Council approves legislation to create labor department
The Atlanta City Council approved legislation Monday to amend the City’s Code of Ordinances to establish the Department of Labor and Employment Services (23-O-1056). The department’s creation seeks to expand resources for employment, customize training opportunities, and promote fair labor practices within Atlanta’s workforce.
Other items approved during the meeting include:
• A resolution to request that the City’s Office of Housing report on the feasibility of creating a web-based affordable housing locator portal to connect Atlanta residents to affordable housing listings (23-R-3083).
• An ordinance to amend the City’s Code to create the organizational structure within the mayor’s executive office to provide executive and administrative staff to support the chief policy officer (23-O-1016).
• An ordinance authorizing the mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs to accept a donation of an artwork installation dedicated to Xernona Clayton at Hardy Ivy Park in an amount not to exceed $200,000 (23-O-1050).
• A resolution authorizing the mayor or his designee to apply for and accept a Fiscal Year 2023 U.S. Department of Transportation Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant in an amount not to exceed $25 million for the construction of the Atlanta BeltLine Northeast Trail (23-R-3090).
• An ordinance authorizing the acceptance of $240,000 in grant funding from the Atlanta Regional Commission and the allocation of $60,000 in local matching funds from the Atlanta Department of Transportation’s budget for the Georgia Department of Transportation to conduct a preliminary engineering and scoping study of the intersection of Moreland Avenue and DeKalb Avenue (23-O-1044).
• A resolution authorizing a memorandum of understanding and contract item with the Georgia Department of Transportation and to allocate funds in an amount not to exceed approximately $60,000 for construction services along Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway (23-R-3104). The scope of work consists of adjusting water and sewer infrastructure to help facilitate the department’s road diet project along the parkway to improve safety and road access.
• An ordinance authorizing the mayor or his designee on behalf of Worksource Atlanta to accept a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Dislocated Worker Program Grant in the amount of approximately $1.1 million from the Technical College System of Georgia’s Office of Workforce Development (23-O-1060).
Proclamations were presented Monday in recognition of Valencia Bean, Fulton County Solicitor General Keith Gammage, the Atlanta Public Schools Career, Technical, and Agriculture Education (CTAE) program, and Arbor Day.
Items were also introduced to be considered in committee, including:
• An ordinance to amend the City of Atlanta’s short-term rental ordinance related to definitions, licenses, applications, and procedures with the aim of balancing the rights of licensees to operate short-term rentals and preserving housing units for the city’s residents.
• A resolution requesting that the City of Atlanta Defined Benefit Pension Plan Investment Board divest City employee pension funds from private prisons by 2030 and requesting that no further investments be made into such companies starting in Fiscal Year 2024.
• A resolution to denounce the government of Iran for its continued violence against the Iranian people, denounce any and all entities that have not taken action against or support the oppressive regime, and to call for the instatement of a democratically elected government for the Iranian people.
• A resolution to encourage Atlanta Public Schools to include coursework about the history of Atlanta into their curriculum by developing a new state approved course entitled “Atlanta History” that will serve to satisfy a unit of social science education.
• A resolution to authorize the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority on behalf of the Stadium Neighborhoods Community Trust Fund Committee to award grants in a total amount not to exceed $200,000 to fund various community service projects to benefit the Atlanta neighborhoods of Mechanicsville, Peoplestown, Pittsburgh, Summerhill, and a portion of Grant Park.
• A resolution authorizing a $75,000 donation from the City of Atlanta to HouseProud to support emergency home repairs for legacy residents to help prevent displacement.
• A resolution authorizing a $75,000 donation from the City of Atlanta to Neighbor in Need to support emergency home repairs for legacy residents to help prevent displacement.
• An ordinance authorizing the establishment of a board for the purpose of promoting public trust in the reuse of the former site of the Chattahoochee Brick Company and engaging in a transparent, thoughtful, inclusive, and collaborative process for the visioning, planning, and designing of the site as a memorial, greenspace, and park.
• An ordinance authorizing the mayor or his designee, on behalf of Worksource Atlanta, to accept a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Dislocated Worker Grant for rapid response activities from the Technical College System of Georgia’s Office of Workforce Development in the amount of $100,000.
• An ordinance to authorize a master lease agreement with J.P. Morgan Chase Bank for the acquisition of 100 Dodge Chargers and 100 Dodge Durangos with police packages for the Atlanta Police Department (APD) fleet and three Chevy Tahoes and one GMC Yukon XL with police packages for mayoral detail on behalf of APD and to execute special procurement agreements in an amount not to exceed approximately $12.1 million.
• A resolution requesting that, in conjunction with the City of Atlanta’s “Year of the Youth,” the commissioner of the Department of Parks and Recreation and the chief financial officer conduct a study to determine the feasibility of eliminating usage fees for Atlanta Public Schools athletic teams at City fields, athletic courts, swimming pools, and other facilities.
• An ordinance authorizing the chief financial officer to amend the City’s chart of account by creating a new special revenue fund for recording American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) relief funds received from the federal government to rescue the economy and all ARPA budgets, posted revenue, and posted expenses for Fiscal Year 2023 to be moved into a newly created fund.
