Audit: Atlanta Violates Disability Act

ATLANTA (MyFOX ATLANTA) - A Justice Department audit has found that the city of Atlanta has violated the Americans with Disabilities Act from bathrooms to water fountains, City Hall elevators to the seats at Chastain amphitheater. Now, the city of Atlanta will have to pay millions to fix the violations.

"We have to remedy this lists of defects, period, some of these defects go back before this current administration," said City Council Finance Chair Howard Shook.

The ADA has been around for 19 years, but the city of Atlanta was audited recently by the Justice Department for the very first time.

Now, the city has to pay $13 million to fix hundreds of the violations, at a time when Shook says the money isn't there.

"It could not come at a worse time were scraping for nickels and dimes under the sofa cushion to make sure we had cops on the street sand the lights are turned on," said Shook.

The settlement agreement lists each and every violation in each city building it also has a completion date on when fixes need to be made.

"This is an unfortunate blow, but we have to comply," said Shook.

The city council's finance committee learned off the violations Wednesday and approved the settlement offer.

The full city council will vote on the six year, $2 million a year plan Monday.

Advocates for those with disabilities said the audit was a long time in coming.

City leaders are now trying to figure out where the money will come from.

"Two million dollars a year in these conditions is an awful lot of money," said Shook.