The Atlanta City Council will continue Friday’s special called meeting and reconvene Saturday, June 20 at 1 p.m. to consider and adopt the Fiscal Year 2021 budget. The meeting will be held remotely due to the telework protocol activated for City Hall. The Council received 1,073 public comments for Friday’s special called meeting, which totals 16 hours and 56 minutes. The public can listen to the meeting by dialing (877) 579-6743 and entering the conference ID number 8315991256. The meeting will be simulcast on the Council’s website, YouTube channel, Facebook and Twitter pages, and on Channel 26.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced applications are now open for the creATL Relief Fund to support Atlanta’s independent creative workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible applicants may receive $1,000 each to support essential financial obligations such as food, housing, utilities, medical expenses, and transportation costs affected by project cancellations and other pandemic-related disruptions. Atlanta residents who work in the creative industry are eligible to apply for the creATL Relief Fund. To receive a grant, applicants must be part of the creative industry workforce—including film, television, media, music, eSports, and digital entertainment—and live and operate within the city of Atlanta. Applicants must be able to demonstrate loss of job opportunities, contracts, freelance or other work in the creative or entertainment industry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact on their ability to cover living expenses and basic financial needs. Applications are open to July 3, 2020 at 9:00 p.m. Grant awards are subject to the conditions of the program. All eligibility requirements and application information are available on Invest Atlanta’s website at www.investatlanta.com/creATL. For more information, contact Sheoyki Jones, Creative Industries Program Manager for Invest Atlanta at sajones@investatlanta.com.
The Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Metro Atlanta Chamber, Georgia Equality, Anti-Defamation League, Atlanta Black Chambers of Commerce, the NAACP and the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce released a joint statement in response to the proposed Georgia Hate Crimes Bill. “We want to thank Speaker Ralston and members of the House leadership team for their steadfast support of HB 426 in passing meaningful bi-partisan hate crimes legislation in Georgia. We are also encouraged by our conversations with Lt. Governor Duncan to give this issue the attention it deserves. While the recently introduced senate proposal still requires additional study, we are committed as a business and civil rights community in working together with our elected officials to enact an effective hate crimes bill. The final bill should address much-needed penalties for those who commit inconceivable attacks of murder, property destruction or personal targeting solely based on who they are. Prioritizing equality and inclusion in our society remains paramount to Georgia’s continued ability to be the best state in which to live and do business. We encourage members of the General Assembly to work across party lines and to move quickly. The time to act is now.”
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