Council approves additional donation to support Forest Cove relocation efforts
The Atlanta City Council approved legislation during Monday’s meeting authorizing a $7.6 million donation to the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta to support the organization’s actions to facilitate the relocation of Forest Cove residents (Legislative Reference №22-O-1546). In May, the Council adopted 22-O-1316, which authorized a $1.5 million donation of American Rescue Plan Act funds to the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta to support the foundation’s relocation efforts. Following the donations authorized Monday, the total amount of the City’s donations will total $9.1 million.
Other items approved Monday:
• A resolution authorizing a $300,000 donation to the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF) to support the reproductive health services the organization provides (Legislative Reference №22-R-3981).
• A resolution increasing the boundaries of the West End Community Improvement District (Legislative Reference №22-R-3976).
• An ordinance authorizing the issuance of $4 million in general obligation bonds for the purpose of acquiring a site or sites for constructing, renovating, or improving municipal facilities (Legislative Reference №22-O-1561).
• An ordinance authorizing the appropriate agreements and other documents with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that the City attorney deems to be necessary or advisable in order to effectuate the City’s receipt of the 2022 Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), Home Investment Partnership Program (HOME), Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG), and Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) entitlement grants (Legislative Reference №22-O-1536).
• A resolution authorizing a contract with Soco Contracting Company for the installation of the Freedom Park Plensa Sculpture in an amount not to exceed $295,865 as part of the Renew Atlanta Public Art Program (Legislative Reference №22-R-4017).
• A resolution authorizing a contract with Soco Contracting Company for the installation of the Nelson Street Shonibare Sculpture in an amount not to exceed $45,103 as part of the Renew Atlanta Public Art Program (Legislative Reference №22-R-4018).
• A resolution urging the mayor and the commissioner of the Department of Parks and Recreation to explore expanding the hours of operation of Rosel Fann Recreation Center, C.T. Martin Recreation Center, William Walker Recreation Center, Pittman Park Recreation Center, Dunbar Recreation Center, Bessie Branham Recreation Center, Grant Park Recreation Center, and Coan Park Recreation Center to include Saturdays from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. and Sundays from noon-6 p.m. (Legislative Reference №22-R-3978).
• An ordinance authorizing the City’s chief financial officer to amend the Fiscal Year 2023 General Government Capital Outlay Fund Budget on behalf of the Atlanta Department of Transportation to transfer approximately $6.3 million in Transportation Impact Fees to modernize traffic signals and communication corridors and add complete streets and intersection improvement projects (Legislative Reference №22-O-1532).
• A resolution to name Committee Room 1, The Larry M. Dingle Committee Room, in honor of the former City of Atlanta employee and public servant (Legislative Reference №22-O-1554). This item will be considered by the Committee on Council before consideration by full Council.
The Council presented proclamations in recognition of AID Atlanta’s 40th anniversary, Joya Walker, Latifah Allah, Johnny Gant, and Maria Taylor.
Items were also introduced to be considered in committee next week, including:
• An ordinance to amend the City’s Code of Ordinances, Part III (Land Development Code), Part 16 (Zoning), Chapter 37 (Westside Affordable Workforce Housing District) Section 16–37.001 (Scope of Regulations), Section 16–37.002 (Findings and Statements of Intent), Section 16–37.003 (Definitions) and Section 16–37.004 (On-site Affordability Requirement). The amendment would require developers to comply with affordability requirements for the Westside Affordable Workforce Housing District going forward.
• A resolution requesting that the mayor or his designee conduct a feasibility study of legacy business programs in other cities to create a City of Atlanta program focused on protecting and preserving legacy Atlanta-based businesses and institutions.
• An ordinance authorizing the City’s chief financial officer to amend the Fiscal Year 2023 budget by transferring funds from the Planning Private Property Demolition Fund and adding funds to the Atlanta Police Department Private Property Demolition Fund in the amount of $3 million for the purpose of providing funding for the performance of the in-rem demolition of dilapidated structures.
• A resolution requesting that during the Georgia General Assembly’s 2023 session, the state legislature vest local governments, including counties and municipalities, with the specific authority to utilize their police powers in order to enact regulations of retail gas stations, service stations, and convenience stores to require installation of surveillance cameras and to require integration of cameras to the local police department’s public safety program networks.
• A resolution to encourage youth entrepreneurship by requesting that the mayor, or his designee, review existing regulations requiring any licensing, permitting, or payment of fees for youth under the age of 14 and a half to legally operate a temporary vending stand on private property and to report findings and recommendations removing burdensome requirements to the Council within 30 days.
• An ordinance to authorize the mayor or his designee, on behalf of the City of Atlanta to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the Fulton County Sheriff and Fulton County for the temporary housing of adult Fulton County detainees at the Atlanta City Detention Center in the custody of Fulton County which have been charged with or convicted of violating federal, state, or local law or held as a material witness, on an as needed basis, where the number of Fulton County detainees so housed in ACDC at one time will not 700 detainees, for a term of a period not to exceed four years with no renewal term options with such an agreement to be revenue generating.
• An ordinance the City of Atlanta Code of Ordinances to establish the mayor’s office of international and immigrant affairs and to authorize the chief financial officer to create the appropriate department organizations and to anticipate and appropriate the necessary funding in connection with the creation of the mayor’s Office of International and Immigrant Affairs.
• A resolution requiring the City of Atlanta to commission an independent appraisal of the Atlanta City Detention Center (ACDC) to determine the true market value of the building and property in order to make informed decisions regarding the highest and best use of the asset and funds allocated to operations at the site and to identify funding for the creation of a center for equity as suggested in the final feasibility report of the reimagining ACDC Task Force.
• A resolution authorizing the mayor or his designee to repurpose the Atlanta City Detention Center into a separate diversion and support center to include mental health, drug and alcohol treatment services, space for nonprofit service providers, space for a warrant clearing center, space for job training facilities, low-barrier sheltering and offer transitional housing and to name the center the John Robert Lewis Center for equity.
