The city of Atlanta has spent more than $2.8 million defending its public safety training center in court since 2023, with about one-third of that money going to a consultant to help with a signature verification process that never even began.
Nearly two-and-a-half years ago, organizers of a first-of-its-kind petition effort submitted thousands of signatures to City Hall in hopes of clearing a threshold that would force a referendum on the question of whether to build the training center.
But those names have remained uncounted, and the referendum effort on pause, while a legal battle between organizers and the city played out in federal court.
It’s been a lengthy and expensive fight.
Records obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution show the scope of payments made to law firms hired to represent the city on two cases. The city also hired former city clerk Foris Webb III to help with verifying the signatures on the petitions as matching those of registered city voters.
The city has paid Webb 26 monthly installments of $35,000 each since September 2023, totaling $910,000. The most recent payment was in November.
According to invoices obtained by the AJC, Webb was paid to provide consulting on the referendum process, specifically to “shepherd the Referendum process on behalf of the City.” His duties also include responding to “media inquiries” about the referendum and providing “advice to the City in connection with the Referendum.”
The mayor’s office did not respond to questions seeking further details about the work Webb has done, or if the payments were retainer fees to reserve his work on command. Webb also did not respond to questions from the AJC.
According to the contract, Webb is being paid at a rate of $35,000 for each 30-day period or $1,166 per day if services are less than the month span.
“The contract speaks for itself,” a spokesperson for the mayor’s office said Tuesday.
Legal fees make up the other two-thirds of the spending.
Robert Ashe, a well-known lawyer at Bondurant Mixson & Elmore, representing the city in the referendum residency requirement lawsuit, has come with a $840,000 cost since July 2023.
In January, a federal appeals court ruled in favor of the city, saying a successful referendum would not revoke the city’s lease agreement for the training center site.
The court cited a 1998 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Kemp v. City of Claxton, that found citizen-led petition efforts can only be used to repeal city charter changes, not ordinances. But the panel also hit back against the city’s claim that the referendum effort is “moot” now that the facility is fully built and operational.
“Even if the plaintiffs’ campaigns (are) a fool’s errand,” the opinion says, “it’s a fool’s errand to which the First Amendment entitles them.”
The ruling dissolved the preliminary injunction, granted by the district court, preventing people who live outside of the city from collecting signatures for the petition drive. The matter has now been sent back to the lower court for a new ruling.
The law firm Troutman Pepper Locke, handling an environmental challenge against the site, has been paid more than $1 million from May 2023 to December 2025 for its services. The city successfully defended against that challenge, as well.
Watershed commissioner on leave
Credit: Riley Bunch/riley.bunch@ajc.com
Credit: Riley Bunch/riley.bunch@ajc.com
Atlanta’s new watershed leader is on a leave of absence after less than a year in the role.
James “Gregory” Eyerly was appointed to run the embattled city department beginning in April 2025 while officials worked to address concerns about the water system following Atlanta’s water crisis the year prior.
Chief Operating Officer LaChandra Burks notified Atlanta City Council members last week that Eyerly was taking a leave of absence “effective immediately,” adding that Assistant Commissioner Hugh Smith will lead the department until Eyerly returns.
The mayor’s office would not provide additional information about the reasoning behind Eyerly’s absence.
“The Department of Watershed Management will continue normal operations without interruption,” Burks said. “And the City remains committed to delivering reliable water services to our residents and businesses.”
Got tips, tricks or just want to say hello? Email me at riley.bunch@ajc.com. Sign up to get the AJC’s Inside City Hall newsletter directly to your inbox by visiting ajc.com/newsletters/riley-bunch-columnist.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
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