Atlanta City Council considers privatizing TSA screenings @ Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport

ATLANTA — The Atlanta City Council on Monday (May 18) approved a resolution 11-1 for a feasibility study to evaluate whether security screening operations should be privatized at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.  

As the world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield processes an estimated 100 million travelers annually through security screenings, city officials say. The critical role of  employees at the Transportation Security Administration  has been on full display as 34-36 percent of metro Atlanta’s staff members stopped reporting to work after going without pay for several weeks during a federal funding lapse from February-March 2026. 

Hartsfield, like many other airports around the nation, experienced backups of long lines of travelers, multi-hour wait times and canceled flights due to the TSA staffing  shortages. During the funding crisis, President Trump ordered ICE agents to keep order at airports around the country, including Hartsfield Atlanta. 

City Council member Byron D. Amos introduced the resolution calling for a feasibility study, stressing he  wanted to see whether the city can better serve “grandmothers standing in line all day long because our federal government can’t get their act together to keep our TSA workers employed.”  

Council member Kelsey Bond cast the only no vote against the resolution, citing concerns about the privatization of public-sector jobs. Bond said she believes the city should protect the public sector and union employees at the TSA.  

The council’s action paves the way for the Department of Transportation to commission a comprehensive study within 90 days by a third-party. City officials say it is imperative that a comprehensive study is conducted since thousands of metro-Atlanta TSA workers would be impacted. Hartsfield’s TSA operational costs are estimated at between $140 million and $240 million annually, the city’s resolution states.

Also, Hartsfield is a TSA Category X airport—the highest risk tier in the nation. No Category X airport has ever transitioned from a federal to private screening under the TSA Screening Partnership Program (“SPP”).

The TSA Screening Partnership Program (“SPP”), established under the Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001, allows airports to apply to use private screening contractors, subject to TSA oversight and federal security standards.

The findings from the study will be presented to the City Council to determine whether to apply for the federal program.  

Approximately 20 to 22 airports, including San Francisco International Airport, Kansas City International Airport, and Orlando Sanford International Airport, currently participate in SPP.

To view the City of Atlanta’s resolution, click: (26-R-3429).

Other items approved by Council include:

• A pair of ordinances, each calling for the issuance of $4 million in general obligation bonds for various purposes for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2026, and June 30, 2027, respectively (26-O-1268,26-O-1269). Both items were sent to the Mayor’s Office post haste.
• An ordinance authorizing individuals employed or designated by the Atlanta Regional Commission to participate in the procurement process for matters related to the Ashby MARTA Livable Communities Initiative study (26-O-1309).This item was sent to the Mayor’s Office post haste.
• An ordinance accepting approximately $6.4 million in 2026 Local Maintenance Improvement Award funds from the Georgia Department of Transportation for street resurfacing and street re-striping (26-O-1288).
• An ordinance authorizing the eighth amendment to the Citywide Demolition and Asbestos Abatement Services contract to ratify services rendered and extend the agreement through Feb. 19, 2027, at a cost of approximately $4.9 million annually, for use by the Atlanta Police Department and multiple City departments (26-O-1286).
• A resolution requesting that the Mayor update the summer camp fee schedule based on the sliding scale presented at the Community Development/Human Services Committee meeting and ensuring that any child qualifying for free or reduced lunch can enroll at no cost (26-R-3537).
• A resolution authorizing the creation of a study group to review national best practices and provide recommendations for a comprehensive update to the City’s paid family leave policy (26-R-3544).
• A resolution urging Fulton County to prioritize hospital investment and funding on the south and west sides of Atlanta, including the Metropolitan area, through collaboration with the City and Morehouse School of Medicine (26-R-3538).
• A resolution requesting that a representative from theAirport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC) Atlanta Chapter co-chair the Conference Planning Committee for the 42^nd Annual AMAC Business Conference being held at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Summer 2027 (26-R-3545). 

Items introduced for consideration include:

• A resolution urging the Mayor and City governing authorities to identify, prioritize and advance dedicated funding for Community Violence Intervention (CVI) initiatives within the Fiscal Year 2027 operating and capital budgets and within future budgets.This item was an immediate consideration.
• An ordinance to be titled “Opportunity for All: The Neighborhood Reinvestment Act,” a comprehensive neighborhood investment and anti-displacement initiative that includes a new Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative (NRI) Impact Framework, the extension of six Tax Allocation Districts, creation of a City Council-controlled NRI Trust Fund, reauthorization of the Invest Atlanta intergovernmental agreement, reforms to TAD Advisory Committees, and an Anti-Displacement Playbook containing more than 20 ordinances and resolutions designed to protect legacy residents and businesses.
• An ordinance creating the ATL Fresh & Free Food Distribution Program Trust Fund to support a citywide food access and distribution initiative.
• An ordinance reprogramming $735,000 in 2022 Home Investment Partnerships Program funding to provide affordable housing for low-income households at Sweet Auburn Grande.
• An ordinance ratifying Mayor Andre Dickens’s Executive Order partially lifting a temporary moratorium to authorize the acceptance of permit applications for outdoor gatherings held on private property from June 11 to July 19, 2026, within the designated FIFA Activation Zone.
• An ordinance authorizing the imposition of a 2% to 2.5% surcharge on payments to the City of Atlanta made by credit or debit card.

The City Council presented proclamations and recognitions to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Brian Goldstone; the Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School Black History Bowl champions; City Auditor Amanda Noble, retiring after 30 years of service; National Public Works Week and and the Department of Public Works reaccreditation.