Atlanta City Council refers zoning papers, approves settlements and multiple ordinances; holds $1M donation to Hope Atlanta

The Atlanta City Council on Feb. 24 moved a slate of committee referrals and unanimous votes on several ordinance and budget items, including a $6,000 settlement in a pending Fulton County lawsuit and multiple committee-sponsored measures affecting utilities, personnel and city donations.

The council opened the meeting by referring eight zoning papers to the zoning committee, a motion the body approved 14-0. Later, the council adopted a substitute resolution from the Public Safety and Legal Administration Committee to settle Abraham Milosef and Yomeli Bradley v. City of Atlanta, Civil Action File No. 24CV000307, for $6,000; the substitute was adopted 14-0.

Other measures adopted on unanimous votes included a City Utilities Committee ordinance to ratify and extend a maintenance agreement with Ed Castro Landscape Inc., adding up to $400,000 in funds; an Overstreet-sponsored ordinance to amend the city code to include “yard trimmings” in the definition of litter; and a finance committee personnel ordinance tied to the 2025 budget after the council reconsidered an unvetted substitute and approved the original substitute.

Council members also approved a $20,000 donation from the council president carry-forward account and a $30,000 transfer to Parks and Recreation for district park improvements; and they filed a reemployment resolution for retiree Camille Love for a not-to-exceed amount of $62,720 for up to 520 business days. The body voted 14-0 to hold a Community Development/Human Services resolution that would authorize a city donation of up to $1,000,000 to Hope Atlanta while staff confirm account streams.

Several ordinance and resolution referrals were placed on committee calendars for further review. Notable referrals included measures on homelessness responses, extensions of procurement and task force deadlines, grant-acceptance and subrecipient agreements tied to FEMA and other grant funds, conveyance of property related to Bowen Homes redevelopment, and a lease for office space on Forsyth Street.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to refer eight zoning papers to the zoning committee — outcome: referred; vote: 14 yeas, 0 nays. - Public Safety & Legal Administration substitute: resolution to authorize settlement in Abraham Milosef and Yomeli Bradley v. City of Atlanta (Civil Action No. 24CV000307) — settlement amount $6,000; outcome: adopted on substitute; vote: 14 yays, 0 nays; funding: General Fund center 200101, account listed in caption. - City Utilities ordinance (IFBC1TW S10227) with Ed Castro Landscape Inc.: retroactive renewal and additional funds not to exceed $400,000 — outcome: adopted; vote: 12 yays, 0 nays. - Ordinance to amend Chapter 74, Article 14, Section 74-605 (definition of “yard trimmings” as litter) — outcome: adopted; vote: 13 yays, 0 nays. - Resolution to donate up to $1,000,000 to Hope Atlanta (24-R-4601) — motion to hold in abeyance pending account clarification; outcome: held; vote: 14 yays, 0 nays. - Personnel ordinance (24-01594) tied to the 2025 budget — council reconsidered a proposed substitute and approved the original substitute; outcome: adopted; vote: 13 yays, 0 nays. - Donation/transfer for parks improvements (substitute by Council President Shook): authorize donation up to $20,000 and transfer $30,000 to Parks and Rec — outcome: adopted on substitute; vote: 13 yays, 0 nays. - Reemployment of retiree Camille Love as senior policy adviser (25-R-3005): compensation not to exceed $62,720 for up to 520 business days — outcome: filed; vote: 13 yays, 0 nays.

Committee referrals and notable items sent for review

- Procurement task force deadline extended to June 30, 2025; referred to Finance Executive Committee (FEC). - Multiple homelessness-related resolutions (including a moratorium on clearing encampments and expansion of East Atlanta Village outreach) referred to Community Development/Human Services (CDHS). - Grant and subrecipient agreements tied to FEMA and the Emergency Food and Shelter Program, collectively adding grant funding (amounts listed in captions), referred to FEC. - Conveyance of a 0.22-acre parcel of the former A.D. Williams Elementary School to the Housing Authority for Bowen Homes redevelopment; waiver of procurement/real-estate provisions; referred to CDHS. - A proposed option to sell city interest in property at 1029 McDaniel St. to Invest Atlanta; referred to CDHS. - A right-of-way dedication at 2175 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive (approximately 0.34 acres) to GDOT was placed on the agenda and reassigned to the Transportation Committee for processing.

Context and next steps

Several items carried conditions that committee staff reported as satisfied before floor votes, and several others were routed to committees for additional review or corrective actions. One measure provoked a procedural point: council members noted that a newly circulated personnel substitute had not been fully reviewed by the finance department, prompting the body to reconsider and adopt the original substitute so FEC could review subsequent changes in detail.

Many votes were unanimous or near-unanimous; council members repeatedly used committee referral and substitute procedures to ensure required legal and budgetary clarifications were recorded. Items referred to standing committees will return for further committee-level consideration or final adoption in later meetings.

Ending

The council concluded its general remarks with invitations to staff follow up on committee assignments and a roll call before adjournment. Several referred items include deadlines or required reports that committees will address in upcoming meetings.