The Center for Civic Innovation's mission is to increase civic participation and elevate more effective solutions in Atlanta by inspiring people to take action, investing in the work of local community leaders, and advocating for policy change. We believe that informed and civically-engaged residents are the key to making Atlanta the city we all know it can be.

We started this Weekly Policy Update series to provide our community with important and relevant policy updates. Each post recaps the past week and provides a look ahead at what's on the agenda next week, including opportunities for everyone to engage within the community. We hope you’re inspired to take action, support and invest in local community leaders, and advocate for public policy that reflects the needs and voices of everyone who calls Atlanta home.

Policy Update – November 5, 2021

Municipal Election Results

Mayoral candidates Felicia Moore and Andre Dickens are headed to a run-off election on November 30. Other races still to be decided are City Council President; 5 of the 12 city council districts, 1 at-large city council post, 1 school board district, and 1 at-large school board seat.

Fulton Elections Director Resigns

Fulton County’s elections director Richard Barron announced on Wednesday that he’ll be resigning at the end of this year. Barron and other election officials have received death threats since last year’s presidential election and have had to deal with the new state law that allows the state to replace election boards.

Fulton elections director Rick Barron to resign (GPB)

Embattled Fulton County, Georgia, election chief Richard Barron is resigning (CNN)

Zoning Legislation

The Zoning Review Board (ZRB) voted 4-1 in support of a proposed zoning ordinance designed to promote a greater diversity of housing options in the city and increase housing affordability by allowing more multi-family units and accessory dwelling units in single-family zoning districts and eliminating parking requirements for residential properties. 17 out of 25 NPUs had voted against the legislation which will be reviewed by the council’s zoning committee on Nov. 29.

Zoning changes return to Atlanta City Council as majority of neighborhoods vote in opposition (WABE)

Center for Diversion and Services

This week, the Atlanta City Council and Fulton County Board of Commissioners approved a strategic partnership to jointly fund and develop a Center for Diversion and Services at the building which also houses the Atlanta City Detention Center, scheduled to open in 2022.

City of Atlanta and Fulton County Announce Strategic Partnership to Develop Center for Diversion and Services (press release)

School systems close for Braves parade

Following the Atlanta Braves’ winning of the World Series, a two-part parade was announced on Friday. Students in 8 metro area school districts closed not just in direct response to the festivities but also since many staff members have children enrolled in neighboring districts.

Several metro Atlanta districts cancel school Friday for Braves celebration (WSB-TV)

Buckhead City Hearings

With the General Assembly back in special session, the State Senate’s State and Local Governmental Operations Committee held a hearing on the proposed creation of a new Buckhead City. Opponents shared that Buckhead’s de-annexation from Atlanta would have statewide ramifications.

Buckhead's proposed secession from Atlanta goes under the microscope (Axios)

Senate State and Local Government Operations Committee Hearing (video)

MARTA bus network redesign

MARTA has announced a series of 4 in-person meetings next week to generate feedback, dialogue, and debate on the future of its bus network. The concept scenarios are focused on either providing more-frequent service in fewer routes or less-frequent service on more routes.

MARTA seeks customer input on future bus network redesign (press release)

MARTA faces tough choices as it redesigns bus routes (AJC)

Opportunities to Engage Next Week:

Monday, November 8

8:00am – Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority (AFCRA) Audit Committee Meeting
10:00am – Atlanta Housing Commission Meeting
11:00am – Atlanta City Council Zoning Committee Meeting
12:00pm – DeKalb County Board of Registration & Elections Meeting
2:00pm – Atlanta City Council Public Safety & Legal Administration Committee Meeting
2:30pm – Atlanta Board of Education (APS) Meeting
4:00pm – Atlanta City Studio Presents: Broad Strokes on Broad Street: Panel Discussion
7:00pm – NPU V and NPU X

Tuesday, November 9

9:00am – DeKalb County Board of Commissioners Meeting
10:00am – Atlanta City Council City Utilities Committee Meeting
1:30pm – Atlanta City Council Community Development & Human Services Committee Meeting
5:00pm – Atlanta License Review Board Hearing
6:00pm – Atlanta Public Safety Training Center Community Stakeholder Advisory Committee Meeting
6:30pm – NPU K and NPU L

Wednesday, November 10

8:30am – Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. Board of Directors Meeting
9:30am – Atlanta City Council Transportation Committee Meeting
1:30pm – Atlanta City Council Finance & Executive Committee Meeting
4:00pm – Atlanta Urban Design Commission Hearing
7:00pm – NPU T

Thursday, November 11

12:00pm – MARTA Board of Directors Working Session
1:00pm – Invest Atlanta & URFA Housing Committees Meeting
1:30pm – MARTA Board of Directors Board Meeting
2:00pm – Invest Atlanta Tax Allocation District (TAD) Project and Policy Review Committee Meeting
3:30pm – Invest Atlanta Economic Development Committee Meeting

Friday, November 12

9:00am – Atlanta Board of Education (APS) Board Development Committee Meeting
10:00am – Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections Meeting

Other On-Going and Upcoming Opportunities:

NPU University: Membership Has Its Privileges

November 16, 2021 – 6:00pm-9:00pm

Would you like to know more about the rights, privileges, and obligations you may have as a member of your NPU or neighborhood organization? If you didn’t know that the chief decision-makers in an organization are its members, this class is for you.

WB 1003.003 - Membership Has its Privileges (Parliamentary Procedures III)

Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation Master Plan

The Department of Parks and Recreation has begun the public comment period for the Activate ATL: Recreation and Parks for All Comprehensive Master Plan. The plan is available for review online at https://www.activate-atl.com. Activate ATL is a comprehensive parks and recreation system plan that provides recommendations for provision of facilities, programs and services; parkland acquisition and development; maintenance and operations; and administration and management over the next ten years. Comments are welcome through November 19th. Activate ATL will be presented during the CDHS Quarterly CDP Public Hearing on November 29th. Send comments via the website, email to activate-atl@atlantaga.gov.

MARTA Bus Network Redesign