Six months, nearly $2 million: Council clears mowing extension

Atlanta City Council voted 15–0 on Oct. 19 to authorize a nearly $2 million, six-month extension of its landfill-and-airport mowing agreement with Genesis Testing Services, Inc. Ordinance 26-O-1566 waives the city's supplier-selection rules for the extension, which would run Dec. 19, 2026, through June 18, 2027.⁠[1]

Nearly all the additional funding is for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport: $550,000 for airside work and $1,408,913 for landside work. The remaining $40,000 is allocated to landfill closure and post-closure care. The $1,998,913 ceiling is an addition to the agreement—not its lifetime price.⁠[1][2]

Council adopted the substitute described in our earlier report on the committee's funding increase. It raised the original $1,641,087 proposal by $357,826—about 22%—without lengthening the extension. All of that increase went to the airport allocations.⁠[1][2][3]

City officials present the extension as a bridge while a new long-term agreement is competitively procured. The ordinance says continuing with Genesis would prevent interruptions to seasonal mowing, clearing and site preparation, as well as maintenance of airport slopes, runways, shops and other operational areas.⁠[2]

The funding provisions show where the increase goes, but do not explain why the airport allocations grew. How far the replacement procurement has progressed remains unverified.⁠[2][3]

Council adoption is not proof that the amendment has been signed or the money spent. The ordinance requires legal approval, execution by the mayor or a designee, the municipal clerk's attestation and delivery to Genesis before the amendment binds Atlanta. The records reviewed do not establish that those steps have occurred.⁠[1][2]