Atlanta City Council addresses federal Immigration activities in City

ATLANTA — The Atlanta City Council on Monday, April 20, approved two resolutions addressing federal immigration activities within the City. 

The first declares the Council’s opposition to the acquisition, renovation, expansion and operation of warehouses or other facilities with the City for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities (26-R-3361). 

The second establishes procedures for the City and Atlanta Police Department regarding documentation, accountability, and public transparency in connection with federal immigration enforcement activities. (26-R-3363).

Other items approved by Council include:

• An ordinance declaring a certain area of Downtown Atlanta as a temporary “public entertainment district” during FIFA World Cup 26, June 11 to July 29, 2026. The measure would prohibit distribution of commercial products and prohibit cruising within the defined area.(26-O-1220).
• A resolution on behalf of the Atlanta Police Department for a three-year, $700,000 agreement for physical access control systems to protect pedestrians and vehicles from the anticipated increase in traffic in conjunction with the 2026 FIFA World Cup (26-R-3365).
• A resolution to exercise the second renewal option for external financial audit services for a one-year term at a cost of approximately $1.5 million (26-R-3555).
• An ordinance renaming Fulton Street S.W. from Whitehall Terrace, S.W. to Capital Avenue S.W. to J. Lowell Ware Boulevard, in honor of the pioneering Black journalist, publisher and community activist who co-founded several publications including The Atlanta Voice in 1966, which continues today (26-O-1121).
• A resolution on behalf of the City of Atlanta’s Keep Atlanta Beautiful Commission to enter into a public-private partnership with Keep America Beautiful, the Coca-Cola Company, and Living Walls the City Speaks, Inc., to create a mural at the North Avenue Tunnel in commemoration of America 250 and in recognition of Earth Month (26-R-3390).
• A resolution to donate approximately $88,000 to the Westside Future Fund tosupport a community placemaking project in the English Avenue Neighborhood (26-R-3374).
• An ordinance to donate $12,000 to Propel Atlanta, to support the replacement of bicycles and equipment for their youth cycling education program “Shifting Gears” that was stolen from CA Scott Recreation Center (26-O-1219).

Items introduced for consideration include:

• An ordinance to establish and implement a revised compensation plan for the Fire Rescue Department to provide for equitable, competitive wages, rank differentials and retention incentives.
• A resolution requesting a temporary pause on the proposed sale and redevelopment of property on Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway currently under contract for sale to the Atlanta Mission, until a full community impact review is completed on plans to consolidate multiple homeless service facilities into a single campus adjacent to the Atlanta Beltline Westside Trail, Maddox Park and the Bankhead MARTA station.
• A resolution requesting a formal feasibility study with an independent third-party consultant to evaluate the conversion of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security screening operations at Hartfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to a private screening model under the TSA Screening Partnership Program (SPP).
• An ordinance authorizing the creation of the City of Atlanta Downtown Enterprise Zone effective June 1, 2026, in an area roughly bordered by Marietta Street NW, Peachtree Street SW, Trinity Avenue SW, and Ted Turner Drive / Forsyth Street SW, currently comprising approximately 118 physical addresses with 231 parcels, spanning 28.6 acres with an estimated capital investment of approximately $500 million.
• A resolution establishing a 19-member City of Atlanta Special Event Technical Advisory Group (SETAG) to review and recommend improvements to the special event permitting process for Piedmont Park, which consistently hosts the largest number and variety of outdoor permitted events in the City, as recent and ongoing investments in the surrounding the area are expected to increase visitation and demand on the park.

     A resolution accepting the final report and recommendations of the Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative Commission (NRIC) which contains advice and recommendations concerning the design and implementation of the neighborhood reinvestment initiative, including the expansion of the eight active tax allocation districts.

• A resolution requesting that the Department of City Planning submit the Zoning 2.0 legislation to the Atlanta City Council Zoning Committee by June 30, 2026, the next step in a process begun in 2021 to conduct a comprehensive review leading to adoption of an entirely new zoning ordinance for the first time in 40 years.
• An ordinance to rename Adair Park II in Southwest Atlanta to “Beulah Colbert Park” in recognition of Ms. Colbert’s decades of advocacy and significant contributions to the community where she has lived since 1969.
• An ordinance establishing a mandatory 72-hour, demolition-permit process for structurally distressed properties, eliminating certain administrative barriers, and authorizing voluntary owner demolition.
• An ordinance authorizing free summer camp programming at Camp Best Friends for all City resident youth.
• A resolution calling for a 30-day study to assess the feasibility and strategic implementation of expanding and supporting summer camp start-ups within the City of Atlanta, with findings and recommendations to be presented to the Atlanta City Council.

The City Council presented proclamations and recognitions for Earth Day, Atlanta Magazine’s 65^th anniversary, literacy advocate Malcom Mitchell, and Medu Bookstore founder Nia Damali.