In The Know: Alpharetta and Milton will share court services and hire a prosecutor

The cities of Alpharetta and Milton plan to share court services and will hire a joint prosecutor to serve the combined court.

At a city council meeting scheduled for Monday, April 18, the Alpharetta City Council will vote on the intergovernmental agreement, create a position for a prosecuting attorney and city solicitor, and appoint Kelsie Mattox to fill the role.

If council votes favorably on all of these measures, Mattox will be sworn in during the same meeting.

Council is also set to vote on some proposed design services changes to the AlphaLoop project,

The meeting will be held Monday night at Alpharetta City Hall and begins at 6:30 p.m.

---

Atlanta City Council to honor Hank Aaron

The Atlanta City Council will consider legislation during Monday’s meeting to temporarily suspend certain provisions of the City’s Code of Ordinances related to short-term rentals so that no administrative actions or penalties would be imposed against short-term licensees or operators until June 1, 2022 (Legislative Reference No. 22-O-1241).

Other items on Monday’s agenda include:

• An ordinance authorizing the acquisition of more than 75 acres of land on the former site of the Chattahoochee Brick Company from the Conservation Fund on behalf of the City of Atlanta to increase parks, green space, and watershed land in Atlanta (Legislative Reference No. 22-O-1255). The property gives the public a significant place on the river for a park that would provide direct access to the riverfront.

• An ordinance to honor the life and legacy of Hank Aaron for his accomplishments on and off the baseball field by renaming the Adams Park Baseball Field to the Henry Louis “Hank” Aaron Baseball Complex (Legislative Reference No. 22-O-1247).

• A resolution amending the City of Atlanta’s 2018 Annual Action Plan under its 2015-2019 Consolidated Plan for the purpose of reprogramming activities from the 2019 Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) funding to the 2018 HOPWA funding and drawing down the balance of the City’s 2018 HOPWA funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (Legislative Reference No. 22-R-3253). A public hearing will be held on this item during Monday’s meeting.

• A resolution authorizing the mayor or his designee on behalf of the City of Atlanta to accept a donation from Empire Communities to the Department of Parks and Recreation for improvements valued at approximately $115,500 to include site work, landscape, and hardscape improvements at Lang Carson Park (Legislative Reference No. 22-R-3391).

• An ordinance authorizing the mayor or his designee to apply for the Georgia Smart Communities Challenge grant from the Partnership for Inclusive Innovation on behalf of the Department of City Planning in an amount not to exceed $100,000 (Legislative Reference No. 22-O-1245). The grant would fund a pilot energy-efficiency home improvement program for low-income homeowners.

Proclamations are also slated to be presented to Deputy Chief Celeste Murphy, St. Jude, Cynthia Childs, and the late Durrel Cullins.

The Council’s Committee Chairs briefing will be held in person on Monday during the week of full Council at 9:30 a.m. in the Council Chamber.

The Committee on Council will convene in the Council Chamber at 11 a.m. ahead of Monday’s full Council meeting.

Monday’s full Council meeting will be held in person at 1 p.m. in the Council Chamber at City Hall. All meetings will be conducted in accordance with the City of Atlanta’s Charter, City Code of Ordinances, and the rules of Council as adopted for in-person meetings. The meeting will be simulcast on the Council’s website, YouTube channel, Facebook and Twitter pages, and Channel 26. Closed captioning will be available on the Council’s Facebook page.

In-person public comment procedures will be held as previously conducted and adopted by the Council in accordance with City Charter Section 2-104 and 2-105.

Following the recent executive order from the mayor and in observance of guidance from health and facilities professionals, several safety protocols are in place, including mandatory mask wearing in the chamber, the observing of room capacity limits, and increased cleaning protocols.

---

You can have coffee talk with Norcross City Council Members

Coffee with Council is scheduled for Saturday, April 16th at 8 a.m. at 45 South located at 45 S. Peachtree St. in Norcross.

This is your opportunity to converse with elected officials about anything concerning the City of Norcross that’s on your mind while enjoying a cup of coffee.

---

Speak directly to your Fulton County School Board members

Each member of the Fulton County Board of Education sponsors a monthly meeting open to all members of the community.

The sessions provide an opportunity for direct contact with community members and give board members a chance to listen to local issues and concerns. Please note that social distancing will be practiced at in-person meetings.

Board members have set the following virtual and in-person meeting dates for April 2022:

Katha Stuart, District 1
April 20 | 9:30 a.m.
Vickery Mill Elementary School | 1201 Alpharetta Street in Roswell, GA

Katie Reeves, District 2
April 19 | 9:30 a.m.
Manning Oaks Elementary School | 405 Cumming Street in Alpharetta, GA

Gail Dean w/ Julia Bernath, District 3
April 18 | 6:30 p.m.
North Springs High School | 7447 Roswell Road in Sandy Springs, GA
Those interested in attending the virtual community meeting should click here.

Franchesca Warren, District 4
April 18 | 6:00 p.m.
Creekside High School | 7405 Herndon Road in Fairburn, GA

Linda McCain, District 5
Ms. McCain’s meeting is cancelled for April.

Kimberly Dove, District 6
April 20 | 6:30 p.m.
C. H. Gullatt Elementary School | 6110 Dodson Road in Union City, GA
Those interested in attending virtually should click here.

Julia Bernath w/ Gail Dean, District 7
April 18 | 6:30 p.m.
North Springs High School | 7447 Roswell Road in Sandy Springs, GA
Those interested in attending the virtual community meeting should click here.

---

Savannah leaders want to talk about accessory dwellings

To address the need for additional housing in our community, the City of Savannah will host a series of Aldermanic District meetings to discuss the current standards and identify ways to allow more flexibility for accessory dwelling units. An accessory dwelling unit (ADU) is a structure used as an individual residential unit located on the same lot as the principal dwelling. They may be referred to as carriage houses, in-law units, or secondary dwelling units.

The City will host additional community-wide meetings and release a community survey for feedback on ADU utilization as the process continues.

Meeting dates and times are as follows:

Alderwoman Bernetta Lanier, District 1

Wednesday, April 20, 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.

https://savannahga.zoom.us/j/85206122196

Alderman Detric Leggett, District 2

Wednesday, May 11, 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

https://savannahga.zoom.us/j/88935207996

Alderwoman Linda Wilder-Bryan, District 3

Monday, April 25, 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.

https://savannahga.zoom.us/j/82110678243

Alderman Nick Palumbo, District 4

Tuesday, May 3, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

First Presbyterian Church, Social Hall 

520 Washington Avenue

Alderwoman Estella Shabazz, District 5

Wednesday, May 4, 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.

https://savannahga.zoom.us/j/86361985416

Alderman Kurtis Purtee, District 6

Wednesday, April 27, 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.

Windsor Forest Community Center, Multipurpose Room 

308 Briarcliff Circle

For more information, please contact the City’s Planning and Urban Design Office at 912-651-3018 or planning@savannahga.gov. 

---

In The Know: While much attention is given to national politics and the workings of Congress and the White House, local government meetings are where the decisions that impact your daily life are made. City Council, County Commission, School Board Meetings, and Town Halls are where your elected leaders discuss and decide the issues that most effect your family and your community. These meetings are open to the public.

Each week, The Georgia Sun highlights some of the meetings and local government actions you need to know about in your community to keep you informed and to make sure you know what decisions your elected officials are considering and how your tax dollars are being spent.