Atlanta City Council Approves ‘Blight Tax’ on Owners of Neglected Properties

District 3 Council member Byron Amos introduced 24-O-1370 in July.

ATLANTA–The Atlanta City Council approved an ordinance to impose a tax increase on owners of neglected properties. Georgia voters previously approved a measure allowing municipalities to temporarily increase property taxes on blighted properties until remediated or redeveloped. Occupied properties would be exempt, ensuring no residents are involuntarily displaced. The ordinance would impose a “blight tax” of 25 times the City millage rate (24-O-1370). This item was sent to the Mayor’s Office post haste.

Other items that the Council adopted include:

• An ordinance authorizing the acquisition of approximately 5.34 acres from the Conservation Fund for $2.7 million. The Urban Farm Ormewood property will be developed into a city park featuring urban farming, natural areas, and community green space (24-O-1379).
• An ordinance renaming the property referenced above as “Red’s Farm Preserve” to honor Brian Charles (Red) Harrison, who developed the land into a community green space, hosted events, and provided a gathering place for the Ormewood Park neighborhood until his passing in 2022 at age 54 (24-O-1380).
• An ordinance transferring $500,000 to Invest Atlanta to create the Neighborhood Small Business Impact Response Loan Fund (NSBIRLF). The fund will provide low-interest, deferred, or forgivable loans of at least $10,000 to small businesses affected by significant economic disruptions or infrastructure developments. (24-O-1374).
• An ordinance adding $600,000 to funds allocated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and authorizing a new Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) agreement for Vanira Village Apartments under the City’s Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation Program. The funds will provide rental subsidies for 28 low-income families (24-O-1360).
• A resolution providing a $40,000 donation to the non-profit organization 21st Century Leaders. The funds will provide micro-grants in increments of $1,000 to $5,000 to young people ages 14 to 24 to design, produce, and implement climate solutions in the city (24-R-3764).
• A resolution authorizing a $40,000 donation to the Historic Oakland Foundation to support its Living History Capital Campaign, funding greenspace preservation and street, sidewalk, and trail improvements (24-R-3765).
• A resolution approving a $30,000 donation to Mothers Against Gang Violence (MAGV), an organization dedicated to preventing gang violence and providing support to the families and victims affected by gang activities (24-O-1373).
• A resolution urging Georgia state school superintendent Richard Woods to recommend Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies as a course that would receive funding and a course code so that students can earn full credit for it. This item was sent to the Mayor’s Office post haste.

The City Council presented proclamations and recognitions to honor Ralph Wells’s 35-year career in the Department of Watershed Management, Lenox Square’s 65th anniversary, and the Credit Union of Atlanta’s being named Georgia “Credit Union of the Year.”

Items introduced for consideration include:

• A resolution to execute a $33.2 million contract for the Fairburn Road Complete Streets project, which will include resurfacing, shared-use bicycle lanes, curbs, and sidewalks, signal and intersection upgrades, landscaping, and drainage improvements on Fairburn Road from the city limits to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
• An ordinance authorizing the transfer of $13.8 million to fund an emergency procurement for the Chattahoochee Water Treatment Plant improvement program to replace four water treatment pumps.
• An ordinance authorizing the application for a $7 million grant from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement case management pilot program to provide trauma-informed, and culturally and linguistically responsive case management and related services to eligible non-detained noncitizens known to ICE.
• An ordinance approving acceptance of $2.25 million in continuation funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Securing the Cities program.
• A resolution authorizing the addition of approximately $1.3 million of FEMA funding to the Emergency Food and Shelter Grant Program with the Hispanic Alliance of Georgia.
• A resolution allowing the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority (AFCRA) on behalf of the Stadium Neighborhoods Community Trust Fund (SNCTF) Committee to award grants totaling almost $300,000 to fund various community service projects benefiting the Atlanta neighborhoods of Mechanicsville, Peoplestown, Pittsburgh, Summerhill, and a portion of Grant Park.
• An ordinance enabling the City to apply for a $250,000 grant award of membership in the National Housing Crisis Task Force led by the Nowak Metro Finance Lab at Drexel University and Accelerator for America, which includes $150,000 in city matching funds, and to co-chair a two-year national housing task force.
• An ordinance authorizing acceptance of a $75,000 donation from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta to support public art improvements to Folk Art Park, the Five Points Monument, and lighting at the Carnegie Pavilion.
• A resolution approving an agreement with Norfolk Southern Corporation to access the Norfolk right-of-way for infrastructure improvements related to the Marietta Boulevard bridge deck repair and agreeing to pay Norfolk Southern Railway Company approximately $38,000.
• An ordinance to implement a process for terminating boards, authorities, commissions, and other similar bodies following two years of inactivity. BACEs may be created to perform duties such as making studies, conducting research and investigations, holding hearings, and preparing recommendations. There currently are more than 136 BACEs, and some have either accomplished the purposes for which they were created, have surpassed their authorized term, and/or are no longer needed.