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April 2025's Council Meetings Recap

  • Writer: Jimmy Furst
    Jimmy Furst
  • Apr 21
  • 4 min read

Below is my recap of the latest Council Meeting with my thoughts, which don't represent the Mayor or the rest of the Council.


Click HERE for the agendas and videos for this month's Council meetings.


Announcements and Presentations

Council Dog of the Month


Georgia Pet Coalition

During the past legislative session, the Georgia House and Senate passed House Bill 331, which makes it illegal to sell animals without a state license. Many of these animals come from so-called “backyard puppy mills” and are often severely neglected. This is a positive step toward reducing animal abuse in Georgia. The Georgia Pet Coalition (GPC) presented this bill to the Chamblee City Council and requested that the city take further action to close a loophole that still allows these types of animal sales at flea markets. I support adding this language to our code and will work with Council to make it happen.


Suzi Gough Recognition

The City recognized Suzi Gough for her many years of service as Executive Director of the Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance. Thank you, Suzi, for your lasting contributions to the arts and our community throughout your distinguished career.

The Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance is also responsible for the beautiful artwork on the Peachtree Road bridge near Vintage Pizza. You can find out more about the Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance here.


2025 Chamblee 101 Graduation

Congrats to the 2025 Chamblee 101 graduates! This was the largest class in the history of Chamblee, and each person spent 11 weeks in the program. Thank you dedication, and I look forward to working with you in the future.

What is Chamlbee 101? Chamblee 101 is a free, interactive program designed to give residents an inside look at how the City of Chamblee operates. Through a series of engaging sessions, participants learn about city departments, services, and decision-making processes while meeting local leaders and staff. The program fosters civic engagement, encourages community involvement, and empowers residents to play a more active role in shaping Chamblee’s future. An educated resident is a powerful resident, and Chamblee 101 helps equip participants with the knowledge and tools to make a meaningful impact in their community. Hope to see you in the 2026 class!


National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week

During National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, the City of Chamblee proudly honored our dedicated 911 dispatchers—Gia Goss, Taylor Jones, Hannah Cosby, Gudrun Huges, and Catherine Powe. These exceptional professionals are the calm voices on the other end of the line during emergencies, providing critical support and coordination to ensure the safety of our community. Their commitment, professionalism, and compassion make them true heroes behind the scenes. We thank them for their invaluable service and unwavering dedication to public safety.


Public Hearings

4789 Buford Hwy NAPA Auto Dumpster Variance & 5880 Peachtree Blvd Jim Ellis Cadillac

We couldn't hear either of these items because The Champaion Newspaper - the legal organ we use to notify the public of public hearing items - did not run our advertisements. State law stipulates that we must advertise all public hearings, so we could not hear these items. They will move to next month.


3063 Clairmont Road - Hilton Garden Inn

This item was deferred from last month's meetings, and we were able to take action because the public hearing was held last month.


A quick recap: The applicant is proposing to build a Hilton Garden Inn on the site of the old recording studio. If this sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve seen this applicant before — in fact, this is their third time before the Council for the same project. Each time, the project has been approved, but the applicant has allowed the approval to lapse, returning each time with a reconfigured plan.


This is a significant project and is classified as a Development of Community Impact (DCI). What does that mean? This means the project must be reviewed by the Chamblee Design Review Board (DRB). The DRB consists of members with expertise in architectural design, landscape architecture, urban planning, real estate, or engineering. Their role is to review the architecture and site design and make a recommendation to the Mayor and City Council.


The Council voted to APPROVE the project with conditions.


Staff Action Items

Q1 2025 Budget Amendment

The city amends its budget quarterly throughout the fiscal year. The Q1 2025 Budget Amendments account for appropriations that are needed to adequately reflect current needs and business activity, including the following within the Stormwater Fund:

  • An increase of $341,327 for Stormwater projects.

  • A transfer of $100,000 to the Public Facilities Authority.|


These amendments would correct the budget for Stormwater Projects and would transfer funds to the Public Facilities Authority for renovations of the new Public Works facility at 3220 Cumberland Drive. This action would require the Public Facilities Authority to amend its budget in the future to recognize the additional revenue from this transfer. Council APPROVED these amendments.


Appointment of Hearing Officer Alternate

To ensure there are no delays with massage and alcohol hearings, City staff identified a hearing officer alternate. Tunde Akinyele was APPOINTED by the Council.


Design Review Board Appointment

With great pleasure, we welcome Aileen de La Torre to the Design Review Board. She had quite the night as she also graduated Chamblee 101 earlier in the night!


Real Time Crime Center TV Wall and Workstations

Council APPROVED a contract with Activu for the purchase of Real Time Crime Center TV wall and workstations for a cost not to exceed $581,374.48. A reminder that these funds came from a grant.


Public Works Building Construction Contract

4 contracts were APPROVED for the improvements to the Public Works building in the total amount of $1,548,6777. The City purchased the building adjacent to the current Public Works facility. As Chamblee continues to grow, so does the need for additional equipment and personnel to maintain the high level of service residents expect. These upgrades will provide Public Works with the space and resources needed to grow alongside the city.


LIHTC Letter of Support

Council APPROVED awarding a LIHTC letter of support to Mercy Housing Southeast for their application to rehabilitate Chamblee Senior Residences. This was a no-brainer for me as Mercy Care has been a great partner to the City.

Please send me your questions, comments, or concerns.



Mobile: 770-901-1121



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