The City of Atlanta’s $1 billion infrastructure backlog has long been a thorn in the side of Mayor Kasim Reed. Constantly searching for ways to pay down that debt has been an ongoing process with a varied set of results. From pledging to cut the city’s budget by $21 million to trying to sell public properties such as Underground Atlanta and Turner Field, (once the Braves move that is) it is clear that there is no magic bullet and that debt relief will have to come from multiple sources. Reed has expressed his desire not to raise any taxes in pursuit of this goal, but transportation, parking, and billboard taxes have also been considered.
The latest idea is to put private ads on city-owned property, from parks and rec centers to garbage trucks. Of course certain places and things would be off limits, such as Public schools or police cars and fire trucks, but for the most part all publicly owned property is fair game if it can bring in revenue for the city. The idea is not unique to Atlanta, with cities such as New York and Paris already letting companies advertise on public property.
Those ideas, while good in theory, are unlikely to be enough. In early 2015 voters are expected to give the thumbs up or down to a $250 million bond that would go toward repairing and replacing some of the roads, sidewalks, and bridges that make up the city’s infrastructure backlog. The idea has been met with trepidation from Atlantans, who have picked apart many of the projects on the list. Expect the bond debate to heat up once we get into the new year, but for now some credit is due to the Mayor for being proactive in trying to find innovative ways to increase city revenue in the face of a difficult financial situation.
