Council authorizes funds for Public Safety Training Center
The Atlanta City Council approved legislation Tuesday to authorize the City’s chief financial officer to amend the Fiscal Year 2023 general fund to transfer and allocate $30 million in funds from the uncommitted general fund budget to support continued construction and improvements to the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center and to authorize the use of public safety impact fees in an amount not to exceed $1 million for the purpose of funding the installation of a gymnasium facility on the project’s site (23-O-1257).
Other items approved include:
• An ordinance to amend the City’s Charter related to taxation to increase the millage rate associated with the Park Improvement Fund from half a mill to one mill to generate additional revenue to support park improvements and to revise restrictions on how such funds may be used (23-O-1258). The legislation seeks to bolster the fund by approximately $16 million annually. As a Charter amendment, this is the second of three required readings.
• An ordinance to authorize the City to issue revenue bonds to be designated by the Urban Residential Finance Authority as Taxable Revenue Bonds Series 2023 Bonds in the aggregate principal amount not to exceed $100 million to provide funding to implement the Housing Opportunity Program (23-O-1227).
• A resolution to adopt the recommendations of the “Explore South River Forest” report commissioned by the Atlanta Regional Commission and request that the mayor’s executive offices deliver an implementation plan to fulfill the $100 million transformation of the South River Forest by December 1 (23-R-3665).
• A resolution to dedicate $600,000 from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to create a Housing Help Center to aid Atlanta residents in searching for safe and affordable housing (23-R-3612).
• An ordinance to allocate $800,000 from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to the Solicitor’s Office’s Safe Housing Program to increase capacity for the solicitor to enforce the Housing Code and improve housing conditions for residents living in nuisance and substandard multifamily properties (23-O-1268).
• An ordinance to allocate $1.5 million toward Economic Opportunity Fund grants related to food access to incentive job creation, encourage investment, and promote development in areas of Atlanta that lack access to quality groceries and food fresh food (23-O-1260).
• An ordinance to amend Chapter 162 of the City’s Code to increase taxicab fares (23-O-1235).
• An ordinance to amend the Fiscal Year 2023 Department of City Planning general fund budget and the capital finance fund budget in order to transfer funds not to exceed $150,000 to preserve the City of Atlanta’s matching funds for the Peachtree Street Streetscape grant award (23-O-1266). The City was awarded a grant of $1.2 million for the project from the Atlanta Regional Commission with the City and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District committing matching funds of $150,000 each.
• A resolution to authorize an agreement with Stewart Brothers Inc. in an amount not to exceed $5.2 million for a term of one year with one, one-year renewal option (23-R-3616) and a resolution to authorize an agreement with Magnum Paving Company Inc. in an amount not to exceed $4.8 million for a term of one year with one, one-year renewal option for roadway resurfacing in Atlanta (23-R-3617).
• A resolution authorizing the execution of the second amendment to an agreement with Mauldin and Jenkins LLC to add the Department of Finance as an authorized user and to add services and funding for an audit and evaluation of the More MARTA program in an amount not to exceed $908,000 (23-R-3624).
• A resolution requiring all City of Atlanta In Rem Review Board hearings to be added to the Channel 26 live broadcast schedule (23-R-3536).
• An ordinance authorizing the mayor or his designee to retroactively apply for and accept Emergency Food and Shelter Program grant funding from the Department of Homeland Security in an amount not to exceed to $6,8 million to enter into any necessary grant agreement and to amend the Fiscal Year 2023 budget by adding to anticipations and appropriations up to $6.8 million (23-O-1262).
• A resolution authorizing the City to enter into the fourth amendment to a contract with ECL/RAC Joint Venture for right of way maintenance and landscape services in an amount not to exceed $150,000 for Fiscal Year 2023 and $2.4 million for Fiscal Year 2024 (23-R-3664).
• A resolution requesting that landlords of rental units provide written disclosure to residents and potential renters regarding those units that are absent of an active sprinkler system (23-R-3615).
• An ordinance to grant a special use permit for a homeless shelter and social services center at the Salvation Army located at 400 Luckie Street in downtown Atlanta (22-O-1498). The property is currently operated as a homeless shelter and social service center. This application proposes expanding existing services.
• A resolution requesting that the Atlanta Police Foundation create two positions on its board of trustees to be filled by members of the Atlanta City Council with one such position to be filled by the chair of the Atlanta City Council’s Public Safety Committee and the other to be filled by a member of the Council chosen by majority vote of the members of the Council. This was an immediate consideration.
Items were introduced for consideration in committee, including:
• An ordinance to enforce the City’s Code of Ordinances, Part II, Chapter 106, Article V, Section 106–227 related to curfews by including a subsection to include a penalties and consequences section.
• An ordinance authorizing the execution of all documents necessary for the acquisition of certain property interests necessary for the Campbellton Road Complete Street Project, authorizing negotiations with property owners for the acquisition of such property interests, and authorizing title searches, appraisals, surveys, and any other items necessary for the acquisition of such property interests.
• An ordinance authorizing the acceptance of funds and to amend the Fiscal Year 2023 budget by adding to anticipations and appropriations awarded funds from the 2020–2025 Regional Transportation Improvement Program in an amount not to exceed $1.1 million for the funding of preliminary engineering for the Stitch Project.
• An ordinance authorizing the acceptance of grant award funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation in an amount not to exceed $1.2 million for preliminary engineering for the Peachtree Street Streetscape Project and authorizing the chief financial officer to amend the Fiscal Year 2024 Intergovernmental Grant Fund Budget.
• A resolution authorizing the City to enter into a project framework agreement with the Georgia Department of Transportation and a Project Management Agreement with Atlanta Downtown Improvement District for the Livable Centers Initiative Grant for preliminary engineering for the Peachtree Street Streetscape Project in an amount not to exceed $1.5 million.
• An ordinance authorizing the chief financial officer to amend the Fiscal Year 2021 CARES Act fund budget by adding to anticipations and appropriations in the amount of $30,000 awarded to the City pursuant to the American Rescue Plan and authorizing the mayor to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with Invest Atlanta to support the One Safe City initiative.
