Council refers outside‑counsel investigation into Forest Way contracting back to committee amid concerns over scope and cost
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Summary
A council resolution asking the city attorney to hire outside counsel to investigate the Forest Way contracting and payments prompted prolonged debate over whether to use internal auditors or the inspector general first; council voted 9–4 to refer the resolution back to committee for further scoping and review.
A resolution asking the city attorney to engage outside counsel to investigate the city’s engagement, contract payments and administrative actions related to Forest Way drew extended debate at the Atlanta City Council meeting on March 2 and was referred back to committee for additional vetting.
The measure (presented in committee as 26‑R‑3297) asked for an independent review of the contract, invoices and administrative decisions. Council members split on whether the investigation should start with the city’s internal audit office or the Office of Inspector General (OIG) or proceed directly to outside counsel, and several members urged a more narrowly scoped request to avoid open‑ended spending on external legal fees.
Council member Alex Juan urged patience and suggested the council first read the contract and ask the audit office and OIG to conduct an initial review to focus questions before committing outside counsel. ‘‘We have internal, independent resources that can look at fraud, malfeasance and waste; let’s start there and then escalate if needed,’’ he said.
Other members, including Council member Isha Collins, supported authorizing outside counsel to ensure an independent review and to empower the city attorney to obtain invoices and scope of work quickly. Several council members raised concerns about timeline and scope: some argued the April 20 outside‑counsel deadline in the draft was aggressive and that the resolution’s scope included matters that could be handled internally.
After a failed attempt to cut off debate, members voted to refer the resolution back to committee for more precise scope and to consider asking the audit and inspector general offices to begin targeted inquiries. The referral passed 9 yeas to 4 nays.
What’s next: The referral sends the matter back to the Committee on Council for more detailed scope, involvement of internal audit and OIG options, and a clearly defined timeline and budgetary guardrails before the council moves forward with outside counsel.