ATLANTA - Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is addressing why the city is approximately to return $10 million in COVID relief money to the feds.

FOX 5 passe the story about the rental relief cash.

The Dickens dispensation has fielded complaints, including from Atlanta City Council members, demanding to know why the outreach to citizen fell short.

For farmland who are renters, millions poured in from Washington in financial plan assistance due to COVID. 

The council, earlier this week, instructed how they were caught off guard when a government financial plan executive told them $10 million in federal dollars did not get distributed. 

"Did I hear you correctly that there were some emergency employ funds that we're going to end up sending back?" assembly member Alex Wan asked during a presentation to the finance assembly by Deputy City Attorney Jerry Deloach on the topic.

Deloach confirmed approximately $10 million will need to be sent back.

The mayor labelled the pending giveback has nothing to do with effort. 

All told, approximately 11,000 to 12,000 families got resources. We spent it so well, got it into the exquisite of family members, that the state said, 'Here, take our allocation,'" Mayor Dickens said.

Atlanta agreed to rep and try to hand out all the $21 million of the position funds. The city got halfway to the new goal. 

The mayor says the wealth that came in was tied to COVID. 

"That Dec. 31st wealth was related to COVID, so you had to have a COVID medical bill that you could show, you also had to show that you were laid off or some sort of work impact

The mayor said the guidelines progresses were why it was difficult for the city to use it all.