Atlanta City Council Approves Legislation Related to Negotiations Surrounding Atlanta City Detention Center
ATLANTA — The Atlanta City Council adopted a resolution Monday urging Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ administration, the Fulton County Commission and Chairman Robb Pitts, and Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat to conclude their negotiations concerning the proposed letter of intent outlining how the City of Atlanta could temporarily utilize the Atlanta City Detention Center as a location to provide additional programs and services in collaboration with Fulton County and other partners by no later than May 31, 2021 (Legislative Reference No. 21-R-3259). The legislation states that if there if is no conclusion to the negotiations by May 31, an Atlanta-Fulton County joint committee will be established to assess and provide recommendations regarding Atlanta City Detention Center and justice reforms.
The Council also approved two legislative items to activate four sites of public land for use as affordable housing. Three of the properties are lots slated for development as single-family properties (Legislative Reference No. 21-O-0191) and one is a 0.9-acre lot across from Atlanta City Hall to be developed as mixed-use infill housing in conjunction with Invest Atlanta (Legislative Reference No. 21-O-0190).
Other items adopted Monday include:
• An ordinance to amend the City’s charter to designate the two youth serving organizations that will each appoint a member between 18-30 years old to serve on the Atlanta Citizens Review Board. As a charter change, three readings are required to adopt the ordinance. This is the final adoption in full Council (Legislative Reference No. 21-O-0107).
• A resolution to encourage the Atlanta Police Department to amend its standard operating procedures to expand APD.SOP 2010, 4.2.51 regarding the “Duty to Intervene” to consider providing additional responsibilities for police officers to intercede when fellow officers are engaged in using excessive force or other unlawful activities (Legislative Reference No. 21-R-3301).
• A resolution authorizing the City of Atlanta, on behalf of the Atlanta Police Department, to accept the donation of electronic access to license plate reader cameras provided by the Flock Group Inc. in partnership with the Atlanta Police Foundation and to enter into any agreement with Flock to permit access to the cameras (Legislative Reference No. 21-R-3299).
• An ordinance ratifying the mayor’s executive order to allow outdoor gatherings of up to 9,999 persons that are in accordance with permits issued by the City if the gatherings occur in compliance with the COVID-19 mitigation requirements set forth in the COVID-19 Special Events Permit Overlay (Legislative Reference No. 21-O-0209).
• A resolution authorizing 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 $1,709,995 to fund various community service projects to benefit the Atlanta neighborhoods of Mechanicsville, Peoplestown, Pittsburgh, Summerhill, and a portion of Grant Park (Legislative Reference No. 21-R-3297).
• An ordinance to amend Section 130-82(B) of the Atlanta Code of Ordinances relating to a waiver of the $88 fee for recycling services so that seniors age 65 or older earning less than $25,760 of income are eligible for an exemption of the fee (Legislative Reference No. 21-O-0201).
Items were introduced to be considered in next week including:
• A resolution authorizing the establishment of a Public Safety Commission for the purpose of providing an organized and a collaborative structure for discussion and the recommendation of best practices regarding emergency and non-emergency public safety policies within Atlanta.
• An ordinance to amend Chapter 10 (Alcoholic Beverages) to require that all alcohol licenses issued by the City of Atlanta be posted and displayed in a public and conspicuous place on the premises of the licensee’s establishment and require that all alcohol licenses issued by City of Atlanta will have printed thereon the specific designation or type of establishment for which the license has been issued, the general allowed days and hours of operation for the location, and written notice to the licensee that the license with the hours of operation must be posted in a public and conspicuous place within establishment for which the license was issued.
• A resolution authorizing an expansion of the Atlanta Police Department Recapture Program to re-engage retired Atlanta police officers who may be assigned specifically to the Department of Parks and Recreation for the purpose of enhancing the safety at Parks and Recreation facilities and to authorize the compensation for officers re-hired to patrol Parks and Recreation facilities to be paid from the Parks Improvement Fund.
• A resolution to designate Southwest Atlanta as an opportunity hub and innovation and equity district for the purpose of promoting an equitable and inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystem.
• An ordinance to amend Part 16, Chapter 18h of the 1982 Zoning Ordinance of the City of Atlanta, as amended, to create a new Section 16-18h.004 to create regulations for short term rentals in the Home Park neighborhood.
• A resolution authorizing the mayor or her designee to execute a project management agreement with the Downtown Atlanta Community Improvement District (“DACID”), for ten Downtown Decides transportation projects and appointing DACID to act as the City’s implementation manager in an amount not to exceed $800,000.
• A resolution requesting the Urban Design Commission provide a historical contextualization of the statue of Henry W. Grady located at 50 Marietta street NW.
• An ordinance to amend the Atlanta City Code Part II (General Ordinances), Chapter 158 (Vegetation), Article II (Tree Protection) to adopt a new tree protection ordinance for the City of Atlanta.
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