City Council President Doug Shipman discusses FY25 budget, frustration with water outage response

June 4th, 2024

Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman discusses the city’s newly approved FY2025 budget and the city’s response to the ongoing water crisis. (Photo credit: City of Atlanta and Mathew Pearson/WABE) — Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman discusses the city’s newly approved FY2025 budget and the city’s response to the ongoing water crisis. (City of Atlanta and Mathew Pearson/WABE)

Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman was one of the thousands of Atlanta residents impacted by the city’s water outage, following water main breaks over the weekend.

Shipman says he was frustrated as the top leader of the city council. Not just because of the lack of access to clean water, but also with the communication among city officials.

Mayor Andre Dickens has faced criticism from residents over his delayed response to the issue. His first statement on the outage came over 24 hours after the first main break.

The mayor’s office has since confirmed that he was in Memphis for a campaign fundraiser on Friday, before returning to Atlanta on Saturday.

On Tuesday’s edition of “Closer Look,” Shipman spoke with show host Rose Scott about the city’s response to the outage and the $2.75 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2025 that council members just approved.