s capacity and efficiency. We restructured and strengthened our workforce, implemented innovative procurement strategies, and secured millions of dollars in external funding for safer streets projects ($30 million), resurfacing ($4 million). dollars) and sidewalks ($6 million). These measures demonstrate our commitment to prudent spending and effective resource management. We are confident that the allocated dollars will cover the next 12 months.