The Atlanta City Council approved the transfer of $8 million from the Department of Watershed Management reserves to pay for capital improvements on the city’s critical water and wastewater infrastructure.

Also at the March 2 meeting, the council authorized $1.5 million for the rehabilitation and improvement upgrades at the Hemphill Pump Station.

The council also approved:

  • A resolution donating approximately $445,000 to Living Walls The Cities Speaks, a non-profit organization that provides planning, design, production, and implementation of a series of public murals and related public art programming.
  • A resolution to execute a lighting services agreement with Georgia Power Company for the installation of smart streetlight infrastructure for the “Integrated Atlanta: Wi-Fi World Cup Initiative” for a one-year term with three one-year renewal options at a cost of approximately $400,000.
  • A similar special procurement agreement with Comcast Cable Communications Management for the “Integrated Atlanta: Wi-Fi World Cup Initiative” for a one-year term with three one-year renewal options at a cost of approximately $263,000.
  • A resolution asking the Atlanta Police Department to examine its procedures to emphasize community-based diversion for low-level offenses, encouraging the use of citations where appropriate, and requesting transparency reporting on enforcement trends.
  • A resolution requesting that the Atlanta Department of Transportation honor its Summer 2025 public commitment to fulfill the requests outlined in Resolution, which prioritized the Moving Atlanta Forward: Peachtree Safe Streets Project, including a pedestrian crosswalk at 225 Peachtree, before Atlanta Streets Alive returns to the corridor on April 19, 2026.
  • An ordinance renaming the Kirkwood Urban Forest Preserve as Williamson Urban Forest in honor of Earl Williamson, longtime chair of the Kirkwood Neighbors Organization’s Environmental Committee, who was a driving force behind these stewardship efforts..

Significant Items introduced for consideration included:

  • An ordinance prohibiting warehousing, self-storage facilities and distribution centers within the Beltline Overlay District.
  • An ordinance authorizing acceptance of approximately $1.1 million in grant funding from the Georgia Department of Transportation to provide preliminary engineering for the Lenox Road Corridor Trail and safety improvements from Phipps Boulevard to Piedmont Road.

This report was compiled and written by Rough Draft Atlanta's staff.