[4:47] But.
[4:50] was a premature bang. OK. Yeah.
[4:56] I got your package. Mary
[5:00] I got your paper.
[5:08] Good afternoon everyone. Today
is September 8
[5:12] 2026, and you are at our Atlanta
City
[5:14] Council for The first
[5:18] Except first, the first Monday
[5:21] of September, um, but it's not
Monday
[5:25] it's Tuesday because yesterday
was Labor Day and I am
[5:28] your council president, Marcy
Collier, Overstreet
[5:30] So welcome to our full council
chamber. Uh, Madam
[5:33] Clark, can you please call the
roll?
[5:36] Thank you, Madam President, good
afternoon
[5:39] Council President and members of
council, we have
[5:42] Marcy Culler Overstreet, present
[5:45] We have a council member Michael
Julian Bond
[5:48] post one at large. Council
member
[5:51] Matt Westmoreland, post 2 at
[5:55] Council member Isha Collins,
post 3 at large, present
[5:57] Council member Jason H. Winston
[6:01] District 1. Council member
Kelsey Bond, District 2.
[6:04] Councilor Byron D. Amos,
District 3
[6:08] Council member Jason Dozer,
District
[6:10] 4. Council member Liliana
Bakhtiari, District 5.
[6:15] Council member Alex Swan,
District 6.
[6:17] Council member Thomas Worthy,
District
[6:21] 7 Council member Mary Norwood,
District 8, present.
[6:24] Council member Dustin Hillis,
District
[6:27] 9 Council member Andrea Oboon,
District 10, present.
[6:31] Council member Wayne Martin,
District
[6:33] 11, Council member Antonio Lewis
District 12. Let's go. Let's get
it.
[6:37] Madam President, we do have a
quorum of members present. Thank
[6:40] you, Madam Clerk. I'll entertain
a motion
[6:43] to adopt
[6:46] the agenda moved by Louis, 2 by
Westmoreland
[6:49] We have
[6:51] um, we can do this by unanimous
consent, Madam Clerk, call, call
the unanimous
[6:55] consent 12 ye 0 nay, 12 yay, 0
nays
[6:58] the agenda is adopted and now
it's time for our
[7:01] invocation and I want to
[7:04] uh, thank Pastor. Reverend
[7:07] Doctor Chris
[7:09] Holmes from the North Atlanta
Presbyterian Church, uh, he said
yes
[7:14] and I appreciate that. So thank
you. Please provide our
invocation.
[7:18] Uh, thank you, Council President
Uh, would you please join me
[7:21] in prayer?
[7:25] Gracious and eternal God, source
of every good gift.
[7:29] We pause at the beginning of
this work.
[7:31] To seek your presence. We give
[7:34] thanks for this great city. For
its long memory
[7:38] And it's restless hope. For
[7:41] every neighborhood within it.
From the busiest corridors.
[7:45] So they ignored streets. And
[7:48] for all the people who call
Atlanta home.
[7:51] We ask for your blessing on
those who will lead
[7:54] today and every day. Ground
[7:57] grant this council wisdom that
runs deeper than the day's
debates.
[8:01] Patients with one another, and
the courage
[8:04] and the commitment to serve the
common good
[8:07] above every lesser thing. Where
there
[8:10] are hard decisions, give clear
insight, where there
[8:12] is disagreement, lead
[8:15] us toward charity and mutual
understanding.
[8:19] Turn our attention to those most
easily overlooked.
[8:23] The vulnerable, the struggling,
the marginalized, and
[8:27] the unheard that justice and
mercy would meet in
[8:30] the Or ordinary business of
governing and that this
[8:33] city would be for all its people
A place
[8:36] of dignity and belonging of
[8:39] thriving and service. We ask it
humbly in the name
[8:41] of the God we seek and serve.
[8:46] Amen. Amen. Thank you so much
[8:49] Reverend Holmes, um, That
[8:52] Yeah That's a good question.
[9:00] Thank you
[9:02] so much. This brings us to our
pledge of allegiance. Would
everyone please
[9:06] rise and let's say our pledge of
allegiance.
[9:08] I pledge allegiance to
[9:11] the flag of the United States of
America
[9:15] and to the republic for which it
stands
[9:17] one nation under God
[9:20] indivisible with liberty and
justice for all.
[9:26] Thank you, this takes us right
into our
[9:29] proclamations, commendations,
and other awards
[9:31] will all hear for the legacy
[9:35] of Charles E. Johnson on the
[9:38] 40th anniversary of Sweet Auburn
Spring Fest
[9:42] please come forward. This will
[9:44] be presided over by council
member Antonio
[9:47] Lewis. Please come forward.
[9:49] OK.
[9:52] It. This.
[9:55] This is the time when I remind
everyone
[9:58] that proclamations per code
[10:02] can only be 15 minutes or as
long as
[10:05] 15 minutes. So, let's follow our
code
[10:07] God is so good you don't even
got to tell me.
[10:11] Happy to have you. Welcome.
[10:16] And to honor Mr
[10:19] Charles Johnson and his family.
And
[10:22] his family is a huge thing to me
[10:25] My life has been impacted by the
entire family and
[10:27] his legacy, knowing what Sweet
[10:31] Auburn Fest has always meant.
But to know that his family
[10:34] now resides on the South Side.
And
[10:36] they've been coaching our kids,
teaching them how to
[10:39] swim. They're part of every
program, so
[10:43] super proud and honored to super
proud
[10:45] and honored to present this
proud, this long
[10:48] overdue proclamation to Mr.
Charles East East E
[10:51] East. Johnson and the entire
family.
[10:55] Whereas, Celebrating
[10:58] the legacy of Charles E. Johnson
on the
[11:01] 40th anniversary of Sweet Auburn
Spring Fest
[11:05] whereas Charles E. Johnson
assumed leadership of the
[11:08] festival in the mid-1980s and
went
[11:10] on to found and
[11:13] produce Sweet Auburn Spring Fest
in 1994
[11:16] expanding the event into one of
Atlanta's
[11:19] longest-running culture
celebrations dedicated to
[11:23] preserving the history of Auburn
Avenue while creating
opportunities for local.
[11:27] Businesses, artists, and the
community
[11:30] and Raz, Mr. Johnson also
[11:33] produced and led the Sweet
Auburn Heritage Festival.
[11:37] The historic fall celebration
originally started
[11:40] by civil rights leader Josell
[11:43] Williams, further strengthening
[11:46] cultural traditions and
community engagement along
Auburn
[11:48] Avenue and Rez in later years
[11:51] the Heritage Festival concluded
as the
[11:55] Johnson family chose to focus
their efforts and resources
[11:58] on continuing and strengthening
the legacy of Sweet
[12:01] Auburn Spring Fest, ensuring the
[12:04] long-term sustainability
[12:07] and impact of the historic
celebration.
[12:10] And rez affect, affectionately
known as the mayor of
[12:13] Sweet Auburn and the spirit of
Sweet Auburn
[12:16] Charles E. Johnson was widely
respected
[12:19] for his tireless commitment to
the
[12:22] Auburn Avenue community and was
recognized by city leaders
[12:25] as a true champion of Sweet
Auburn
[12:29] remaining active, engaging in
planning and
[12:31] advocacy, even during illness
and whereas
[12:36] following Mr. Johnson's passing
in 200. 10, former
[12:38] Atlanta City councilman Kwanzaa
Hall
[12:42] stated that Sweet Auburn has
lost a champion.
[12:45] Recognizing the tremendous
impact he had on the
[12:49] preservation and celebration of
Auburn Avenue's history
[12:51] and culture and res following
his passing
[12:54] the leadership and stewardship
of Sweet Auburn
[12:58] Spring Fest continued through
his family, including
[13:00] his daughter and grandchildren
who remain committed to
[13:03] carrying forward his vision of
honoring the history
[13:06] of an Auburn Avenue through
[13:10] cultural celebration, education,
and community empowerment
[13:13] And whereas, the 40th
anniversary. ary of Sweet Auburn
[13:16] Spring Fest stands as a
testament to
[13:19] the enduring legacy of Charles E
Johnson and
[13:22] the continued importance of
preserving
[13:25] the cele preserving and
celebrating the history, culture
[13:30] and community of historic Auburn
Avenue. Now
[13:33] therefore be proclaimed that we,
the members of the Atlanta City
[13:36] Council, on behalf of the
residents of Atlanta do
[13:39] hereby unearth the legacy of
Charles E. Johnson.
[13:43] Known as the mayor of Sweet
Auburn
[13:46] and recognizes lasting
contributions
[13:48] to the preservation, celebration
[13:51] and advancement of the historic
[13:54] Auburn Avenue and Sweet Auburn
Spring Fest.
[14:01] I will Ask if any of my
colleagues want
[14:05] to speak first.
[14:08] Congratulations to the Johnson
family. I worked with
[14:12] your father. I knew him and you
all have truly
[14:14] truly done a wonderful job
[14:17] celebrating his life and legacy.
He
[14:20] was such a hard worker. He
poured
[14:23] his life into Auburn Avenue. So
again, thank
[14:26] you all so much and thank you to
council member
[14:28] an Antonio Lewis for making
today happen.
[14:32] The
[14:36] Thank you, council member, for
making sure that
[14:39] this hero to our great city is
celebrated appropriately
[14:42] and to his wonderful family, uh,
two of which
[14:44] I understand are uh dedicated
servants
[14:48] of the city. Thank you for your
service, uh, your
[14:51] uh, loved one, Mr. Johnson was
dedicated, like
[14:55] I'd never, I've never seen
before
[14:58] uh, to making sure that the
lasting legacy of Sweet Auburn
never died. I
[15:02] first learned about Sue Auburn
from Mayor Maynard Jackson.
That's kind of the area he grew
[15:02] up in, in the old
[15:05] 4th Ward and people Like Mr.
Johnson keeps
[15:08] they kept that legacy alive and
you all
[15:11] are keeping his legacy alive. So
thank you very much
[15:13] Congratulations.
[15:18] And now we'll hear from the The
family.
[15:24] I do.
[15:27] Uh, good afternoon, City council
and
[15:32] um citizens of Atlanta on behalf
of the Johnson family, we would
like
[15:35] to thank, uh, the city of
Atlanta for recognizing our
father
[15:38] Charles Johnson. He was really,
um, the Sweet Auburn
[15:42] district really meant much to
him. The residents
[15:45] the businesses, and his passion
was to uplift the community
[15:47] and the citizens of not only the
Sweet Arbor district
[15:51] but also um 044 and beyond. And
again, we
[15:54] would like to show our
appreciation for the city of
Atlanta for recognizing his.
[15:58] dedication and contributions.
Thank you.
[16:02] OK. So
[16:07] Before we take our photo, I
wanna say one thing. I've never
[16:09] had the opportunity of meeting
Mr. Johnson myself
[16:12] I've had the opportunity of
feeling his love
[16:14] through the, his loved ones
[16:17] Your love and your commitment to
the city of
[16:20] Atlanta transferred to the south
side has been felt. I grew up
[16:23] in that area. We've always
needed a
[16:25] family like yours to continue to
add to the puzzle that we're
[16:31] building on the south side from
making sure Brownsmill Road got
done to making sure that
[16:34] the gym actually opens up on
time, making sure that The
[16:36] the pools are opening. What
you've been able to do in our
area
[16:41] even sometimes bringing some of
the sweet Auburn flavors, Sweet
Auburn spring fest down
[16:43] to Jonesboro Road at, at right
in District 1
[16:47] at right in District 1, at Black
[16:50] Coffee and at Omar event space,
making sure that we felt that
same
[16:52] type of love when we had some
shutdowns on the other side of
the city
[16:56] So truly honored to have your
commitment to
[16:59] our community and honor to know
Mr. Johnson through
[17:01] those who loved him. And as a
man, when you meet a daughter
[17:05] who loves her father the way.
Mrs. Jordan loves her father
[17:08] That's how you know the
commitment they make. So thank
you again.
[17:15] I think.
[17:22] This is my first. stand up there
[17:28] This
[17:34] close. OK.
[17:37] All right everyone, look here.
[17:41] Uh to 3.
[17:44] Or For To
[17:51] Right.
[18:08] Wayne, you do a better job
keeping. Yeah
[18:11] Mhm.
[18:18] you. And council
[18:20] member Lewis, you are actually
presiding over the next
[18:24] one. Also, so you can just stay
right there
[18:27] in recognition of Timothy
Barnett for
[18:31] 42 years of
[18:33] Exemplary service for the city
of Atlanta
[18:36] all those here to stand with
Timothy Barnett
[18:38] please come forward.
[18:42] It's team. Coach Tim Coach Tim
[18:45] come on up. So
[18:47] well deserved. And I've never
brought these
[18:51] in here and done the, and done a
proclamation myself
[18:53] that I brought to city council.
So to do these two today lets
[18:56] you know how important these,
this was to
[18:59] not only me but my community.
[19:05] Yes.
[19:14] It
[19:19] Mm.
[19:22] Congratulations. Congratulations
[19:25] Well, lucky us.
[19:30] What. with.
[19:41] I just congratulations.
Congratulations.
[19:48] Congratulations
[19:52] It's OK, OK to work with
[19:54] I know, I
[19:59] Come on on up, we can spread out
[20:02] OK. Right. In
[20:06] Yes.
[20:17] So right.
[20:19] I.
[20:24] It's
[20:35] OK.
[20:44] And, and now we get
[20:46] to honor another legend for the
city of Atlanta
[20:50] not just two of them, not just
the south side, but another
legend for
[20:53] the city of Atlanta. And with
this proclamation, we'll
[20:56] be honoring Timothy Barnett for
[21:00] 42 years. 42 years.
[21:04] Of service to the city of
Atlanta.
[21:09] Whereas, I'll read the
proclamation first, then I'll
talk about Brother
[21:13] Tim because I learned how to
swim in one of these pools that
he'd been teaching in for a long
[21:13] time
[21:16] right? So, whereas the
[21:19] members of the Atlanta City
Council proudly
[21:22] recognized Timothy Barnett for
42
[21:25] years of service to the city of
Atlanta during
[21:27] which he devoted his career to
advancing
[21:31] water safety, recreation
[21:33] youth development, and public
service
[21:36] and res, Timothy Barnett, Pa.
[21:40] Barnett's passion for aquatics
began at the age
[21:42] of 10 after learning to swim at
Pittman Park pool.
[21:45] Where the professionalism and
dedication of the
[21:49] city's lifeguards inspired him
to pursue a career serving
[21:53] Atlanta's residents and res, and
just
[21:56] 15 years old, Timothy began
working as a city
[21:58] of Atlanta lifeguard, and after
9 years
[22:01] of seasonal employees of a
[22:05] seasonal employee joined the
city full-time
[22:08] in 1985 as a work, as a water
safety instructor under
[22:11] the leadership of Mr. Brashir
[22:14] guided by distinguished mentors.
Including the late
[22:18] Charles Kennedy and Tommy
Jackson. He he cultivated
[22:21] a lifelong commitment to
excellence
[22:23] leadership, and public service
and res throughout
[22:27] his remarkable career, Timothy
advanced through nearly
[22:30] every level of city of the
city's aquatics
[22:32] program, serving as the pool
attendant, lifeguard
[22:36] pool manager, assistant manager,
and the supervisor.
[22:40] His professional cert
certifications as a water
[22:43] safety instru instructor, CPR
instructor
[22:46] first aid instructor, trainee
instructor, certified
[22:50] pool operator and certified USA
swim coach
[22:52] reflect his unwavering
dedication to protecting
[22:55] and educating the public and
[22:58] for two more decades, Timothy
served as
[23:01] the coach and assistant coach of
the city
[23:04] of Atlanta's Dolphin swim team.
[23:08] Mentoring generations of young
athletes and
[23:10] inspiring confidence, discipline
and achievement.
[23:13] His distinguished service earned
numerous customer
[23:17] service awards, recognition for
his excellence in swim
[23:19] instruction and coaching, and
the opportunity to
[23:22] visit the United States Olympic
Training Center
[23:26] in Colorado Springs. Further
strengthening
[23:29] his commitment to developing
[23:32] future champions. Now therefore
be proclaimed that
[23:35] we, the members of the Atlanta
City Council
[23:37] on behalf of the residents of
Atlanta do
[23:40] hereby honor Timothy Barnett for
his service.
[23:42] For his 42 years of faithful
[23:46] service and extended our
[23:48] sincere appreciation for its
enduring contributions
[23:51] to the city of Atlanta. We
congratulate him on his
[23:55] well-earned retirement and wish
him a continued health
[23:57] happiness, and success in all of
[24:00] his future things. Yeah. Yes
[24:09] I, I don't know.
[24:15] OK. We got Tim
[24:18] to smile. So before I, I pass it
to Brother
[24:20] Tim and the commissioner. I
first want to ask if any
[24:23] of my colleagues would like to
come up on
[24:26] either side to speak.
[24:29] We have the honorable, honorable
councilperson from
[24:32] the Southwest Atlanta
councilperson Andrea Bone.
[24:36] Thank you, coach, for all you
have done for
[24:41] the city of Atlanta, making sure
that our young and
[24:44] the elderly know how to swim. I
met
[24:47] you over 32 years ago
[24:50] and you were a wonderful
[24:53] vibrant spirit, but you were
about business
[24:56] making sure that our young
people and making sure
[24:59] that they knew the importance of
swimming. So again
[25:02] thank you for your achievements
and
[25:05] we hope that you won't be gone.
Too long, we're gonna
[25:09] um, maybe loan him over to CT
Martin Recreation
[25:11] Center, so the kids in
Adamsville and the
[25:14] kids in Alan Temple and Trussell
Tree
[25:17] and Shamrock Gardens make making
sure
[25:20] that everybody knows how to swim
and I see
[25:23] Miss Katie here. Thank you, Miss
Katie for being here. She still
[25:26] works at the pool, but again,
thank you, swimming
[25:29] is so very vital. Thank you.
[25:36] Again, thank you, council member
Lewis for making
[25:39] sure these kinds of heroes, uh,
get their praises sung from
[25:42] the lofty, uh, tower known as
City Hall
[25:45] Um, we wanna make sure that
[25:48] everyone understands that
there's nothing more important
than celebrating our
[25:50] young people, uh, and their
accomplishments
[25:54] but the only thing that's almost
as important is celebrating
those
[25:57] that helped them get there. And
it's people like you
[25:59] Coach Tim, I know Coach Tim Wynn
You probably
[26:02] know him too, uh, with all these
legendary Tims in Atlanta that
[26:04] are helping our young people. So
I'm Call you TimB
[26:08] today. Uh, we just want to tell
you thank you. Uh
[26:10] your acts of service, your acts
of generosity and
[26:13] most important, the compassion
[26:16] you have, uh, making sure that
our young people are ready to
excel in life
[26:19] and they fall into a body of
water, they can at least get
themselves out of
[26:22] it. That is important, and it's
a critical skill set and council
[26:24] uh, President Overstreet has
done a great job of making sure
our kids at
[26:28] the Y, uh, learn how to swim in
Southwest Atlanta, but you're
taking care of the kids on
[26:30] the southeastern side of the
city, and we appreciate you. We
[26:33] we thank you so much. Don't be
gone too long.
[26:36] Because we need you, all right.
Congratulations, Coach
[26:39] Tim. Thank you.
[26:44] And I, I just want to say a few.
All of my colleagues
[26:47] any other of my colleagues want
to speak?
[26:50] OK, so I wanna say that I too
[26:53] my first job was City of Atlanta
across
[26:56] the street from where you are
now at the golf course. And so
[26:58] I too understand how again
[27:01] they employment within the city
of Atlanta will open up
[27:04] some different I want to tell
you when I was about 6
[27:07] years old at that same pool that
you're at right now, I
[27:09] learned how to swim. Council
member Boone tells me
[27:13] all the time about how
recreation centers were built in
the city of Atlanta.
[27:17] She tells me that they were
built to teach our kids how to
[27:20] swim next door to the recreation
centers. Before
[27:23] they put the the record before
they put the
[27:25] basketball gym into Rozelle Fan
[27:28] Mrs. Roselle Fan at At the time
it was
[27:31] called Southeast before they put
the basketball gym in there
[27:33] It was already committed to put
a pool in there. So for me
[27:36] to go into that center and to
learn how to swim and my brother
learned how
[27:39] to swim, my sisters learned how
to swim, and now we
[27:41] meet people from beach towns,
especially when it comes to
black
[27:45] and brown folk, right? I meet
people from Beach
[27:47] towns who don't know how to swim
and part of
[27:50] the reason we learned how to
swim was because the city
council and
[27:53] the mayor at the time period
chose to invest.
[27:56] Chose to invest in teaching
young
[27:59] black and brown folks how to
swim when you come to the mayor
[28:02] Andy Young and Mayor Maynard
Jackson, investing initially in
that
[28:05] So super thankful for your
service. I, I, I
[28:09] it's, let's go to the video.
[28:14] I apologize. Let's go to the
video. We have an honorable
video for you.
[28:30] First of all, I want to thank
God.
[28:34] handed me. A wonderful job.
[28:39] I wanted to be a good lifeguard.
I didn't
[28:42] know it. What impact I had
[28:45] on the community. I had no idea.
[28:50] When we started. There was no
Roselle
[28:52] fan. It was only MLK. And
[28:55] I think it was named Southeast
when he first came
[28:59] over here, so he was new to this
facility.
[29:01] So it's almost like he opened it
up
[29:04] or helped open it up. When you
work in aquatics, you come
[29:06] together, we're like a family.
You train.
[29:10] You enjoy being together.
[29:15] I met Tim when I was 9 years old
at Perry
[29:19] Hall, and one of the things that
Tim asked me like how long you
[29:21] been swimming? And I said, what
does the old
[29:24] man want? This is my first swim
meet and he
[29:28] meet and he like swimming is
gonna teach you things about
life. It's no matter how you
[29:28] start
[29:31] it's how you finish. Just
something about a
[29:35] man who willing to get up every
day no matter how they feel.
[29:38] No matter what's going on with
them, don't make no excuses.
[29:40] They get up and they get the job
done. And
[29:44] that's one thing even like from
a child, I admired that about.
[29:46] My uncle Tim. Oh, the muscles,
they are
[29:49] there. I, I have to respect the
muscles because his muscles
[29:53] are humble just like he's humble
The impact
[29:56] that he has made on countless
lives
[29:58] and the lives of youth and
[30:02] even adults. I know it's a job
that was
[30:04] well done and the service was
well done and it's
[30:09] showing today it's like they
appreciate the service that
[30:11] was given through him and like I
say, being
[30:14] selfless because he did give of
himself
[30:16] to everybody.
[30:21] I spent my years.
[30:23] Happy. I didn't
[30:27] never ever dream of 42 years.
[30:29] In one department it's a
privilege.
[30:34] It's a privilege.
[30:50] And now Commissioner Doug Voss.
[30:56] I'll be brief. I know we're
running out of time, and I want
Tim
[30:59] to speak, but, um, I
[31:03] met Tim about over a decade and
a half ago, which is only
[31:06] Let's still half the time that
you've been here, Tim. But the
[31:09] first time I met Tim, um, he
[31:12] saw me and he said, I've been
waiting for you. I'm looking
[31:15] for you. I wanted to meet you.
And he took me on about an
[31:18] hour tour of the pool, which
only has 5
[31:21] rooms. And we made a list
[31:24] things that had to be fixed in
that pool. And I said
[31:27] Tim, no problem. I'm aquatics
guy too. We all
[31:30] we're all family here. Send it
in through a work order
[31:32] but you can always call me. Tim
called me
[31:35] on Tuesday, on Wednesday, on
Thursday
[31:39] on Sunday, until we got all of
those projects
[31:42] done. That is the guy that Tim
is. He
[31:45] needs to have that pool
operating
[31:48] the way it should from the
get-go and every day. And I
appreciate you, Tim, for all
[31:51] that. We have done so much, even
in the short
[31:54] couple of decades I have been
here, we have replaced all
[31:57] the HVAC resurfaced the entire
pool. We've
[32:00] got new locker rooms. That's all
because of you
[32:02] And I appreciate you and your
spirit, the
[32:05] The DP, I've always said the
city of Atlanta is a family. DPR
is
[32:08] a family, aquatics is really a
family
[32:11] and we appreciate you for being
the patriarch of that family. I
noticed
[32:13] he even brought Mr. Terry out of
retirement here
[32:17] They have.
[32:20] Mr. Terry, Mr. Tim, uh, if you
don't know this
[32:24] they run one of the best water
aerobics program in the
[32:26] city. It's still growing strong.
You saw it on the video. Thank
you
[32:29] for everything you've done.
Appreciate you, Tim.
[32:33] Yeah.
[32:35] And now the honorable Brother
Tim Barnett.
[32:40] You here. Thank you very much.
[32:46] OK, uh.
[32:49] I don't know what to say.
[32:51] I had to um
[32:54] I had so much to say. It went
out
[32:58] the window. OK, um,
[33:02] Thank y'all very much for coming
out.
[33:05] And uh celebrating with me.
[33:09] 42 years. OK.
[33:13] Since we have about 2 minutes
and 30
[33:16] seconds left if anyone on the
stage, a family member
[33:21] or co-worker wants to come up
and say something. Come on.
[33:27] 220. Good evening. My name is
Latasha Barnett. I'm
[33:29] the oldest sister of Timothy
Burnett, um.
[33:33] My brother has been around for a
long time and he
[33:36] has always been good with
children and
[33:39] helping everybody. Unfortunately
I'm one of the ones that didn't
get in
[33:42] the pool to learn how to swim.
[33:45] To learn how to swim, yeah,
you're right, wow
[33:48] And um, I'm sure he still do it
on the side
[33:51] so anytime I want to learn, I
know my brother got my back. I
wanna congratulate
[33:54] you, brother, on your 42
[33:57] years and let you know I love
you. Congratulations.
[34:00] I want to speak on behalf of the
[34:05] primetime seniors. It was
Timothy Barnett.
[34:07] Who took Maggie McCollum and
myself
[34:10] along with Jimmy Lawson to
[34:14] the National Senior Olympics
[34:17] in 2016 and we've been going to
the
[34:21] Senior Olympic swimming since
then. And
[34:23] it's all because if it's
dedication
[34:28] compassion and leadership that
he has for the seniors
[34:32] but if you can understand the
impact
[34:34] that this man has made when
[34:37] you have seniors who were
[34:40] afraid to swim because of
[34:43] their hair or for the fears that
[34:46] was installed in us as as
children
[34:50] but he broke that barrier
[34:52] and now if you come in to
Rosellle
[34:55] Fan, you will see seniors from
wall
[34:59] to wall, learning how to swim
[35:02] so Tim, we honor you. We will
never forget you.
[35:04] What
[35:08] I'm gonna be brief. My
[35:11] name is Qua. I'm Tim's niece, um
retired
[35:13] 25 years of military myself
[35:17] I'm sorry. It's so emotional
[35:19] um, but I just wanted to say
thank you, uncle, for setting
the pace
[35:22] setting the example for our
family because
[35:24] of you, um, we all have forged
[35:28] our fortune to our careers and
being able to hold strong
[35:31] in its examples like you, they
keep the faith
[35:33] they keep the, keep, keep up,
keep the strength in the family
going
[35:38] So congratulations on your 42
years, and I'm so glad. That I
was able to
[35:40] make it.
[35:44] And now we'll come up and we'll
take our
[35:47] mayor And we have
[35:51] we have the honorable, Ho
[35:53] honorable sixty-first. We got 61
in the house.
[35:58] Miror Andre Dickens.
[36:00] And he's gonna join our photo.
[36:05] Yeah. Con Congratulations.
[36:09] I.
[36:18] Right through here.
[36:21] Mhm Or
[36:25] here
[36:29] not.
[37:28] Let us know when you get your
watch
[37:32] Tim.
[37:35] Call about it. Hey
[37:37] hey?
[37:42] As the as as coach Tim
[37:46] and his celebrants, uh, leave
the dais, all
[37:48] of those that are here to
celebrate
[37:51] uh, Veritas. Please come up to
the dais
[37:54] at this time.
[37:57] Yeah.
[38:00] I'm sorry, what did you say?
Thank you
[38:04] council member.
[38:06] Martin for calling all to
[38:10] the da trying to maintain that
time, Madam President. You
[38:13] got the best dress group heading
forward
[38:15] now? Check out their socks
[38:18] Down to the socks.
[38:24] Brains and brawn. No
[38:28] September 1st. You change it I
said
[38:31] you know, so you're usually
[38:35] on They change. We
[38:38] have a training on Thursday
because a lot of changes coming
next
[38:42] OK
[38:46] yeah, OK. All right, everyone
that is here to celebrate with
the
[38:49] Deveritas Debate Institute,
please make your way to the dais
[38:55] We appreciate Coach Tim and
family, if you all could
[38:58] exit right. Our
[39:00] Veritas Debate Institute group
is gonna come up on the left.
[39:05] Thank you so much
[39:09] Thank you. Right.
[39:14] why don't you come down a little
so everybody can
[39:18] get a chance. Everybody please
come for if you're celebrating
[39:21] the veritas Debate Institute. If
you'll join us on
[39:23] the dais. It's Thomas.
[39:28] You only has one vowel in every
word.
[39:32] All right. Uh
[39:36] Uh, it is with great pleasure
and honor
[39:39] that I, uh, celebrate this
amazing group of
[39:43] young people that are from all
over metro Atlanta
[39:45] uh, they are champions by right,
but here we're
[39:48] we're here today to celebrate
their latest win
[39:52] uh, the Veritas debate uh
Institute of Atlanta. Uh
[39:55] can we please give them a round
of applause.
[40:01] This, uh, distinctive group was
founded
[40:04] in 2017 by their founder and
visionary
[40:07] Brandon Fleming, and today we
are celebrating their
[40:10] 8th consecutive championship,
and there's only been 9 of them.
[40:14] And they're, they've won 8 of
them, and we're here to
[40:17] celebrate that on a day. We've
got students from all over
[40:19] Metro Atlanta, but, uh, right
here from home
[40:22] we've got students from KIPP ATL
Washington
[40:25] Coretta Scott King, Sutton,
Midtown
[40:28] Mays, Maynard Jackson, and
Ferrell High
[40:30] School's own Devin Mitchell. I
went to Darrell, so I had to
sleep that
[40:34] one in. Uh, and we're extremely
proud of them and we have some
alum with us today
[40:37] my mentee, Isaiah Stevens from
Morehouse College. He's in so
[40:42] many majors, I can't call them
all out, but he is also here, uh
And we just want to celebrate
[40:42] them in
[40:46] an amazing way today. Is that
all right? All right, thank you
all
[40:48] so much. Uh, we are here to
celebrate the
[40:51] Veritas Debate Institute with a
proclamation from the
[40:54] Atlanta City Council in
recognition of
[40:57] the Veritas Debate Institute.
And it reads
[41:00] whereas the Atlanta City Council
is pleased
[41:02] to recognize the Veritas Debate
Institute an
[41:06] Atlanta rooted educational
institution whose commitment
[41:09] to academic excellence,
leadership development
[41:11] and expanding opportunity has
transformed the
[41:15] lives and futures of young
scholars throughout the city.
[41:18] And beyond, and whereas the
Veritas story
[41:20] began in Atlanta in 2017 when
[41:24] acclaimed educator and former
Harvard debate coach Brandon P.
Fleming.
[41:28] Founded the Harvard Debate
Council Diversity Project
[41:31] to create greater access to
prestigious
[41:34] academic opportunities for
talented black and brown
students from
[41:36] Atlanta. And whereas what began
as
[41:40] a weekly Saturday school
designed to
[41:42] provide Atlanta youth with
rigorous, high-level
[41:45] academic training has evolved
into the nationally
[41:49] recognized Veritas Debate
Institute providing students in
grades 8
[41:52] through 12 with accelerated
instruction and
[41:55] critical thinking, research,
public speaking, arguments.
[41:58] ation, leadership, and the
social sciences
[42:01] and whereas Atlanta remains the
original
[42:04] home and foundation of Veritas,
a community
[42:07] of scholars, families, educators
alumni
[42:09] and partners united by the
belief that talent
[42:12] is universal, but access to
opportunity
[42:16] too often is not, and whereas
through
[42:19] its innovative educational model
the Veritas
[42:21] Debate Institute has prepared
students to complete and excel
on
[42:25] the international stage with
Veritas scholars achieving
extraordinary.
[42:28] success at the Harvard Debate
Council Summer
[42:31] workshops and earning admission
to prestigious colleges and
[42:34] universities, and whereas the
institute
[42:36] has demonstrated, uh, that when
young people are provided with
[42:39] rigorous preparation, high
expectations
[42:43] meaningful mentorship and access
to opportunity, they
[42:46] can transcend barriers and
compete with the very best
students
[42:48] from around the world and
whereas
[42:52] as Veritas expands its reach to
additional cities
[42:54] across the nation, its roots
remain
[42:57] firmly planted in Atlanta. Where
it's
[42:59] pioneering work continues to
develop, the next generation
[43:02] of scholars, professionals,
civic leaders, and change makers
[43:06] and whereas the Atlanta City
Council commends Brandon Brandon
[43:10] P. Fleming, the faculty, staff
[43:12] supporters, families, alumni,
and most importantly
[43:15] the scholars of the Veritasbate
Institute for
[43:19] their dedication to educational
excellence and
[43:21] their profound contributions to
the future of Atlanta's young
people
[43:24] Now therefore be it proclaimed
that we, the members of the
[43:26] Atlanta City Council on the On
behalf of the residents
[43:30] of Atlanta do hereby recognize
and honor the Veritas
[43:33] Debate Institute for its
outstanding service to the youth
[43:37] of Atlanta and its enduring
commitment to ensuring that the
[43:39] cities, talented young people
have
[43:42] the preparation, confidence, and
opportunity to lead
[43:46] and succeed on any stage in the
world. Can we give a
[43:48] round of applause for the
Veritas
[43:51] debate Institute.
[43:57] Young people, it is not often.
[44:00] That the mayor comes into this
chamber, he's a
[44:02] former member of this body, uh,
but when he does, it's
[44:05] a very special occasion, and so
I want you
[44:08] all to receive at this time,
Atlanta's sixty-first mayor, the
Honorable
[44:11] Andre Dickens.
[44:15] Thank you, Wayne. Thank you,
Councilman Martin
[44:18] Council President Overstreet,
and to all the members of the
[44:20] Atlanta City Council. I am
elated and excited
[44:24] to be here to honor
[44:26] this outstanding group of young
people, the Veritas
[44:29] Debate Institute is second to
none. And the reason why we
[44:32] know they're 2nd to none because
they've come in 1st place
[44:35] 8 times in a row. And so these
guys
[44:38] are so capable of
[44:40] leading in a way that is
consistently shining a light on
Atlanta.
[44:45] Hanna shining a light on this
program and just
[44:47] really highlighting how talented
you really are. From the young
[44:51] people that's currently in the
program, to the alums
[44:54] to also the great staff members
and supporters
[44:56] that, uh, the, the sponsors and
the mentors that help them
[45:00] I'm extremely proud of you as
the mayor of Atlanta, it does
[45:03] my heart. Great, good to see you
go on
[45:05] the international stage and win
[45:09] over and over again. You've won
8 times
[45:12] Imagine that some teams can't
even formulate a team for 8.
[45:14] Different times, let alone when
[45:18] 8 times, and that takes
[45:20] dedication each year the bar
gets higher and higher because
you got, you know
[45:23] uh, predecessors that are saying
you got to win because we
haven't lost in a
[45:27] and, and so now that pressure
rises and
[45:29] you meet that moment each and
every time
[45:32] And so I'm proud of you. You go
out there and
[45:35] you represent Atlanta when
you're doing that, you represent
[45:38] your families, uh, you represent
the metro Atlanta area
[45:41] and it really means something
that we are doing great.
[45:45] work out there throughout the
world. So
[45:48] continue striving. I love uh my
friend Brandon Fleming and
[45:50] uh and his vision that he
started this
[45:54] organization to this great
destination to where it is
[45:57] today. Um, I love to see when
you guys come back
[45:59] uh, through Hartsville, Jackson,
Atlanta International Airport
[46:02] Everybody's doing a big
celebration that pumps me up
[46:05] and tells me that I, I'm just
like, all right, this is the
[46:08] Atlanta moment each and every
year, um, as you
[46:10] guys come back from this, uh,
from
[46:13] this great event. And so, you
know, You spend 2 weeks
[46:17] at Harvard and um and then you
go on and and and
[46:19] do this amazing work. Proud of
you all, and I just wanted
[46:22] to come by here and just say
congratulations to, to each and
[46:25] every last one of you. Thank you
[46:30] Thank you so much, Mr. Mayor.
[46:33] Um, I, I was a member of the
championship, Ferrell High
School
[46:35] debate team. Uh, I told the
young people with
[46:38] 25+ years ago, but we're
extremely proud of you all
[46:41] Until the Falcons win, you all
we got. So y'all gotta
[46:44] keep winning. Y'all gotta keep
winning. I'm a fan. I said,
until
[46:46] we win. Uh, I also wanted to
give an opportunity to any of
our colleagues
[46:49] to come forward if they want to
say anything to congratulate
these young people
[46:53] Please receive, uh, Councilman
Isha Collins.
[46:55] Just want to take a quick moment
to congratulate you all, and
it's just been
[46:59] exciting time every year to get
the
[47:02] notice that you all are Atlanta
team made
[47:05] number one, and so just really
um wanted
[47:08] to congratulate you all on that,
but also know that
[47:11] there's a village that's
supporting you all every step of
the way
[47:14] so please do not hesitate to let
us know what you
[47:17] need and I am going to put out a
call to the community
[47:20] because it's a great
organization where our
[47:22] students are able to travel and
take advantage of a.
[47:26] Program, but it is, it, it comes
at a
[47:29] cost and so we also want to, I
want to put out a
[47:31] personal appeal for everyone to
please, please
[47:34] support the Veritas Institute
that support our students
[47:38] every year to continue this
great track of success
[47:40] They are making their rounds and
let's
[47:43] be very clear, nationally and
internationally
[47:47] they are known. Um, when I was
on the school board, we were
able
[47:49] to recognize the first team and
year 2 and
[47:52] 3 and 4, we would get emails
from districts across.
[47:56] across the country and even some
institutes
[48:00] um overseas in terms of what are
you all doing, you know
[48:03] how are you able to get students
to
[48:05] this level and we just sent them
to Brandon. We said
[48:08] hey, this is the organization,
this is the amazing leaders, and
[48:11] board. So just wanted to put an
appeal to you all to please
[48:14] support the organization.
Veritas Institute and continue
to
[48:18] do great work. We're extremely
proud of you guys and
[48:21] thank you for representing
Atlanta so well. Congratulations
[48:28] I just want to echo everybody
who's been
[48:31] here. I think that Atlanta's
black and brown kids
[48:34] are the most impressive in the
world because you know you
[48:37] can be anything no matter what,
because if you look at
[48:39] this stage right now, you see
Darrell, you see South
[48:43] Atlanta, and you see May, right?
And you
[48:45] see maize and you see North, and
you see North Atlanta and you
[48:48] see Doug, and, and, and you see
Midtown.
[48:52] And so that lets you know that
[48:54] uh, lets you know you can have
this space
[48:57] and we trust that you are going
to go and
[49:00] get all of the knowledge that
you
[49:03] need to truly compete. So I say
thank
[49:06] you for getting some W's for us.
Continue to get some
[49:10] W's because we're, we're
trusting that we're gonna
[49:12] need you. You see what we're up
against nationally and
internationally, right
[49:15] ? So get as much knowledge, as
much knowledge, read as
[49:17] much as you can, learn what you
can, become the best you that.
[49:22] You can be. And help us get some
W's
[49:26] Thank you. Congratulations,
winners.
[49:29] All right. Get them W's. I made
[49:32] that very clear. Uh, I also
wanted to
[49:35] I've acknowledged, uh, our, our
colleague here at the city of
Atlanta
[49:38] our treasurer Courtney Knight,
who was a board member for this
organization. There he
[49:41] is. Can we give a round of
applause to Courtney?
[49:44] Um, I'm gonna be making a
contribution today
[49:48] uh, of $1000 to support the
team's future endeavors. So,
thank you
[49:51] I know you would like that.
You're a money man. Uh, I wanna
make
[49:54] sure that you all understand
you're supported and backed, and
we wanna make sure you succeed
[49:57] at every level. Uh, and we're
gonna close out
[50:00] today's celebration with
two-minute remarks from our
board
[50:02] chair, uh, Adrian Croner, and
then following
[50:06] Adrian will be Avery Rodriguez,
one of the student team members.
Please come.
[50:11] Thank you, thank you
[50:13] Good afternoon everybody. Mr.
Mayor
[50:16] councilwomen, councilmen, thank
you all for your service and
your time.
[50:18] It is my deep honor. On
[50:22] behalf of the students, their
families.
[50:25] Our incredibly inspirational
leader, Brandon Fleming.
[50:29] Tamika and the hardworking staff
and my fellow
[50:31] board members to accept this
proclamation.
[50:34] We do so with humility and
[50:37] with gratitude, and Mr. Barnett
didn't quite
[50:40] take 42 years, we've been at 10
years to get to where
[50:43] we're at. And the world is
noticing, not just
[50:47] the world, but the rest of the
country, and we are
[50:49] being called to take this
example to other cities, but
[50:52] if Brandon were here today, he
would want to remind you all
it's all about staying
[50:56] in the A. It's always
[50:58] this will be home. This will be
home as the mayor
[51:01] has challenged us to make it the
greatest city for anyone to grow
up in
[51:05] It's gonna take a long time to
get there, but
[51:07] we're committed to doing that
and Veritass being a
[51:10] small part of that really
important work
[51:12] And so yes, I'm a lifelong
Falcons fan too, and if
[51:16] we can establish a winning
culture
[51:18] at Veritas. Maybe we can have a
winning season. So with that
[51:21] I want to hand it over to Avery.
[51:30] This is not for me. Those were
[51:34] the words that rang in my mind
as I stepped
[51:36] each foot nervous than the last
in my first interview round
[51:41] surrounded by confident faces,
confident smiles
[51:43] and I thought that that could
[51:46] never be me and now I stand in
front of
[51:50] you all confident, strong
[51:52] speaking, and that is the
veritas way. That is
[51:55] the Veritas transformation
because they see potential
[51:57] in you, potential in me that I
never even.
[52:01] saw and they take students and
they
[52:04] transform them into scholars and
they
[52:06] and this program is important
because not only
[52:10] is it building the youth, it is
taking students and
[52:12] turning us into global leaders,
but it
[52:17] takes transformation. It takes
people believing in you, takes
[52:19] people seeing you, seeing what
you
[52:23] to to fulfill to fulfill
[52:26] what you were meant to.
[52:29] And with this, I want to leave
you all that the youth
[52:32] is the most important because
the youth are our
[52:35] future scholars like me,
students like us, all of
[52:37] the alumni, they are reaching
amazing things because
[52:41] of Veritas and because of this
transformation, and I
[52:44] ask you all to continue your
support, if not for me
[52:47] if not for Ms. Thomas, if not
for Miss Fleming, but for
[52:50] the student who is sitting in
their seat right
[52:53] now dreaming of what they think
is impossible, dreaming
[52:55] of more because Veritas teaches
you that the impossible.
[53:00] is possible, and this program is
for those students
[53:04] Thank you. Mic drop.
[53:09] Thank you all so much. As you
[53:11] can see, it is working in our
communities. We appreciate you
[53:14] At this time, we're gonna come
with a minute and 20 seconds
[53:18] to spare and take a photo.
Congratulations
[53:20] again. Avery, Avery, come get
the award. Everybody come
[53:23] forward, come on.
[53:27] OK. in the mirror on this
[53:29] side. already.
[54:10] all all the way. I'm so proud.
[54:14] What's cool. Thank you.
[54:16] for coming.
[54:20] Oh
[54:51] Thank you.
[54:57] Thank you, Council Member Wayne.
[55:01] Martin, as I'm proud of
[55:04] you. And for our last
proclamation of the day.
[55:08] It's in recognition
[55:11] of 9988 reasons a day dedicated
to awareness
[55:13] of suicide and
[55:17] and hotline and and hotline and.
So all that
[55:19] are here to stand with
[55:22] recognizing 988 reasons, please
come forward
[55:26] to join us here on the dais.
This will
[55:28] be presided by the Honorable
Isha Collins.
[55:49] N.
[55:51] 988 reasons recognizing a day
dedicated to awareness
[55:54] of suicide and crisis lifeline.
[56:00] I won't say. Oh.
[56:04] Ian please come on. Because
we're gonna do the proclamation
[56:07] Oh yeah, this is from the
[56:12] It's absolutely worthy.
[56:16] No, I'm I
[56:18] I will say today is Tuesday.
This is not a normal
[56:22] day for full council, so there
may be a date.
[56:25] Mix up.
[56:29] Yeah, it's Tuesday so I was
wondering
[56:31] where all my public comment
speakers were too. It's Tuesday
[56:34] It was Tuesday. It's not Monday.
Yeah
[56:38] so take it away. Yeah, so, so as
we
[56:40] know as we enter the month of
September
[56:43] that recognizes a lot of uh
things. Also
[56:47] September is suicide Awareness
Month and September 8th
[56:50] of every year, also known as 988
[56:52] reasons is recognizing a day
dedicated to
[56:56] awareness of suicide and crisis
lifeline.
[56:58] Um, for, um, many of us
[57:01] have either come in in contact
with
[57:05] someone that has increation of
self-harm or
[57:07] have contemplated suicide and
and for me on a personal
[57:11] piece being a lifesaver to two
friends over
[57:14] a lifetime this day and also
this month is a, a
[57:18] heart touching one. and since,
so I just wanted to put some
[57:21] numbers out here to talk about
the magnitude
[57:23] of what we are recognizing for
[57:26] today, September 8th, and also
So the, for
[57:29] this month, nationally there are
about
[57:32] 48,000 suicides committed
[57:35] each year in Georgia and within
the metro area alone, there's
about
[57:41] 1700 suicide deaths and for
every one
[57:43] death that that has been 10
[57:46] emergency visits for self harm
[57:50] for 48 self-reported attempts
[57:53] at 325 people who have who have
[57:56] seriously considered suicide in
their Time and so
[57:59] it is for us, um, and the city
of Atlanta
[58:04] wanting to not only recognize um
suicide
[58:06] Awareness Month, but also push
the
[58:09] lifeline and, and lifesaver line
that has saved
[58:12] many lives. And so I'm going to
read
[58:15] this proclamation, um, and then
open it up
[58:19] for feedbacks and remarks as
[58:21] I have a few people that have
joined us. So
[58:24] we're at September 8th, 2026 is
recognized nationally
[58:29] as 98988 day, an annual day of
action dedicated
[58:31] to increasing awareness of the
[58:35] 9988 suicide and crisis lifeline
and the
[58:37] behavioral health resources
available to individuals and
[58:40] families, and the 988 and crisis
life
[58:44] Lifeline provides free and
confidential support 24 hours a
day
[58:48] 7 days a week, connecting people
experiencing
[58:51] emotional distress, mental
health challenges, substance
[58:54] use concerns, or other
behavioral crisis with trained
[58:58] crisis professionals and by
calling or
[59:00] texting 988, or assessing the
lifeline
[59:04] through online chat, Individuals
can receive compassionate
[59:07] judgment-free support,
assistance in assessing their
[59:10] immediate needs and connections
to appropriate local and
national resources.
[59:14] And the 988 Lifeline operates
through
[59:17] a national network of more than
200 local
[59:20] crisis centers combined in local
care and resources
[59:23] with national standards and best
practices and
[59:27] and has answered more than 13
million calls
[59:29] texts, and chats since its
launch of in
[59:32] July of 2022, and the Georgia
Department
[59:36] of Behavior, Health and
Developmental
[59:38] Disabilities supports George's
behavior health crisis system
[59:41] and works to ensure residents
have. access
[59:45] to appropriate behavioral health
services, resources and supports
when they
[59:48] are needed and whereas
[59:51] recognizing 988 day in the city
of Atlanta
[59:54] provides an opportunity to
increase public awareness of
[59:56] this critical resource reduce
barriers and
[1:00:00] stigma associated with seeking
help
[1:00:03] encouraging compassionate
conversations about mental and
behavioral health and
[1:00:07] ensure Atlantans know where to
turn when they are someone they
[1:00:10] know is experiencing a crisis
and whereas the
[1:00:15] 2026-988 day theme is
[1:00:19] 988 reasons. Your reason is
reason enough
[1:00:21] reminds everyone that a person
does not have to be
[1:00:25] in crisis to reach for support
and that
[1:00:28] whatever challenge they may be
facing, their
[1:00:30] reason for seeking help is
enough. And so now therefore it
[1:00:33] be proclaimed that we the
members of Atlanta City
[1:00:36] Council on behalf of the
residents of Atlanta do
[1:00:39] hereby declare September 8, 2026
[1:00:42] at 988 day and the City of
Atlanta
[1:00:44] and encourage all Atlantans to
learn
[1:00:47] about, share, and support
[1:00:51] the 988 suicide in Crisis so
that every
[1:00:54] person knows that help is
available.
[1:00:57] Connection is possible and their
reason is
[1:01:00] reason enough. And so I want to
[1:01:03] um allow Mr. Mitchell and uh
well first, are there
[1:01:06] any council members, colleagues
that would like to say.
[1:01:09] A few words. Thank you, thank
you. Uh, absolutely. Thank you
so much
[1:01:13] uh, Council Member Collins, uh,
as a, I have a
[1:01:15] family member that made an
attempt on their life and thank
God they
[1:01:19] were unsuccessful because they
were alone and when we all got
to
[1:01:22] the place to speak to them about
uh, what
[1:01:24] had happened. I, we asked the
question of why didn't you tell
[1:01:27] somebody? And they talked about
the
[1:01:29] stigma around it, and so days
like today
[1:01:33] help us, uh, tear down stigma,
help us to
[1:01:35] uh, share with our neighbors,
our sisters, our brothers from
across.
[1:01:38] The, the, the world that it is
OK to
[1:01:42] reach out when you're in crisis.
So I celebrate
[1:01:44] all those that have survived, uh
taking their own lives
[1:01:47] I celebrate those, uh, that are
[1:01:51] family members of survivors and
even those that have had to deal
with
[1:01:53] uh, that, that tragic end. We as
a
[1:01:56] city stand behind those that
need mental health support
[1:02:00] Uh, I thank you to Councilman uh
Collins, uh, and
[1:02:02] her and presenting this
proclamation. We're here to
[1:02:05] tear down the stigma so we can
save our brothers and sisters,
our neighbors. Thank you so much
[1:02:12] Uh, thank you. Um, first, thank
you
[1:02:14] Councilor McCollins for, for
reading this and and for doing
[1:02:18] this proclamation, uh, to David
for sharing his
[1:02:20] own stories about what his
family has been through. I love
[1:02:23] you. Um, and I wanted to speak
because I think it's
[1:02:25] really important to
[1:02:29] destigmatize suicidal ideation
and attempts. So I say that
because
[1:02:32] I open up with my own history
with it, um.
[1:02:36] I start, I've struggled with
suicidal ideation since I was in
[1:02:39] elementary school, being a
closeted kid in the South
[1:02:41] tends to Cause those types
[1:02:45] of issues, um, this job has had
me
[1:02:47] struggle with suicidal ideation,
to be very honest with you
[1:02:52] um, public service and being in
the eye and the work that we do
and just existing in
[1:02:54] today's world is very difficult.
We tend to dehumanize each
[1:02:57] other very often, and it can
[1:03:00] lead to Long lasting effects on
[1:03:03] the people that we do not wish
to harm
[1:03:06] but inadvertently end up to by
projecting our own issues onto
them, but I just
[1:03:10] Ask is that you never know what
somebody is going through. You
[1:03:12] never know what can push them.
You never know what they have
been
[1:03:16] through that day, through their
life, through that year, or
anything of that sort
[1:03:19] what their history is, and as
somebody who has struggled with
[1:03:21] depression and suicidal ideation
[1:03:24] um, I try to own that and be
public about it so that we, more
[1:03:28] people don't feel afraid about
coming forth because I
[1:03:30] have lost quite a few friends to
suicide
[1:03:33] and I've almost lost quite a few
family members to it as well. So
[1:03:35] um, Please talk about it. Please
don't be afraid
[1:03:39] Please don't shame someone for
opening up to you. Please don't
take it as
[1:03:42] a burden and just take the time
to
[1:03:44] listen to another, and if you
want another, and if you see
someone who needs
[1:03:48] help, please direct them to
resources and I just want to
[1:03:50] say thank you again.
[1:03:55] Yeah. baby.
[1:03:57] My name is David Yota Mitchell.
My father was Martin
[1:04:01] Harden Mitchell. He took his
life February 11th, 1997. It
[1:04:04] might as well have happened
yesterday. It might as well have
an hour ago
[1:04:06] You never get over it. You live
with it every day. It's
[1:04:09] a stigmatism that people put
upon you, people take advantage
of it
[1:04:13] people think it's somehow
arbitrary or whatever it is.
Courage is
[1:04:15] a complicated thing. Living in
this world is very
[1:04:18] complicated. Being the child of
someone that you love and adore
that you will never see
[1:04:21] again, it's a complicated thing
[1:04:24] It's vexing to me. It's vexing
to me that
[1:04:27] today you sit and look at it and
they said, who will stand with
this? Who will stand.
[1:04:31] I need everybody to think really
long and hard
[1:04:33] about that. Everyone talks about
courage. Everyone talks about
doing the right thing.
[1:04:38] My father's been dead since I
was 23. almost 30
[1:04:40] years ago. Is this the best we
can do? Everyone
[1:04:43] needs to understand that we have
to do the right thing. We
[1:04:45] have the opportunity today to do
the right thing about many
things. We need to
[1:04:48] do the right thing. I'm very
proud. My father's
[1:04:51] wonderful, loving, amazing human
I wish he was here
[1:04:54] now. We'd be in a better world.
[1:05:00] That
[1:05:03] With that, is it OK if we take a
photo, because I do want
[1:05:07] to see today that we are
acknowledging as a city
[1:05:11] of 988 text line, but
[1:05:14] 9088 reasons to know that a
reason is reason enough
[1:05:16] 989. Let's do it. Thank you.
[1:06:22] I want to thank everyone for
sharing. And for
[1:06:25] the great proclamations today.
[1:06:28] And for staying, Within code.
[1:06:31] I want to acknowledge that, so
thank you.
[1:06:34] Um, so this brings us to
[1:06:37] statements by elected officials
[1:06:39] um, any elected officials with
statements.
[1:06:46] I would just want to acknowledge
[1:06:48] my Crawfolong Middle School
football team. This
[1:06:51] weekend, I had the opportunity
of, is this the time
[1:06:54] for that? Uh, so not general
remarks. This is
[1:06:57] where we do moments of silence
or
[1:07:00] you know, just reflections.
[1:07:04] But don't forget.
[1:07:08] Anyone have anyone they'd like
to
[1:07:11] Speak about for moments of
silence or anything
[1:07:15] like that, um.
[1:07:17] Madam President, may I? Sure,
council member Batiari, I forgot
to
[1:07:20] log in first. I feel very
[1:07:24] weird always, um, doing, uh, you
want to hold my hand while I
[1:07:26] do this? Um, I always feel very
odd talking
[1:07:29] about celebrity deaths. It just
[1:07:31] feels impersonal and like a
moment, something at the moment,
but I
[1:07:35] wanted to say this one because
my staff is probably going to
laugh at me in
[1:07:38] my office, but for me, I
actually did
[1:07:40] want to raise Dolly Parton's
passing. The reason
[1:07:44] I say that is kind of why I
talked on the mic, being a queer
kid
[1:07:47] in the South from an immigrant
household.
[1:07:51] In a, in a, in a city and in a
town where I was constantly
[1:07:54] told or heard often from my
elders
[1:07:56] that my family was what was
wrong with this country and
needed to go back to where we
[1:08:00] came from, and I would say in
that Dolly Parton's been a
[1:08:02] part of my life for as long as I
can remember growing up in the
South and
[1:08:05] um, I will say that having a
role model like that.
[1:08:10] Made me feel less alone in those
moments of struggle made me feel
less alone, and I
[1:08:13] will say that somebody that
absolutely chose
[1:08:16] not to be a billionaire by
ensuring that kids.
[1:08:20] That literacy was readily
available, no matter what your
[1:08:23] background was in a country
where we predetermine where a
child is going to
[1:08:25] jail by the time they're in 3rd
grade based on their literacy
[1:08:29] I think is extraordinarily
important and
[1:08:32] I just can't say enough good
things about somebody who was
the
[1:08:36] embodiment of good in our world,
and, um, really I think
[1:08:38] made people in general feel less
alone. That's all I to say. I
know it's
[1:08:41] a celebrity, but that felt like
a, the world got a
[1:08:45] little dimmer that day, so I
hope that we all think
[1:08:48] about donating to Imagine
Library and um, yeah
[1:08:50] I just, I really wanted to, to
note that one. It
[1:08:54] hit home.
[1:08:57] Thank you. Any other council
members?
[1:09:01] Madam President, I would like to
offer a moment of
[1:09:03] silence to the family of Miss
Iona Walker, um, whom
[1:09:06] I'm sure you know very well, a
longtime
[1:09:09] neighborhood leader in Kings
Forest and MPUP
[1:09:12] uh, she passed away peacefully
about a week and a half ago. We
[1:09:15] buried her on Thursday, but I
just want to make sure we
acknowledged and give a
[1:09:17] moment of silence for her. Thank
you. Thank you.
[1:09:21] Anyone else? Council member
Winston.
[1:09:25] I'd also like to add the name of
recruit
[1:09:28] Moses Ross, um, who tragically
died in
[1:09:31] a motorcycle accident in
District 1 a
[1:09:34] week ago, uh, Moses also worked
[1:09:37] at Kids Gym USA where he was a
[1:09:39] tumbling instructor and uh
actually instructed my two
daughters, so
[1:09:42] please keep him and his family
and your thoughts and prayers.
[1:09:46] OK, thank you. No.
[1:09:50] recognizing any other Council
member Lewis, I, I would like to
[1:09:53] send my deepest condolences out
to the family of
[1:09:55] Miss MagB over at Arthur
Langford
[1:09:59] Recreation Center on the loss of
her grandson last week
[1:10:02] It's MacB on the loss of her
grandson last week.
[1:10:06] OK.
[1:10:11] Maggie Womack. Yes, ma'am.
[1:10:14] Maggie Womack.
[1:10:20] OK. That's it. So.
[1:10:22] Let's do a moment of silence for
all of those mentioned
[1:10:26] and those that were not
mentioned.
[1:10:38] Thank you, Madam Clark, we've
been joined by council member
[1:10:42] Michael Julian Bond. So
[1:10:49] So that brings us to
[1:10:51] The remarks from the public,
we'll
[1:10:54] now hear from our remark, our,
our public, each
[1:10:58] speaker will have 2 minutes or
up to 10 minutes with
[1:11:00] dominated time pursuant to our
city code, the speakers who
[1:11:03] have received donated time will
be placed at the end
[1:11:07] of the speaker's list, and I do
[1:11:09] have the list before me, and
we'll get started with
[1:11:12] Maggie McCollum, Henri Jordan,
and
[1:11:14] Anthony Vaughn. You each have 2
minutes, you can come forward.
[1:11:23] Ms. McCollum, you have 2 minutes
[1:11:31] said.
[1:11:36] Sorry. Thanks.
[1:11:39] OK. Good afternoon.
[1:11:43] It's the small things that you
[1:11:46] Colossians 3:23, and whatever
you do, do it
[1:11:50] heartily as the Lord and not
unto
[1:11:52] men. It's a small things that's
important
[1:11:55] to them, how you do it
[1:11:57] show you care and give it all
that
[1:12:01] you got. Sometimes it's involves
things
[1:12:03] that you can feel like doing,
even something that
[1:12:06] you doesn't feel like that is
fair. Go the
[1:12:10] extra mile. Do it unto God. Keep
a good.
[1:12:13] attitude, be kind.
[1:12:17] We need to see examples in you.
[1:12:21] At Columbia Senior Residential
Center, 125 Logan
[1:12:24] Street, an 8088 year
[1:12:26] old senior is complaining about
the Atlanta
[1:12:30] Police Department closing
traffic to
[1:12:33] this facility for Wesley
[1:12:35] International Academy. That
needs to stop just
[1:12:39] in case they have an emergency
[1:12:42] Adamsville Green residents of 88
year
[1:12:46] old senior complaining about the
elevator who has been down for 6
months.
[1:12:51] some more. I tried to reach out
to commission council
[1:12:53] member Boone, I got no response
[1:12:57] At at 97
[1:13:00] Therakill Avenue. I'm gonna keep
[1:13:02] talking until it actually
happened. We want
[1:13:06] a recreation center built for
the youth.
[1:13:11] The adolescent, the toddlers,
and the seniors.
[1:13:15] Well, you know what? I
[1:13:18] want to do something in my
community. I go to
[1:13:20] the National senior game, the
state games. I
[1:13:24] bring back medals. I need to
[1:13:28] a place in my community
[1:13:31] I won 7 medals, 4 goals
[1:13:34] 3 silver. In the state games
[1:13:38] of Kentucky. So
[1:13:40] I'm not done yet. Please support
[1:13:43] me. Thank you.
[1:13:46] Thank you, Ms. McCollum. Henry
Jordan
[1:13:49] you have 2 minutes.
[1:13:54] Given on to the spirit of God,
everyone that's here
[1:13:56] Jesus said unto him, Thou
[1:14:00] shalt love the Lord thy God with
all thy heart, with all
[1:14:02] thy soul, with all thy mind.
Matthew 22 chapter
[1:14:05] 37 verse.
[1:14:08] Cu tables of the law is the
responsibility to God.
[1:14:12] If we do not love God, we ask
for death.
[1:14:16] And the second is likened to it.
Thou
[1:14:20] shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself.
[1:14:23] May the 22nd chapter 39 verse,
when you seek to
[1:14:26] put your behinds in my face, you
ask for death.
[1:14:30] Christ teach me to love myself.
[1:14:32] And ye shall know the truth
[1:14:35] and the truth shall make you
free. Saint John 8
[1:14:38] chapter 32 verse. They will not
be sentenced
[1:14:41] but blameless, free from the
power of sin.
[1:14:44] If you lie about what Christ has
done through me
[1:14:47] then I cannot give it to you.
[1:14:50] But whosoever shall deny me
before
[1:14:52] men hand will I also the night
before my father, which is
[1:14:55] in heaven, Saint Matthew's 10
chapter 3
[1:14:58] 3rd verse, Jesus constantly
called for
[1:15:01] an open confession of himself.
By
[1:15:04] its followers. When you deny
what Christ has done
[1:15:06] through me, how can I give it to
you?
[1:15:10] Christ. Did it for his glory.
[1:15:15] Not your glory. For the saving
of
[1:15:17] an enormous number of souls and
lives.
[1:15:21] Christ has more for us than we
have
[1:15:24] for ourselves. He can give
[1:15:26] us life where man said death.
That's when we
[1:15:30] serve Christ. That's when we
need him. You're living
[1:15:33] on his time, not your time. You
didn't give
[1:15:35] it to yourself. Christ gave it
to you, and
[1:15:38] you owe it to him to obey him.
[1:15:44] Thank you, Anthony Vaughn. You
have 2 minutes.
[1:15:46] Thank you.
[1:15:49] Good afternoon, humanitarian of
the Year.
[1:15:53] And President Overstreet.
[1:15:56] Esteemed people love this.
Atlanta City Council.
[1:15:58] My name is Anthony Vaughn.
[1:16:02] I believe what we need right now
more
[1:16:04] in our world and in our politics
[1:16:07] is raw authenticity.
[1:16:11] An example I now have.
[1:16:14] People Looking into an
organization.
[1:16:17] That took advantage of me and
has
[1:16:20] taken advantage of other people
worldwide.
[1:16:24] Ever since we were born. We have
been given
[1:16:27] pieces of our essence away. We
weren't handed
[1:16:31] a textbook on how to live on
God's green earth.
[1:16:34] But we were given the
opportunity to learn.
[1:16:38] Healing our essence, healing
ourselves is
[1:16:42] how we heal our everyday lives.
[1:16:46] And consequently, how we heal
our families, our
[1:16:49] cities, our states, and our
country.
[1:16:53] Healing can be weird. It can be
awkward
[1:16:56] and painful, but it is
ultimately.
[1:16:59] And power.
[1:17:03] This is an ecosystem. I have
studied nonstop
[1:17:07] since 2009. I've written a book
[1:17:09] and created daily media content
documenting this exact
[1:17:12] path to authenticity.
[1:17:14] Now, I'm bringing this blueprint
home.
[1:17:18] Using a local to global
framework, rooted
[1:17:21] in my challenged hometown of
Gary, Indiana
[1:17:23] anchored right here in Atlanta,
and built to scale worldwide.
[1:17:29] The balance and dark with light
initiative is a
[1:17:32] dual market model that grounds
deep psychological healing
[1:17:35] directly into municipal policy.
[1:17:38] We are seeking a strategic
partnership
[1:17:41] with Atlanta's neighborhood
planning units and youth
programs to bring structured
[1:17:44] healing centered workshops
[1:17:46] and mindset resources straight
to our local community
[1:17:50] gatherings first. By testing and
improving
[1:17:52] this framework here in Atlanta,
we will turn our city into a
[1:17:55] definitive blueprint for global
expansion. We have
[1:17:57] established B2B. I have
[1:18:01] left information right there for
you, and I would like to
[1:18:03] leave for Ms. Bakhtari as well.
Thank you. Yes
[1:18:06] ma'am. Thank you. Our next 3
speakers
[1:18:08] Dorothy Lanier, Todd Corley
[1:18:12] Laura Rudnick Key. You each have
[1:18:15] 2 minutes, please come forward.
[1:18:19] Miss Lanier, 2 minutes. Thank
you.
[1:18:22] Um, I come to speak to
[1:18:24] you all. Because
[1:18:28] I am 82 years old now. Can you
speak into your mic
[1:18:30] a little better. We'll start
over. I'm 82 years
[1:18:33] old now and I'm having to pay
[1:18:37] school taxes. My
[1:18:40] school taxes this year is 2900.
[1:18:42] And
[1:18:46] $9.84.
[1:18:48] And my total taxes because I I
applied to get it
[1:18:51] uh, help, and they helped, and
[1:18:54] they total tax is 3000, little
$3000.
[1:18:57] And I'm just wondering, why do I
have to pay school
[1:19:00] tax at this age. I've been here
in
[1:19:04] Atlanta area for 65 years. I've
raised 4
[1:19:07] kids, 3 of them graduated
college, and they
[1:19:11] got children that's in college
[1:19:13] so I'm asking you, why do I have
to pay this kind
[1:19:16] of school taxes. They raised my
[1:19:18] house note, I mean the value of
the house up
[1:19:22] over $100,000. And I wonder
[1:19:25] why they do that. I don't know,
but I would like to know and I
also like to bring. to
[1:19:29] your attention that um the wall
on
[1:19:32] North Avenue and Glen Iris Drive
[1:19:36] was painted to celebrate.
[1:19:38] 1996, the Olympics coming to
Atlanta, and
[1:19:41] they have not, and I have been
trying to get
[1:19:44] them to You know
[1:19:47] to, to make it look better. It
has won
[1:19:50] looked, it don't look good at
all, and we, we
[1:19:53] would like to try to get
something done there too
[1:19:56] And so if you know any way that
we can get these tickets that
[1:19:59] this $2000 900 taxes
[1:20:02] paid this year. Please let me
know. I'm
[1:20:05] at 596 Glen Iris Drive Northeast
Atlanta
[1:20:08] Been there 55 years, OK, that
[1:20:10] right across the street from
Punt City Market
[1:20:14] and now. They want me to
continue
[1:20:16] to pay all these taxes, and I
can't cause I'm on
[1:20:19] a limited income. Lanier
[1:20:23] I hear you. You have the pass
forward chair
[1:20:25] for APS on our council. Her name
is council
[1:20:28] member Aisha, she will be able
to help you. What I call
[1:20:30] the office and I couldn't get
through, you know, the voicemail
[1:20:34] is full, so that's how you're
gonna have to get
[1:20:37] that addressed. I, I really
[1:20:41] OK. She's she's gonna come over
to the side and speak with you.
All right
[1:20:44] thank you.
[1:20:46] Todd Corley, you have 2 minutes.
[1:20:50] Oh, I Just
[1:20:56] Hey, good afternoon, council
president
[1:20:59] uh, council members, uh, my name
is Todd Corley and
[1:21:02] I live in District 6 off of
[1:21:05] the Cheshirebridge Road corridor
[1:21:08] For years, we've been advocating
for improvements along
[1:21:10] the Cheshire Bridge Road
corridor. I myself rode with
[1:21:13] the Atlanta Department of
Transportation over 2
[1:21:17] years ago seeking improvements
to Cheshire Bridge Road
[1:21:19] to the corridor and the side
streets.
[1:21:23] We continue to not have any
improvement
[1:21:26] The crosswalks along Cheshire
Bridge Road are not
[1:21:29] complete. Students cannot safely
cross
[1:21:33] the street to, uh, board
[1:21:35] their bus and accidents continue
to happen along the
[1:21:39] Lindbergh Drive corridor. I'm
asking this council
[1:21:42] to focus its efforts on
improving
[1:21:45] the transportation along our
streets to
[1:21:48] stop wasting our tax dollars,
millions of
[1:21:51] our tax dollars on
[1:21:54] surveillance technology such as
Flock. We're spending
[1:21:57] millions and millions upon
dollars on
[1:22:00] technology that is best 1 in
[1:22:03] 3 times wrong.
[1:22:06] This council has an opportunity
to really lead in
[1:22:09] the decisions that we make and
the improvements that
[1:22:11] we make along our corridors and
along our
[1:22:15] busy streets, and I'm seeking
action. I've attempted
[1:22:18] to get that through my
councilman Juan, and it's
[1:22:21] not happening quickly enough. So
[1:22:24] again, uh, seeking action and
improvement
[1:22:27] Cheshire Bridge Road corridor.
[1:22:30] Thank you. Our next speaker
[1:22:32] is Laura Rutnie. You have 2
minutes.
[1:22:36] Hello, members of council. I'm
here because I
[1:22:39] am extremely concerned about
what has happened in Midtown
over the
[1:22:43] past year. I want to know what
the council is actually going to
do
[1:22:45] about the homeless problem. I
understand
[1:22:48] that homelessness is a problem
in every major city, and
[1:22:51] I believe experiencing
homelessness deserves
[1:22:54] compassion, housing, and mental
health care, but what is
happening in Midtown has
[1:22:58] become a seriously serious
public
[1:23:01] safety issue. I live about 8
minutes' walk from
[1:23:03] Piedmont Park, and almost every
morning I wake up to homeless
people.
[1:23:06] passed out in the streets or
going through the trash. I've
[1:23:09] had men looking in my windows. I
was attacked by a man who
[1:23:12] threatened to take my life, and
most recently a
[1:23:15] person experiencing homelessness
was outside my door and followed
me while I was
[1:23:18] walking my dogs. These are not
statistics, these
[1:23:21] are things happening to people
who live here
[1:23:23] I'm deeply I'm also deeply
concerned about the way
[1:23:26] Atlanta handles people who are
clearly suffering from
[1:23:30] serious psychiatric problems,
too often it seems that these
people
[1:23:32] are arrested, placed into an
already overcrowded jail, and
eventually.
[1:23:37] released back onto the streets
without receiving the
[1:23:39] treatment they need. That is not
helping them and that is not
[1:23:43] protecting the community. I, uh,
the
[1:23:45] recent stabbing at Cro Kroger on
the belt line should force the
city
[1:23:48] to ask whether there were
opportunities to
[1:23:52] intervene before before someone
lost their life. When someone
has a history
[1:23:55] of repeated arrests and apparent
mental health
[1:23:59] needs simply continuing to cycle
that person through the
[1:24:01] criminal justice system is not a
solution. Also
[1:24:04] you haven't read the statement
from Dan. Nathan Hamley's family
[1:24:08] I highly recommend you do. It is
devastating
[1:24:10] I've looked at what the council
has done regarding the
homelessness here, and I am
[1:24:13] concerned that one of the most
visible action has been putting
[1:24:17] a pause on plans for additional
homeless housing and shelters.
[1:24:20] Um, I am not asking you to
simply
[1:24:22] move homeless people somewhere
else. I'm asking for a real
[1:24:26] solution. Psychiatric treatment
for people who need it
[1:24:28] appropriate shelters and
supportive housing, better
coordination between
[1:24:31] the police and mental health
professionals in a
[1:24:35] system that actually breaks the
cycle. I should not have to be
afraid
[1:24:37] to walk my dogs or worry about
someone outside my door. Um
[1:24:40] thank you. Your time is up
[1:24:44] That's about growing. Thank you
so much for speak with
[1:24:47] us today. Thank you.
[1:24:51] Our next 3 speakers, Eula Samuel
[1:24:55] Michael Collins, Tiffany Roberts
you each have 2 minutes, you can
[1:24:58] come forward.
[1:25:11] Good afternoon. I am
[1:25:13] live on Morgan Place, Southeast
in
[1:25:16] Atlanta at a house across the
street
[1:25:20] is 372. There's a very large
[1:25:22] Oak, very tall, that is
[1:25:25] in front of 372 Morgan Place
[1:25:29] I understand and I learned in
2013
[1:25:32] that the tree belongs to the
city of Atlanta.
[1:25:36] It is over 30
[1:25:39] ft tall, and if it falls, it's
gonna fall on
[1:25:42] my house. The tree looks
diseased
[1:25:45] to me and the Rossa on top of
the
[1:25:48] ground, and I was just wondering
if the city could
[1:25:51] come out and check that tray.
Because
[1:25:54] I reported a tree
[1:25:58] and 1978 and told the city that
it was going
[1:26:01] to fall. They said they came out
and
[1:26:03] the very next and they said it
[1:26:06] was healthy. The very next week
it fell across the
[1:26:10] street. So I was just hoping
that, um, the city
[1:26:12] can come out and check the tree.
And thank you
[1:26:16] for allowing me to speak.
[1:26:19] Thank you. I think your council
members on the way to speak
[1:26:23] with you.
[1:26:26] Next speaker, Michael Collins.
You have 2 minutes.
[1:26:30] Hey everybody, I moved to
[1:26:34] Atlanta from Baltimore in August
[1:26:37] of 2022 and got involved with a
number of local
[1:26:39] groups on criminal justice
reform
[1:26:42] Remember, the same month that I
moved, the
[1:26:45] mayor used, you know, what's
become a famous phrase, we
[1:26:48] are not in the jailing business.
Um
[1:26:51] this came against the backdrop
of a
[1:26:54] broken promise where he
[1:26:57] had supported repurposing the
Atlanta City Detention Center
[1:27:00] AC DC. turning it
[1:27:02] into a diversion
[1:27:06] center and organizations, groups
were very disappointed
[1:27:08] Nevertheless, we worked very
hard to do
[1:27:11] what we always do, which is try
and reduce the geo population
[1:27:15] in Fulton County. It's the site,
as you know, of a lot
[1:27:17] of deaths, um, 15 deaths in 2022
[1:27:20] 10 deaths in 2023. We
[1:27:24] always knew that increasing the
jail population, building a new
deal
[1:27:28] increasing space was never going
to be the solution, and we
actually did a lot. lot
[1:27:31] of work to reduce the ge
population in the interim
[1:27:35] So it's especially disappointing
to read in the newspapers that
[1:27:38] we are striking a deal as the
city
[1:27:42] of Atlanta to now sail
[1:27:44] AC DC to Fulton County. Let's
just think about what
[1:27:47] that means. That means we are
getting in the jail business
[1:27:51] We're getting in the jail
business, not just with Fulton
County but with
[1:27:54] Sheriff Patrick Labat, who
[1:27:56] has overseen a lot of death and
destruction
[1:28:00] um, who has been an individual
res. Responsible for a lot
[1:28:03] of corruption, um, this, the,
the jail
[1:28:05] itself is under a consent decree
and this
[1:28:09] is also coming at a time where
the
[1:28:11] mayor and his office are playing
games with Pat
[1:28:14] the diversion center, and so all
of
[1:28:17] this is tremendously
disappointing
[1:28:20] It's happening behind closed
doors. In a few
[1:28:23] hours, the mayor is going to
walk
[1:28:25] in legislation affirming the
seal, and I encourage a level
[1:28:29] of scrutiny and opposition from
this body. Thank you.
[1:28:34] Thank you. Tiffany Roberts, you
have 2 minutes.
[1:28:42] OK.
[1:28:47] Uh, good, good afternoon. This
is my daughter, Marielle. She's
out
[1:28:50] of school today and so I thought
it would be good for
[1:28:53] her to join me. As you all know,
I'm the director
[1:28:56] of public policy at the Southern
Center for Human Rights, um, and
there
[1:28:59] are hard copies of the two
orders I emailed to you
[1:29:01] all last week about Sheriff
[1:29:04] Labott's material breach of a
lawsuit
[1:29:07] a settlement regarding the
treatment of women with
[1:29:10] serious mental illnesses
initially at the South Fulton
[1:29:12] annex, currently at the Atlanta
City Detention Center
[1:29:16] I think it's important for us to
talk about this because the
[1:29:19] Atlanta City Detention Center
continues to be raised up as
[1:29:22] a remedy for uh Sheriff Labott
in Fulton
[1:29:24] County, honestly, their failures
to keep
[1:29:27] incarcerated people safe. I want
to just make
[1:29:30] the record for what this
material breach entails
[1:29:32] First, simple tracking
requirements. The sheriff is
required by
[1:29:36] the settlement to track um the
refusal of
[1:29:39] the rec or the receipt of
services for women
[1:29:42] with serious mental illnesses
now at the Atlanta City
Detention
[1:29:44] Center. He continues to be
unable to document.
[1:29:48] whether people are receiving
services or refusing services
[1:29:52] Second, out of sale requirements
People, women who
[1:29:55] are incarcerated with mental
illness are supposed to
[1:29:57] be receiving 4 hours of out out
of cell
[1:30:00] time at the Atlanta City
Detention Center on a daily
basis. The
[1:30:03] sheriff refuses to do that even
though when he does not do it at
Rice Street
[1:30:06] he says it's because of the
building. What is the
[1:30:09] justification for it not
happening in AC
[1:30:11] DC also safeguard requirements
for people when they're out
[1:30:15] of cell and it should be jarring
that the sheriff
[1:30:18] even refuses to provide reading
materials
[1:30:22] that are required by the
settlement. People are being
[1:30:24] required to pay for them or to
get them from the chaplain. I
[1:30:27] raise this because it needs to
be
[1:30:30] really clear that you are not
saving one
[1:30:33] life by by selling this jail,
not
[1:30:35] one. And if we don't check the
sheriff, if
[1:30:38] someone doesn't name him and
name his conduct as
[1:30:40] we're discussing the sale, the
debts for which you have
[1:30:44] not apologized that have
happened during the term of this
[1:30:47] lease will continue. Thank you.
[1:30:51] Thank you, Ms. Roberts. Our next
[1:30:53] three speakers, Mariel Roberts.
[1:30:56] King. And
[1:31:00] Christopher Bruce. You each have
2 minutes.
[1:31:05] Mario Roberts. Hi, my name is
Marielle and I'm
[1:31:07] in the 7th grade. I worship and
work
[1:31:11] in Atlanta, Georgia. I'm a
graduate of Ebenezer
[1:31:14] Baptist Church's first Freedom
youth organizing school.
[1:31:16] For my whole life I've seen
elders like my mom
[1:31:20] Miss Marilyn Wynn, and my
ancestor Marissa McCall Dodson
fight
[1:31:23] to close the jail. In June of
[1:31:26] 2026, I went to Ebenezer Baptist
Church's Freedom Day bailout.
[1:31:30] While there, I saw numerous
young people without many things
that they
[1:31:33] need, like shoes and homes. As a
[1:31:36] young person, it is hurtful to
watch people who
[1:31:39] care so much about others being
ignored by people who say
[1:31:43] they care about my generation.
We need resources
[1:31:45] like wellness centers, not more
jails that hold
[1:31:48] people back and are
intentionally designed to ruin
them
[1:31:50] Thank you. And remember, there
is still time to keep your
promise.
[1:31:54] Thank you.
[1:32:01] Roberta Meyers. Um, I know, I, I
[1:32:05] Roberta Meyers is number 13, 4,
15 is Conne King.
[1:32:10] You both can come forward though
or close to the front.
[1:32:19] Thank you. You have 2 minutes. I
thought y'all trying to skip me
[1:32:22] Not really. Good afternoon
[1:32:26] council members in City of
Atlanta residents. I'm Roberta
[1:32:28] Meyers, vice president of state
strategy and
[1:32:31] reentry at the Legal Action
Center. We're a
[1:32:35] national nonprofit law and
policy organization committed
[1:32:37] to fighting discrimination,
defending dignity
[1:32:40] and supporting justice. We are
members of the community
[1:32:43] of Cages Coalition, a group of
local
[1:32:46] and national organizations
fighting to end mass
criminalization and to see the
[1:32:50] city of Atlanta, Fulton County
reduced its carceral footprint
by
[1:32:53] eliminating their reliance
[1:32:57] on incarceration and other forms
of punishment as
[1:32:59] their public strategy. In 2022
[1:33:02] the council went against the
community when hundreds of
[1:33:04] us stood before this body on
[1:33:08] multiple occasions to say it was
a horrible
[1:33:11] idea to lease the Atlanta City
Detention Center to Fulton
[1:33:13] County. We're telling you it's
an even worse idea to
[1:33:17] sell the building to Fulton
County. What does
[1:33:20] the community stand to gain?
Nothing
[1:33:22] nothing but more death. Yes,
more mismanagement
[1:33:25] and more wasteful spending, we
told Julie
[1:33:28] and the beds was not going to
help end overcrowding
[1:33:31] in Fulton in the Fulton County
jail system. We told you it
[1:33:34] would not end the inhumane
treatment and lack
[1:33:36] of care of individuals that
would lead to more deaths
[1:33:40] We told you it would not be a
financial benefit
[1:33:42] to the city, but instead of
financial
[1:33:45] liability. You didn't listen to
us. You listened to Mayor
[1:33:49] Dickens and one of the culprits
that sustains
[1:33:51] the practices and policies that
keep that jail. And the
[1:33:54] people in in crisis and in
danger
[1:33:58] Do not allow your minds to be
wiped clean of all the
[1:34:00] work and resources that went
into reimagining a
[1:34:03] better use of that building and
its land. The mayor
[1:34:07] moved right past what the people
wanted. To his
[1:34:09] own agenda, agenda. Atlanta's
wanted
[1:34:12] a comprehensive health and
wellness center that includes
space
[1:34:16] for career training, a health
clinic, short-term
[1:34:18] and transitional housing, mental
health services, drug
[1:34:21] and alcohol treatment, and more.
Who really stands
[1:34:24] to benefit from the sale of ACDC
[1:34:27] It definitely isn't Atlantans.
[1:34:30] Thank you. Connect King, you
have 2 minutes.
[1:34:39] Good afternoon. My name is
Connette King, and I'm the
[1:34:43] movement policy associate at the
Southern Center for Human
[1:34:45] Rights, and today I urge you to
transparency
[1:34:48] accountability, and informed
decision making regarding
[1:34:50] the future of the Atlanta City
Detention Center. Southern
Center has
[1:34:54] invited all city council members
to attend our Justice
[1:34:56] Watch program, which is a
community-based court watching
[1:34:59] monitoring program that allows
residents to observe
[1:35:03] firsthand how our criminal legal
system operates
[1:35:06] Those invitations remain open
because it is critical for you
to see.
[1:35:10] where resources are being spent
and how decisions
[1:35:13] are made in this chamber affect
the people in real
[1:35:16] time. Now that the city has
agreed to sell the jail, you
[1:35:19] need, you need a clear window
into the realities
[1:35:21] of pre-trial detention, court
delays
[1:35:25] bond practices, and the ways
people become trapped in
[1:35:28] the system simply because they
cannot afford
[1:35:30] to navigate it. The mayor has
now agreed to not
[1:35:33] only put Fulton's incarcerated
population
[1:35:37] at risk, but also those detained
by the city of Atlanta.
[1:35:41] Selling the jail risk moving
public resources
[1:35:44] away from investments that
actually
[1:35:46] improve safety and stability in
our communities
[1:35:50] including our organization's
names are proposals without
[1:35:53] so much as a word
[1:35:56] to us is shocking. We encourage
every city council member
[1:35:59] to demonstrate authentic
compassion for those in the
[1:36:02] criminal legal system by
witnessing the
[1:36:06] process firsthand and use that
knowledge to
[1:36:08] guide decisions about the future
of the jail. The The Public
[1:36:11] deserves policies grounded in
observation, data
[1:36:15] and community experience, not
assumptions
[1:36:18] Before doing Mayor Dickens'
bidding, consider the
[1:36:22] failures of your most recent
decisions concerning the jail.
[1:36:25] Choose to do right by the
community, not just in word
[1:36:29] but by deed. Thank you.
[1:36:32] Thank you. Chris
[1:36:35] Bruce, you have 2 minutes.
[1:36:39] Thank you, CA president, members
of
[1:36:42] Atlanta City Council. My name is
Christopher Bruce, deputy
[1:36:44] executive director of the ACLU
of
[1:36:47] Georgia throughout, uh, this
moment in time, we
[1:36:50] have seen in this nation, flawed
cameras
[1:36:53] being misused by the police,
literally
[1:36:56] the people who are sworn to
protect and serve the
[1:36:59] community is now spying on them.
[1:37:02] Tomorrow, we expect an audit
from the Atlanta Police
Department
[1:37:05] dealing with surveillance
technology in the city. Let me
tell you.
[1:37:09] We are in support of this
[1:37:11] audit to let us know what's been
happening. But we want to
[1:37:14] go further than that. It
shouldn't be something that is
just
[1:37:17] called upon at will. That's why
[1:37:20] there needs to be an ordinance
[1:37:23] to call on the Atlanta Police
Department, as well as the city
[1:37:25] of Atlanta, dealing with
surveillance technology, and
[1:37:28] that's the purpose of C COPS,
Community
[1:37:32] control over police surveillance
It is
[1:37:34] a surveillance technology
transparency ordinance.
[1:37:38] I wanna thank now the members of
the council who
[1:37:41] have met with the city, with the
ACLU of
[1:37:43] Georgia. Thank you to all of you
for listening
[1:37:46] to your constituents and members
of the community
[1:37:49] who care about this subject. But
I also want to leave
[1:37:52] the door open to the members of
the council who we have
[1:37:55] not talked to. You know who you
are
[1:37:59] We will she's laughing because
we did meet with the city
council president
[1:38:01] Thank you, councilor. That
wasn't even
[1:38:05] a callout. It really wasn't.
[1:38:08] Let me be clear about this.
Because there is
[1:38:10] a lot of things that are going
on
[1:38:13] This is not being about.
[1:38:17] Anti-technology or anything
about anti-public safety
[1:38:20] This is about accountability. It
is
[1:38:23] about automatically putting in
place
[1:38:28] um, surveillance technology
guard rails. So an audit can
tell
[1:38:30] us what happened. Sea cops can
help us
[1:38:33] make sure that there's oversight
[1:38:37] before something happens. Let's
do the right thing
[1:38:39] right now. So as the city
council looks over and works
with
[1:38:42] the mayor's office, we also want
you to work with the community.
Thank you.
[1:38:46] Well, I'm glad I
[1:38:49] actually sat did catch me and I
got tickled
[1:38:53] I'm sorry. OK, moving to our
[1:38:55] next three speakers, Emmett
[1:38:58] Lump, Sheila Louder, and
[1:39:00] Pollard Coppersmith. Cooper
Smith. Coppersmith.
[1:39:05] We'll start with Emmett.
[1:39:09] Lump. 2
[1:39:11] minutes. Cool. All right. Uh, my
name is Emmett Lumpy. I live in
[1:39:15] Capitol View. Can you mic
[1:39:17] Yes, Is that better? Yes, OK,
cool. My name is
[1:39:20] Emmett Lumpy. I live in Capitol
View. Um, I'd like to start by
giving a huge
[1:39:23] thank you, uh, to council member
Kelsey Bond for leading the
[1:39:26] charge on establishing a data
center task force. Um
[1:39:29] my understanding is that the
mayor's office is ultimately
going to be carrying
[1:39:32] out this investigation, but
raising awareness and
understanding is such
[1:39:35] a vital step. Um, from what I
can tell, the mayor's process
[1:39:38] is not going to include any
public meetings or hearings. So
I'm here today.
[1:39:41] to share some things I've
learned in my 13+ years in
[1:39:43] the power industry. Um, so I
want to start with the basics,
which
[1:39:47] is what does 100 megawatts even
look like? Um
[1:39:49] I say 100 megawatts because
that's a relatively moderate
[1:39:52] sized data center from what I've
been seeing
[1:39:55] something that we might feel
comfortable putting in a, in
[1:39:58] the neighborhood across the
street from a major transit hub.
Um
[1:40:01] 100 megawatts exceeds the peak
load of
[1:40:03] numerous communities in Georgia.
Um, for instance, our neighbors
[1:40:07] in East Point have a peak load
of 92 megawatts, um, like the
whole city, the.
[1:40:10] homes, the businesses, the
industry
[1:40:13] everything there. Um, East Point
is about
[1:40:16] 40,000 people. Uh,
coincidentally, that's
approximately
[1:40:19] the same population as each of
Elena's 12
[1:40:21] districts. So, uh, moderate 100
megawatt data
[1:40:25] center consumes approximately
the same amount of power as each
one
[1:40:27] of your districts. Um, in my
opinion
[1:40:32] that should give us some pause.
That's a lot of resource
consumption. How
[1:40:34] are your constituents going to
be impacted as the strain on the
power
[1:40:38] grid continues to increase. Uh,
will they have the power that
they need?
[1:40:41] or will they be literally left
in the dark. Um
[1:40:44] since I think the mayor's data
center strategy will
[1:40:47] not include public opinion. I'm
calling on the members of city
council to ensure that
[1:40:50] the magnitude of the impact on
Atlanta's communities is
[1:40:54] fully understood. Thank you for
your time.
[1:40:57] Thank you, Sheila Louder, you
have 2 minutes.
[1:41:08] Good afternoon, counsel. I'm
here
[1:41:12] representing my son Steven, uh,
who could not get off
[1:41:15] from work today, but I am
[1:41:17] here because of the runaround he
is
[1:41:20] getting when his car was damaged
by the city
[1:41:23] of Atlanta Forestry truck
[1:41:26] and it has been almost 7 months
[1:41:29] and he has constantly been
calling
[1:41:31] not getting any
[1:41:34] responses and he has submitted
all the
[1:41:37] necessary paperwork and
Surprisingly this morning
[1:41:41] Miss Johnson, who is an
investigator, called him and
[1:41:44] said, Guess what? We're going to
be
[1:41:46] resolving your claim and you
should be getting reimbursement
in
[1:41:50] 2 to 3 weeks after 7 months of
[1:41:53] him chasing somebody to get this
resolved. He works as a
[1:41:56] security guard at Maddox Park,
and
[1:42:00] he submitted everything that day
it happened
[1:42:02] however, my concern is, is that
she
[1:42:06] told him that you're gonna get
your reimbursement. but because
of the
[1:42:09] age of the car, you're not going
to get the
[1:42:13] full reimbursement of what your
estimates were
[1:42:15] Well, surprised, the car is paid
for. It's
[1:42:18] been in our family 20 years.
Tell me why
[1:42:22] when. Tell me why he is not
[1:42:24] going to get full reimbursement
of an estimate for
[1:42:27] something that the city has, has
done to
[1:42:31] his car. When you file an
insurance claim
[1:42:34] you don't have to when you are
not at fault
[1:42:36] you don't have to pay a
deductible, you get whatever
[1:42:40] the estimate is
[1:42:42] President Overstreet, you were
[1:42:45] sent some information about one
of your relatives because we
know
[1:42:48] your relative and we haven't
heard from you either, so we'd
like to
[1:42:51] get this resolved as soon as
possible. Thank you.
[1:42:56] Thank you. Thank you.
[1:43:01] Color Cooper Smith. You have 2
minutes.
[1:43:11] Good afternoon, Councilwoman
Overstreet and members
[1:43:14] of council. I'm Paula Cooper
Smith.
[1:43:18] And I'm, I live in Lakewood
Heights
[1:43:21] I'm speaking in support of the
Peachtree Circle
[1:43:25] historic designation today.
Peachtree
[1:43:27] Circle in Lakewood Heights could
hardly look more different, but
when
[1:43:30] it comes to protecting the
history and character of
[1:43:33] our neighborhoods, excuse me, I
think
[1:43:35] that that's a zoning issue and
it has to go through the
[1:43:39] zoning process. I'm not sure if
we can speak on that. Is, isn't
that on our agenda?
[1:43:41] For zoning. Or
[1:43:45] no? The law department said yes,
we cannot
[1:43:48] speak on legislation that is on
our
[1:43:50] agenda concerning zoning.
[1:43:54] OK. You
[1:43:57] have to use the process for that
and that would
[1:44:01] be through
[1:44:04] uh ZRB and that process. All
right, I'll check on the
[1:44:08] MU all right, thank you, thank
you so much.
[1:44:19] Lisa Hoffman, Joan Lehman, and
[1:44:22] Roger Smith, you're our next
three speakers. You have 2
[1:44:24] minutes each.
[1:44:31] Good afternoon, Madam Chair and
members of council. My
[1:44:35] name is Lisa Hoffman. I live at
41
[1:44:37] Peachtree Circle. Let's begin
with a basic question. Why
[1:44:40] does the city preserve anything?
Why do
[1:44:44] we protect a park? Why do we
protect a
[1:44:46] tree canopy? Why do we establish
setbacks, regulate building
heights
[1:44:49] or protect the character of
[1:44:52] a neighborhood. We do these
things because the city is more
than a
[1:44:55] collection of individually owned
parcels. A
[1:44:58] city is also a collection of
shared places.
[1:45:02] Streets, buildings, landscapes,
neighborhoods, and
[1:45:04] public spaces together create
the physical
[1:45:07] identity of Atlanta. And while
[1:45:09] individual properties may be
privately owned, the experience
of
[1:45:13] those places is shared by all of
us
[1:45:16] That is the fundamental public
interest behind
[1:45:20] historic preservation. Historic
preservation
[1:45:22] recognizes that some places
acquire significance
[1:45:25] beyond their property lines.
They tell
[1:45:28] us something about how Atlanta
developed, how Atlantans lived.
[1:45:31] How our architecture evolved and
[1:45:34] how generations of citizens
shaped this city once they are
lost
[1:45:36] They they cannot truly be
[1:45:40] recreated. Atlanta's historic
[1:45:42] preservation provisions
recognize precisely
[1:45:45] that principle. Places of
specific
[1:45:48] special historic and
architectural
[1:45:50] value possess aesthetic
educational, economic
[1:45:54] and historic value that can be
[1:45:56] irreplacecibly lost through
destruction and neglect. That
[1:45:59] is why preservation is not.
[1:46:03] Simply nostalgia. It is
stewardship. Our respons
[1:46:05] our responsibility is not to
prevent change. Cities
[1:46:09] must change. Our responsibility
is to determine
[1:46:12] what should change, what should
endure, and
[1:46:15] how the two can coexist.
Historic preservation
[1:46:19] gives Atlanta one means of
making those decisions
deliberately rather
[1:46:23] than accidentally because a city
that
[1:46:26] preserves nothing eventually it
loses the ability to tell its
own
[1:46:29] story and preserving that story
is a legit legitimate public
[1:46:32] interest. Thank you. Thank you.
And for the record, thank you
[1:46:35] for speaking about the purpose
of
[1:46:38] preservation instead of a
legislative item.
[1:46:41] Our next speaker is
[1:46:44] Joan Lemon. Good
[1:46:48] afternoon, everyone. Thank you.
My name is Joan Lyman. I
[1:46:50] live at 116 Peachtree Circle
[1:46:53] and while Lisa talked about why
preservation serves
[1:46:57] a public purpose, I would like
to tell you how
[1:46:59] cities protect that public
interest.
[1:47:02] They use zoning Every property
in
[1:47:04] Atlanta already exists within a
framework of framework
[1:47:08] of public regulations, zoning
determines the
[1:47:11] uses of what occurs on a
property, it establishes the
height
[1:47:14] the density, the actual setbacks
and how
[1:47:17] much coverage on the lot. Other
regulations
[1:47:20] can govern trees, stormwater,
buildings.
[1:47:24] And streets we accept these
regulations
[1:47:27] because decisions made on one
parcel will affect the
[1:47:30] other neighbors, their streets,
their infrastructure, property
values
[1:47:33] and the larger city.
[1:47:36] Historic preservation
regulations rest exactly on the
[1:47:39] same principle. Historic
districts are
[1:47:42] not exceptions to zoning. They
are the expressions
[1:47:46] to zoning traditional zoning
questions asked such as
[1:47:49] how tall can the building be?
Who may, how much can it stand
[1:47:51] to the street, and how may the
lot, how much of the
[1:47:55] lot can it be occupied
[1:47:57] ? Historic preservation zoning
adds another legitimate question
[1:48:00] When a place possesses a
[1:48:04] recognized historic
architectural or cultural
[1:48:07] how should they change so the
public does
[1:48:09] not unnecessarily lose that
value. This is
[1:48:14] not an extraordinary exercise to
government authority. It is
[1:48:16] an ordinary exercise to zoning
authority that
[1:48:20] is applied to extraordinary
[1:48:22] resources and importantly,
historic preservation zoning
does
[1:48:25] not require for a building to
remain unchanged
[1:48:27] It establishes a process of
review and these, these.
[1:48:32] distinctions matter. The purpose
is not to turn neighborhoods
[1:48:34] into museums. The purpose is to
[1:48:38] manage significant change
thoughtfully
[1:48:40] and particularly changes that
affect the public facing
[1:48:43] characteristics that give a
place its identity
[1:48:45] cities constantly balanced
between property rights and
public interest.
[1:48:49] And balancing at the heart of
zoning itself. Thank you.
[1:48:52] for coming to speak with us
[1:48:56] today. Our next Our next is
Roger. Excuse me, your 2 minutes
[1:48:58] is up. Thank you so much for
coming today
[1:49:01] Thank you
[1:49:04] Roger Smith, David Mitchell. You
each have
[1:49:07] 2 minutes. You both can come
forward.
[1:49:12] Well, I'm obviously not Roger
Smith
[1:49:16] I'm Penelope Sheroff. I live at
238
[1:49:18] Peachtree Circle. Just a second,
did you sign up to speak today?
I didn't
[1:49:21] Roger just left and they said it
was OK. I could speak to what he
[1:49:25] said is definitely not OK to
just take Roger's place because
[1:49:28] you have several that have
signed up, but
[1:49:31] thank you, um, so that takes us
to
[1:49:34] David Mitchell, Kaylin Gilstrap
[1:49:37] and Jennifer Brooks, you each
have
[1:49:39] 2 minutes. David Mitchell, 2
minutes. David Yoe Mitchell 3:20
[1:49:43] 7 Saint Paul Avenue, Southeast
Atlanta
[1:49:46] Georgia 30312. I found it kind
of fascinating at the beginning
of
[1:49:48] the invocation that we discussed
the complexity of the long
memory
[1:49:52] historic preservation is that
and then some, um, as a
Southerner, I can tell
[1:49:55] you this, memory is something
that never ends. It always
exists
[1:49:58] and people never forget what it
was done for
[1:50:01] them and the things that make
life worth living. With that
being said
[1:50:04] I want to read into the, I want
to emphasize historic
preservation
[1:50:06] is vital because it protects
community identity, supports
[1:50:10] economic revitalization,
strength and sustainability, and
safeguards the storage.
[1:50:13] embedded in historic buildings
and places.
[1:50:17] Stoic preservation has
consistently resulted in greater
appreciation of home values over
[1:50:18] time and
[1:50:21] more resilience during economic
downturns
[1:50:24] Realtors can can and should tout
historic materials and design
[1:50:26] as a value-added asset. This is
important
[1:50:29] to counter charges that
excessive
[1:50:32] regulation adds undue burdens on
historic property owners. These
arguments
[1:50:35] noteworthy for older
neighborhoods that do not
[1:50:38] have the benefit of protections
as they may not be vulnerable to
[1:50:42] cyclical economic downturns. The
foreclosure
[1:50:44] market offers further supporting
data about the. Lower period,
I'm sorry
[1:50:47] the lower financial risk of
owning protected
[1:50:50] historic properties. During the
2008, 2013 time period in
[1:50:53] Raleigh, North Carolina, where
my son goes to school, who's
[1:50:56] using this meeting as part of
his class, so all of you will be
in
[1:50:58] a class in Raleigh, North
Carolina, NC State
[1:51:01] go pack. Local districts had
[1:51:05] 28.8% foreclosures per 1000
households compared to the
citywide
[1:51:07] average of 100 per 1000
households. This
[1:51:11] premise also held up in the San
Antonio where foreclosures in
all 9 of
[1:51:13] its historic districts were less
than or in
[1:51:16] one case equal to the citywide
average. So the idea that a
historic district
[1:51:19] somehow or another devalues your
home is bunk. It's
[1:51:22] not true. It's a constant
misleading thing, and I'm tired
of hearing it. Historic
[1:51:23] preservation is of
[1:51:25] value. It adds culture, it adds
identity, it
[1:51:29] does something that gives you a
sense of purpose, and I, I, it
is
[1:51:31] an exhausting conversation to
Continue to defend who and what
you are
[1:51:33] and particularly as the
executive director of the
Atlanta Preservation Center.
[1:51:34] It's my craft. It's
[1:51:38] what I do and I do it all over
the city with great vigor
[1:51:40] and pride, and it's something we
should all feel the same way
about. Thank you.
[1:51:43] Thank you.
[1:51:47] Cylin Gilstrap, you have 2
minutes.
[1:52:00] Good afternoon, Council
President Overstreet and members
[1:52:03] of the city council. My name is
[1:52:06] Kaitlin Gilstrap. I'm a member
of the Sylvan
[1:52:09] Hills community. In 2024,
Atlanta
[1:52:12] City Council passed legislation
to
[1:52:15] prohibit data centers with
within half a mile of
high-capacity
[1:52:18] transit stops. An exception was
proposed near West End
[1:52:21] MARTA and withdrawn after
[1:52:24] community opposition. That same
year
[1:52:26] the city helped acquire the
former mall
[1:52:30] West End across the street. Now
that property is well on
[1:52:32] its way to becoming one West End
[1:52:35] a roughly 4450
[1:52:39] million mixed income, mixed use
development
[1:52:41] with 900 homes, retail
[1:52:44] a grocery store, and a hotel to
be built around its access
[1:52:46] to Marta. This is exactly the
kind
[1:52:50] of investment in South Atlanta
we want and need.
[1:52:53] So what changed? Now that one
West
[1:52:56] End is shovel ready and the
Atlanta Urban
[1:52:59] Development Corporation and
Invest Atlanta have spent more
than a million dollars
[1:53:02] in public dollars to get it
rolling. Were they told
[1:53:06] that the city council would
provide the
[1:53:08] same site-specific zoning
exception directly across the
street.
[1:53:12] Did they see this company?
Because the
[1:53:15] community didn't.
[1:53:18] Atlanta City Council cannot tell
residents
[1:53:20] public agencies, and private
development partners
[1:53:24] that this is the future.
[1:53:27] We're investing and then quietly
reconsider
[1:53:30] a conflicting land use across
the street.
[1:53:33] Explain the repeated
contradiction
[1:53:38] and please stop this exception
altogether. Atlanta has already
invested
[1:53:42] invested in an exciting future
for Westernnd neighbors.
[1:53:44] And our nearby students.
[1:53:48] This is twice now. Protect
[1:53:51] that investment and that legacy
once and for all. I'm asking
[1:53:55] for counsel to stop advancing
any exception to this
legislation.
[1:53:58] Thank you.
[1:54:02] Thank you.
[1:54:05] Jennifer Brooks. 2 minutes.
[1:54:09] Thank you very much. Uh, good
afternoon and thank you all.
[1:54:13] Uh, for letting me speak. I'm
Jennifer Brooks. I live
[1:54:16] on Centennial Olympic Park Drive
[1:54:19] I want to address um an
[1:54:22] item that's on the consent
agenda that I really wish
[1:54:25] would pause. It's
[1:54:27] um 26-R. 3953, that
[1:54:31] would be a road diet on
Centennial Olympic
[1:54:34] Park Drive. And I just would
[1:54:36] respectfully ask for
consideration of
[1:54:40] the changes over the last 8 to
[1:54:43] 10 years since. Uh, Atlanta
[1:54:47] Cycle 1.0 and 2.0 and 1
[1:54:50] Atlanta master plan came out
because so much has changed
since then, and the needs
[1:54:52] of that corridor have
[1:54:56] changed significantly, and I
fiercely, as
[1:54:59] you know, fiercely support the
entities in
[1:55:01] my neighborhood that really need
to have
[1:55:05] proper consideration if they're
going to be viable
[1:55:07] as entities. Uh, the GWCC
[1:55:10] campus, um, State Farm Arena
[1:55:13] Centennial Yards, they see. the
millions
[1:55:16] of visitors and um workers
[1:55:19] and I really want those needs to
be addressed.
[1:55:23] I know you've got bigger things
on your agenda
[1:55:25] the ACDC is a big one. thank you
[1:55:28] for handling that and
[1:55:31] um so responsibly. And just one
quick note on the data centers
[1:55:34] if anybody would like
[1:55:37] firsthand experience. I'd be
happy to speak with you.
[1:55:40] The building across the street
from where I
[1:55:43] live on Baker Street, has been
converting to a
[1:55:46] data center over the last 10
years. It's really
[1:55:50] really noisy, and there's no
sign of any
[1:55:52] mitigation of the roof noise
that then just comes right up to
[1:55:55] our windows. So if you need
[1:55:58] support for taking a stand on
data centers, please
[1:56:01] reach out to me. Thank you.
[1:56:04] Thank you. This takes us to our
yielded time list.
[1:56:09] Each speaker will
[1:56:13] Have whichever allotted amount
of time according to how
[1:56:17] many have are standing with them
in solidarity. Our
[1:56:20] first yielded speaker is Jocelyn
Lewis. You have
[1:56:24] 4 minutes. Is Anna May Banks
here
[1:56:26] Jocelyn Lewis.
[1:56:33] So you're, you are Anna Mae
Banks?
[1:56:37] Oh, OK. Anna May had to leave
[1:56:40] so you, unfortunately, you're
only gonna get 2 minutes. OK.
[1:56:46] Yes.
[1:56:55] Good afternoon city council
[1:56:58] member Antonio Luis and members
of city council. My name is
Jocelyn Lewis
[1:57:01] I'm the founder of Rising
[1:57:04] Above Homelessness, I wanna
begin with a young man
[1:57:07] I met during my community
outreach. He's not
[1:57:10] even 21 years old, and from what
our I
[1:57:13] personally witnessed, I believe
he
[1:57:16] needs compassionate professional
behavior, health support in
[1:57:20] a facility that will receive him
with dignity and
[1:57:23] loving care. My question is,
what Resources
[1:57:25] are available for people like
him.
[1:57:30] During my outreach, I met a 17
year
[1:57:32] old foster youth who came to
[1:57:36] Atlanta after experiencing abuse
[1:57:38] Gateway promised him a ticket
home, but he
[1:57:41] is still sleeping outside on the
ground along with dozens
[1:57:45] of others. How many are many
[1:57:47] many are told they have case,
many
[1:57:50] told me they have caseworkers,
but we're not.
[1:57:56] Getting a response from them,
even though
[1:57:59] they are outside of the building
they are being
[1:58:01] ignored by their caseworkers.
During my
[1:58:05] outreach, many unhoused
neighbors told me that
[1:58:08] they have social workers
[1:58:10] but many don't have phones. How
are they expected.
[1:58:14] To be connected to services,
especially when
[1:58:17] they can't see their caseworkers
outside
[1:58:20] of appointments.
[1:58:25] Are there any government phone
programs or
[1:58:28] agencies available to stay
connected
[1:58:31] Some people. Go months
[1:58:34] without hearing back, even after
being promised that they will
[1:58:37] receive housing. They need IDs
and socials, and
[1:58:40] by their appearance they are
[1:58:42] not getting hired. I'm asking
city council
[1:58:45] and housing agencies serving our
uh-housed
[1:58:48] neighbors to come out into the
community and see these
[1:58:51] issues firsthand. I'm planning a
rising
[1:58:53] above homelessness community
dignity and research event, and
[1:58:57] I'm asking you to come out
[1:58:59] work alongside with us and in a
community and
[1:59:02] help us identify. and secure a
city-owned property
[1:59:06] or community space near Thank
[1:59:09] you. I, I also wanna suggest
that you reach out
[1:59:11] to Fulton County too, but our
[1:59:15] community development, uh,
[1:59:17] A CDHS chair is Matt
Westmoreland and maybe you
[1:59:20] all can, he can help direct your
[1:59:24] your questions to the right
people. And y'all are willing to
come out to support.
[1:59:28] I can't answer that for you in
this moment, but I do want
[1:59:31] you to know that we have ways of
connecting
[1:59:33] you to people that will be able
to give you, provide
[1:59:36] you some information or guidance
OK, thank you.
[1:59:42] Our next yielded speaker is
[1:59:45] Devin Franklin, and you have 4
minutes.
[1:59:49] Long, are you here today? OK.
[1:59:58] 4 minutes, Mr. Franklin. Thank
you, President Overstreet.
[2:00:03] My name is Devin Franklin. I am
singing with with Posse Council
at the
[2:00:05] Southernn Center for Human
Rights. Um,
[2:00:09] To start off today, I would like
to say
[2:00:12] that there's a such thing as
doing or performing a
[2:00:14] bad act, a bad deed or a wrong
acting. We all do
[2:00:18] our best to not find ourselves
in that seat.
[2:00:21] But there's also a such thing as
being complicit, standing
[2:00:23] idly occurs and doing nothing
[2:00:27] to stop it. I want to be clear
[2:00:30] that accountability falls on
both the active and the
[2:00:34] passive wrongdoer, particularly
where there's a track record
[2:00:36] of harm that extends into the
present.
[2:00:39] At the Fulton County Jail, there
are 10
[2:00:43] restrictive housing units for 17
year olds intended to keep
[2:00:45] these children separate from
adults, also being
[2:00:48] held in custody. Of those 10
units.
[2:00:52] Only 3 had working lights.
[2:00:55] The units are shuttered with
metal plates at the direction of
Sheriff Labott
[2:00:59] preventing daylight from
entering the cages. These
[2:01:01] young men are held in their
cells 23 hours a day
[2:01:05] Monday through Friday. They do
not leave the cells at all
[2:01:08] on weekends. This is not
[2:01:11] an issue related to the physical
plant that is the
[2:01:14] Fulton County jail. This is an
issue of
[2:01:17] treatment. This is disregard for
the dignity of the human
[2:01:19] spirit. Most importantly though,
these are facts that were
[2:01:23] published in the most recent
report issued by Federal Jail
monitor
[2:01:26] Kathleen Kenney, and only serves
as an
[2:01:28] example of the harms that
continue to exist under the
leadership of Fulton County
[2:01:28] Sheriff
[2:01:32] Patrick Lela. And the hands and
conditions that you will
[2:01:35] be committing incarcerated
people in F Fulton County too
[2:01:37] if you choose to enact
legislation to finalize
[2:01:41] the acceptance of the agreement
for the purchase of the, uh,
Atlanta
[2:01:44] City Detention Center by Fulton
County
[2:01:46] as the mayor
[2:01:49] has published today. I want to
be clear.
[2:01:53] Merely being complicit, allowing
harm to occur, is no
[2:01:55] different than perpetuating the
harm itself
[2:01:59] Keeping children in the dark.
It's not nearly
[2:02:02] the only area where sheriff, the
sheriff's office has remained
out
[2:02:05] of compliance in critical areas
as it pertains to
[2:02:07] the federal consent decree. They
are also
[2:02:10] not complying in areas that
directly affect the safety,
health, and dignity
[2:02:13] of incarcerated people. First
[2:02:15] staffing remains fundamental a
fundamental problem. During the
review period
[2:02:19] approximately 54% of required
mandatory post hours at the main
jail
[2:02:23] Marietta Annex, and the South
annex, Union City
[2:02:26] were unfilled. Supervisory
coverage was also inadequate
[2:02:31] Approximately 49% of the
supervised required supervisory
[2:02:33] hours went unfilled with the
deficiencies, particularly
pronounced at
[2:02:36] the Marietta annex. The monitor
specifically found
[2:02:40] that the required supervisory
staffing at Marietta
[2:02:42] was routinely not achieved. The
consequences
[2:02:45] are serious. The martyr found
that the required
[2:02:49] security checks were not
consistently occurring at
[2:02:51] the frequency required by the
consent decree and rated that
[2:02:54] provision non-compliant. The
report also found the sheriff's
[2:02:58] office noncompliant with
requirements for adequate
supervisory staffing.
[2:03:01] The report further indicates
continuing failures involving
medical
[2:03:04] and mental health care,
including an adequate oversight
of the
[2:03:07] healthcare provider, failures in
medication
[2:03:09] auditing, deficiencies in
suicide prevention and mental
health systems. These
[2:03:12] are not simply administrative
problems completely unrelated to
the physical condition of
[2:03:16] the jail itself. They can
determine whether
[2:03:18] a person receives medication, is
seen by medical staff
[2:03:21] or receives appropriate
intervention when they're in
crisis. I ask you
[2:03:25] does the sale of ACDC to Fulton
County solve those problems
[2:03:28] I'll answer that question for
you. It does not.
[2:03:31] And so what I promise you here,
as I have promised you when
[2:03:34] I first began my work at the
Southern Center 4 years ago, and
nearly every
[2:03:37] week I was at this podium
speaking to you all about
[2:03:40] the failures of the lease of
ACDC to Fulton County.
[2:03:43] We may not be able to prevent
you all from going forward with
the sale
[2:03:46] but I promise you this, I will
be here at
[2:03:49] this podium every week,
reminding you all, as I
[2:03:52] have before, of the failures,
the shortcomings, and
[2:03:55] the that will lay in your hands
if you allow for this lease
[2:03:58] to go forward.
[2:04:01] Thank you.
[2:04:04] Our next yielded time speaker is
James Arpet.
[2:04:08] Yeah. And
[2:04:10] you have.
[2:04:14] 6 minutes.
[2:04:17] Is the Quisha Johnson here?
[2:04:20] And she You.
[2:04:24] Tarquisha.
[2:04:28] Johnson. She was giving me her
time. Yeah. Is she here?
[2:04:31] Yes, she's outside, um, so she's
gonna have to come in and give
[2:04:34] you her time. And your other uh
[2:04:38] Is Robin Carmichael. Is Robin
here?
[2:04:41] OK, so if Tarquisha doesn't
[2:04:44] come in and give you
[2:04:46] a time, uh, you will have 4
[2:04:50] minutes. Thank you so much. I
have documents for all
[2:04:53] of the accounts. OK, well, we
will come grab those documents.
Do
[2:04:55] you want us to go to the next
yielded time speaker and come
back to you
[2:04:58] and Taquisha come so you can
have your full
[2:05:01] 6 minutes. Yes, thank you. OK.
May I give
[2:05:04] these out in the meantime or is
just put them right there and
we'll
[2:05:07] come grab those right there on
the side. See, yeah, that's
[2:05:09] good. Yeah, right there. Thank
you
[2:05:13] Um, and so we're gonna go on to
our next yielded
[2:05:15] time speaker who would be Devin
[2:05:18] Barrington Ward, um, Mr. Ward
[2:05:22] Barrington Ward, you have 6
minutes.
[2:05:25] Matthew Nursey.
[2:05:28] And I think it's on the back.
[2:05:32] Ronzy. It's Ronzy here?
[2:05:38] Mr. Ward, I'm sorry. So you can
just
[2:05:42] give me 4 minutes. That's fine.
Good afternoon
[2:05:45] uh, Devin Barrington Ward, and
I'm speaking, um, as a
[2:05:49] member of Communities Over Cages
[2:05:51] ATL. I want to begin by
addressing
[2:05:54] the mayor directly. Um
[2:05:58] it was completely out of pocket
and out
[2:06:01] of line for your administration
to name
[2:06:03] our organizations that are
members of this coalition as
[2:06:07] potential partners in this
proposed ACDC
[2:06:10] deal without speaking with us
first and getting our consent.
[2:06:13] These aren't just random
organizations that you can use
[2:06:16] as political pawns or
[2:06:19] to justify the sale of this
facilities
[2:06:21] These are groups who spent years
[2:06:25] fighting jail expansion and
preventable deaths and unnece
[2:06:29] Necessary incarceration. And to
add insult to injury
[2:06:32] these are some of the that sat
with
[2:06:35] the mayor when he was a member
[2:06:37] of council and introduced the
measure to close the city
[2:06:41] detention center. These are some
of the same
[2:06:43] organizations that toured AC DC
with
[2:06:46] Mayor Dickens during the first
months of
[2:06:48] his administration, um, and
toured
[2:06:52] that facility while asking us
what we wanted to see
[2:06:55] the facility become. And I
remember that day because many
of
[2:06:57] us were very confused because Mr
[2:07:01] Mayor, you already knew what we
wanted.
[2:07:04] In 2019, while you were serving
on this council
[2:07:07] he introduced the resolution
establishing the process to
[2:07:10] repurpose ACDC into the John
Lewis Center for Equity,
Wellness
[2:07:13] and Freedom. And when his
administration
[2:07:17] proposed the lease to the jail
of the jail to Fulton County in
2022
[2:07:21] the city called the agreement
temporary, and
[2:07:24] the Dickens administration said
that they remain committed
[2:07:27] to fully repurposing AC DC
[2:07:30] for non-incarceration purposes.
And he came
[2:07:33] and spoke at this same podium
and told this
[2:07:37] council, we are not in the
jailing business
[2:07:39] I do not want to be in the
jailing
[2:07:42] business. And then he turned
around and leased the jail
[2:07:44] to Fulton County over our
objections.
[2:07:49] We were told it was necessary
because people
[2:07:51] were suffering and dying at Rice
Street. We were told
[2:07:55] that people would be moved to AC
DC and that this
[2:07:57] would prevent further human
rights atrocities, but
[2:08:00] more people died once the lease
started
[2:08:04] That included Noni Baptiste, a
nineteen-year-old young
[2:08:07] woman with serious mental health
challenges who died while being
[2:08:09] held at AC DC. So
[2:08:13] simply moving people into
another building was
[2:08:15] never the solution. And now this
[2:08:18] administration wants to
permanently sell the building
for incarceration. I
[2:08:21] want to be very clear with the
mayor
[2:08:23] You may want your legacy. To be
[2:08:26] affordable housing.
Transportation
[2:08:29] the environment, but your legacy
is Cop City.
[2:08:33] It is mass incarceration, and it
is
[2:08:36] police surveillance. And we will
never
[2:08:38] ever let you run away from that.
[2:08:44] I'm concerned. That we are
building
[2:08:47] an incarceration infrastructure
at the
[2:08:50] same time when we are not living
in normal times.
[2:08:54] We are having national fights
over voting rights.
[2:08:58] Election administration and
federal authority. We've
[2:09:01] seen our election offices raided
by this Trump administration.
[2:09:05] We already see he's trying to
play games with mail-in
balloting.
[2:09:09] Let me be very clear, if there
is civil unrest.
[2:09:12] Related to this election or
[2:09:16] the 2028 election, let me tell
you who will be in those jail
cells.
[2:09:20] It won't just be people accused
of rape and murder.
[2:09:23] Or selling drugs It will be
[2:09:26] young people who will be
protesting democracy.
[2:09:29] Who will be fighting to make
sure that their vote actually
means something.
[2:09:33] And they incarceration will be
on your hands.
[2:09:37] Because they don't build jails
for them to be empty. We
[2:09:40] are on the precipice of having
one of
[2:09:43] the largest jail systems in the
country.
[2:09:46] If you sell this building to
Fulton County.
[2:09:50] Let my words be a warning.
History will
[2:09:52] be the judge.
[2:09:56] Thank you, Mr. Barrington Ward.
[2:09:59] Back to you, Mr. James our
[2:10:01] pet, did you? See Taquisha.
[2:10:06] Uh, we don't. OK, do you want to
wait a little longer
[2:10:09] ? You wanna It's up to
[2:10:12] you. I'll give you 2 seconds to
[2:10:15] I'm sorry
[2:10:18] ? Yup, yep, we'll move on to
[2:10:20] our next yielded Town speaker,
Doctor
[2:10:23] Dewan Robinson. You have a
minute.
[2:10:26] I don't see. I cash.
[2:10:31] Mr. Dewan. Oh, there you go.
[2:10:35] Um, let's see, it's Donald
Brooks here?
[2:10:40] OK. Gwendolyn Webb.
[2:10:44] Carolyn Dabney. All right, you
have 8 minutes
[2:10:48] Mr. President. I.
[2:10:58] Thank you. Um
[2:11:00] afternoon council and Uh, Madam
President
[2:11:04] uh, what I'm heading out now
before I start my speech is a
[2:11:09] Court order by Our former
[2:11:12] Um, Park Rec commissioner, Mr
[2:11:16] Justin Cutler. You guys
[2:11:18] was lied to and told Ms. Boone
that he resigned, but
[2:11:21] that shows you that he hit a
young lady, a Mr. Wayne Martin,
during
[2:11:24] the daytime, speed, it almost
killed the girl.
[2:11:27] Court order, right? The city had
to
[2:11:29] pay a settlement that was hush
hush. I don't know if y'all know
it, maybe you
[2:11:33] do know. You guys settled. In
[2:11:36] April of this year. So therefore
Mr. Cutler
[2:11:39] had to leave
[2:11:42] but upon Mr. Cutler leaving,
right? You know what I'm saying,
because of
[2:11:45] his near death accident that you
guys was led
[2:11:47] to believe that, oh, he just
left, right. Um,
[2:11:51] And here's why I'm so upset
about it, because y'all lied and
[2:11:54] played games me about my
settlement, uh, with
[2:11:56] the OIG and my, you know what
I'm saying, my, you know what
I'm saying
[2:12:00] my lawsuit. So Mr
[2:12:03] Cutler, now, mister.
[2:12:05] Antonio Lewis, he's now the
senior VP of consultant for
[2:12:10] Leaders Gov, who owned the Mr.
Cutler leadership, Mr. Wayne
Martin, Mr
[2:12:14] Gov done made that company done
made about $2 million.
[2:12:16] You know what I'm saying, for
training, park and recs
[2:12:19] So you forced
[2:12:22] to resign one city entity. Now
what I'm, oh yeah, Miss
[2:12:25] Bone, uh, he was on a city
vehicle. You know what I'm, but
no, he was on
[2:12:28] the clock 1 p.m. and they drug
it out for about
[2:12:30] 3 years lying. He was in court
for about
[2:12:34] 3 years lying. About that
incident, right?
[2:12:37] But you guys were told that he
was
[2:12:41] Leaving the city of Atlanta.
Crowd news, but
[2:12:43] leader golf, Miss Boone
[2:12:46] is where he at now, councilman
Bond. That the same company that
he gave money
[2:12:50] to, he ain't have to wait a year
cooling
[2:12:52] Dustin Hill us to go to a
company that had a contract with
the city of
[2:12:56] Atlanta to service park and rec.
Man, we got this stuff twisted.
[2:13:01] Now, let me talk about something
cause I told y'all last time if
nobody
[2:13:03] reached out to me about this.
[2:13:06] Uh, OIG situation with this
lawsuit that the city said that
need
[2:13:10] to be dismissed, Ms. Boomer. I
said I'm gonna
[2:13:12] unleash hell, right? So I'm here
today to say,
[2:13:15] That everybody point blank
saying this person said this,
this
[2:13:19] person said that, but before
anybody came in and gave
[2:13:21] a recommendation of dismissal.
They should have asked, hey
[2:13:24] if the Warren Robinson name on
there, have anybody
[2:13:27] made any promises? Has anybody
said that this is, hey
[2:13:30] this ain't the 3rd before you
dismiss anything because hey,
[2:13:35] I always say the crime. No, the
co op
[2:13:38] is worse than the crime. Um, Ms.
Overstreet.
[2:13:43] What you guys are reading now is
the cover up. Now, the crime
[2:13:46] was bad, but the cover-up is bad
Now they wanna say he don't
[2:13:49] drink, it wasn't a
[2:13:51] DUI. Might not have been a damn
DUI, but I almost, almost been a
vehicle of homicide, I'll tell
[2:13:52] you that much.
[2:13:55] But what I wanna talk about
today is that
[2:14:02] The city, the leaders of the
city are trying to get
[2:14:05] you guys to sign off on it. A
[2:14:09] slot machine gambling at the
airport under the guise, Mr.
Words, as a lawyer
[2:14:12] you understand this, it's a
disguise, Ms
[2:14:16] Baltiara as a pilot program.
It's
[2:14:18] a pilot program they're trying
to push, but
[2:14:22] it's slot machines. And guess
who it's for?
[2:14:25] Your first female mayor of the
city of Atlanta, Ms. Boone,
you're
[2:14:29] damn right, it's for Shirley
Franklin. And I ain't
[2:14:31] afraid to say it. That's what
they're trying to do, but
[2:14:34] it ain't gonna happen and y'all
vote for it, y'all gonna have
them
[2:14:36] damn orange jumpsuits too,
because that's what they are,
they're trying
[2:14:39] to slide gambling in the airport
Miss Mary Noll Wood
[2:14:42] and you stand for, you know what
I'm saying, you stand for
corruption.
[2:14:45] And this is what they're trying
to do. They're trying to get the
law firm to
[2:14:48] Word it in a way was a pilot
program, you know what I'm
saying, Mr
[2:14:51] Bar, they trying to do a pilot
program, but
[2:14:54] god damn it, it's gambling. And
the contrast going to Shirley.
You know what
[2:14:56] I'm saying, the grandmother of
it all. So
[2:15:00] the city wanna play games, right
[2:15:03] ? Miss Kelsey Bun. We ain't
gonna let it happen, are we?
[2:15:07] We ain't gonna let it happen, Ms
Kelsey Barn, because guess what?
[2:15:12] I tried to protect so many
[2:15:15] people because every time we get
in this seat it's always
[2:15:18] a corruption with us, right? But
we, you know what I'm saying
[2:15:21] a wise council member told me,
Mr. uh Mr
[2:15:23] Hilly, if y'all don't want. You
know what I'm saying? The um
[2:15:28] The, uh, what do they call those
the, um, I want
[2:15:30] to call us, um, Mr. Bundy, um,
advocates.
[2:15:34] Yeah, yeah, if you want the
averages coming down here, don't
[2:15:37] do nothing wrong, they won't
show up.
[2:15:41] Now I see the needle so many
people, counselor Lord, you know
I met with one of
[2:15:44] the ladies who started Atlanta
Life, you know what I'm say Mr.
Herman.
[2:15:48] She gave me some great history
on Atlanta and how
[2:15:51] Not a problem has always been us
greedy.
[2:15:55] Always been us wanna turn on
each other. Always been us wanna
go
[2:15:57] back on their word when you give
us your word, you don't go
[2:16:00] back on your word.
[2:16:04] But there's a few head of the
snakes here in Atlanta.
[2:16:08] And we constantly want to
[2:16:12] Low their pockets up while
screwing everybody else.
[2:16:15] See, if I come to you for help,
Councilman Bond, you ain't
[2:16:19] going to jail. I'm not going to
jail. We're gonna do everything
above
[2:16:22] board. But there are some people
that don't know how to do things
above board. You know
[2:16:24] what I'm saying, cause they
first time in leadership, a
first
[2:16:28] time in government. I always
tell you, man, be leery of
people.
[2:16:31] who come from a poverished
background cause they'll do
anything to line their
[2:16:34] pockets up. Be leery of men who
are not used to dealing
[2:16:37] with women because their woman
will entrap him and
[2:16:40] ensnare him. Be used and be
leery of those people
[2:16:42] who are not this used and don't
come from
[2:16:46] a background of true servanthood
We are letting too
[2:16:49] many people that don't have a
background in servanthood.
[2:16:52] And we think it's OK.
[2:16:56] We fall prey to whoever raised
the most money is
[2:16:59] the best candidate. That's far
from the truth. And we know it.
[2:17:02] I'm ashamed because I sit here
as a black man born
[2:17:07] in 1977, Grady baby. Straight to
going home to
[2:17:09] Mount Middle School, to Douglas
High School, and a white man
never had to tell
[2:17:13] me no in the city of Atlanta. It
always
[2:17:16] been us who have stood in the
[2:17:18] gap and played these games and
told us no, we can't blame
nobody in Atlanta
[2:17:22] except for the leaders that we
have elected and
[2:17:25] Atlanta. But we got to do better
We got to
[2:17:29] do better. And there is no way.
[2:17:32] That You want me to be loyal to
you and protect you
[2:17:36] while you stick the knife in my
back. We ain't gonna do that,
but y'all hear me
[2:17:40] loud and clear, Mr. Juan. Uh, Mr
Word, who's a lawyer
[2:17:43] Miss Isha, I know y'all read
lawyers read.
[2:17:46] Every, every I, every T.
[2:17:49] You're gonna get some
legislation soon mister uh Mr
[2:17:52] Amos, and it may save pilot
program for
[2:17:56] the airport slot machine, but Ms
Norwood there is nothing far
from
[2:17:59] the truth, but gambling.
[2:18:03] And we can't stand for it.
[2:18:07] And until you guys do right,
[2:18:10] I'm gonna be down here every
full council blasting every
[2:18:12] dirty dog secret y'all got.
Everything
[2:18:16] that y'all trying to do, because
we
[2:18:19] know there's no landing pad for
some people when they
[2:18:21] leave that 2nd floor in 3 years.
There are
[2:18:24] some workers over there, ain't
qualified to go nowhere.
[2:18:28] We know there is some leadership
in this building
[2:18:30] Can't go nowhere, Mr. Juan. So
[2:18:33] the next best thing to do, Mr.
Bot is
[2:18:36] to try to be that brink truck
[2:18:39] up illegally. You know what I'm
saying, on a one-way street and
try to hope the
[2:18:41] money dumped somewhere, but we
ain't gonna let it happen, y'all
You know what I'm saying? Cause
[2:18:41] one
[2:18:44] thing about y'all, y'all might
not read everything come across
your email
[2:18:48] but y'all are some ethical
people for the most part
[2:18:50] and we ain't gonna let this
happen in Atlanta
[2:18:53] Thank you.
[2:18:59] OK, thank you.
[2:19:04] So our last speaker.
[2:19:08] It's gonna be you, Mr. James R.
Pat, and I think
[2:19:11] we're gonna have to just go with
the 4 minutes, OK?
[2:19:15] Yes. Uh. And
[2:19:18] we all receive your handout.
Thank
[2:19:21] you very much. Yes, Ms. Q had to
leave, so, OK
[2:19:24] understood. I will suffice with
the
[2:19:26] 4 minutes. How do you do? My
name is James
[2:19:29] Arpad, um, a resident of Atlanta
[2:19:33] Georgia, and I'm here on
[2:19:35] uh two resolutions that have
been promoted by
[2:19:38] a councilman, Byron Amos
[2:19:41] uh, that affect my properties at
[2:19:44] 699 Joseph E. Boone Boulevard.
Is that a zoning
[2:19:46] paper specifically? No, it's not
OK
[2:19:49] It's a community development.
It's a resolution
[2:19:52] Got it. A A. Sorry.
[2:19:56] Go ahead. Thank you. Um, yeah,
authorizing a
[2:20:00] determination blight uh outside
of the city courts
[2:20:02] and um code enforcement
[2:20:05] um, so, um. I'd like to begin
[2:20:09] by stating that neither of my
properties are blighted
[2:20:11] uh, and as you can see from the
documents that
[2:20:14] I provided, uh, the one at 699
Joseph E
[2:20:18] Boone Boulevard is a very nice
[2:20:21] looking commercial house. I've
been trying to lease it for
[2:20:23] over 3 years. Um, it
[2:20:26] has no code issues against it
whatsoever
[2:20:29] Grass is cut, it's boarded up
[2:20:31] properly accordingly to code
because of the.
[2:20:36] Copper thieves and vandals that
have, you know, wrecked hundreds
[2:20:40] of thousands of dollars in
damages on
[2:20:43] my buildings and houses over the
years in that area, so we
[2:20:45] keep it protected. Uh, it's
listed by a
[2:20:48] broker. You could see the
co-star listing in front of you
[2:20:52] Lune co-star
[2:20:54] um, excellent location, no
blight whatsoever should not
have been
[2:20:58] on this list, um, my
[2:21:01] other building at 293 Sunset
[2:21:03] Avenue is a historic site. Uh,
the
[2:21:07] brick building that um needs
[2:21:11] to be uh torn down, um, dates
back to the 1850s. It
[2:21:14] predates the Civil War. Uh, it
took a direct
[2:21:16] hit from the tornado a year
after I bought it
[2:21:19] and I've been trying to save it
ever since
[2:21:22] uh, 2 years ago I applied for a
demolition permit
[2:21:25] with the city of Atlanta to take
the
[2:21:28] building down. Um, it had been
approved and it was
[2:21:31] only lacking the historical
[2:21:35] um, oversight uh department. To
finalize the um.
[2:21:39] The demolition permit, and of
course, um.
[2:21:44] The property is not blighted. We
cut the grass every few weeks.
It's secured
[2:21:48] It's fenced, uh, you can see the
pictures in the
[2:21:51] um, again, the co-star
[2:21:55] uh, listing that I have for it.
It's part of a 3
[2:21:57] acre assembllage on Cook Park,
450
[2:22:00] ft facing Cook Park
[2:22:03] um, that's listed for like
[2:22:06] $13 million. So there's no need
for this to be a part
[2:22:09] of this, and I have been
negotiating with the
[2:22:12] mayor's office for the last. 3
weeks, I
[2:22:15] I've forwarded the email chain
to everybody this morning
[2:22:19] uh, to ask that you review it
and see that I have been doing
[2:22:22] the right thing, and neither of
these
[2:22:26] approved, uh, worst that could
happen is you
[2:22:28] should table these to do a full
[2:22:31] investigation to understand
what's going on. The the
[2:22:35] Mayor's office is looking to
take this out of
[2:22:38] the code case. In REM.
[2:22:42] Authorized Um
[2:22:46] oversight and take it into the
hands of
[2:22:49] private consultants. Uh, I was
[2:22:51] approached by a law firm that
said they were going to condemn
my
[2:22:54] property. They offered me
pennies on the dollar for
[2:22:57] it and said that it would come
to state
[2:23:00] court condemnation if I did not
agree to sell it to them
[2:23:03] Uh, I've been there before. I
had a
[2:23:05] house that I owned in
[2:23:09] um Cook Park itself that was
taken, and a jury had
[2:23:11] to award me 5 times what the.
[2:23:15] City deposited with the court
for its true value.
[2:23:20] Thank you very much for
listening to me
[2:23:23] Please hold these two
[2:23:27] papers for investigation and
review. I'm happy to come back.
[2:23:30] Thank you. I do know that
they're working on a date for
[2:23:32] a public hearing. For those to
follow
[2:23:36] the blight process, so you still
have
[2:23:39] uh plenty of time to speak with
everyone. Thanks for coming.
Thank you very much.
[2:23:43] OK. I
[2:23:45] want to thank everyone for
coming to our
[2:23:50] public comment section of our
[2:23:54] full council and sharing
[2:23:56] your information and your likes
and dislikes of
[2:23:59] what's happening around our city
and metro area.
[2:24:03] Let's continue to do that for
sure
[2:24:06] This takes us to Our report of
[2:24:09] the journal. Good afternoon,
Madam
[2:24:12] President and members of council
Hi Karene Lindo
[2:24:15] municipal clerk of the City of
Atlanta do hereby certify that
the minutes
[2:24:17] of the regular meeting held on
Monday
[2:24:21] August 17, 2026 are true and
correct. Is there
[2:24:23] a motion to adopt the report of
the journal, so
[2:24:26] moved by one second by.
[2:24:30] Worthy. Madam Clerk, please
prepare the vote.
[2:24:33] I
[2:24:40] We can do this by unanimous
consent, Madam President.
[2:24:44] We can do this by, you know, if
that's OK. What is
[2:24:48] the sound for you? That's 13 ya,
nay, 13
[2:24:51] yay, 0 nays, the report of the
journal is adapted.
[2:24:59] Let's move on to communications.
I
[2:25:04] Thank you, Madam President. If I
may take items 1
[2:25:06] and 2 as a block. Yes, you might
Item number 1
[2:25:09] is 26C 5076. This is
communication
[2:25:11] from council member Dustin
Helles, District 9
[2:25:15] reappointing Ms. Joanne Powell
to serve as a member of the
Atlanta
[2:25:18] Commission on Women Women, this
appointments for
[2:25:22] a term of 2 years to begin
retroactively
[2:25:24] on February 5, 2026, and expire
February 4th
[2:25:28] 2028. Item number 2 is
[2:25:31] 26C 5077. This is a
communication from council
members. Antonio Lewis
[2:25:34] District 12 reappointed Ms
[2:25:36] Takesha Shields to serve as a
member of the Atlantic
Commission
[2:25:40] on Women. This appointment for a
term of 2 years to begin
retroactively
[2:25:42] on May 6, 2026 and expire on May
[2:25:45] 5th, 2028. For both those items,
staff recommendations
[2:25:48] should refer to Committee on
counsel. Let him follow that
course.
[2:25:53] Item number 3 is 26C 5078. This
[2:25:56] is a communication from
[2:25:58] Mayor Andre Dickens, appointing
Ms. Kalief Davis to serve as a
member of
[2:26:02] the Atlanta Development
Authority Board of
[2:26:05] Directors of the Atlanta
Planning Advisory
[2:26:07] Board representative, this
appointment is for a term of 4
years
[2:26:11] Staff recommendations to refer
to community development, Human
Services Committee
[2:26:14] and Committee on counsel. Let it
follow that
[2:26:16] course. Item number 4 is
[2:26:20] 26C 5079. This a communication
[2:26:22] from Donald T. Panovi, CPA,
chair of the audit committee
[2:26:25] submitting the performance audit
[2:26:29] 26.06 moving Atlanta forward
annual review
[2:26:32] staff recommendations to refer
this item to transportation
[2:26:34] Committee and the finance
committee. Let
[2:26:37] it follow that course.
[2:26:40] Item number 5 is 26C. 5080
[2:26:43] This is a communication from
Donald T. Panovi
[2:26:45] CPA chair of the Audit Committee
submitting the
[2:26:48] performance audit
[2:26:52] report 26-0.07, uh, Department
of Watershed Management
[2:26:54] water billing and collections
follow-up. Staff recommendation
[2:26:57] to refer to city utilities
[2:27:00] Let it follow that course. Madam
President, if I
[2:27:03] may take items 6 to 9 as a block
[2:27:06] Item number 6 is 26C 5081.
[2:27:10] a communication from municipal
clerk and Renee Lindo advising
the
[2:27:12] various boards, authorities,
commissions, and bases
[2:27:16] have sunset pursuant to Section
3-401
[2:27:19] 1 of the city charter. I'm room
seven is 26C
[2:27:22] 5082. This is communication from
Chief
[2:27:26] Procurement Officer Chandra.
[2:27:28] Houston submitting the
Department of Procurement
monthly report for
[2:27:32] July 1st through July 31st
[2:27:35] 2026. Item number 8 is
[2:27:38] 26C 5083. He's a communication
for municipal
[2:27:41] clerk Karene Lindell submitting
a report of a
[2:27:44] Administrative correction made
to previously
[2:27:46] adopted legislation between the
regular council meeting dates of
August
[2:27:49] 17, 2026 in September 8, 2026 to
[2:27:51] the Atlantic City Council in
accordance with
[2:27:55] Section 2275 of the Atlantic
Code of Ordinances. directing
[2:27:59] Resolution 26R 3753 and
[2:28:02] item number 9 is 26C. 5084
[2:28:04] this is communication from
interim Inspector General
[2:28:09] LaDawn Plackett submitting the
Office of the Inspector General
Governing Board
[2:28:11] August 18, 2026, final decision
report for
[2:28:15] all those
[2:28:17] uh uh communication staff
recommendations to accept and
file. Let it follow that
[2:28:20] course. Also, Madam Clerk, I
want
[2:28:24] to commend you all for the work
that you've done
[2:28:27] to sunset the commissions and
boards that
[2:28:31] are um Either
[2:28:33] dormant or complete. Thank you
for that work. Thank you
[2:28:36] You're welcome, Madam President.
[2:28:38] Let it follow that course.
[2:28:42] Are we ready for consideration
of
[2:28:45] veto legislation a motion to
accept and and file. OK, motion
to
[2:28:49] accept and, is there a motion to
accept
[2:28:51] motion made by Juan, second by
[2:28:58] Worthy. Please prepare the vote
[2:29:02] One moment. The vote is open.
[2:29:12] Will everyone please vote?
[2:29:21] The post closed 13 yay, 0 nay,
13 yay, 0
[2:29:25] nays. These items are accepted
and filed. Madam President, if I
may just make a couple
[2:29:28] of announcement before I just
want to remind everyone that
October 5th
[2:29:32] 2026 is the last to vote
[2:29:34] um, and also that you can,
citizens can request an
[2:29:37] absentee ballot through October
23
[2:29:41] 2026, beginning August 20 August
17th
[2:29:43] 2026, that was the beginning of
uh requesting
[2:29:46] an absentee ballot, and you can
do that through October 23rd
[2:29:49] So we just want to remind
everyone that we have an
important election coming up
[2:29:52] and please, um, uh, you know,
check your voter registration
[2:29:55] and go to myvoter page.com to,
you know
[2:29:58] identify your polling location,
make sure you're still
[2:30:01] registered, and you still have
time to make any updates.
Important message
[2:30:04] Thank you. Uh, consideration of
veto legislation. We
[2:30:06] have none. OK, what about
unfinished business
[2:30:10] ? None. Thank you, Ma. That
takes us to our
[2:30:13] Consent agenda section one,
these are the items that receive
unanimous votes out
[2:30:16] of committee. Are there any
items to be removed
[2:30:19] from consent agenda section one.
[2:30:22] OK, I recognize council member
Alex Wang. Thank you
[2:30:26] Madam President. Uh, I'd like to
remove
[2:30:28] 260 1485. This is on page 12,
item
[2:30:32] number 22. In 260 1485, page
[2:30:35] 12 item 22. 20 and 1418, 20
[2:30:40] Got it. Is that it?
[2:30:44] Council member Dozerier, thank
you
[2:30:47] Madam President. One item
[2:30:50] ordinance 26-0-1370 uh on page 3
[2:30:57] 260-1370.
[2:31:00] Got it. Is that it? no
[2:31:04] um, oh, just press your speaker
button.
[2:31:07] Sorry. Council
[2:31:10] member Winston, thank you, Madam
President. I have two items. The
first
[2:31:15] is 260 1476, that's
[2:31:18] uh item number 13 on page 8. And
then the
[2:31:22] second item is 26
[2:31:24] R 3984. That's item number 20 on
[2:31:27] page 18. Thank you. Can you
repeat
[2:31:31] both of those again? I don't
have those on here. Yes
[2:31:35] 26-01476. Item number 13 on page
8 and
[2:31:38] then 26 are 3984
[2:31:40] Item number 20 on page 18. Thank
you
[2:31:44] Council Member Winston. Council
member Isha
[2:31:47] Collins, yes, just wanna, um,
question in terms of
[2:31:50] removing item
[2:31:54] number 260-148522 on page
[2:31:56] 12 from consent when the council
member isn't
[2:31:59] a sponsor and it has already
gone through all the steps.
[2:32:02] That happens all the time. I'm
sorry? It happens all the
[2:32:05] time. I'm just asking why.
[2:32:08] You should walk over and ask him
why. OK, will do. Thanks.
[2:32:14] All right, see you no more. Is
that it?
[2:32:17] OK, so I'll entertain.
[2:32:20] A motion to adopt consent to
gender section
[2:32:23] one with those items removed, so
moved
[2:32:26] by Bakhtiari, is there a second
[2:32:29] ? 2nd by Norwood. Madam Clerk,
please open the vote.
[2:32:34] The vote is helping.
[2:32:40] Will everyone please vote?
[2:32:54] I. Will everyone please vote?
[2:33:01] Which is perfect.
[2:33:08] Councilor Martin, what is your
vote? Yes.
[2:33:11] 14 nay, 0 nays 14, 0 nays
[2:33:14] consent agenda section one has
been adopted with those
[2:33:17] items removed. Council member
Westmoreland, did you have your
speaker
[2:33:19] button pushed at On purpose it
[2:33:23] on purpose. I did
[2:33:28] A motion to send
[2:33:31] item 2601458, that is item
number 4 on page 6
[2:33:33] to the mayor's office posthaste.
Anyone else?
[2:33:39] Ones that more No other items
for posthaste.
[2:33:44] Motion by Westmoreland, second
by Martin. Please
[2:33:46] this can be done by by unanimous
consent
[2:33:50] Madam Clark, 14 yay, 0 nays 14
yay
[2:33:53] 0 nays. These items are sent to
the mayor's office posthaste.
[2:33:58] All right. This takes us to
[2:34:02] Consent agenda section 2. These
[2:34:05] are items that were introduced
for a first reading committees
[2:34:09] and are now being referred back
to their
[2:34:12] respective committees. Are there
any items to be removed from
consent
[2:34:15] agenda se Section 2.
[2:34:20] Move motion 2. To
[2:34:24] refer that one second Bakhtiari,
Madam Clerk
[2:34:27] please repair the vote.
[2:34:31] The vote is open.
[2:34:40] Will that room please vote?
[2:34:47] The votes closed. 15 yay, 0 nays
15
[2:34:51] yay, 0 nays. These items are to
[2:34:53] be referred back to their
[2:34:56] respective committees.
[2:34:59] Seeing that, now we are too.
[2:35:03] Our standing committees.
[2:35:07] Cheer Westmoreland. Community
Development
[2:35:10] Human Services Committee. Thank
you, Madam President. Good
afternoon
[2:35:12] everyone. We have one item
[2:35:16] 260 1366 and an ordinance by
council member Lia Bakhtiari to
amend the land use
[2:35:19] element 2025, City of Atlanta
Comprehensive development
[2:35:22] plan so as to designate property
located at 2341
[2:35:25] Glenn Drive Southeast to the
medium lot family and land use
[2:35:28] designation for other options,
the recommendation coming out of
committee is
[2:35:30] to file. There's a motion by
[2:35:34] Council member Westmorelanda
fowl
[2:35:37] 260-1366. This item is coming
out of committee, does not
[2:35:39] require a second Madam Clerk,
please open
[2:35:43] the vote. The vote is open.
[2:35:52] Will everyone please vote. The
vote is closed, 15 ye
[2:35:55] 0 nay, 15 yay, 0 nays. This item
is filed
[2:35:59] That concludes our lengthy
report. Thank you
[2:36:01] Fantastic. Moving to
transportation, the
[2:36:04] Honorable Alex Juan. Um, thank
you, Madam President. Colleagues
I'm
[2:36:06] gonna take the regular standing
report
[2:36:10] items first and then come back
to the one pulled off of consent
Uh
[2:36:13] first item is 260 1473
[2:36:15] and ordinance by Transportation
Committee to authorize the
[2:36:19] commissioner of the Atlanta
Department of Transportation to
[2:36:21] extend existing shareable
dockless mobility. device annual
permits on a month to
[2:36:24] month basis with shareable
dockless mobility
[2:36:28] device operators beginning
September 2, 2026, and ending
July.
[2:36:31] 1, 2027 to waive any conflicting
provisions of
[2:36:35] Section 15401 of the city of
Atlanta Code of Ordinances and
for other
[2:36:38] purposes, colleagues, this came
out favorable on condition that
[2:36:41] the condition was a substitute,
um, and
[2:36:44] the substitute we have received
that and you've got a copy of it
Um
[2:36:48] the substitute, uh, extends the
contract
[2:36:51] retroactively, um. For
[2:36:55] 2 years or no later than 60 days
after award
[2:36:57] and execution of operator
contracts with the city. Uh, I'm
going
[2:37:00] to read the new caption in. It's
a, oh.
[2:37:04] Got motion first, yeah. Well,
the motion from the committee
was favorable.
[2:37:09] So it's an ordinance by
Transportation Committee, is
substituted by Atlanta City
[2:37:09] Council
[2:37:11] to authorize the commissioner of
the Atlanta Department of
Transportation
[2:37:15] to extend existing charitable
dockless mobility device
[2:37:18] annual permits with shareable
dockless mobility device
operators
[2:37:20] retroactively from September 20,
September 2
[2:37:24] 2026, and through July 1, 2028
[2:37:27] or no later than 60 days after
award and execution of
[2:37:29] the operator contracts with the
city of Atlanta to allow for a
seamless
[2:37:33] transition of the contract-based
regulatory framework to waive
[2:37:36] any conflicting provisions of
Section 15401. Of the city of
[2:37:38] Atlanta Code of Ordinances and
for other purposes, moved
[2:37:41] to bring forward the substitute.
Motion by one to bring forth
[2:37:44] a substitute, second by
Bakhtiari, please prepare the
vote.
[2:37:54] The vote is open.
[2:38:00] Well, everyone please vote.
[2:38:03] The bus closed 15 yay, 0 nays.
[2:38:07] 15 yay, 0 nays, the substitute
is before us. If there are
[2:38:10] no questions, I'll make the
motion to adopt on substitute
[2:38:14] Any questions? No questions.
Motion to adopt by.
[2:38:19] One second by Amos. Madam Clark,
please prepare the vote.
[2:38:24] The vote is open.
[2:38:32] We have a pen, please vote.
[2:38:41] The posts closed 15 years, 0
nays
[2:38:43] 15 yays, 0 nays, 26
[2:38:46] 0 that's 1473 is adopted as
substituted. Madam President,
I'd like to
[2:38:50] take the next two items together
as the action is the same
[2:38:52] Sure. All right, 26 R 3951
[2:38:55] Resolution by council member
Alex Wang authorizing the mayor
or his designee on behalf of
[2:38:59] the city of Atlanta to execute
all documents necessary
[2:39:01] to consent and approve the
assignment to
[2:39:04] OTG concessions Management LLC
from OHM Concession
[2:39:08] Group LLC for FC 5467. Courses B
[2:39:11] and F, food and beverage
concessions at Hartsfield
[2:39:13] Jackson, Atlanta International
Airport, package number
[2:39:17] 7, and for other purposes
[2:39:19] and 26R 3952, a resolution by
council member Alex
[2:39:22] Wang authorizing the mayor or
his designee on behalf of the
city of
[2:39:24] Atlanta to execute all documents
necessary to consent and approve
[2:39:28] the assignment to OTG
concessions
[2:39:31] Management LLC from OHM
Concession Group LLC for
[2:39:35] FC 8484 concessions lease
agreement, food and beverage
concessions
[2:39:37] on Concourse C, midpoint at
Hartsfield, Jackson, Atlanta.
[2:39:41] International Airport and for
other purposes, motion from the
committee
[2:39:44] on both items is to file. The
motion
[2:39:47] is for uh to file by council
member one
[2:39:51] This item came out.
[2:39:53] Of committee favorable to foul,
so there is
[2:39:57] no second necessary medam Clerk,
please prepare the vote.
[2:40:01] The vote is open.
[2:40:09] Will everyone please vote?
[2:40:13] The boss, 15 yeah, 0 nays.
[2:40:24] 1950. She can be 15 years
[2:40:27] Oh, sorry, 15 years, 0 nays
[2:40:30] this, these items are filed. All
right, that takes us back to the
[2:40:33] item that was pulled off of
consent
[2:40:36] that's 2,601,370, an ordinance
by council members Dozier,
Kelsey
[2:40:38] Bond, Hillis, Juan, Bakhtiari,
Winston, Worthy
[2:40:42] Westmoreland, Collins, as
substituted by
[2:40:45] the Transportation Committee,
amending Chapter 30, Article 17
of the City
[2:40:47] of Atlanta Code of Ordinances
entitled
[2:40:50] parking lots and parking garages
to establish
[2:40:53] consumer protection, rate
disclosure, payment
accessibility, privacy.
[2:40:56] Not, validation, and dispute
resolution
[2:40:59] requirements for park for hire
facilities operating within the
city
[2:41:02] of Atlanta to provide
enforcement and penalties and
for
[2:41:05] other purposes. This came out
favorable from committee.
[2:41:12] I recognize Council member
Dozier. Thank you so much, Madam
President. I didn't
[2:41:16] want to cross you today, so I
want to make sure I was
[2:41:19] like acknowledged, uh,
colleagues, uh, firstly I just
want to thank the
[2:41:23] Transportation Committee, uh,
for, uh, adopting this favorably
[2:41:26] out of, uh, committee last week.
This is something we've been
working
[2:41:29] on. I think it's gone through
committee 2 or 3 cycles now
[2:41:32] and um at the, the legislation
that's before
[2:41:35] you today, uh, is almost
complete. Uh, there
[2:41:39] is a small amendment that I
would like to make that.
[2:41:41] Strikes, a few words from one of
the definitions
[2:41:44] that's uh in one of the earlier
clauses of the legislation
[2:41:48] This was already done in a an
earlier draft of the
[2:41:50] legislation, but unfortunately,
uh, I missed
[2:41:53] uh, at the last substitute that
I did not include that
[2:41:56] specific language or that that
changed and so
[2:41:59] um, I would actually request
that we
[2:42:02] amend uh to uh strike the words
on
[2:42:06] behalf of um under the
definition for customer
[2:42:09] parking data, uh, colleagues.
was emailed
[2:42:12] out, uh, if you need to see the
full
[2:42:15] uh, language as, uh, being
[2:42:17] uh, that's currently contained
in Section
[2:42:20] 30-1066. Happy to read it out if
you need me to read it further,
but, but
[2:42:24] OK, so, uh, currently the
definition
[2:42:26] of customer parking data, uh,
states customer
[2:42:29] parking data means any
information collected by or on
[2:42:31] behalf of a park for hire
facility that identifies
[2:42:35] a customer, vehicle license
plate, payment method, date,
time, location
[2:42:37] duration of stay, validation
status, parking transaction.
[2:42:42] Alleged violation or dispute,
and so we're just removing the
[2:42:44] four words or on behalf of from
that statement. And so
[2:42:47] you're making a motion to amend.
I would like to make a motion to
amend. Motion
[2:42:49] to amend by Dozier. Second by
[2:42:53] Juan, Madam Clerk, please
prepare the vote for.
[2:42:57] To amend Isha was gonna speak.
Oh, Council
[2:43:00] Member Collins, I'm sorry.
Before
[2:43:03] you prepare the vote, Council
member Collins. Sorry
[2:43:06] I just took it down. He answered
the question. Thank you, council
member. Dozier
[2:43:09] OK, please open the vote. The
vote is open.
[2:43:18] Will everyone please vote?
[2:43:25] I don't know if I. Mhm. That's
to look
[2:43:29] at her text for me. Will
everyone please vote?
[2:43:33] Thebos closed 15 yay, 0 nays. 15
yay
[2:43:36] 0 nays. This item has been
amended. I would like
[2:43:39] to adopt as amended. Let's adopt
as amended.
[2:43:43] A motion to adopt as amended
Dozier, seconded
[2:43:45] by 1. Madam Clark, please.
Prepare
[2:43:48] the vote to adopt as amended.
[2:43:51] The vote is open.
[2:44:01] The post 15 yay, 0 nays, 15 yay,
0
[2:44:05] nays, this item is adopted as
amended.
[2:44:09] Councilman. Thank you, Madam
President, colleagues, just
[2:44:12] want to, once again, thank you
once again for
[2:44:14] your support in this legislation
um, this has
[2:44:18] been, I think, framed in the
media as a parking bill
[2:44:21] of rights. I want to give kudos
to my colleague Alex Wang who
came
[2:44:23] up with that phrasing, uh,
however
[2:44:26] uh, I do want to just for the
edification of
[2:44:30] the public, uh, remind y'all
that I continue to be
[2:44:32] an advocate, uh, for making sure
we reduce, reduce our
[2:44:35] dependence on cars, on parking
to make Atlanta more walkable,
more transit friendly.
[2:44:39] Um, but at the same time, the
parking facilities that
[2:44:42] already exist in our city, must
work better
[2:44:45] for residents, commuters, and
visitors, and so at the end of
the
[2:44:48] day, this legislation is about
transparency, accountability
[2:44:52] and making a frustrating system
a little easier to navigate
[2:44:55] So thank you all so much uh for
[2:44:57] the support, um, and I look
forward to
[2:45:00] continuing this conversation, uh
in the months and years
[2:45:03] to come. I yield. OK, Madam
President
[2:45:06] that concludes my report.
Fantastic
[2:45:09] Thank you. We are moving to
finance exec
[2:45:12] the Honorable Jason Winston.
[2:45:21] Thank you, Madam President. Uh,
my
[2:45:24] first item
[2:45:29] is 26-01459. Um, colleagues, I
will read
[2:45:31] the caption and ordinance by the
Finance executive Committee
waiving Article 10
[2:45:35] Section 2, 1546 of the
procurement code of the
[2:45:38] city of Atlanta Code of
Ordinances authorizing the mayor
[2:45:40] or his designee on behalf of the
city of Atlanta to enter into
[2:45:43] a lease agreement between the
city of Atlanta and
[2:45:46] the progressive firefighters of
Atlanta labor organization Inc
[2:45:49] for lease of that certain city
owned
[2:45:51] property located at 817
Hollywood Road Northwest,
Atlanta
[2:45:55] Georgia 30318, known as the old
Fire
[2:45:58] Station 22 for a term of 5 years
Commencing September
[2:46:01] 1st, 2026 and ending
[2:46:04] August 31, 2031, and for other
purposes.
[2:46:07] Colleagues, this was forwarded
with no
[2:46:09] recommendation on condition, uh,
that condition has now been
[2:46:13] met, um, so I will move to amend
this to
[2:46:16] attach exhibit A. You have to
adapt it. I'm
[2:46:18] sorry, I'll make a motion to
adopt a motion to adopt by
Winston
[2:46:22] seconded by Martin. Any
discussion.
[2:46:26] Bak. Thank you, uh, Madam
[2:46:29] President, I was just curious
what, because I'm not in PSO, I
mean not in finance
[2:46:32] so please forgive me. What will
they be using the
[2:46:34] building for the progressive
firefighters. For their new home
[2:46:38] Oh, OK, good to know. Thank you.
[2:46:41] OK, we have a a, a motion and
[2:46:45] a second, Madam Clark, please
prepare the vote.
[2:46:48] Well, we have to adapt
[2:46:52] it first It's a procedure
[2:46:55] OK. So we are moving on to the
amendment. I will make
[2:46:58] a substitute motion to amend.
Motion to amend by Winston
[2:47:01] seconded by Juan. Madam Clark,
please open
[2:47:05] a vote for amend.
[2:47:09] The photos itself.
[2:47:16] Hello everyone, please vote.
[2:47:21] Thank you. Now I will, oh, sorry
[2:47:23] Well, everyone please vote.
[2:47:32] The bells closed 15 yay, 0 nays
15 yay
[2:47:35] 0 nays. The item has been
amended. Thank you
[2:47:38] I will move to adopt as amended.
Move to
[2:47:41] adopt by Winston, second by
Martin
[2:47:44] Madam Clerk, please prepare the
vote. The vote is open.
[2:47:55] Well, everyone please vote.
[2:48:04] There's no voting.
[2:48:07] Was
[2:48:10] Council member Lewis, what is
your vote?
[2:48:13] Yeah
[2:48:20] The class 14 yay, 0 nays 14 yay,
nays. This
[2:48:22] item is adopted as amended.
Thank you
[2:48:25] That takes me to my second
[2:48:29] item 2601482. Um, I will make a
motion to
[2:48:33] bring forth the substitute.
Motion to bring forth
[2:48:35] a substitute by Winston Sack by
Martin.
[2:48:40] Madam Clark, please prepare the
vote.
[2:48:44] The vote is open.
[2:48:51] 15 yeah, nays 15 yay, 0 nays.
Can you
[2:48:55] read the caption, please? Yes.
[2:49:00] 26-0-1482, in ordinance by
council member Alex Wan, Wayne
Martin
[2:49:03] Jason H. Winston, Kelsey Bond,
Matt Westmoreland
[2:49:07] Byron Amos, Jason Dozier,
Liliana Bakhtiari, Mary Norwood
[2:49:11] Dustin Hillis, Isha Collins,
Thomas Worthy, Andrea L
[2:49:13] Boone, Antonio Lewis, and
Michael Julian Bond
[2:49:16] and substituted by the finance
executive Committee as
[2:49:20] substituted by the Atlanta City
Council to authorize
[2:49:23] a donation to the Atlanta Pride
committee in an amount not
[2:49:25] to exceed $80,500 in.
[2:49:29] since. On behalf of this,
Atlanta City Council to support
[2:49:32] the 20026 Atlanta Pride Festival
pursuant to the
[2:49:34] section number listed of the
city of Atlanta charter and for
other purposes.
[2:49:38] I will make a motion to approve.
Motion to approve
[2:49:41] by Winston, 2 by Martin. Madam
Clark, please prepare
[2:49:45] the vote. The vote is open.
[2:49:56] everyone please vote.
[2:50:05] The most clothes? 15 yay
[2:50:08] 0 nays 15 yay, 0 nays
[2:50:12] 26-0-1482 is adopted as
substituted. Thank you. On to
the next item
[2:50:17] 26-0-1486. Um, I will make a
motion to bring forth
[2:50:21] the substitute. Motion to bring
forth substitute by Winston
[2:50:24] second by Juan. Madam Clerk,
please prepare the vote.
[2:50:32] The vote is open.
[2:50:39] Will everyone please vote.
[2:50:46] The closed 15 yay, nays, 15 ye
[2:50:49] 0 nays, the substitute is before
us
[2:50:52] Please read the caption. Thank
you. An ordinance by
[2:50:55] council members Matt
Westmoreland, Isha Collins,
Thomas Worthy
[2:50:58] as substituted by Finance
executive Committee, authorized
[2:51:01] a donation in an amount not to
exceed
[2:51:06] $9500.00 to the Community
Foundation for Greater
[2:51:08] Atlanta pursuant to section
number 6306 of the City of
[2:51:11] Atlanta Charter to support LGBTQ
[2:51:13] outreach and the Mears youth
scholarship program. And for
[2:51:17] other purposes, I'll make a
motion to approve as substitute
[2:51:20] motion to approve by Winston,
seconded by Juan. One moment.
[2:51:24] I would like to make a friendly
amendment. I'm sorry. I'd like
to make a
[2:51:28] friendly amendment to add my
name as a co-sponsor.
[2:51:31] It's, yeah, this is specific
from
[2:51:35] Council member Westmoreland's
account, correct?
[2:51:38] No, I'm, I'm looking at my, my
[2:51:42] account screen right here from
my. Is
[2:51:44] this the one that I'm that I'm
on too.
[2:51:47] 2. Got it. OK.
[2:51:49] So you want a co-sponsor of the
legislation.
[2:51:54] Recognizing Council member
Martin, he would like to make an
amendment.
[2:52:01] he motions to amend, seconded by
Westmoreland.
[2:52:05] Winston is an I.
[2:52:07] Madam Clark, please declare a
vote. To amend.
[2:52:14] The vote is open.
[2:52:25] Yeah. Will
[2:52:27] everyone please vote?
[2:52:36] Let's see, I thought I was on
the wall. That was
[2:52:38] 80,000. Yeah.
[2:52:41] Want The post
[2:52:43] closed 13 yay, er nays.
[2:52:49] 12 yay, 13 yay. irons
[2:52:52] is that what you said? Yes,
Madam President
[2:52:56] item is amended.
[2:52:59] You want to adopt as amended. I
won't. Make
[2:53:01] a motion to adopt that
substitute
[2:53:04] and Aended. it
[2:53:08] Motion to adopt and amend by
Winston second
[2:53:11] by Bakhtiari. Please prepare the
vote.
[2:53:14] Oh Russo.
[2:53:19] The vote is open.
[2:53:26] Everyone please vote.
[2:53:29] Those clothes, 13 yer nay, 13
[2:53:32] ya, nays, this item is adopted
[2:53:35] substituted as amended. All
right
[2:53:37] thank you, um, colleagues
[2:53:40] I did pull two items off the
consent agenda, uh, the first
[2:53:44] is 260 1476. Um,
[2:53:48] I will make a motion to bring
forth the substitute
[2:53:51] Motion by Winston to bring forth
the
[2:53:53] substitutes second by Juan,
please prepare the vote.
[2:53:59] The vote is open.
[2:54:10] Will everyone please vote?
[2:54:18] 13 yeah 0 are nays 13 yay, nays
is substitutes before
[2:54:20] us. Please read the caption
[2:54:24] 260 1476 and ordinance by
councilman Andrea L
[2:54:27] Boone as substituted by the
Finance Executive Committee
[2:54:29] and substituted by the Atlanta
City Council authorizing
[2:54:33] the mayor or the chief financial
officer to execute, deliver
[2:54:36] and perform a master lease
agreement between the
[2:54:40] city and Grant Capital
Management Inc. and or it's
[2:54:42] assigns as lesser one or more
related
[2:54:45] financing schedules and any.
escrow or other
[2:54:49] agreements all related to the
acquisition and equipping of
police
[2:54:51] vehicles, including any
necessary equipment or
[2:54:54] technology for use by the
Atlanta Police Department,
provided
[2:54:58] that such lease financing shall
be authorized in a combined
principle
[2:55:00] Now, not to exceed
[2:55:05] $17,800,000.00 plus an
applicable interest.
[2:55:09] Component all rental payments
will be charged to and paid from
[2:55:11] the fund department, an
organization numbers as
determined
[2:55:14] by the Chief Financial Officer
and for
[2:55:18] other purposes. Uh, colleagues,
the substitute that we
[2:55:21] brought forward, it amends
exhibit A, uh, the
[2:55:23] vehicle list, um, that was
provided in that exhibit
[2:55:27] um, and it added e-bikes that
were
[2:55:29] requested by council member
Byard. Um, so I will make a
[2:55:32] motion to adopt as substitute.
Motion to adopt a substituted
[2:55:36] by Winston, second by Martin.
Please prepare the vote.
[2:55:39] The vote is open.
[2:55:46] Will everyone please vote?
[2:55:54] The votes close, 12 yay, 0 nays
[2:55:57] 12 yay.
[2:56:01] iron, this item is has adopted
to
[2:56:03] substituted. Just trying to see
who's missing. All right. Thank
you
[2:56:06] So for my last item is
[2:56:10] 26-R R3984. Um, I will make a
motion to bring forth the
substitute.
[2:56:15] Motion to for assess to by
Winston, second by Juan
[2:56:17] Please prepare the vote.
[2:56:21] The phone is open.
[2:56:29] Will everyone please vote?
[2:56:42] That's what is your vote?
[2:56:48] It's 12 years, nays, 12 yay
[2:56:51] nays. This item is adopted as
substituted.
[2:56:55] It is substituted. Thank you
[2:57:00] 26-3984, uh, a resolution by the
Finance executive Committee and
substituted by the
[2:57:04] Atlanta City Council authorizing
the, uh, the city
[2:57:06] of Atlanta to donate an amount
not to
[2:57:09] exceed $250,000.00 to house
[2:57:13] proud Atlanta Inc. pursuant to
[2:57:15] section 36-30306 of the city of
Atlanta Charter to authorize the
mayor or
[2:57:18] his designee to execute a
donation agreement
[2:57:22] to authorize the chief financial
officer to make the donation
payment from the account listed.
[2:57:24] Hein and for other purposes. I
moved to adopt
[2:57:27] as substituted. Move to adopt is
substituted by Winston
[2:57:31] 2 by Juan, no, by Martin.
[2:57:34] Madam Clark, please prepare the
vote. The vote is open.
[2:57:44] Will everyone please vote?
[2:57:49] Votes closed. 13 yay, 0 nays 13
yay
[2:57:53] 0 nays This item is adapted to
substituted. Madam President,
I'd like
[2:57:56] to make a motion to send this
item to the mayor's
[2:57:58] office posthaste. Motion to send
posthaste
[2:58:02] by Winston, second by. Was
[2:58:05] that Martin Westmoreland
[2:58:08] Westmoreland Westmoreland. Uh,
this can be done by unanimous
consent, Madam
[2:58:11] Clerk, please sound the count
for unanimous consent
[2:58:14] 13 yay, 0 nay, 13 yay, 0 nays.
This item is sent to the
[2:58:17] mayor's office posthaste. Thank
you
[2:58:20] Madam President. That concludes
my report. Thank you, Chair
Winston
[2:58:23] Moving on to committee on
counsel that would be chair
Byron Amos.
[2:58:29] Thank you, Madam President. May
I have 3 items come before
[2:58:32] us today, um, without any
objection, I'd like to take
[2:58:35] items 1 and 2 together as a
block. Yes
[2:58:39] please. Um, these items will be
[2:58:43] communications 26-C-5066, a
communication from Mayor Andre
Dickens appointing Ms
[2:58:46] Margot Walker to serve on the as
a member of the
[2:58:48] civil service board. This
appointment is for a term of
[2:58:52] 3 years. Um, the next one
[2:58:56] is 26-C-5073, a communication
from council president
[2:58:59] Marcy Kara Overstreet appointing
Mr
[2:59:02] Scott Barr to serve as a member
of the downtown Atlanta
Community Improvement
[2:59:05] District. This appointment is
for a term of 4 years. Both
[2:59:08] of these come out of the
committees and through
[2:59:10] committee on counsel favorable.
Is that a
[2:59:14] motion? Yes, there is a motion
to approved by
[2:59:17] council member Amos, who does
not require a second. Madam
Clark
[2:59:19] please prepare the vote. The
vote is open.
[2:59:29] Will everyone please vote.
[2:59:44] The post closed 14 yay, 0 nays
14
[2:59:47] yay, 0 nays. These items
[2:59:50] are adapted. Thank you, my last
item is a
[2:59:55] resolution 26-R-3843. A
resolution by Committee on
counsel
[2:59:57] establishes a civility pledge
for the members of the Atlanta
[3:00:00] City Council to advance civility
and promote professionalism
[3:00:04] ethical leadership, respectful
deliberation
[3:00:06] and public trust in municipal
government and for other
purposes come
[3:00:09] from the committee of favor
recommendation most to approve
[3:00:13] Motion to approve by Chair Amos.
[3:00:15] does not require a second, Madam
Clark, please prepare the vote.
The
[3:00:18] vote is open.
[3:00:25] Would like boom, please vote.
[3:00:41] Council memberer Lewis, what is
your vote?
[3:00:44] But those clothes. 12 yay
[3:00:47] 0 nays, 12 yay, nays, this item
is adopted. Thank you
[3:00:50] Madam President, in my report.
Thank you, that was
[3:00:53] 13 Council member Bond and say,
what is your vote?
[3:00:56] 13 yay, 0 nays 13 yay, 0 nays
[3:01:00] 26R that's 3843 is adopted.
[3:01:07] Cher Norwood, zoning. Thank you
[3:01:09] Madam President. We have, uh, 6
items. I'd like
[3:01:12] to take 5 of them as a block.
The first
[3:01:18] is 260-1223, Z 2630
[3:01:21] 24 Cleveland Avenue, Southeast,
the ordinances to waive
[3:01:25] the zoning conditions
prohibiting an automobile
[3:01:27] service station. The second
[3:01:32] is 260-1332, U
[3:01:35] 2608 4475 Rosswell Road,
Northeast. The the ordinances
for a special.
[3:01:39] Use permit for an outdoor dining
[3:01:41] and eating and drinking
establishment
[3:01:45] 3 is 260-1341
[3:01:50] C2641 text amendment to add a
[3:01:52] special use permit requirement
to allow a holder of
[3:01:55] a state medical cabinet,
cabinets
[3:01:59] and product dispensing license
[3:02:01] Number 4
[3:02:04] is 260-1365 Z
[3:02:08] 2645 2341. Blenn Drive
[3:02:10] southeast, the ordinance is to
zone
[3:02:13] property to R4, uh, residentials
and
[3:02:15] a single-family residential
zoning district. And
[3:02:19] number 6
[3:02:22] is 260-1427 Z 26
[3:02:26] 37 686 Highland Avenue. The
ordinances
[3:02:28] to rezone from our
[3:02:31] R5BL beltline overlay
[3:02:33] to C2BL commercial Service
district
[3:02:37] Beltline over that overlay. The
Recommendation from the
[3:02:39] committee on these 5 is to file
and
[3:02:42] so I recommend.
[3:02:46] Motion to adopt. Motioned to a
foul.
[3:02:51] By Norwood. No second
[3:02:55] is needed. Uh, Madam Clark,
please prepare the vote
[3:02:57] The vote is open.
[3:03:07] Can everyone please vote?
[3:03:17] I have some questions to
[3:03:20] the It's, it's right here
[3:03:23] I'm just. bond, what is your
vote
[3:03:25] ? Um
[3:03:30] Councilor Martin Council member
Boone?
[3:03:35] That's Barbara Collins.
[3:03:43] 15 yay, 0 nays, 15 yay
[3:03:47] 0 nays, all 5 items are adopted.
In
[3:03:49] the last fouled, yes, fouled.
The
[3:03:52] last item
[3:03:56] is 260-1406 Z
[3:03:58] 2643 Peachtree Circle, this
ordinance is to rezone
[3:04:01] from R4 and
[3:04:05] R4 BLBS Landmark Building site
[3:04:09] to R4HD Historic District
[3:04:12] and R for LBS. Landmark
[3:04:15] building site, historic
[3:04:18] district that um recommendation
out of the committee was
[3:04:21] to file and the councilman, in
the district would
[3:04:23] like to speak to the issue. OK.
Recommendation
[3:04:27] is to file, is that a motion?
I'm
[3:04:30] I'm waiting for the councilman
of the district to address the
[3:04:32] issue. I recognize council thank
[3:04:35] you, Madam President, colleagues
I've got so much I want to say
about
[3:04:39] this, but I'm going to Kind of
edit
[3:04:42] my comments, um, because as I've
shared with all of y'all, we've
[3:04:45] we've been threatened by
litigation on both sides of it.
So I
[3:04:48] I just got to be mindful of what
um I say, uh, I
[3:04:50] I pretty much laid out, um, at
[3:04:53] zoning committee, my process and
my approach
[3:04:55] to this that I've
[3:04:59] taken painstakingly over the
last year, um, and
[3:05:01] I, I, I, Since
[3:05:04] that time, uh, planning
department and I spent about an
hour
[3:05:08] on Monday going parcel by parcel
[3:05:10] to verify everybody's positions.
We actually
[3:05:13] found an error or a difference
that planning
[3:05:15] had uh versus what we had, and
that moved the
[3:05:19] count and actually the opposite
direction, and I've sent that to
[3:05:22] everybody, so you have. Um, a
copy
[3:05:26] of that. Um, this is not a new
topic for this neighborhood
[3:05:29] 3 years ago, it was very
contentious, and that is
[3:05:32] why I've been very, very clear
[3:05:35] about my threshold since the
beginning of the process, and I,
I
[3:05:38] I have to remind everybody,
especially
[3:05:41] the community that is out there
saying that I've been
[3:05:44] hostile or non-supportive of
this, I want to remind
[3:05:47] the applicants that it was me
that met twice
[3:05:51] with the planning commissioner
last summer to
[3:05:53] unstick this. I was also the one
who introduced
[3:05:57] the legislation to on the
moratorium
[3:06:00] on demolitions before this made
it through to give
[3:06:03] y'all time. And so I, I
[3:06:06] I disappointed. Um, I can't say
I'm surprised
[3:06:09] but I'm, I'm definitely
disappointed in the rhetoric
that
[3:06:13] is flying around there about me
[3:06:15] on this, and I've had to be
[3:06:18] very frostily dispassionate on
this because of
[3:06:22] the intensity of the positions
on
[3:06:25] both sides of this, and it's not
because of my personal position
[3:06:27] but because of I just, I've been
through
[3:06:31] this before with y'all, and I
knew this is where we would end
up, and here we are.
[3:06:34] Um, all that said, Here
[3:06:38] we are It is, it is time
[3:06:40] for this particular application
to conclude
[3:06:43] I stand by my request.
[3:06:47] Um, that this motion, uh, this
[3:06:49] application be filed. Um, Like I
[3:06:52] said, I've got so much more I
want to say about this, but I,
I'm going
[3:06:56] to leave it at this because this
has been a Really
[3:07:00] Painful
[3:07:03] And unfortunate dynamic that is
happening in the
[3:07:06] neighborhood and um. You know,
but, but
[3:07:09] again, uh, colleagues, I do ask
you to support the motion
[3:07:12] to file. Thank you. Thank you.
OK, well
[3:07:14] we have to hear from
[3:07:17] uh council member Collins, just
have a couple of questions
sitting
[3:07:20] on the zoning committee. I know
we had, I know we were
[3:07:24] um, council member while we were
talking about just some of
[3:07:27] the processes and so that there
was, we
[3:07:30] we got communication that
[3:07:32] the voting had changed. It was
like maybe
[3:07:35] one that was actually counted as
a yes was a no, so.
[3:07:39] for the 72, it puts the, it's
[3:07:41] it's still a majority but not a
supermajority. That's what
[3:07:45] you're saying. The planning
department reported 40 yeses at
zoning
[3:07:48] That number is actually moved to
39. It's
[3:07:50] moved down 1. OK, so, so you
said, so it's, it's
[3:07:53] a majority but still not a
supermajority, which
[3:07:56] is the baseline for these
decisions
[3:07:59] to be earn my support on that. I
I
[3:08:02] expected a supermajority, 2/3. A
[3:08:06] lot of people have been
questioning what supermajority
means, but by
[3:08:08] My standard, it's 2/3, much like
our supermajority
[3:08:11] process up here. Um, and yes, it
falls short of
[3:08:14] that threshold. And if it, and
say for
[3:08:17] if it was, if this designation
was to be in place
[3:08:19] those homes that are currently
in opposition would
[3:08:24] be grandfathered in. Well, no,
they would be
[3:08:26] there's not a grandfather,
grandfathering means you retain
your
[3:08:29] original rights before the
zoning change. If the zoning
changed,
[3:08:33] All the properties would be
brought into
[3:08:36] this new um new designation. So
[3:08:39] all the requirements, um,
whether you support it or
[3:08:42] not, you would still be subject
to it going forward. So
[3:08:44] grandfathered isn't really the
right term, because there isn't
[3:08:47] a grandfather and you don't
retain your previous
[3:08:50] rights pre right, but you're
saying, OK, so, so you're saying
[3:08:53] going forward, so if their
property is where
[3:08:55] it is now, going forward if they
wanted to do
[3:08:58] any changes or whatnot, they
would need to align with the
[3:09:02] new designation. If the
designation was approved by us
[3:09:05] today. Yes. Got you. OK. All
right, thank
[3:09:07] you. Uh, Chairman one, if you
would be so kind as
[3:09:10] to read the count to us because
the zoning committee had
[3:09:13] asked for that, so that we can,
as we vote
[3:09:16] we can have an official count um
of the
[3:09:18] of the um properties happy to
[3:09:21] do that, um. Of
[3:09:24] the 72 parcels.
[3:09:27] Sorry, I should have had that
with me
[3:09:30] Of the 72 parcels, there were 39
yeses
[3:09:33] 26 nos, and 7 no responses
[3:09:36] OK, now, I'm not trying to be
argumentative, but
[3:09:39] I've been given 40
[3:09:42] in 22, not 39
[3:09:45] and 26, so I just don't, I would
ask who you were given that by.
[3:09:48] Uh, it's, I can't tell you.
Sorry
[3:09:51] I can tell you it's been from
the community and again
[3:09:54] that is why planning and I
painstakingly, and I see
[3:09:56] uh Mr. Reed was out, he's out
there. We went on
[3:09:59] Monday, parcel by parcel and
said, what
[3:10:01] do we have an indication of a
yes
[3:10:05] or no, and he agreed with the
count that, that, well
[3:10:07] we both agreed, and so whatever
else is floating out
[3:10:10] in the community was not
generated
[3:10:13] through the city application and
the
[3:10:16] department. So, uh, again,
there's been a lot of.
[3:10:19] Disinformation spread out there,
and I, I, that's why I shared
this with the
[3:10:21] committee and my colleagues. OK.
All
[3:10:25] right, and so the motion is to
file. I will be voting
[3:10:28] against that motion if you will
record that. Thank you. So
motion is
[3:10:30] to file by Norwood
[3:10:34] It does not require a sack
because it came out favorable to
Fout.
[3:10:37] Uh, we have one more speaker
[3:10:41] Councilor Ruban. Before the vote
[3:10:46] Michael Julian Bond. Thank you
[3:10:50] madam President. Well, I have a
question
[3:10:53] Uh, it would seem to me that
[3:10:55] Historic preservation is always
worthy.
[3:11:01] Of preservation, right? And as
[3:11:04] the city government, We have the
[3:11:06] ability underneath our code.
[3:11:09] To draw the lines of
[3:11:12] perspective zoning areas and
zoning districts
[3:11:15] the way that we see fit. Now
[3:11:18] I can understand that there may
be people on the
[3:11:21] street who may not all agree,
right
[3:11:24] with the designation. But since
we
[3:11:27] do have, I guess
[3:11:31] 39 homes on that particular
street. Couldn't, I'm sure the
district
[3:11:35] can be drawn, really just to
contain those 39 holes.
[3:11:39] Is that something in the way of
a compromise that
[3:11:42] we might approach and so that
[3:11:46] don't want to be a part, don't
have to
[3:11:49] be a part, and that those that
choose to have the
[3:11:51] protection can have the
protection. Because there's
nothing
[3:11:54] in our code
[3:11:57] that would eliminate or restrict
us
[3:12:00] from creating a district that's
[3:12:03] Contains one house or 1000
houses. Yeah
[3:12:06] so, um, council member Bond,
that is correct
[3:12:09] and in fact, uh, I got a call
late
[3:12:11] last Wednesday night, uh, from a
property owner, kind of a
[3:12:16] a last minute 11th hour proposal
to
[3:12:19] redo the map. Um, I'm not sure
if the rest
[3:12:22] of the community is aware of
this
[3:12:25] um, that was laid on the table.
However, after
[3:12:27] that meeting, um, I did have
planning
[3:12:31] department verify whether or not
that. would need
[3:12:34] to then go back through ZRB and
MPU and
[3:12:37] the community, and the answer is
yes. And to
[3:12:40] me that effectively constitutes
a
[3:12:43] new application. And quite
frankly, that's
[3:12:45] how the process should evolve.
It should be a conversation in
[3:12:49] the community first, you kind of
assess where it's almost
[3:12:52] like annexation. You, you get,
you gauge
[3:12:54] where your support is, and then
[3:12:57] you tailor the map to that
effect. And so, what
[3:13:01] you've described, in my opinion,
is Definitely a
[3:13:03] path forward, um, but I think
[3:13:07] uh, that path will always remain
in terms of a
[3:13:10] subsequent application. I think
at this point, um, The
[3:13:14] Yeah, I, I, I just view that as
a, a whole new
[3:13:18] a new application process, but
yes, um, a redrawing
[3:13:21] the map would absolutely
[3:13:24] meet the thresholds, um, and
quite frankly
[3:13:26] shows a clear understanding by
[3:13:30] the community members of how
[3:13:32] the math works, so I don't
understand why folks have
[3:13:35] been questioning why there's
been lack of clarity from me on
[3:13:39] how the math works, because they
they clearly knew in order to be
able
[3:13:41] to draw a new map. Um, all that
said, yes. Uh, I
[3:13:44] I, I, that would be.
[3:13:48] A very viable Path forward. And
one
[3:13:52] that I could find myself
supporting. Well
[3:13:55] just my, my follow-up question
would be that
[3:13:57] if this paper is filed today. I
mean, since that those
[3:14:01] who have been involved in the
effort
[3:14:04] presumably have been involved
for some time. I mean, would
[3:14:07] you be willing to, I guess, you
know, do
[3:14:10] the legislation for the
application for those particular
homes. So you have
[3:14:13] to remember we do not introduce
the legislation. It is
[3:14:15] an application process with the
planning department and then
they
[3:14:18] put it forward to us as the
legislation
[3:14:21] This wasn't my legislation. It's
[3:14:24] so. But you would support
something like that
[3:14:28] Yeah, I mean, again, my, my
metrics and my, my
[3:14:31] approach to this has been
consistent over the last 16
[3:14:33] years. And so, um,
[3:14:37] That's, that's the map. That's
the map forward. Absolutely.
[3:14:42] Well Well glad to, to see, to
hear
[3:14:44] that they would be some
concession and
[3:14:47] compromise perhaps. For those
who are seeking the
[3:14:51] Uh, historic designation. I
guess
[3:14:53] it'd be great to have everyone,
but if you don't,
[3:14:58] If you can save and preserve
what you can save
[3:15:00] and preserve. I think it would
probably
[3:15:03] be worthy of that, um.
[3:15:06] I, I don't, I don't know about
the starting over part
[3:15:09] but I mean, to
[3:15:11] win the support, some, I mean,
that's why this place is uh
[3:15:18] Councilman Bond. I'm sorry.
Councilman Bond, um, I just
wanted
[3:15:20] to offer a
[3:15:23] different alternative to my
colleagues to the
[3:15:27] chair to the councilman of the
district and the community
[3:15:29] What happened in my own
neighborhood was a defeat of
[3:15:32] a historic district, and what we
[3:15:35] did later was to have a
[3:15:38] text amendment that literally
goes to the
[3:15:41] zoning committee that is giving
us a modicum
[3:15:44] of protection in tuxedo Park.
It's called
[3:15:47] an overlay district and there
are
[3:15:50] 6 of those in our zoning code.
So that
[3:15:52] is something that is
[3:15:56] not as restrictive as a historic
district. It
[3:15:59] does not have as many
protections, but
[3:16:01] it does give you
[3:16:06] protection on the redevelopment
or
[3:16:10] the characteristics of the area
and that's what we
[3:16:12] decided to do, and that may be
something that the councilmen of
the district.
[3:16:17] the community and the rest of
the council would like to
consider.
[3:16:21] Well, I think that's a great
idea because
[3:16:23] again, um, You know, we control
[3:16:26] our zoning code, so the
procedures
[3:16:30] the Rules You know
[3:16:32] where the body is that says
those things. And
[3:16:35] so even like the starting
[3:16:39] over part and I understand the
analogy
[3:16:41] that coman Juan was making. But
we still
[3:16:44] control that, right? And so I, I
would
[3:16:46] if, if we're gonna end up in the
same
[3:16:50] place where there are 39 or 40
homes that
[3:16:53] will still end up, whether it's
a
[3:16:55] the overlay that you talked
about or specific
[3:16:59] historic designation for those
particular homes. I
[3:17:02] was just seeking a quicker
resolution to
[3:17:06] the problem rather than, I guess
this took what, over
[3:17:08] a year or, or so, you know, not
to put the people back.
[3:17:13] Through all that exercise to see
if there's a quicker
[3:17:16] way to come to a, so there is a
spirit
[3:17:19] of compromise in the room and
maybe there's a shorter way.
[3:17:22] To, uh, to get there, but you
don't
[3:17:26] I mean, could we lay this on the
table and maybe have
[3:17:28] a meeting or a conversation and
come back in
[3:17:31] two weeks and If, if it hadn't
been resolved in 2
[3:17:34] weeks and everybody starts over
fresh or whatever
[3:17:37] May I respond, Council President
? Of course, yeah, I mean
[3:17:40] I'm asking counsel. Yeah, I, I
just want to make sure I, I, so
[3:17:43] um, I appreciate that. Um um,
the reality of it is
[3:17:46] is that most of that year was
spent by
[3:17:51] planning department doing their
analysis, their research on the
[3:17:54] historic significance of the
street
[3:17:56] That's done, right? The other
half was uh assessing
[3:18:00] and developing the controls,
because there are
[3:18:02] They're heavy controls, there
are light controls. That's done
[3:18:05] as well. So I would suggest that
[3:18:07] the process shouldn't take as
long, um,
[3:18:11] As It did the first
[3:18:14] time because all of the heavy
lifting has been done. Now,
there is
[3:18:16] it is time, um, there is, uh,
you know, a kind
[3:18:20] of a cooling off period as well.
But all that said,
[3:18:25] I also am not sure that simply
redrawing the
[3:18:27] map doesn't necessarily change
[3:18:30] um, any of the
[3:18:34] uh, recommending bodies'
opinions on this
[3:18:36] because the civic association,
the NPU may have a different
feeling when it's
[3:18:40] a snaggletooth map versus the
way it was, that was a
[3:18:43] whole street. I don't know that.
Um
[3:18:45] uh, neither, I don't know if the
ERB will, I don't know if
planning will
[3:18:48] and so to me. I'd like, this has
been
[3:18:52] a very difficult. 15 month
[3:18:54] process. I'd like to bring this
to a close and, and
[3:18:59] Complete it. But I think what we
have outlined
[3:19:01] before us today are two
[3:19:05] paths forward to accomplish
partially the, the
[3:19:08] the effect. And then long term,
the effect as well
[3:19:12] And so, um, I would not
[3:19:15] support tabling this or holding
this, um, for
[3:19:17] those reasons. I, I think we
just need to
[3:19:21] Finished. I'm a process person,
you know that. Let's finish this
[3:19:24] process and, and let's do it, um
as a
[3:19:26] new one, based on what they've
put forward.
[3:19:30] OK. Well, I appreciate your,
your response and
[3:19:35] Just for myself on the record,
if there is
[3:19:38] Uh, legislation that
[3:19:41] mentioned or talked about, I'd
like to co-sign
[3:19:44] on that. I hate to see the folks
start over
[3:19:46] but I haven't been in the
district before
[3:19:50] I understand your position as
well. So, but
[3:19:53] I, I hope that we
[3:19:55] OK, you know, get was with
everyone and
[3:19:58] Work out what's best for these,
uh, the best
[3:20:01] situation for these neighbors.
So it's that
[3:20:04] I withdraw. OK
[3:20:08] Casey and no others.
[3:20:11] Where are we? You made a motion
to
[3:20:15] file. Madam Clerk, we have a
motion on
[3:20:18] the floor. Uh, please prepare
the vote.
[3:20:22] votes open.
[3:20:25] Nor would have said no. Correct.
[3:20:33] Yeah The post closed
[3:20:35] 11 years, 4 nays. 11 ye, 4 nays
[3:20:38] this item is filed. And that
completes the
[3:20:40] report. Thank you
[3:20:43] Chair Norwood.
[3:20:47] Moving to public safety, legal
administration. Oh.
[3:20:51] Council member Bond, you have
the floor. You wanna, I
[3:20:54] just wanted to explain my vote,
you know.
[3:20:58] I appreciate everything that uh
the colleague
[3:21:01] Councilman once said and I'm not
[3:21:04] necessarily opposed to what he
said, but I do
[3:21:07] want just to have my vote
reflect
[3:21:10] the possible frustration that
some members of the
[3:21:12] community obviously have worked
hard on
[3:21:16] trying to get us to this point.
So I want to make sure
[3:21:18] that that was reflected in the
position that
[3:21:21] I have, but I do still
[3:21:25] firmly believe that Since this
has been filed.
[3:21:29] That the I don't know what we
[3:21:32] can do on the council per se
cause it's
[3:21:35] not our application, but I would
support
[3:21:39] that, but I would also recommend
that
[3:21:41] those incident community members
[3:21:45] get with council member one and
[3:21:47] Norwood and I wanted to jump on
that myself
[3:21:50] to do what Miss uh Norwood
[3:21:52] had suggested about creating
that
[3:21:56] um district. Within those homes
[3:21:59] who are supportive of being
counted
[3:22:01] in that, in that number of
historic preservation.
[3:22:06] I just wanted to put that on the
record
[3:22:08] OK, thank you. Anyone else? You
have 2 minutes to talk about
your vote.
[3:22:14] Anyone? No? OK. In that case, we
[3:22:17] are all done with zoning and we
are
[3:22:19] moving on to public safety Legal
Administration, the Honorable
Andrea Boone.
[3:22:35] Thank you, Ma. Thank you
[3:22:39] Madam President, we have 2 items
on the
[3:22:41] report today. Item
[3:22:46] number 126-0-1478, page 49 and
ordinance by council
[3:22:48] member Byron D. Amos to amend
the charter of the city of
Atlanta
[3:22:51] Georgia in 1996, Georgia
[3:22:53] laws P. 4469.
[3:22:57] Adopted under and by virtue of
the authority of
[3:23:00] the municipal Home Rule Act of
1965
[3:23:04] OCGA section
[3:23:07] 36-351 ETSEQ as amended by
amending
[3:23:11] Part 1, Charter and the related
laws subpart
[3:23:13] a charter Appendix
[3:23:16] 4 Citizen Review Board Section 3
appointment
[3:23:19] of members to revise the
[3:23:22] appointeeing authority for one
young adult member of the
Atlanta
[3:23:25] Citizens Review Board by
replacing seen street smart
[3:23:28] Youth Project Inc. with the
Georgia Association of
[3:23:31] Latino Elected Officials and for
[3:23:34] other purpose. Madam President,
this is a
[3:23:36] charter amendment before the
body today for
[3:23:39] its 2nd read and 1st adoption. I
would
[3:23:42] like to make a motion to approve
Motion
[3:23:45] to adopt by council member Boone
[3:23:49] Martin. Madam Clark, please
prepare the vote.
[3:23:56] The vote is open.
[3:24:02] You don't. Well, everyone please
vote.
[3:24:07] Thank you The bus close.
[3:24:12] 14 years. Uh, X
[3:24:16] 14 yay, 0 nays.
[3:24:18] 26 that oh they 4-1478 is now
[3:24:21] adopted. This is the first of
two adoptions that's required
for
[3:24:25] a charter amendment, so we will
now
[3:24:27] need a motion to refer back to
Public Safety
[3:24:30] Legal Administration. So moved
by Martin, seconded by
[3:24:34] Lewis, Madam Clerk, please
prepare the vote.
[3:24:38] To refer back to committee.
[3:24:43] That is open? Well
[3:24:46] how do you vote? Aye.
[3:24:52] Yeah.
[3:24:59] Will everyone please vote?
[3:25:03] He's got a perplexed look, you
OK
[3:25:06] ? If I was close, 13 years, 14
yay, 0 nays
[3:25:10] 14, 0 nays is referred
[3:25:12] back to committee. Next item
[3:25:17] 26-0-1485. The ordinance by
council member Isha
[3:25:20] Collins, Antonio Lewis, and Matt
Westmoreland
[3:25:24] that substituted by Public
Safety and Legal Administration
Committee
[3:25:26] to amend Chapter 10, Article 2
[3:25:29] Section 10-94 of the city of
Atlanta Code and
[3:25:32] Ordinances in order to provide
an example. exemption from the
[3:25:35] distance requirements to a
private residence and public
[3:25:39] libraries set forth in
[3:25:41] sections 10-88A and B of the
city of Atlanta
[3:25:44] Coling ordinances for an
on-premises consumption
[3:25:48] for 633 Dial Avenue and for
other purposes
[3:25:51] This item was pulled from
[3:25:54] consent agenda following a
favorable
[3:25:57] recommendation from public
safety. I would like to
[3:26:00] make a motion to approve.
[3:26:02] No We have
[3:26:06] a couple of speakers first, uh,
council member Lewis.
[3:26:15] Yeah, I, I truly appreciate this
[3:26:18] legislation. I truly appreciate
what this will do in
[3:26:20] District 12. We don't have food
halls like this in District
[3:26:23] 12. So, to, on, I
[3:26:26] was even thinking about when it
got pulled today and think about
[3:26:29] the district, they pulled the
legislation on one street
[3:26:32] you have more restaurants.
[3:26:35] Like this, than we do in our
[3:26:37] entire district. And so we truly
need this
[3:26:40] similar to jam Rock when we made
sure jam Rock could.
[3:26:42] For the first time in 30 years
to be able to
[3:26:45] offer a different option. I know
a lot
[3:26:48] of other districts across the
city, you all have access to a
lot
[3:26:51] of things that we want. And so
this has been done
[3:26:53] right by our community. We have
a letter from the
[3:26:56] NPU president, a letter from the
Neighborhood Association, so my
[3:27:00] hope is that my colleagues will
stand with us
[3:27:03] on this and opening up this. And
giving
[3:27:05] this distance requirement. Thank
you.
[3:27:09] Oh, thank you, Council member
Collins.
[3:27:12] Just want to echo, um, just echo
the
[3:27:14] sentiments of my colleague Mr.
Lewis and wanting
[3:27:17] to just um also reaffirm that
[3:27:20] the community has been um has
heavily supported
[3:27:23] this effort and the
establishment as well. It is
[3:27:26] in a part of District 12
[3:27:29] um, in concept House, and so, um
or like
[3:27:32] you know, the, that's what has
happened is the, the
[3:27:36] the landowner, the establisher
of this business and the
[3:27:39] community truly came together
before coming to us to Clean
[3:27:41] it out and clean it up and had
[3:27:45] really coalesced and wanted this
investment in the community
[3:27:48] and so it is an honor for us
honestly to
[3:27:52] support a uh this legislation
and
[3:27:54] efforts just as this where you
have the community and everyone
coming
[3:27:57] together to tell their public
leaders what they want and not
[3:28:01] the other way around. And so we
would
[3:28:04] we would truly appreciate the
council supporting this endeavor
[3:28:06] Thank you.
[3:28:10] Thank you. uh, Council number
one, colleagues
[3:28:13] y'all know I've been doing this
for all 4 terms I've been on
council. I, I
[3:28:17] I, it is not a statement of
[3:28:19] the community support. I
realized that. I just, because I
[3:28:22] I'm not satisfied with the level
of enforcement of
[3:28:26] our alcohol code. I don't feel,
uh, I'm
[3:28:28] not supportive of poking holes
in it by creating waivers, but I
[3:28:32] fully support this going forward
I hope everyone else will
[3:28:35] vote for it. I just am going to
vote no. I've just been doing it
all the time.
[3:28:38] It's a running joke. Everybody
laughs at me for
[3:28:41] it. Thanks.
[3:28:46] I appreciate you saying that and
[3:28:49] I appreciate you saying that.
Thank you again.
[3:28:53] OK, so. That is that we have
[3:28:56] a motion, is that correct?
Chairbone?
[3:28:59] Yes, Madam President, OK
[3:29:02] no second is required. Because
it
[3:29:05] was on consent agenda, Madam
Clark, please prepare the vote.
[3:29:09] The vote is open.
[3:29:16] Will everyone please vote.
[3:29:20] Is in the trash.
[3:29:29] Those close 13 yay, 1 nay
[3:29:31] 13 yay, 1 nay.
[3:29:34] This item is adopted.
[3:29:38] Thank you Madam President. This
concludes my report. Thank you
[3:29:41] Chair Bone.
[3:29:45] I would like
[3:29:47] to recognize I don't see the
stickers. Council member Lewis.
[3:29:51] I that we move.
[3:29:56] 260-1485 to the mayor posthaste.
Motion
[3:29:59] to move to this item posthaste
to the mayor
[3:30:02] does not require, um oh
[3:30:05] by, by um council member Lewis,
seconded
[3:30:08] by Bakhtiari does not require
[3:30:10] um a vote. It can be done with
unanimous consent. Madam
[3:30:14] Clerk, please sound the count
for unanimous consent
[3:30:16] 14 yay, 0 nay, 14 yay, 0 nays
this
[3:30:19] item is sent to the mayor's
office posthaste.
[3:30:23] Is that it? Congratulations.
[3:30:28] City utilities chair Dustin
Hillis. Thank you
[3:30:30] Madam President. We have one
item on our report
[3:30:34] 26 R 3978, shout him number 1 on
page
[3:30:38] 52 resolution by City utilities
Committee authorizing the mayor
his designee
[3:30:41] to execute an agreement for a
number listed saw
[3:30:43] the waste billing and management
system with True
[3:30:46] Wave Software LLC on behalf of
the Department of Public Works
for a term
[3:30:50] of 3 years with 21-year renewal
options and an amount not
[3:30:52] to exceed 1
[3:30:56] million824,700 dollars 0 cents,
all contracted work
[3:30:59] will be charged to be paid from
the. Fund department
organization and account number
[3:31:02] listed herein and for other
purposes uh recommendation from
[3:31:05] the committee is to adopt.
Motion
[3:31:08] to adopt by Hillis does not
require
[3:31:11] a second. Is there any
discussion?
[3:31:15] Council member Bakhtiari, thank
you, Madam
[3:31:18] President, um. I know that we
had issues with
[3:31:21] the IPR report chair. Uh, do we
[3:31:24] actually feel that we have met
the conditions of this have been
sorted out, or
[3:31:26] are we feeling that we are once
again rushing
[3:31:30] this despite issues that we had.
I mean, that's my understanding.
I
[3:31:33] didn't receive any other. Issues
or
[3:31:37] Questions, complaints, etc. I
guess my, thank you, I guess.
[3:31:40] One of my hesitancies is once
again, we're rushing something
without it
[3:31:44] being properly vetted. So, um, I
understand that we do
[3:31:46] this condition and then we say
wait until the committee meeting
and there was
[3:31:49] an extra week, but I want to
flag again that this has been
[3:31:51] a pattern that is a problem when
it comes to good governance
[3:31:55] So I will quote what we've said
a million times, that I will
[3:31:58] vote it through today, but
[3:32:00] I have, and I think I'm speaking
for a lot of us here. I've
really
[3:32:04] reached the end of my rope when
it comes to a lack of
preparation, when it
[3:32:07] comes to contracts, procurement,
etc. So happy to vote
[3:32:09] for it today, but I can say that
if the IPR report
[3:32:13] and there's not, there's not
better
[3:32:16] communication around things like
this moving forward. I think
we're going to see a lot
[3:32:18] more things pulled and a lot
more things put on health, so
just needed
[3:32:22] to flag that. Thank you. Um. And
[3:32:25] they yield. OK. Anyone else?
[3:32:30] Motion by Hillis does not
require a sack
[3:32:33] Madam Clerk, please prepare the
vote and the
[3:32:36] vote is open.
[3:32:43] Will everyone please vote?
[3:32:54] The vote was close 13 y or 1
[3:32:56] nay? 13 yay, 1 nay. This item
[3:33:00] is adopted. Uh, completes my
items on
[3:33:03] the president. Thank you. Thank
you, Chair Hillis. This
[3:33:05] brings us to Drum
[3:33:09] roll please.
[3:33:12] Personal papers, we do have an
immediate
[3:33:14] consideration paper. Council
member Michael Julian Bond.
[3:33:19] Everyone should have a copy in
your red folder.
[3:33:26] Thanks sir. Mhm
[3:33:41] Thank you, Madam President. I
have
[3:33:44] a resolution signed by all
members present
[3:33:48] A resolution at all.
[3:33:50] To establish the people Bryson
[3:33:53] legacy Commission in honor of
his
[3:33:56] contributions as a Grammy Award
winning vocalist
[3:33:59] songwriter, Atlanta music icon,
and for
[3:34:01] other purposes. Whereas the
[3:34:04] people Bryson was and
[3:34:08] iconic balladeer and R&B artist
whose
[3:34:11] remarkable career spanned
decades
[3:34:15] earning national and
international acclaim, whereas
[3:34:17] people Bryson dominated the soul
[3:34:20] and R&B charts for nearly 2
[3:34:24] It should be 30 years, 20 years
[3:34:26] celebrated for his romantic
ballads and
[3:34:31] globally recognized Disney duet
performances.
[3:34:35] And whereas people Bryson is a
Grammy Award winning singer.
[3:34:38] Uh,
[3:34:42] We remain a beloved cultural
figure whose music
[3:34:46] and artistry influenced
generations and
[3:34:49] who passed away of
[3:34:52] 75, and whereas the people
[3:34:55] of Bryce professional
breakthrough occurred
[3:34:57] in Atlanta at Atlanta's own Bang
[3:35:00] Records, where he was signed as
a writer
[3:35:03] producer, and arranger a pivotal
[3:35:07] moment that launched his career
[3:35:10] and whereas Mr
[3:35:13] Bryson made his home in, in
[3:35:16] Atlanta for many years
[3:35:18] residing in uh Maryella later in
[3:35:21] Atlanta, deepening his personal
[3:35:24] and artistic ties to the city
[3:35:27] whereas his engagement with the
Atlanta Civic and
[3:35:30] Business Community, including
participating in the
[3:35:33] Atlanta Business League, telling
our
[3:35:36] story program where he where he
reflections on
[3:35:40] his extraordinary career and
connection
[3:35:43] to the city, and whereas the
city of Atlanta seeks to honor
[3:35:47] T Bryson for his extraordinary
music contributions.
[3:35:50] and its culturecultural impact
on
[3:35:52] both local communities and
[3:35:56] audiences worldwide, whereas the
city
[3:35:59] improper that the city of
Atlanta
[3:36:01] formally recognized and
preserved the legacy of Mr
[3:36:05] P. Bryson through the
establishment
[3:36:07] of a legacy commission to
recognize
[3:36:11] the appropriate and lasting
honors
[3:36:14] Now therefore be it resolved by
the city of Atlanta. Uh
[3:36:17] the city council of the city of
Atlanta, Georgia
[3:36:21] that people of Bryson. Legacy
commission
[3:36:23] is hereby established for the
purpose
[3:36:26] of exploring and recommending
ways
[3:36:29] to honor Mr. Bryceson's life
[3:36:32] his legacy, and special
attention to
[3:36:35] his profound influences. And
[3:36:39] Atlanta's musical heritage. We
further resolved that
[3:36:42] the commission shall consist of
the
[3:36:45] following family, community, and
local
[3:36:48] government officials, Tanya
Bryson
[3:36:51] Linda Bryson, Marissa Bryson,
Willie
[3:36:54] Burks, former Mayor Bill
Campbell, former Mayor
[3:36:57] Shirley Franklin, Jeffrey Alston
[3:37:01] Chris Tucker, Alvin Waters
[3:37:04] Calvin Waters, and Matt Wilber.
[3:37:08] Further resolved that the
following city department
[3:37:11] and or offices will
[3:37:13] designate a representative to
support
[3:37:17] advise, and participate in the
commission
[3:37:19] the Atlanta Department of
Transportation, the Department
[3:37:24] of Public Parks and Recreation,
the mayor's Office
[3:37:26] of Cultural Affairs and the Post
one at
[3:37:29] large office. It further
resolved with
[3:37:33] such appointments do not require
confirmations by
[3:37:35] the Atlanta City Council. Be
[3:37:38] it further resolved that the
commission shall hold its
[3:37:42] inaugural meeting within 60 days
of
[3:37:44] the adoption of this resolution
and
[3:37:48] meet regularly, uh,
incorporating public
[3:37:51] hearings and community forums
[3:37:53] to gather diverse perspectives,
be it
[3:37:56] further resolved that the
commission shall
[3:38:00] be staffed by the staff of
[3:38:03] the sponsoring council member's
office, both one at large, the
mayor's office, of course.
[3:38:07] Affairs, a chair will be elected
by the body
[3:38:11] of the commission. Be it further
resolved
[3:38:14] that the commission shall
endeavor
[3:38:17] to meet its anticipated goals
and sunset
[3:38:20] by August. Oh, it should be
[3:38:23] August 2027.
[3:38:27] Not 26, so that's already
happened. Following
[3:38:30] the adoption of this resolution,
be it
[3:38:33] further resolved that the final
[3:38:36] report detailing the
recommendations shall be
submitted
[3:38:39] to the Atlanta City Council, no
later than one
[3:38:42] year after the commission's
first meeting
[3:38:45] The commission shall dissolve
[3:38:48] upon the submission of the final
report unless further
[3:38:51] action is authorized by the
Atlanta City Council
[3:38:54] We have finally resolved that
all resolutions and parts
[3:38:57] resolutions and conflict with
this resolution
[3:39:01] there and are hereby waived to
the
[3:39:03] extent of the conflict, like to
move approval.
[3:39:07] Second.
[3:39:10] With approval by bond, 2nd
[3:39:13] by Martin. OK.
[3:39:17] Hillas, Madam Clark, please
prepare
[3:39:24] the vote it, feel it. No.
[3:39:30] Hillis, how do you vote?
[3:39:33] The resident How do you
[3:39:36] vote? The vote is open. How do
you vote
[3:39:39] Martin Martin. Martin gets a no
vote.
[3:39:44] Collins is a guest.
[3:39:50] Council member Amos, what is
your? Yes.
[3:39:53] Amos, how do you vote
[3:39:57] ? Yay.
[3:39:59] She
[3:40:07] No.
[3:40:10] The most close 15 yay, 0 nays
[3:40:13] 15 yay, 0 nays, this, this
resolution is adopted
[3:40:17] Thank you, colleagues. I'd like
to move to move this to the
mayor's office, post days.
[3:40:22] Moved by council member Michael
Julian Bond to move to the
[3:40:25] mayor's office post. Hayes, this
can
[3:40:28] be done by unanimous, well
[3:40:31] seconded by Hillis. This can be
done by
[3:40:33] uh unanimous consent, Madam
Clark, what is the count for
[3:40:37] unanimous consent? 15, 0 nays,
15 yay
[3:40:40] 0 nays
[3:40:43] This item is moved to the
mayor's office. 14
[3:40:46] yeah 0 nays 14 yay
[3:40:49] 0 nays without objection this.
has moved to the
[3:40:51] mayor's office posthaste.
[3:40:54] OK, now we're at personal papers
for to
[3:40:58] be referred. Are we ready
[3:41:00] ? Do you have one? OK, I'm ready
[3:41:04] Elm's ID
[3:41:07] number 41117 and on by council
member Michael Julian
[3:41:10] Bonds authorized the donation in
an amount not
[3:41:13] to exceed
[3:41:16] $250 from the postman at large
[3:41:19] carried forward the account to
the Bethlehem
[3:41:22] United Methodist Church and
recognition of
[3:41:25] its 150th anniversary and for
other purposes.
[3:41:30] 41117 to be referred to FEC.
Thank you.
[3:41:34] Thank you. Council member Amos.
[3:41:38] Yes, Madam President, I'm
[3:41:41] AM's 41132, a resolution by
council member Byron DA with
requesting
[3:41:45] the commissioner of Atlanta
Department of Transportation to
establish
[3:41:48] a southbound left turn lane on
Joseph E. Lowry Boulevard
[3:41:52] Northwest at the intersection of
Joseph E. Boone
[3:41:54] Boulevard Northwest to
facilitate eastbound
[3:41:59] turn onto Joseph B. Boone
Boulevard, Northwest, and for
other purposes
[3:42:03] 41132 to be referred to
transportation.
[3:42:08] Am's 41136, a resolution by
council member Byron
[3:42:10] DAs, Michael Julian Bond, Wayne
Martin, Isha Collins
[3:42:14] Jason Dozier, Dustin Hillis,
Antonio Lewis
[3:42:17] Jason Winston, Liliana
Barkhtiari, and Matt
[3:42:21] Westmoreland authorizing the
installation of historic marker
to honor
[3:42:23] the late Reverend Joseph B.
Boone for his lifelong service
[3:42:26] to the city of Atlanta and it
[3:42:29] his contributions to the civil
rights movement and for other
purposes
[3:42:33] 41136 to be referred to CDHS.
Final one.
[3:42:39] 41112 ordinance by council
member Byron D. Amos to
authorize the city of
[3:42:42] Atlanta to donate an amount not
to exceed
[3:42:46] $10,000.00 to Park Pride
Incorporated as a fiscal
[3:42:48] agent for the friends of Rambo
Park for the purpose
[3:42:52] of supporting improvements to
Rainbow Park to authorize the
chief financial
[3:42:55] officer or his designee to make
payments from the
[3:42:59] account identified here in and
for other purposes
[3:43:02] 41112 to be referred to FEC.
Thank you
[3:43:04] Madam President. Thanks, Chair
Amos.
[3:43:08] Council member Martin, thank you
so much, Madam President
[3:43:11] uh, Elm's ID number 41095
[3:43:15] a resolution by council members
Wayne Martin
[3:43:18] and Andrea Boone to correct
resolution
[3:43:22] number 26-R-3913 adopted by the
Atlanta City Council on August
[3:43:26] 17th, 2026, an approved per city
[3:43:29] charter 2-403
[3:43:33] 2-403 on August 26
[3:43:35] 2026, authorizing the second
renewal option for an. Agreement
[3:43:43] number SPS-1230018 time clock
replacement and licensing with
the
[3:43:47] time clock Plus LLC on behalf of
the Department of Atlanta
Information
[3:43:49] Management to include the fund
department organization
[3:43:53] and account numbers associated
with the funding string
[3:43:55] and for other purposes. 41095
[3:43:58] to be referred to FEC. Thank you
Madam
[3:44:01] President. Elm's
[3:44:04] ID 41125. A resolution by
council members
[3:44:07] Wayne Martin, uh, Matt
Westmoreland
[3:44:11] uh, Kelsey Bond, Byron Amos
[3:44:16] um, Isha Collins, Dustin Hillis,
Thomas
[3:44:18] Worthy, uh.
[3:44:22] Liliana Bakhtiari and a lot of
other
[3:44:25] council members whose names I
cannot make out, Jason Dozier
[3:44:27] by Renee is for one
[3:44:30] a resolution by these council
members requesting the chief
financial
[3:44:34] officer to eliminate the
requirement that personnel
requests
[3:44:36] for the municipal court be
submitted to
[3:44:39] the vacancy review board and for
other purposes.
[3:44:43] 41125 to be referred to FEC.
Thank you
[3:44:46] Madam President. All right,
thank you.
[3:44:49] Joe Hillis. Thank you, Madam
President. My first
[3:44:52] item is Elms 41122.
[3:44:55] Joined us by council member
Dustin Hillis authorizing a
donation and
[3:44:59] to exceed $13,750.00 from the
council district.
[3:45:03] 9 carry forward account to the
Atlanta Police Foundation to
assist
[3:45:06] in the improvement of West Side
Waterworks green space through
the purchase of a
[3:45:10] quad PTZ camera and for other
purposes.
[3:45:14] OK.
[3:45:17] 411-22 to refer to FEC.
[3:45:20] Next item is Elms 40965 and
ordinance
[3:45:23] by council member Dustin Hillis
authorizing a donation and allow
[3:45:26] to exceed $12,500 from the
District
[3:45:29] 9 Carry Ford
[3:45:31] account to the West Side of
Howell Mill Community
Improvement District to support
[3:45:33] the West Side Stride, a one day
advocacy event for
[3:45:38] safer multimodal streets to be
held on November 8, 2026.
[3:45:42] I'm sorry. What, which one was
that?
[3:45:46] 4096540965 to be referred to FEC
[3:45:50] Next item is Elms
[3:45:52] ID 41094 under a resolution by
council member Dustin Hillis
authorizing the
[3:45:55] mayor his designee to execute
cooperative agreements.
[3:45:59] Listed with HERC Rentals Inc
[3:46:02] and with United Rentals North
America Inc
[3:46:06] utilizing Source well contract
number listed on behalf of the
Department of
[3:46:08] Public Works Enterprise Assets
Management, Parks
[3:46:11] and Recreation, transportation,
aviation, and watershed
management as
[3:46:13] authorized user agencies each
for a term of
[3:46:16] 1 year with a zero renewal
options on a
[3:46:19] task order basis and an initial
amount for all agreements not
[3:46:23] to exceed
[3:46:26] $4,202,000.00 all contracted
work will be charged to and paid
for. From the fund
[3:46:29] department, organization and
account numbers listed herein
and for
[3:46:33] other purposes. 41094 to be
[3:46:35] referred to City utilities.
Fourth and final item
[3:46:38] is elms
[3:46:42] ID 41135. And ordinance by
council members
[3:46:44] Dustin Hillis, Andrea Boone,
Wayne Martin, Ishay Collins
[3:46:47] Byron Amos, and Antonio Lewis.
To amend
[3:46:51] chapter 158, Article 2, Division
20.
[3:46:56] Section 158-89 reduction of
[3:46:58] Require tree recompense for
affordable for sale
[3:47:02] units of the city of Atlanta
Code of Ordinances to remove
[3:47:05] certain conditions required to
secure a
[3:47:09] Production or waiver of
requested tree recompense
[3:47:11] for affordable for sale units
and furtherance of
[3:47:14] the need to balance its goal of
tree canopy preservation with
[3:47:18] its goal to incentivize the
development of
[3:47:20] affordable housing and for other
purposes
[3:47:23] 41135 to be referred to CDHS.
Thank you. That
[3:47:27] completes my items. Thank you.
Council
[3:47:32] member Bakhtiari, thank you, um,
just
[3:47:34] two papers today, Elm's
[3:47:37] ID 41133 in ordinance by Council
member Liliana Bakhtiari
[3:47:39] and Isha Collins authorizing the
contribution of a total amount
[3:47:43] not to exceed, well, I'll say,
because we're going to
[3:47:45] substitute new numbers, so I'll
say not to exceed blank
[3:47:48] um, to the East Atlanta
Community Association to support
resident services
[3:47:52] and community development
pursuant to
[3:47:54] Section 6-306 of the city of
Atlanta's charter and for other
purposes
[3:47:59] 41133 to refer to FEC. Thank you
Uh
[3:48:01] Elm's ID 41134, an ordinance by
[3:48:05] council member Liliana Bakhtiari
and Isha Collins authorizing
[3:48:08] the contribution of a total
amount not to exceed blank to
the
[3:48:10] Atlanta Preservation Center Inc.
to support the Phoenix Flies
[3:48:13] Preservation Initiative pursuant
to Section 6-306 of the City
[3:48:16] of Atlanta's Charter and for
other purposes.
[3:48:19] 41134 to be referred to FEC.
Thank you so much. That was,
those
[3:48:23] are all my papers. Chairwan.
Thank you
[3:48:26] Madam President. Elms ID 41116
[3:48:28] a resolution by council member
Alex Waan authorizing the mayor
or
[3:48:33] his designee to execute special
procurement agreement, insert
agreement number, agreement
[3:48:35] name with
[3:48:38] mythics LLC on behalf of the
Department of Finance, pursuant
to Section
[3:48:42] 2 1191.1 of the Atlanta City
Code for a term of 4 years with
[3:48:44] 12-year renewal options in an
amount not to exceed
[3:48:47] $14 million.00 for the initial.
Term, I contracted work to
[3:48:50] be charged to and paid from the
fund department organization
[3:48:53] and account number listed here
in and for other purposes
[3:48:55] 41116 to refer to FEC. Thank you
[3:49:00] OK.
[3:49:02] Council memberer Dosier, thank
you, Madam President. I only
have one admiral today is Elms
[3:49:06] number 41129. A resolution by
Council member Jason Dozier
requesting that
[3:49:09] the executive director of the
Atlanta Urban Design Commission
to nominate the Justice
[3:49:09] neighborhood
[3:49:13] which consists of most of
Fountain Drive North Southwest
and Morris Brown Drive Southwest
[3:49:16] south of Martin Luther King
Junior Drive Southwest as
[3:49:19] a landmark building or site and
for other purposes.
[3:49:22] 41129 to be referred to
transportation. Thank you.
[3:49:26] That's me. Cheryl
[3:49:29] Winston. Thank you, Madam
President
[3:49:32] Uh, my first is Elm's
[3:49:36] ID 40984. The resolution by
council member Jason H
[3:49:40] Winston and council members
Westmoreland, Dozier
[3:49:43] Bakdari, and Ka Bon. Uh,
authorizing the city
[3:49:45] of Atlanta to donate an amount
not to
[3:49:49] exceed $350,000.00 to the
Atlanta
[3:49:52] Victim Assistance Inc. pursuant
to section
[3:49:54] number 6-306 of the city of
Atlanta Charter to authorize
[3:49:58] the mayor or his designee to
execute a donation agreement to
authorize
[3:50:01] the chief financial officer to
make the donation payment from
the
[3:50:05] account listed herein and for
other purposes
[3:50:07] 40984 to be referred to FEC.
Elms
[3:50:14] 41113, a resolution by council
member Jason H. Winston
authorizing the Chief
[3:50:18] Financial Officer to refund
customers for overpayments to
[3:50:21] water and sewer accounts in the
amount of funds
[3:50:23] to be charged to and paid from
the fund
[3:50:27] department organization and
account number listed herein and
for
[3:50:29] other purposes. 41113
[3:50:32] to be referred to FEC.
[3:50:36] Elms number 41114 resolution
[3:50:38] by Councilman Jason H. Winston
authorizing the commissioner of
the Department
[3:50:41] of Watershed Management to
adjust water and sewer
[3:50:44] service charges on certain
customer accounts in accordance
[3:50:47] with Atlanta City code
[3:50:50] section 154-28, amount of the
dollars and cents to be given
later
[3:50:53] and for other purposes
[3:50:57] For111 or to be referred to FEC.
[3:50:59] Elm's
[3:51:03] ID 41118 in ordinance by council
member Jason H. Winston
authorizing
[3:51:06] the issuance and sale by the
city of Atlanta of
[3:51:08] its tax allocation refunding
bonds, Beltline
[3:51:12] project series 2026A in the
original
[3:51:14] aggregate principal amount of
not to exceed
[3:51:17] and its tax allocation refunding
bonds
[3:51:20] Beltline project, taxable.
[3:51:23] Series 2026 BC in the original
aggregate
[3:51:26] principal amount of not to
exceed
[3:51:30] blank together the series 2026
bonds in order
[3:51:33] to refinance all or a portion of
the city's currently
[3:51:37] outstanding Beltline tax
allocation bonds issued under
the
[3:51:40] master indenture fund certain
accounts with respect to the
[3:51:44] series 2026 Buns and pay certain
costs of issuance related
[3:51:47] to the Series 2026 Bonds. The
execution, delivery
[3:51:50] and performance of a second
supplemental indenture of trust.
Providing
[3:51:53] for the sale and issuance of the
[3:51:56] series 2026 bo Bonds, the
execution and delivery of the
[3:52:00] continuing covenant agreement in
connection with the sale of the
series
[3:52:02] 2026 bonds. The execution and
delivery of one or
[3:52:06] more escrow deposit agreements
and certain related actions
[3:52:09] all in connection with the
issuance of the
[3:52:11] series 2026 bonds and for other
purposes.
[3:52:15] 41118 to be referred to FEC.
Elm's
[3:52:20] ID 41119 an ordinance by
Councilman Jason East Winston to
amend the seat
[3:52:23] of Atlanta fiscal year 2027
budget by adding
[3:52:26] to anticipations and
appropriation bond
[3:52:29] proceeds in the aggregate
principal amount not to exceed
blank for the
[3:52:33] series 2026 tax allocation
refunding bods, Beltline
[3:52:36] project, associated cost of
issuance, and for
[3:52:38] other purposes.
[3:52:41] 41119 to be referred to FEC.
Thank you. Thank you.
[3:52:47] Cheering. Elms
[3:52:49] 41138 and ordinance by Mary
Norwood to adopt a
[3:52:52] new zoning ordinance consisting
of text and
[3:52:56] official zoning map for the
zoning or districting
[3:52:58] of property for various uses and
[3:53:01] the prohibition of other or
different uses
[3:53:05] or districts, and for the
regulation of development
[3:53:09] and the improvement of real
estate within such zones
[3:53:12] or districts in accordance with
the uses of property for which
such.
[3:53:16] Zones or districts were
established within
[3:53:19] the territorial boundaries of
the city of Atlanta
[3:53:21] to adopt policies and
[3:53:25] procedures included in said
ordinance which
[3:53:27] governed calling and conducting
[3:53:30] hearings required by state law
on zoning decisions to
[3:53:34] adopt standards included in said
ordinance, which
[3:53:37] govern the exercise of the
zoning power
[3:53:39] to provide that certain existing
conditions
[3:53:43] of zoning remain effective to
provide that certain
[3:53:46] Special use permits
[3:53:50] remain effective and for other
purposes.
[3:53:53] And that 5th week is always
weird, yeah.
[3:53:57] Madam 41138 to be referred to
zoning. And Madam President
[3:54:01] here President, here are the 900
[3:54:04] pages of the new zoning
ordinance, so I have a
[3:54:06] physical copy for my colleagues
who wish to peruse it.
[3:54:10] Presidents.
[3:54:13] Next
[3:54:17] Elms 41139 and the ordinance by
council member Mary Norwood
[3:54:19] to establish a 180 day
[3:54:22] moratorium on the acceptance of
any new
[3:54:26] applications to subdivide
properties into 3 or
[3:54:29] more lots within the boundaries
of Atlanta
[3:54:32] City Council District 8 and for
other purposes.
[3:54:37] 41139 to be referred to zoning.
For some reason, I don't have
any
[3:54:40] of your papers on here. That is
correct. We
[3:54:44] have just gotten them in the
system. Thank you
[3:54:46] Madam President
[3:54:49] Elms 41,140 and a resolution
requesting
[3:54:53] the chief operating officer to
coordinate with the Department
[3:54:55] of City Planning Invest Atlanta
[3:54:58] the Atlanta Beltline Inc. at
Atlanta Housing
[3:55:01] and the Metro Atlanta Land Bank
to
[3:55:04] create a comprehensive inventory
of.
[3:55:07] vacant and underutilized
privately
[3:55:09] owned properties within the city
of Atlanta, which
[3:55:13] may be developed for housing and
[3:55:15] other uses and which shall
[3:55:18] identify properties which are
non-residential, not
[3:55:22] publicly owned, and are vacant,
abandoned
[3:55:25] or neglected, and those that may
qualify as
[3:55:29] nuisance properties and are
under
[3:55:32] 30% forested and for other
purposes. Oh, I think that's
CDHS 411.
[3:55:36] 140 to be referred to CDHS.
Thank you
[3:55:40] And last is Elms 41141. A
[3:55:43] resolution by council member
Mary Norwood requesting
[3:55:46] the mayor or his designee
[3:55:49] establish a process whereby
persons or
[3:55:52] entities who apply for
[3:55:54] permits related to the
installation or repair of
[3:55:58] any impervious surface necessary
[3:56:00] to traverse lots that are 1/3 of
[3:56:03] an acre or larger, and the
district.
[3:56:07] council member representing the
location
[3:56:09] we're in the proposed
installation or repairs
[3:56:12] to occur may have an opportunity
to attend
[3:56:16] a joint conference with the
representatives from
[3:56:18] the city departments and offices
[3:56:21] charged with reviewing such
applications
[3:56:25] and enforcing the city of
Atlanta's stormwater
[3:56:28] and other ordinances, state
[3:56:30] law and state regulatory
standards applicable
[3:56:34] to the installation and repair.
Of
[3:56:37] the impervious surface necessary
to
[3:56:39] traverse these larger lots power
[3:56:43] from power prior to the
[3:56:46] city's issuance of any final
decisions related
[3:56:48] to such
[3:56:52] applications 41141 to be dual
referred to transportation and
city utilities
[3:56:55] Thank you.
[3:56:59] All right. Council member
[3:57:01] Kelsey Bond. All right. Oh, I
can't read this.
[3:57:08] Oh Where?
[3:57:10] Oh, number 41121.
[3:57:15] It was scribbled all over. Um
[3:57:19] Elm's ID 41121
[3:57:21] a resolution by council members
Kelsey
[3:57:24] Bond, Antonio Lewis, Liliana
Bakhtiari
[3:57:27] Jason Dozier, Jason Winston
[3:57:29] Wayne Martin, Byron Amos, Matt
[3:57:32] Westmoreland, and Michael Bond
[3:57:35] affirming the city of Atlanta's
support for light rail transit
[3:57:37] along the full 22 mile Atlanta
[3:57:40] Beltline corridor recognizing
light rail transit as a
[3:57:44] central component of the adopted
Atlanta Beltline.
[3:57:46] Envision affirming the use of
the existing Beltline transit
right of
[3:57:49] way, supporting rail on grass
design where feasible
[3:57:53] requesting coordinated
implementation and funding
updates from the
[3:57:57] Mayor Dickens administration,
Marta, the Atlanta Beltline Inc
[3:58:00] and other relevant city
departments and for other
purposes.
[3:58:04] 411-21 to be referred to CDHS
and transportation.
[3:58:11] Chair Westmoreland. Thank you,
Madam President. Elms
[3:58:15] ID 41,130 ordinance by
Westmoreland to amend part
[3:58:18] 2, code 20
[3:58:21] section 20-1004 to update the
city of Atlanta's short-term
rental policy and
[3:58:24] for other purposes. So
[3:58:27] Oh.
[3:58:31] 41,130 to CDHS
[3:58:34] Elms 411141115 resolution by
Westmoreland authorizing
marriage as a need to execute a
[3:58:38] special procurement agreement
blank with blank on behalf of
the Department of
[3:58:40] Finance pursuant to Section
listed herein of the State of
Atlanta's code for
[3:58:43] a period of 5 years with
[3:58:45] 12-year renewal options
commencing September 30th, 2026
and ending September 29
[3:58:49] 2031 in an amount not to exceed
blank, all contracted work to be
charged to and
[3:58:53] paid from the fund department
organization and account numbers
listed here
[3:58:56] in in for other purposes. 4111.
5
[3:58:59] to refer to FEC. Thank you.
Ordinance
[3:59:03] by Westmoreland, Winston, Kelsey
Bond, Byron Amos, Jason Dozier
[3:59:05] Lilian Bakhtiari. Alex Juan,
Thomas Worthy
[3:59:09] Mary Norwood, Dustin Hillis,
Andrea Boone
[3:59:12] Wayne Martin, Antonio Lewis,
Michael Bond, and Isha Collins
to amend the city
[3:59:16] of Atlanta Code Part 2, Court of
Ordinance says General
[3:59:19] ordinances chapter 114 personnel
Article 9
[3:59:21] Civil Service Division 14,
attendance and leave
[3:59:26] Section 114-418 child caregiver
leave to update the Save
Atlanta's paid child
[3:59:30] caregiver leave policies and for
other purposes.
[3:59:32] OK, for.
[3:59:35] 1127 they referred to FEC. Thank
you.
[3:59:38] U.
[3:59:41] Chair Boone, thank you, Madam
President, Elm's ID
[3:59:46] number 41,120, a resolution by
council members Andrea Boone
[3:59:50] Wayne Martin, Dustin Hillis, and
Mary
[3:59:53] Norwood to authorize the mayor
on behalf of the city
[3:59:55] of Atlanta to execute a purchase
and
[3:59:59] sell intogovernmental agreement
purchase and sell IGA pursuant
[4:00:01] to which the city shall convey
the
[4:00:04] Atlanta City Detention Center
located at
[4:00:08] 254 Peachtree Street, Southwest
to Fulton
[4:00:10] County, Georgia, the county for
a Sales price and an amount not
[4:00:13] to exceed $68 million in
[4:00:17] 0 cents and pursuant to which
the city
[4:00:19] shall retain an exclusive and
irrevocable
[4:00:22] right of first refusal and first
option
[4:00:24] to purchase the property before
the county may sell it
[4:00:28] to any third party during the
term thereof
[4:00:31] which shall be for a period not
to exceed
[4:00:33] 50 years to authorize the mayor
on behalf of the
[4:00:37] city of Atlanta to execute an
[4:00:40] intergovernmental lease
agreement lease IGA. with
[4:00:42] the county and the sheriff in a
term not to exceed 50 years
[4:00:45] by which inmates and
[4:00:48] detainees in the custody of the
city of Atlanta
[4:00:51] and or under the jurisdiction of
the municipal court
[4:00:53] of Atlanta would continue to be
housed
[4:00:56] in ACDC for which the city would
agree
[4:01:00] to pay the county's per detainee
[4:01:03] costs associated with housing,
food, custody
[4:01:06] staffing, and medical care is
provided at
[4:01:09] least IGA and pursuant to which
the County
[4:01:12] shall continue to reserve space
[4:01:14] and abide by the terms of
[4:01:18] the previously executed
[4:01:20] intergovernmental agreements
regarding the joint operation of
the Center
[4:01:23] for Diversion and Services
authorizing the mayor or
[4:01:27] his designee to certify any
documents and
[4:01:29] execute any receipts,
certificates
[4:01:32] instruments, documents,
agreements, settlements
[4:01:35] statements, or other closing
papers
[4:01:38] necessary to affect the purposes
of this resolution.
[4:01:42] Authorizing the chief financial
officer
[4:01:45] to deposit the sales proceeds
and to
[4:01:47] make the lease payments from the
accounts listed
[4:01:50] here in and for other purposes.
[4:01:54] 41,120 to be referred to public
safety
[4:01:57] and finance. Thank you, Madam
President. This concludes
[4:02:00] the papers for today. It sure
does. That
[4:02:03] that's everyone and all of them
that takes us to
[4:02:07] General remarks, I have one.
[4:02:11] Person, does anyone else have
any after me? I want
[4:02:14] to announce and invite everyone
[4:02:18] to the town, my next town hall,
presidential
[4:02:21] town hall, our special guest
will be the
[4:02:24] Honorable Dustin Hillis, and
that will
[4:02:28] take place on next Monday, the
14th at
[4:02:30] 6 to 7:30 p.m. we will be at
[4:02:34] the greater Fairhill Baptist
Church.
[4:02:37] Please join us. We will be
talking about
[4:02:41] constituent services, MARTA,
zoning, ATL DLT
[4:02:43] Parks and Recs, and Clara
[4:02:46] Clerk's office. And this
[4:02:50] is about us all being stronger
together
[4:02:53] for a brighter Atlanta, please
join
[4:02:55] us. Anyone else have a Anything
[4:02:59] they'd like to speak about
general
[4:03:01] remarks. Council member Lewis,
remember you had something
[4:03:04] OK. I, I wanna send the loudest
[4:03:07] loudest shout out to the young
folks
[4:03:10] at Crawford Long Middle School,
my football
[4:03:13] players and my cheerleaders
who've won this
[4:03:17] weekend 32 to 3, and they were
[4:03:19] still upset because they thought
they were supposed to score
[4:03:22] 50. The coach Evans and Coach
[4:03:25] Hill, 5 championships out of the
last 6 years at Craw
[4:03:28] along Middle School, to know
that the young folks are from
zone 3
[4:03:31] These young men from zone 3 are
really representing
[4:03:35] us and we appreciate you.
Continue to get it
[4:03:37] Thank you again.
[4:03:40] All right, any other general
remarks
[4:03:42] ? This is an alum of sorry, I
didn't hear the
[4:03:46] first part. I apologizing and
Coach Evans
[4:03:49] who's the new coach at South
Crawlawn Middle
[4:03:51] School is an alumni of Crawford
Lang Middle School, just like
myself, and
[4:03:55] he was on the first championship
team, so
[4:03:58] the congrats and kudos to
Crawfallon Middle School.
Fantastic.
[4:04:02] OK, see you, Madam Clerk. We
[4:04:05] are ready for our adjourning
roll call. And thank you, Madam
President
[4:04:09] We have Council President Marcy
Culler Overstreet
[4:04:11] Council member Michael Julian
Bond, I just
[4:04:14] wanna council member Matt
Westmoreland post two
[4:04:18] at large. Council member Isha
Collins, for 3
[4:04:20] at Council member Jason
[4:04:23] H Winston, District 1. Council
member Kelsey Bond
[4:04:25] District 2. Council
[4:04:29] member Byron D. Amos, District 3
[4:04:31] Council member Jason Dozer,
District 4.
[4:04:34] Councilor member Liliana Baker,
District 5.
[4:04:38] Custom member Alex Law District
6.
[4:04:41] remember Thomas Worthy District
7
[4:04:45] Councilor Mary Norwood, District
8.
[4:04:47] Cuss from a Dustin Hillis
[4:04:50] District 9. Somethin Andrea
Boone
[4:04:54] District 10 Council member Wayne
Martin, District 11. Let's go
home
[4:04:57] Let's get it, Council member
Antonia Lewis, District 12
[4:04:59] Let's go. Let's get it. Thank
you.
[4:05:03] I get
[4:05:08] with that we are germs