4/1/2024 Meeting Recap
For your information, state law requires our city clerk to post the action items from the meeting within two business days of the adjournment of a meeting. O.C.G.A. 50-14-1(e)(2)(a). Action items are the issues upon which the Council has decided to take some sort of action via a vote.
A full list of the action items from the meeting can be found here. You can see the recordings of the meeting here. The meeting is in three separate videos - workshop, regular session and the return from executive session.
While you can see the documentation all of the action items via the above link, I wanted to highlight and discuss in detail some of the motions that were and were not considered.
If you have feedback for Mayor and Council directly, you can e-mail us.
WORKSHOP SESSION
No action taken.
REGULAR SESSION
1. Councilwoman Arnold motioned to add. Reconsider the vote from March 18, 2024 when Council approved the rezoning of the property at 0 Welcome All Road from Business Park to Light Industrial - M1 zoning classification, motion died due to lack of a second.
This issue has been a source of a great deal of discussion in our community and beyond in the last several weeks. At the meeting on March 18, the rezoning vote passed 3-1, with Councilmember Carn opposed. On the agenda item that immediately followed the rezoning, the council unanimously approved acceptance of a “$1.6 million economic development grant from Southwest Atlanta Battery Storage, LLC to be allocated equally among College Park’s City Council wards pursuant to the award letter.”
During her comments later in the meeting, Councilmember Arnold noted that “the actual circumstances surrounding this rezoning are not what I understood them to be when I voted on March 18.” Given there was no discussion when this item was brought to the floor and there was no documentation supplied for the rezoning or the $1.6 million grant at the meeting on March 18, I am unclear what her understanding was when she voted in favor of the motion.
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6. Councilman Carn moved to approve a special event permit from Paint N Sit ATL to host Springin’ Forward Community Festival on April 27, 2024 from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Charles E. Phillips Sr. Esquire Park, seconded by Councilman Gay and motion carried. (All Voted Yes)
This event is free and open to the community.
7. Councilman Carn motioned to approve free city programming and contractual programming at the estimated cost of $65,879.60 for College Park residents, seconded by Councilwoman Arnold and motion carried. (All Voted Yes)
Families who earn less than $50,000 per year will have the opportunity for their children to participate in recreational programming for free under this program. Right now, about 10.5% of the participants in our programming are city residents. I believe the proposed application requirements the Recreation & Cultural Arts Department developed were sound. The discussion during the meeting took a different turn. This program is dependent upon families who do not live within the city limits paying a yearly $15 fee in addition to the registration fees they currently pay. If we do not have appropriate guidelines in place, I am concerned this program will be misused by those for whom it is not intended. If the goal is to ensure our kids have access to our programs, I do not feel it is unduly burdensome to require proof of residency such as a driver’s license or a voter identification card, which is free of charge.
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13. Councilman Gay moved to approve the designated city streets for resurfacing under the Georgia Department of Transportation's (GDOT) Local Road Assistance Administration Funds (LRA) in the amended fiscal year 2024 budget with the removal of Alexandria Way and add Williamsburg from Skyline Drive to Arlene Avenue with an alternative of Winthrop Drive, seconded by Councilwoman McKenzie and motion carried. (All Voted Yes)
The State of Georgia in its amended FY2024 budget approved additional funding for local road assistance.
14. Councilman Gay moved to approve Kemi Construction Company proposal for the Sanitary Sewer Main installation at SR Georgia 314, West Fayetteville Road, Phoenix Boulevard at approximately $420,850.00, seconded by Councilman Carn but motion was withdrawn.
Councilmember Gay asked for additional documentation for this request and it will be brought back for consideration at the next meeting.
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