Atlanta committee refers charter change on inspector general to full council after hours of public comment

Councilmember Shook presiding over the Finance Executive Committee on Jan. 15 moved to refer substitute ordinance 250-1009 — a proposed charter amendment that would split and alter oversight of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Ethics Office — to the Committee on Council for further review. The committee voted to refer the substitute, with the tally recorded as 5 yes, 1 no and 1 abstention.

The measure drew sustained public comment from city employees, union leaders, civil-rights lawyers and national oversight experts who warned that some changes in the substitute would weaken the OIG’s independence and its ability to investigate alleged waste, fraud, abuse and corruption. The substitute restored the word “corruption” in two places from an earlier draft, but left other procedural changes that prompted disagreement.

The substitute as presented would (among other changes) create separate governing boards for the OIG and the Ethics Office, change which civic organizations may nominate board members, require some subpoenas for sensitive third‑party records to be approved by a municipal judge, and clarify that OIG investigations are administrative and not criminal prosecutions. Amber Robinson of the City of Atlanta Law Department outlined the charter-amendment timetable under the Georgia Home Rule Act and said the earliest possible final approval under the schedule would be Feb. 3 if no advertisements must be reissued.

Union leaders and public‑interest groups…