FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Council Communications
Atlanta City Hall
55 Trinity Ave. SW
Atlanta, GA 30303

CONTACT:
Michael Ulmer, Communications Specialist
Office: (404) 330-6056
Mobile: (470) 825-5250
mmulmer@atlantaga.gov

August 19, 2019 

Atlanta City Council Approves Legislation Repealing Department of City Planning’s Authority to Issue Scooter Permits 

ATLANTA — The Atlanta City Council approved legislation Monday repealing the Department of City Planning’s authority to issue shareable dockless mobility device permits. Permit holders issued a permit before Aug. 19, 2019 will be allowed to continue operations under the original terms of its issuance until the permit expires (Legislative Reference No. 19-O-1429).

District 9 Council member Dustin Hillis, a co-sponsor of the legislation, said, “It is very important that we review and continually assess how best to regulate dockless mobility devices (DMD) in the city of Atlanta. Ensuring that we develop policy that keeps Atlanta residents and visitors safe is top priority. I look forward to working with Mayor (Keisha Lance) Bottoms, Commissioner (Tim) Keane, and my colleagues to recraft our DMD program in a way that makes safety for all the number one priority.”

The Council also immediately approved legislation to enter into a cost sharing allocation agreement with the City of Smyrna and Cobb County in an amount not to exceed $54,500 to conduct air testing. The legislation is in response to reported elevated emissions of ethylene oxide being produced by Smyrna-based Sterigenics, a global producer of comprehensive sterilization solutions for a variety of industries. The legislation was sent to the mayor’s office post-haste.
 
The Council approved legislation directing the Department of City Planning to review and expedite the permitting process for developments providing at least 10 percent in affordable housing units (Legislative Reference No. 19-R-3957). The legislation directs the commissioner to also conduct a review of the city code and administrative processes related to expediting the process and to deliver a report to the Council about the findings within 90 days.

The Council approved legislation authorizing a contract for street resurfacing and associated street maintenance projects on behalf of the Renew Atlanta Bond/TSPLOST program in an amount not to exceed $19,075,500 (Legislative Reference No. 19-R-3948). The resolution was sent to the mayor’s office post-haste. The Council also approved companion legislation to accept a grant from the Georgia Department of Transportation in the amount of $5 million to be used toward these road resurfacing and maintenance projects (Legislative Reference No. 19-O-1395).

Other items approved by the Council include:

• A resolution authorizing the mayor or her designee to amend the intergovernmental agreement between the city of Atlanta and McPherson Implementing Local Redevelopment Authority to provide redevelopment services and add funds in an amount not to exceed $1.3 million (Legislative Reference No. 19-R-4326). The development authority operates the former Fort McPherson military installation and is tasked with the continuous redevelopment and maintenance of the facility.
• A resolution authorizing the mayor or her designee, on behalf of the Atlanta Police Department, to apply for and accept a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance in an amount up to $3 million for body worn cameras (Legislative Reference No. 19-R-4314).
• A resolution authorizing the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority on behalf of the Stadium Neighborhoods Community Trust Fund Committee to award grants in an amount not to exceed $267,265 to fund various community service projects to benefit the neighborhoods of Mechanicsville, Peoplestown, Pittsburgh, Summerhill and Grant Park (Legislative Reference No. 19-R-3955).
• A resolution directing the Department of Parks and Recreation Commissioner to establish a protocol to require that all seniors are charged an equitable fee to participate in recreation programs offered at recreation centers throughout the City (Legislative Reference No. 19-R-3960).
• A resolution requesting the general manager of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport create a plan to reduce the time required for employees to receive an employee identification badge to a maximum of two hours (Legislative Reference No. 19-R-3952).

Members of the Council also presented proclamations to Ty Dennis, Pontius Gay, and A Cappella Books.

Upcoming items for the Council include a retreat on Wednesday, Aug. 21 from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. at the Salvation Army Kroc Center, 967 Dewey Street SW.

The Council’s Community Development and Human Services Committee will hold a work session Thursday, Aug. 22 at 10 a.m. to review a draft of the Tree Protection Ordinance Rewrite. The work session will be held in the Council Chamber at Atlanta City Hall, 55 Trinity Ave SW.

About Atlanta City Council
The Atlanta City Council is the chief policy-making body for the City of Atlanta. It acts by considering and enacting all laws that govern the City. The council also approves the operating and capital budgets for the City as recommended by the mayor, and it continually monitors revenues and expenditures for local government operations. The Atlanta City Council reviews and has final say on many land-use and zoning matters. Major economic development projects for the City also fall under the council’s consideration.

The Atlanta City Council is comprised of 12 districts and three at-large posts. Council representatives include: Council President: Felicia A. Moore; District 1: Carla Smith; District 2: Amir Farokhi; District 3: Antonio Brown; District 4: Cleta Winslow; District 5: Natalyn Mosby Archibong; District 6: Jennifer N. Ide; District 7: Howard Shook; District 8: J.P. Matzigkeit; District 9: Dustin Hillis; District 10: Andrea L. Boone; District 11: Marci Collier Overstreet; District 12: Joyce M. Sheperd; Post 1 At-Large: Michael Julian Bond; Post 2 At-Large: Matt Westmoreland; and Post 3 At-Large: Andre Dickens.

To learn more about the Atlanta City Council, please visit http://citycouncil.atlantaga.gov/. For the latest updates, follow the Atlanta City Council on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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