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 – February 25, 2022

Some COVID Restrictions Lifted

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has lifted the City’s indoor mask mandate in response to the declining number of COVID-19 cases. While City Hall has not yet fully reopened, the Atlanta City Council plans to resume meeting in-person there starting on March 7th.

Mayor Andre Dickens Lifts Certain Emergency COVID-19 Restrictions (press release)

2 years after going virtual, Atlanta City Council aims for March 7 in-person return (AJC)

Affordable Housing on Church Property

Mayor Dickens announced plans to construct 1,000 affordable housing units over the next five years on underutilized property owned by churches and other places of worship. Wells Fargo is providing $1.3 million in funding for projects in metro Atlanta.

Atlanta mayor wants to build 1,000 affordable homes with faith leaders (AJC)

Center for Diversion & Services Supported

The Atlanta City Council met last week and approved $2.95 million in funding to build out the Center for Diversion and Services within the Atlanta City Detention Center. The City will be working the Fulton County, Grady Hospital, and the Policing Alternatives & Diversion Initiative (PAD) to operate the center.

Atlanta City Council Approves Center for Diversion and Services Legislative Items (press release)

Overnight Police Blue Lights

Council also approved a resolution urging the Atlanta Police Department to have officers keep steady blue lights running on their cars during nighttime patrols. Other cities have reported favorable responses from residents for the increased visibility of police in their communities.

Atlanta City Council Member Antonio Lewis Releases Statement After Council Approves Legislation Related to Patrol Officers Using Blue Lights (press release)

Atlanta Police Officers might keep their cars' blue lights on (11 Alive)

Beltline Rail Cost Increase

A new engineering study released by MARTA says adding light rail to the east side of the Beltline could cost twice as much as original estimates projected three years ago.

Study: Cost of Atlanta Beltline rail segment could be twice original estimate (AJC)

Opportunities to Engage Next Week:

Monday, February 28

11:00am – Atlanta City Council Zoning Committee Meeting
2:00pm – Atlanta City Council Public Safety & Legal Administration Committee Meeting
4:00pm – Atlanta Water and Sewer Appeals Board
6:15pm – NPU M
7:00pm – NPU Z

Tuesday, March 1

10:00am – Atlanta City Council City Utilities Committee Meeting
1:30pm – Atlanta City Council Community Development & Human Services Committee Meeting
6:00pm – Atlanta Housing Move to Work Public Hearing
6:30pm – NPU E
7:00pm – NPU A, NPU B, and NPU C

Wednesday, March 2

9:00am – Atlanta Board of Education Facilities Master Planning Retreat
9:30am – Atlanta City Council Transportation Committee Meeting
10:00am – Fulton County Board of Commissioners Meeting
1:00pm – Development Authority of Fulton County Board Meeting
1:30pm – Atlanta City Council Finance & Executive Committee Meeting
7:00pm – NPU R

Thursday, March 3

12:00pm – MARTA Board of Directors Working Session
1:30pm – MARTA Board of Directors Meeting
7:00pm – NPU H

Friday, March 4

10:00am – Fulton County Board of Commissioners: Special Called Meeting with Mayors of Fulton County

Other and Upcoming Opportunities to Engage:

MARTA Riders' Advisory Council

MARTA is looking for residents to serve on its 25-member Riders’ Advisory Council. The all-volunteer group provides feedback on improving the overall transit experience for customers.

Atlanta Public School (APS) GO Team Candidate Declarations

Atlanta Public Schools is currently looking for parents, educators, and community members to serve on local school governance teams (GO Teams) for 2022-23. Candidate declarations are open until the end of February. Voting will take place in April.

Community Improvement Element (CIE) Update

The City of Atlanta is crowdsourcing project ideas to be funded from the City’s Development Impact Fees. Projects can be related to transportation, police, fire, and parks. Submissions are due March 11.

2022 Atlanta Urban Design Commission Awards

The City of Atlanta’s Urban Design Commission is seeking nominations for its annual design awards. The nomination deadline has been extended to March 11.

NPU University: Parliamentary Procedures I – Thursday, March 10, 6-8pm

Parliamentary procedure is the code of rules and ethics for neighborhood organizations, city councils, and other deliberative bodies to transact business fairly, efficiently, orderly, and expeditiously. This online class is conducted by a registered parliamentarian, and is designed for community leaders new to using parliamentary procedure, or who would benefit from a refresher on the fundamental concepts of effective and fair meeting procedure. The basic tenets of Robert’s Rules of Order are taught to arm presiding officials with the tools necessary to run successful and productive meetings.

What We’re Reading:

To make these updates better, we need your input! What was most informative or helpful? What did we miss? Please email us at policy@civicatlanta.org.

CCI Policy Updates: February 25, 2022