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Residents raise website transparency and development concerns; city manager promises corrections and updates workforce initiative
Summary
Public commenters asked for clearer election information and better notice about development proposals. City Manager Clark said the election page would be corrected by morning, said denied developments account for some missing notices, and updated council on a workforce initiative and recent hires.
During public comments at the Jan. 6 Forest Park Mayor and Council meeting, residents urged clearer public notice about a special election and better transparency around development proposals near private homes. City Manager Clark responded that the city would correct the election webpage “by 9 o'clock in the morning” and that staff is undertaking a website overhaul to improve how agendas and notices are distributed.
Resident Carl Evans told the council he reviewed the city’s website and said “it doesn't state what day the election is on,” adding the site listed only runoff information and did not clarify that the special election would fill the remainder of an unexpired term. Anne Keith, who lives on Evans Drive, said she encountered a developer and builder on a parking lot adjacent to her home who had schematics and architectural drawings; she said she was surprised she had not received notice and asked how the city could improve communication to residents about development activity.
City Manager Clark told the council he was not familiar with the project Keith described and, after consulting staff, said the proposal had been denied and therefore would not proceed. Clark said staff is working on a full website overhaul to better publish notices from boards and authorities and to expand how rezoning and variance notices are released. Clark also described a workforce initiative intended to connect residents (including people experiencing homelessness) with training and jobs; he said the city is coordinating with partners including Clayton State and Atlanta Technical College and expects a full presentation at the next council meeting.
Clark introduced new employees during his report: two new police officers (Officer Burgess, from the Clayton County Sheriff's Office; Officer Brown, from Lake City) and a new code compliance staff member, Taylor Robertson. The police chief and code enforcement director introduced the hires to the council.
A public commenter, Zach Parker, urged the council to prefer substantive actions over symbolic gestures and said he had been treated differently in private interactions than in public. Parker offered no specific remedy but asked the council to prioritize authenticity and meaningful change.
Miss Hood read the city’s public-comment decorum (Charter §2-1-7) before public speakers addressed the council. Clark said staff would correct the election information on the website the next morning and would work with boards and authorities to improve notice distribution.
