The Atlanta Police Department plans to spend $54.6 million more than they did last year, a 15% jump. The increase is part of the $3 billion total operating budget that Mayor Andre Dickens is asking the City Council to approve, a move that would raise the city’s general fund budget by 14% to $975.4 million. […]
Public Services
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice, Public Services
Could Texts Reduce Jailings? One Atlanta Suburb Says Yes.
Nate Mingo knew the havoc that missing a court date wreaked on the lives of residents in his suburban Atlanta community. He understood the prospect of a driver’s license suspension or jail detention — and how either consequence could jeopardize one’s employment and significantly worsen their legal troubles. As Riverdale’s director of court services, Mingo also […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Public Services, State Politics
What Georgia Lawmakers Are Doing About Your Sky-High Utility Bills
Ariana Brazier is sick of paying sky-high light bills. The 31-year-old Decatur resident said she’s seen her Georgia Power electric bill surge from about $90 a month in 2023 to roughly $300 a month this year. The added financial stress has left her in a “constant panic” over ways to reduce her expenses. She’s one […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Public Services
How to Find Out if You Have Lead Pipes — and What You Can Do About It
After a federal law change, counties across Georgia are making it easier for residents to know if lead pipes are contaminating the water in their communities. In 2021, a landmark revision was made to federal laws regarding lead and copper in pipes to create safer conditions for drinking water. Due to this change, public water […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Public Services
Many Businesses Didn’t Complete Water Crisis Recovery Grant Applications
Only about 60% of the nearly 900 businesses that started applications to receive recovery funds from the city of Atlanta following the catastrophic water outage in early June that left some residents without water for five days have completed those applications, Invest Atlanta said. Only 535 applications were submitted to the city, said Eloisa Klementich, […]
Posted inCity Politics, Public Services
Water Crisis: Black Business Owners Seek Financial Relief from City Ordinance
The devastating water outage that has forced some Atlanta residents to go up to five days without drinkable water has also taken a hefty financial toll on Black business owners like Jason Davis. The 45-year-old Davis is the owner of Aiskrimu, a 9-month-old ice cream parlor located in Cascade Heights and one of several neighborhood […]
Posted inPartner Content, Public Services
Repairs Continue in Midtown as Water Outages Reach 4th Day
This story was originally published by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Crews continued to work on a broken main on West Peachtree Street in Midtown, with nearby residents warned of impacts to their water service as the crisis reached its fourth day. Water had been gushing out of the main, one of two significant breaks in Atlanta, […]
Posted inPublic Services
Elected Leaders Get Earful About I-20 Noise in Mozley Park, Commit to Action
The roar of zooming cars and honking horns on Interstate 20 made it hard for local politicians to hear the complaints of their Mozley Park constituents as they walked through the residential neighborhood on Wednesday. Resident Mia Pennington used a phone app to show the lawmakers just how loud the highway noise can get. It […]
Posted inPublic Services
Why GDOT’s Refusing a Fix For Mozley Park’s I-20 Noise Pollution
Mozley Park residents can hear the annoying hiss of high-speed vehicles driving along the adjacent stretch of Interstate 20 all day and night. Realtor Keith Palmer and his wife, Shelia, have endured the constant sound for about two years. The couple didn’t realize how nonstop the noise was until after they bought their home in […]
Posted inCity Politics, Jobs, Public Services
Atlanta’s City Planning Leaders Are Struggling to Hire People. They’re Not Alone.
Could change be in store for Atlanta’s Neighborhood Planning Unit system? At a recent budget hearing for Atlanta’s Department of City Planning, leaders discussed the program aimed at giving residents a voice in how policy decisions affect their communities. Leaders of the department — responsible for long-term planning of how the city will look […]
