Below are the topics covered during my Town Hall on July 22. We covered a lot of ground, and the recap below doesn't include all the discussions. Also, these are the big rocks, and I left out many pebbles, or this would be an extremely long post! Thank you to those who came out! I appreciate the conversation and hope to see everyone at my year-end Town Hall.
Mayor and City Council
City Council adopted or amended one ordinance:
An update to the Alcohol Ordinance was first considered in February to allow for
additional business concepts seeking to operate in downtown Chamblee. The
first is a wine specialty shop that would be permitted to charge a fee for tastings,
and the other is a self-pour taproom. These changes are limited to the
downtown district. This ordinance amendment was adopted in July 2024.
The City Council also adopted a resolution for a ballot initiative to seek general
obligation bond funding for park improvements. The initiative will be on the
ballot and will be considered by voters this November. If approved, the City could borrow up to $30M in GO bonds to complete various park projects.
The City established a Public Facilities Authority through an act of the Georgia
General Assembly in late spring. The bill was signed into law by Governor Kemp in
May. The purpose of the PFA is to create a governmental entity that allows a municipality to use the Authority as a financing and ownership partner. We created this to finance the new Public Works building and other future initiatives through bonds.
Other citywide accomplishments in 2024:
Chamblee received a 2024 Visionary City Award from the Georgia Municipal.
Association in celebration of the innovative Nonprofit Partnership Program. The Chamblee Nonprofit Partnership Program (NPP) consists of members who conduct business inside and outside the city limits of Chamblee. Various nonprofits in other cities provide programs and services to the Chamblee community and are members of the NPP. See below for all our members and learn more about each organization working to keep Chamblee a place with global appeal and a community feel.
Chamblee hosted an event to share about the functions of city government and
build connections with 19 Ukrainian delegates representing various regions of the
country. Mayor Mock was instrumental in driving this event.
City Manager’s Office
The Housing Team entered its second year in the Georgia Initiative for
Community Housing and is in the process of planning additional initiatives aimed
at increasing engagement within city government and the community. The Housing Team has also focused efforts on preparing to deliver a LIHTC Letter of Support in 2025 to capitalize on the ability to add 2 points to a developer’s tax
credit application.
The first phases of the new Sustainability Plan have been completed, with an
an actionable report from McKinstry is expected later this year.
Police Department
Andrianne Byrd filled the Assistant Police Chief position.
Officer Brandon White spoke at the HBCU Regional Forum hosted by the U.S.
Attorney’s Office, to discuss his experience with being the victim of a hate crime
in 2012, the successful prosecution of his attackers and how this led him to
pursue his career in law enforcement.
Planning and Development
Progress on the updated Comprehensive Plan has been underway throughout
2024 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of October. To date, the
team has held five meetings and interviewed each member of the City Council to
collect feedback for the Plan. A draft copy of the existing conditions report has
been completed.
Progress on the Dresden Small Area Plan has been underway and is expected to be completed later this year.
Gabrielle Peters was named as the new Deputy Director of Planning and Development.
Code Enforcement
Code Enforcement has had the highest productivity in almost four years, with a
total of 2,107 opened cases and 289 issued citations as of July 3rd.
The division has focused efforts on:
Increasing usage of dumpster enclosures at commercial businesses.
Apartment and commercial sweeps ordering property owners to renovate multifamily dwellings and commercial businesses
Ordering contractors and property owners to obtain building permits,
resulting in an additional 114 permit applications.
Enforcing business license requirements, with over 500 cases of businesses
operating without a license
Progress has been made on staffing the Code Enforcement team, with two offer
letters scheduled for approval and a third candidate going through the
background check process. If all three candidates are hired, the team will be
fully staffed.
William Robbins, the Division Director for Code Enforcement, graduated from the
University of Georgia as a Certified Public Manager.
Economic Development
Progress has continued in the City Center project. Earlier this year, the Downtown
Development Authority hired Stream as the DDA/City’s development advisor for
the City Center Project. Stream recently issued an offering memorandum to seek
developers to implement the vision for the area. Final bids are expected in late
summer/fall.
The City completed the purchase of 3210 Broad Street in downtown Chamblee.
This property will be incorporated into the vision for the City Center area along
Broad Street and Peachtree Road. The City now owns several properties along
Broad Street, as well as the old city hall. The final use of the properties is still being
determined as the City Center project develops.
Parks, and Recreation & Arts
The City awarded a construction contract to Integrated Construction and
Nobility for the remodel of Dresden Park. The Groundbreaking Ceremony took
place in June. The City is using its allocation of American Rescue Plan Act State
and Local Government Fiscal Recovery Funds and SPLOST funds to cover the
cost of this project.
The City also completed or started multiple art projects, including four sculptures installed throughout Chamblee: Metaphysica, In Free Fall, Flatlander, and the Yellow Bench. A fifth sculpture, Color Field, will be installed later this year.
The first Chamblee Art Drop was held with 56 artists and three businesses
participating in artmaking for the event. Over 100 Instagram posts were shared
with the designated hashtag for the Art Drop, #artdropchamblee, highlighting
the public’s enjoyment and desire for creative outlets.
The GIS Department assisted in developing a Story Map featuring public art
throughout the City, demonstrating the City’s commitment to public art initiatives.
Public Works
The City implemented glass recycling services to further city sustainability.
The City approved the purchase of 3220 Cumberland Drive, which will serve as a
new Public Works facility.
The Department filled its new Watershed Protection Specialist position with
Wallace Arnold.
In February, the City received a Governor’s Circle Award, recognizing its
community beautification and environmental sustainability achievements in
partnership with Keep Chamblee Beautiful.
Communications
Last year, we hired a communications director and a videographer to help bolster communication. The City has released 22 videos highlighting various city events, public art initiatives, glass recycling, a Black History Business Spotlight series, and employment opportunities with the Chamblee Police Department.
Community Engagement
The City was selected to host the Atlanta International Night Market, which
celebrated many of the cultures represented in Chamblee.
The Neighborhood Engagement Program started by targeting neighborhoods #1
and #6, and several meetings have been held to begin increasing engagement
and allowing citizens to participate in shaping these neighborhoods.
Chamblee sponsored the inaugural Chamblee Art Fest, which featured 100
artisans, food vendors, and musical performances. The event was held along
Peachtree Road amidst numerous city public art installations.
The City has had record-breaking attendance at the Summer Concert Series for
2024 and hosted its highest-attended 4th of July celebration and concert in the City's
history. There is one final concert scheduled for August 9th with 10,000 Maniacs
headlining.
The City has also hosted several Third Spot events. These are scheduled to
continue through the rest of the year downtown.
Technology and Facilities
The Department filled its new GIS Analyst position with Will Bridges.
The GIS Department completed several projects, including a Tax Digest
resource, a Code Enforcement tracker, a Parks and Recreation Story Map, a
Police Department sector map, Greenspace Routes for Public Works, and a map
for the Neighborhood Engagement Program.
The GIS Department developed an application for the Georgia Initiative for
Community Housing Team’s Citywide Housing Inventory Project. The inventory is
a piece of the City’s Housing Commitments to the Local Leadership Housing
Action Committee.
Facilities Management replaced the deck at the Keswick Community Building
earlier this year and is overseeing ongoing HVAC work at the Public Safety Building, which will be completed at the end of the summer.
Finance
The annual audit was completed, and there were no findings for 2023.
A new Licensing and Revenue Coordinator position was established to support
the Department.
In January, the City received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in
Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association for the
ninth consecutive year. This award is the highest recognition in government accounting and financial reporting.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns.
Email: jfurst@chambleega.gov
Mobile: 770-901-1121
Комментарии