Fulton County's Board of Commissioners has denied Fani Willis's plea for additional funding after she reportedly threw a temper tantrum threatening to sue them if they didn't acquiesce to her demands. Willis went so far as to claim that "people will die" unless they hand her more taxpayer money, according to documents obtained by Capital B News, which covers "how Black people experience Atlanta today."
"It is some hard medicine to have to swallow," Fulton County commissioner Bridget Thorne said before the board voted 5 - 2 in favor of a more financially conservative 2025 budget.
Previously, in a December 11 letter addressed to the county commissioners, Willis warned that if she didn't get her way, she might have to pursue legal action, including launching a lawsuit against the board, in order to receive sufficient funding for the Fulton County District Attorney's Office—or else "people will die" as a consequence of budgetary cuts.
"Without adequate funding to properly serve the citizens of this County, we have to explore legal remedies which includes filing a lawsuit against the Board of Commissioners to seek a budget consistent with the number and nature of cases this office handles," Willis wrote. "Hear me clearly: if you enact the proposed budget: people will die [Emphasis in original]."
She told the county commissioners: "You are now on notice."
Though she didn't stipulate exactly how much extra cash she wants, the Democrat DA's threat referenced her request to restore staffing levels, which were reduced by 20 percent in 2024.
A majority of the county commissioners ultimately refused to give in and greenlight her full funding request; albeit, they approved $39.3 million for the chief prosecutor's office, up from $36 million, a 9 percent increase, which Willis insists is still not enough, would "endanger citizens," and "prevent me from fulfilling my duties as District Attorney."
A spokesperson for Willis told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she stands by her letter and is appreciative of the two commissioners who had backed her funding boost appeal.
The two holdouts, commissioners Dana Barrett and Marvin Arrington, both opposed the now-adopted budget.
Barrett said they should act "proactively instead of reactively" in addressing the county's decrepit jailhouse conditions. "We know that we need to make real change in our criminal justice system," Barrett implored. "We can take proactive steps to do what is right." To do so, Barrett suggested earmarking nearly $15 million in additional funding for the county's courts and associated public safety offices, including $3 million extra set side aside for Willis.
Thorne, meanwhile, argued that allocating funds now to fix the Fulton County Jail's issues would be irresponsible since officials don't yet know how much spending is needed to comply with a court-enforceable settlement agreement ("consent decree") the county entered with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to improve the lock-up's conditions.
A two-year federal investigation into the Fulton County Jail, also referred to as "Rice Street," found the facility's horrific housing conditions "inhumane, violent, and hazardous" to the point of being "unconstitutional," in part violating the Eighth Amendment, which protects against cruel and unusual punishment. According to the lengthy DOJ report, since 2022, at least six inmates died due to violence, and in 2023 alone, 313 stabbings occurred involving contraband and improvised weapons, such as makeshift shivs. Some prisoners have been using pieces of the crumbling county confinement center to fashion shanks out of the jail fixtures and attack other inmates.
Elsewhere in her seven-page letter, Willis described the detention center's "deplorable" state and asserted that underfunding would worsen circumstances there, thereby making Fulton County "less safe."
"If the proposed budget is enacted, Fulton County will certainly see a dramatic increase in its jail population and is likely to lose much of the progress that has been made in reducing violent crime," Willis wrote, projecting that the number of inmates would swell by at least 1,000 detainees by the end of this year, bringing the headcount well beyond maximum capacity.
A county representative told AJC that the budget, as passed, with a $989.8 million general fund, ensures that resources are available for the jail improvement plan and at the same time assumes no tax increase to cover the costs. (The tax rate is unchanged, but the county will see a revenue increase due to rising property values.)
Chairman Robb Pitts, who recapped the board meeting in a newsletter, said that they'll continue funding much-needed services that Fulton County residents rely upon while also respecting taxpayers.
Now that they officially finalized the fiscal year 2025 budget, it's not clear where the months-long standoff with Willis heads to next.
Ahead of the funding deadline, Willis tried to rally her constituents to call their commissioners amid budget talks. "We ought to demand that the DA's office is financed in a way where we can properly prosecute crimes," Willis said at a January news conference.
Willis maintained that her office needs a substantial monetary increase to hire additional staff so that they can adequately perform their duties. "If the District Attorney's Office doesn't have the right amount of attorneys, investigators—we can't continue to excel and to make progress for our city," Willis said. "We can't continue to enjoy a safe city."
Willis is currently under fire for spending over three-quarters of a million dollars in taxpayer funds on the salary of a subordinate she slept with. She faced a series of prosecutorial misconduct hearings after blowing hundreds of thousands of tax dollars on the wages of this underqualified attorney she had appointed to a supervisory position despite his scant prosecutorial experience, especially handling RICO cases.
Last year, Willis was accused of engaging in a self-enrichment scheme with her lover, Nathan Wade, whom she had hired to serve as special counsel in charge of prosecuting President Donald Trump on Georgia RICO charges. Willis awarded Wade, a private practice lawyer who specializes primarily in personal injury and family law, a high-paying contract that outmatched those of his more qualified colleagues, who were paid far less.
For his work on the Trump case, Wade made more than $770,000 in funds taken from the county's coffers. Wade then took Willis on luxury trips around the world, including cruises in the Caribbean and wine tastings in Napa Valley. Under oath, Willis testified that they either split their travel expenses, though there's little to no proof of these transactions, or she reimbursed him in cash, hence why the purported payments aren't traceable.
In sworn statements, Willis said her "Southern gentleman" "made much more money than the other special prosecutors only because Wade did much more work." To this day, she insists that their affair "never involved direct or indirect financial benefit."
Wade told Congress he had no relevant experience for the special prosecutor position. Per a transcript of Wade's damning deposition before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, prior to his appointment, he never prosecuted a racketeering case and even had to attend "RICO school" to learn about the law. No one oversaw Wade's work once he was hired to head the Trump prosecution team, and aside from Willis, he had "ultimate authority" over the case.
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