The Atlanta City Council – which has six brand new members, two former members returning to city hall, and a new president – held its first formal meeting on Monday evening following an afternoon swearing in ceremony.
Before the meeting began, Mayor Andre Dickens addressed the body and encouraged the council to stay in contact with his office. He also alluded to the Buckhead cityhood movement, which is expected to dominate local politics for much of the year.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Dickens said. “We have a city that’s in need and we have a city that needs to stay together and not separate.”
While no votes were taken on city business, several items were introduced to be considered in committee next week, including:
• A resolution establishing a Buckhead Public Safety Task Force to partner with Buckhead business and neighborhood associations, law enforcement agencies and appropriate governmental entities to develop and implement a comprehensive plan to deter crime and enhance public safety in Buckhead neighborhoods, business districts and commercial corridors.
• An ordinance to amend the 1982 City of Atlanta zoning ordinance, as amended, (part 16 of the land development code), to create Chapter 43, the supplemental short-term rental restriction overlay district.
• A resolution requesting the chief operating officer and the Atlanta Department of Transportation present an account and reconciliation of infrastructure bond and TSPLOST projects against the current project list at the first meeting in February 2022 of the Council’s Transportation Committee.
• An ordinance ratifying the City of Atlanta’s acceptance of a donation of pro-bono professional services performed by Ernst and Young in support of the mayoral transition, from the Metro Atlanta Chamber and authorizing the mayor or his designee on behalf of the City to enter into any necessary agreements in connection with the donation of these services.
• An ordinance to temporarily suspend the issuance of violations, citations and/or penalties as prescribed in Section 10-109 (a) and 10-109.1 of the Atlanta City Code of Ordinances for the failure to renew a license to sell alcoholic beverages by Jan. 1, 2022 for the 2022 license calendar year.
• An ordinance to amend the 1982 City of Atlanta Zoning Ordinance, as amended, (Part 16 of the Land Development Code), to create Chapter 43 Campbellton Road Overlay.
• A resolution to appoint Council member Alex Wan as a replacement for former Council member Jennifer N. Ide to serve as a member of the Alcohol Technical Advisory Group III (ATAG) for the duration of its existence.
• District 7 Council member Howard Shook was selected as pro tempore of the Council.
New Council President Doug Shipman also announced the 2022 committee chairpersons and appointments:
City Utilities Committee
Howard Shook – Chair
Liliana Bakhtiari
Andrea L. Boone
Dustin Hillis
Antonio Lewis
Alex Wan
Jason Winston
City Utilities has jurisdiction over the following matters: Solid waste, sanitation, and recycling; street equipment, street naming and abandonment and other public right of way matters; matters pertaining to the city’s cable service within the Mayor’s Office of Communication, the Department of Watershed Management and the Department of Public Works and city franchise agreements.
Community Development/Human Services
Jason Dozier – Chair
Byron Amos
Liliana Bakhtiari
Michael Julian Bond
Dustin Hillis
Matt Westmoreland
Jason Winston
Community Development/Human Services has jurisdiction over the following matters: The Department of Planning and Community Development; the Department of Parks and Recreation; comprehensive development plans and land use plans, the Mayor’s Office of Human Services; the Mayor’s Office of Film and Entertainment; matters pertaining to Invest Atlanta, Work Source Atlanta, Atlanta Housing Authority, Atlanta Workforce Development Agency, TADs and related boards; and matters pertaining to health, education and welfare.
Public Safety & Legal Administration Committee:
Dustin Hillis – Chair
Byron Amos
Michael Julian Bond
Andrea L. Boone
Mary Norwood
Marci Collier Overstreet
Keisha Sean Waites
Public Safety & Legal Administration has jurisdiction over the following matters: The Law Department; the Atlanta Police Department; the Department of Fire and Rescue, the Department of Corrections; the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Preparedness; Municipal Court operations and the Solicitor’s Office.
Transportation Committee:
Amir Farokhi – Chair
Jason Dozier
Antonio Lewis
Marci Collier Overstreet
Keisha Sean Waites
Alex Wan
Matt Westmoreland
Transportation has jurisdiction over the following matters: The Department of Aviation and the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport; the Department of Public Works; Renew Atlanta; Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority; the Atlanta Streetcar/ Beltline transit; the Atlanta Regional Commission; infrastructure bond issues and other capital funding related to transportation projects.
Zoning Committee:
Marci Collier Overstreet – Chair
Byron Amos
Andrea L. Boone
Amir Farokhi
Mary Norwood
Howard Shook
Matt Westmoreland
Zoning has jurisdiction over the following matters: The Zoning Review Board; Metropolitan Atlanta River Protection Act; Board of Zoning Adjustment; the land subdivision ordinance of the city (part 15 of this Code); the zoning ordinance of the city (part 16 of this Code); and land plat amendments.
Finance/Executive Committee:
Alex Wan – Chair
Liliana Bakhtiari
Michael Julian Bond
Jason Dozier
Howard Shook
Keisha Sean Waites
Jason Winston
Finance/Executive has jurisdiction over the following matters: The Department of Finance, Department of Human Resources, Department of Procurement; Office of Contract Compliance; oversight of the executive branch; intergovernmental relations, international relations and diplomatic affairs; all licensing approvals and tax officials and collectors.
Committee on Council:
Andrea L. Boone – Chair
Amir Farokhi
Dustin Hillis
Antonio Lewis
Mary Norwood
Howard Shook
Matt Westmoreland
Committee on Council has jurisdiction over the following matters: All operations of the Council, its officers and employees, Office of Research and Policy, Council Communications, and the Office of the Municipal Clerk; all questions pertaining to conflicts of interest and standards of conduct; the revision, codification and clarification of all ordinances; formulation of the agenda of the Council; all matters pertaining to elections, initiatives and referenda; the rules of the Council and any modifications thereof; and the conduct decorum and good repute of the Council, and the members thereof.
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