Call to order Welcome new residents and guests
Introduce SAND Governing Board
Announcements – Voting rights (3 meetings, or $10). Helps pay for facility rental. Seeking the following positions to be filled: Woodland Hills Neighborhood Representative. Join as a SAND business member for $50/year!.
Zone 6, Sgt. Jones – As of next week, Captain Collier became Major, and Antonio Clay will be the new Captain. Zone 6 received Crime Reduction Award for 2018. CID email address where you can directly send info, tips, videos, pictures of suspects or anything that is helpful – Zone6cid@atlantaga.gov.
City/State/School/Other Elected Officials – Felicia Moore, City Council President – Updates from the Council Office. 7 new council members. Updates from Council President. Been working to improve Council operations. Try to get meetings to be more efficient and have done that. Meetings used to take 5/6/7 hours. Instituted parliamentarian. Has been helpful to council. Appointing chairs to committees. Attentive to the potential takeover of the airport by the state. Transparency, accountability, and ethics. We have many agencies investigating the city on different matters. The findings will roll out over time. As a result of an independent audit, it found a lot of deficiencies with airport contracting. In response to that, the legislation has independent procurement review processes. In the next council meeting, the other problem…. People disregarding our charter in regard to employment of elected officials. If someone violates the law, we don’t have the mechanism to hold them accountable. 3 legs: Ethics office (can sanction people for violations); Independent auditors; Compliance office (Also independent with its own board & insulated from political influence). Open checkbook was implemented by Bottoms administration. Allows people to see what’s being spent, but can be expanded.
- Q: Compliance officer. How unusual or normal is it for an organization with the budget the size of COA to not have a compliance officer? Other cities with similar sized budgets and population and governance structure, do other cities have compliance officers? Can we model after them? A: There are many that do NOT have that, or have a variation. The state has an inspector general. We fashioned it off of the laws we already have. None of the other cities have a compliance officer like ours. We might be setting the model.
- Q: What is the current status of the state’s effort to takeover the airport? A: Unanimously passed by state. Corruption was big focus. They’re looking for a second airport, and they see Atlanta and Delta as opposition to a second airport. They want the resources of Hartsfield to build another airport. We have to wait and see if legislation comes from that. Does appear to be an appetite at the Senate level, but the House doesn’t appear to be interested. It would be an expensive acquisition. Compliance officers, IPRO, will hopefully give them comfort that COA has taken ownership of the problems and making sure that it doesn’t happen again.
- Q: Does the council have a lobbyist? Does those the city have one? A: City does. Ms. Moore has proposed that the council has one. They don’t have one. There was an opportunity to create a transportation committee. Any movement on that? No movement, but the interest is there. We need to do it now before the budget comes out. Found a real disconnection between planning transportation and DPW transportation. We need a transportation office. Earlier today there was a big work session on TSPLOST & Renew Atlanta. More projects than money we have to spend. 3 proposals were offered today. There may be community engagement sessions.
- Q: The Gulch. Is it approved? Is it a done deal? A: It did pass. Bond validation has to take place. There is the Red Light the Gulch group that is challenging the bond validation. Red Light the Gulch is the remaining opposition group.
Mitsah Henry, Comm Engagement SE – Fulton County: Family Fun Day 5/4/2019 (10AM-2PM) at Oak Hill Child, Adolescent and Family Center. 2019 Black History Film Festival opening reception on 2/23/2019 at Wolf Creek Library. Information was just released regarding 2019 homestead exemption and Fulton County website has all the details.
Paul Bolster: Helping David Dryer. David has been selected as the chair of the county’s House delegation.
Special Guests – David Mitchell, Atlanta Preservation Center: Re-doing education program. Phoenix Files – 3/3/2019 – Largest free event put on for the city. The Atlanta Preservation center is based at 327 St Paul Ave.
Transportation – South Moreland LCI: Working with EACA and GDOT. Applying for LCI Grants through ARC. City Placemaking Grant: We applied last year and didn’t get it. Hopefully address the safety concerns on BKW. Intrenchment Creek Trail update: Working with City and PATH for multi-use trail that will connect to the BeltLine, May come back SAND Full Body to ask for a couple thousand, and looking to raise the funds. Renew Atlanta Bond Meetings: 1st meeting 1/22 6:30-8PM at Carver Early College (South Atlanta), 2/26 same location and place. 2nd meeting 1/23 6:30-8PM CT Martin Recreation Center, 2/27 same location and place. 3rd meeting 1/24 Sutton Middle School, 2/28 same location and place. 4th meeting 1/30 Grady High, 3/7 same location and place.
Beautification – Adopted another triangle (Eastwood/Emerson Triangle). Red Robin will provide breakfast for the cleanup.
Communications (2 minutes) – Like SAND on Facebook and follow us on Instagram. Submit any ideas for the newsletter to us. Chelsea is the new communications chair.
Treasurer (5 minutes) – Amazon Smile / Kroger Rewards. You can link these two to SAND. A portion of proceeds goes back to SAND. Trolleys available for $40 unpainted, $50 painted. Cole update: Budget will be available in February to vote on. Q: Did make, lose, or break even in 2018? A: Made about $200.
Education/Schools – GP Parent Network is hosting a forum. All schools in SAND included, next Thursday at 8PM at Park Avenue Baptist Church.
Social – Interested in hosting a social hour for SAND at your home? Let us know! United Avenue Renaming Ceremony and Day of Service (Monday, 1/21/2019 – 10AM-1:30PM). Ceremony by Trestletree Village/Court. Carla will speak at 10AM. Afterwards we will walk along United to do a cleanup. Trees Atlanta will also be doing a planting on Sat 1/19 (9AM-12PM). Looking for 20 volunteers. 2019 Ormewood Park Makers Festival. Permit Approved unanimously.Land Use and Zoning (LU&Z) (5 minutes per) – V-18-395 1151 Eden Ave – Applicant seeks to add a carport | LUZ motion to approve unanimously. It is a variance to reduce front yard and side yard setback to construct carport. Motion passes unanimously. SD-18-051 1446 Marion – Applicant seeks to subdivide the property into 4 lots. Already done. Z-18-144 788 & 798 McDonough Blvd SE – Introduction of upcoming re-zoning (Clayton Cox & Nina Gentry). No work performed on the location, only for storing vehicles and office space. Zoned R4. Client wants to create an office for Traffic Control company. Currently operates out of his home. No development is proposed. Will use existing building. The frame of the former building will most likely be taken down. Z-18-124 1224 Avondale – Applicant seeks to rezone the property from the R-3 to R4-B. | LUZ voted to deny 12-1-4. The property is zoned R4. Came back with layout of how property would be sub-divided and was denied once again. Motion to deny passes unanimously.
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