CCI Policy Updates: Week of February 1 – February 5

The Center for Civic Innovation's mission is to increase civic participation and elevate more effective solutions in Atlanta by inspiring people to take action, investing in the work of local community leaders, and advocating for policy change. We believe that informed and civically-engaged residents are the key to making Atlanta the city we all know it can be.

We started this Weekly Policy Update series to provide our community with important and relevant policy updates. Each post recaps the past week and provides a look ahead at what's on the agenda next week, including opportunities for everyone to engage within the community. Now, we’re launching it as a podcast series, too. We hope you’re inspired to take action, support and invest in local community leaders, and advocate for public policy that reflects the needs and voices of everyone who calls Atlanta home.

And now, we’ve started a podcast, so if you’re interested in listening to this update, we’ve got you covered!

Tune in on Spotify.

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Week of February 1 – February 5 Policy Updates:

Atlanta City Council

  • The Atlanta City Council adopted an ordinance at their meeting on Monday to clarify alcohol license requirements aimed at addressing nuisance properties and activities. (20-O-0059) The City’s code requires establishments licensed as restaurants to generate at least half of their revenue from food sales. The revised ordinance clarifies that the food has to be part of a prepared meal – not just a garnish for cocktail – and that a certified public accountant has to attest to the breakout of food sales from alcohol sales. According to the city ordinances, restaurants are exempt from some restrictions like distance requirements and hours of operation that apply to other kinds of establishments like bars and nightclubs. There have been concerns that businesses have applied for alcohol licenses as restaurants but have been operating more like bars or nightclubs to avoid these restrictions. Back in December, the council adopted legislation to audit a sample of establishments on an annual basis to ensure compliance with alcohol licensing laws.

  • The Council adopted a resolution to establish ATAG III, the third iteration of an Alcohol Technical Advisory Group. The original ATAG was established in 2003 and led to a series of ordinance changes regarding alcohol licensing and enforcement. However, the second iteration, ATAG II, which was established in 2011 came up with additional recommended improvements, however, they were never adopted. ATAG III – consisting of community representatives, council members, business owners, and attorneys – will have 6 months from its first meeting to provide its list of recommendations. (21-R-3040) This legislation also comes on the heels of a group of residents from 4 different NPUs organized as CLEAR (Community Leaders for Enforcement, Accountability, and Responsibility in Alcohol Licensing) presented their own set of action items and asked for the City to create a task force in a recent letter to the Mayor.

  • The Council adopted an ordinance to waive late filing fees, penalties, and sanctions for failure to renew licenses for the sale of alcohol. Renewal fees are due annually on January 1, but they will now be waived through December 31, 2021. This legislation was designed to help small businesses such as restaurants and bars that have been financially impacted by the pandemic. Alcohol licenses in Atlanta are a fixed fee up to $5,000 rather than based upon a percentage of sales. (21-O-0008)

  • The Council spent over two hours discussing the proposed abandonment of a block of Mitchell Street known as Capitol Square located between the Georgia State Capitol and the state’s legislative office buildings. In 2018 the Georgia General Assembly passed a resolution asking the City to abandon the one block of street so that the State could address safety concerns for legislators and others visiting Capitol Hill. Much of Monday’s discussion was about whether the proposed ordinance complied with state and local laws regarding street abandonments and what benefits the City might receive from the State in exchange for giving away the street. The ordinance was eventually adopted with an amendment calling for improvements along Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway – a State-controlled highway in northwest Atlanta with a high number of pedestrian deaths. Requests for improvements along Metropolitan Parkway and for MARTA’s proposed bus rapid transit (BRT) route from Downtown to Summerhill were also included in the final version of the legislation. However, representatives for the Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms expressed concerns about the legislation, so she may end up vetoing it. (21-O-0056)(AJC | ThreadATL)

  • The Council also adopted legislation to require a minimum of 33% of the City’s net revenue collected from school zone speed enforcement cameras be used for surveillance cameras and license plate readers citywide and that another 33% of net revenue be spent on the City’s Public Safety Training facility. (21-O-0020) This ordinance is a companion to a resolution adopted back in January that approved an agreement with Atlanta Public Schools for school bus stop-arm camera enforcement and school speed zone programs. That agreement authorizes the collection and sharing of fines between the City, APS, and third-party vendors resulting from offenses. (21-R-3005) (Northside Neighbor)

  • Other items approved on Monday include:

    • A resolution to express support for the strategy of the Centers for Disease Control’s public health approach to violence prevention. The CDC’s strategy is to build and strengthen partnerships between the public and private sectors and at all levels of government to effectively address multiple forms of violence. (21-R-3038)

    • A resolution was adopted authorizing the City to apply for and accept a grant of up to $5 million from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The grant money would be used to assist high-risk youth and families and promote resilience and equity in communities that have recently faced civil unrest. (21-R-3037) This would be accomplished through the implementation of evidence-based violence prevention, community youth engagement programs, and linkages to trauma-informed behavioral health services.

    • An ordinance was adopted to repeal the City’s requirement that all prospective employees have to undergo a physical examination or a drug test after receiving an employment offer. However, the requirement still applies to safety sensitive positions. (21-O-0046) The legislation, following the issuance of executive order, states that the requirement was an antiquated barrier which impedes the timeliness of the hiring process, can adversely impact protected classes, increases costs, and negatively affects the overall job candidate experience.

  • On Thursday, the Council’s Public Safety and Legal Administration Committee held a work session on Atlanta’s Municipal Court. Chief Judge Christopher Portis shared information with the committee about the impact of the Signature Bond Ordinance passed in 2018. He also provided a look-ahead at some proposed changes to Atlanta’s justice system such as the proposed closure of the Atlanta City Detention Center. Since it was a work session, no legislative action was taken. (video | presentation | AJC | Northside Neighbor)

Atlanta Department of City Planning

This week, the Department of City Planning released a report on Atlanta’s inclusionary zoning (IZ) program. The program was designed to increase the number of affordable housing units in the city and to provide low- and moderate-income residents access to low-poverty neighborhoods near employment centers and public and private amenities. The planning department’s report found that:

  • There are over 300 new affordable housing units in development since the mandatory Inclusionary Zoning program started in the Beltline and Westside neighborhoods two years ago.

  • The report also found that most of the affordable units are designated for households at 80% of the area median income or AMI. The report recommends exploring ways to provide more units for very-low income residents at or below 40% AMI.

You can access the full report at atlantaga.gov/IZ.

Opportunities for Engagement Next Week:

  • Monday, February 8

    • 8:30am – Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority Board of Directors Meeting (notice)

    • 10:00am – Atlanta Housing Commission Meeting (notice)

    • 11:00am – Atlanta City Council Zoning Committee Meeting (agenda)

      • Atlanta City Design Housing Presentation

    • 2:00pm – Atlanta City Council Public Safety & Legal Administration Committee Meeting (agenda)

      • Atlanta Police Department Quarterly Report

      • The committee will discuss a resolution dealing with off-duty police officers. (21-R-3111) The proposed legislation would have the Chief of Police would determine what enforcement authority Atlanta police officers may exercise when working off-duty within the city of Atlanta.

    • 7:00pm – NPU V and NPU X (agenda)

  • Tuesday, February 9

    • 9:00am – DeKalb County Board of Commissioners Meeting (agenda)

    • 10:00am – Atlanta City Council City Utilities Committee Meeting (agenda)

      • Department of Watershed Management Quarterly Update

      • The committee will discuss a resolution to study creating a new water bottling and distribution municipal enterprise. The intent would be to generate revenue for the City while creating a workforce development program for middle-wage jobs. (21-R-3110)

    • 10:00am – ActivateATL (Parks & Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan) Virtual Public Meeting (Zoom)

    • 1:30pm – Atlanta City Council Community Development/Human Services Committee Meeting (agenda)

      • The committee will discuss a resolution to urge the Georgia Department of Public Health to add other essential workers such as grocery store workers, public transit workers, teachers, and child care workers to the list of people currently eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. The resolution also urges everyone who’s eligible to get vaccinated. (21-R-3108)

    • 5:00pm – City of Atlanta License Review Board Meeting (notice)

    • 6:30pm – NPU L (agenda)

  • Wednesday, February 10

    • 9:00am – Atlanta Regional Commission Community Resources Agenda (info)

    • 9:30am – Atlanta City Council Transportation Committee Meeting (agenda)

      • Atlanta Department of Transportation Quarterly Update

      • The committee will discuss a resolution to execute a project management agreement with the PATH Foundation for the Eastside Trolly Trail Project. (21-R-3145) The project was approved as part of the TSPLOST program and will expand the trail through Reynoldstown, Edgewood, and Kirkwood.

    • 10:00am – Atlanta Press Club: The Future of Democracy Now Webinar (more info)

    • 10:30am – Atlanta Regional Commission Transportation & Air Quality Committee (info)

    • 12:00pm – Atlanta Regional Commission Governance Committee (info)

    • 1:30pm – Atlanta City Council Finance/Executive Committee Meeting (agenda)

      • Department of Finance FY2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR)

      • KPMG (external) FY2020 Audit Results

      • Georgia General Assembly Legislative Update

      • The committee will discuss an ordinance to amend City Charter to increase the percentage of the City’s general budget dedicated to routine maintenance, repair, and replacement of public infrastructure. (21-O-0082) Back in 2015, the Council adopted legislation to dedicate funding each year to address what was reported as a $900 million infrastructure maintenance backlog. The proposed legislation would increase dedicated infrastructure spending from 3.5% to 5% over the next 3 years.

    • 7:00pm – NPU T (agenda)

  • Thursday, February 11

    • 10:00am – Development Impact Fee Study Work Session (notice)

    • 12:00pm – MARTA Board Working Session (info)

    • 1:00pm – Invest Atlanta Housing Committee & URFA Housing Committee Meeting (notice)

    • 2:00pm – Invest Atlanta Tax Allocation District (TAD) Project and Policy Review Committee Meeting (notice)

    • 3:30pm – Invest Atlanta Economic Development Committee Meeting (notice)

    • 5:30pm – Atlanta Citizen Review Board Meeting (notice)

    • 6:00pm – NPU University Neighborhood Planning Series | Atlanta City Design: Housing (more info)

    • 6:30pm – ActivateATL (Parks & Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan) Virtual Public Meeting (Zoom)

    Note: During the pandemic, each of the Atlanta City Council’s committees is receiving public comment via voicemail. You can call in the day before each meeting between the hours of 4 and 7pm and leave a message up to 3 minutes in length. The call-in numbers can be found at agenda links posted above.

At the NPUs:

  • Currently on Neighborhood Planning Unit agendas across the city is proposal legislation to regulate and tax short-term rentals like Airbnb and VRBO. (20-O-1656)

  • Don’t know much about NPUs or which one you live in? Visit npu.civicatlanta.org.

What We’re Reading/Watching/Hearing:

To make these updates better, we need your input. What was most informative or helpful? What did we miss? Please email us at policy@civicatlanta.org.

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