Atlanta’s reputation as having some of the worst surface streets in the South was confirmed by a stinging internal audit that shows that the city has done little to monitor private utility companies and contractors who routinely rip up the streets.
Sloppy paperwork and a lack of oversight by the city department responsible for roads have been blamed for a proliferation of metal plates on Atlanta streets and costly legal claims the city has paid for damage to cars.
In a 32-page report released last week, auditors found the Department of Public Works, the division in charge of permitting and inspecting city road work, had no way of tracking the work or companies responsible for making repairs.
No surprise that Georgia Power and Atlanta Gas Light, chiefly responsible for the disrepair of our roads, have found yet another way to screw their customers. Our elected officials, meanwhile, keep finding reasons to look the other way.
Worse than looking the other way, the elected officials fail to answer lawsuits and have to defend just on damages, which has resulted in some egregious awards. This “lottery” method of income re-distribution may be intentional.