Feb 03, 2025 City Council

[00:00:06]

GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO THE FEBRUARY 3RD MEETING OF THE EAST POINT CITY COUNCIL. HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH. WHILE OUR HISTORY IS DEFINITELY 365 DAYS A YEAR, ALL DAY, EVERY DAY, FEBRUARY IS THE TIME WHERE WE PAUSE, SHINE THE SPOTLIGHT, AND CELEBRATE AND HONOR THE CONTRIBUTIONS, SACRIFICES, AND HISTORY OF BLACK AMERICANS AND AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THIS COUNTRY. TO OUR COUNTY, TO OUR CITY, TO OUR STATE AND TO THE WORLD. SO I ENCOURAGE YOU TO JOIN IN AS MANY BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATIONS AS YOU CAN THIS MONTH. AND IN THIS CITY, WE WILL CONTINUE TO CELEBRATE OUR DIVERSITY, AND WE WILL CELEBRATE PRIDE MONTH AND HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH AND ASIAN AMERICAN MONTH AND CONTINUE TO CELEBRATE ALL OF OUR DIVERSITY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. BUT THE MONTHS THAT ARE NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED TO SPOTLIGHT SPECIFIC DEMOGRAPHICS OR SPECIFIC ETHNICITIES, WE WILL JOIN IN THOSE, AS WE HAVE DONE FOR MANY YEARS. SO, MADAM CITY CLERK, ROLL CALL, PLEASE. COUNCILMEMBE, SHROPSHIRE COUNCIL MEMBER LEE. COUNCIL MEMBER. ATKINS. PRESENT.

COUNCIL MEMBER. ZIEGLER. COUNCIL MEMBER. CUMMINGS. COUNCIL MEMBER. MITCHELL. COUNCIL MEMBER. BUTLER. COUNCIL MEMBER MARTIN ROGERS. MAYOR. HOLIDAY. AND WE HAVE A QUORUM. THANK YOU SO MUCH. TONIGHT WE WILL HAVE OUR INVOCATION BY PASTOR JAMIE VERNON OF TRI-CITIES CHURCH, FOLLOWED BY THE PLEDGE TO THE FLAG. PLEASE STAND AND REMAIN STANDING. OUR ETERNAL AND GRACIOUS GOD, WE PAUSE IN THIS MOMENT TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR PRESENCE AND SEEK YOUR WISDOM.

WE GIVE THANKS FOR THIS CITY AND FOR THOSE WHO SERVE ITS PEOPLE. AND AS THEY GATHER TO DELIBERATE AND LEAD. AND WE PRAY THAT YOU'LL GRANT THEM DISCERNMENT, COMPASSION, AND COURAGE TO PURSUE JUSTICE AND EQUITY FOR ALL. IN THIS MONTH OF BLACK HISTORY, WE HONOR THE LEGACY OF THOSE WHO HAVE FOUGHT FOR FREEDOM, DIGNITY, AND RIGHTEOUSNESS. WE'RE REMINDED OF THE WORDS OF DOCTOR HOWARD THURMAN, WHO PRAYED, OPEN UNTO ME, LIGHT FOR MY DARKNESS. OPEN UNTO ME COURAGE FOR MY FEAR. OPEN UNTO ME, WISDOM FOR MY CONFUSION. OPEN UNTO ME. PEACE FOR MY TURMOIL. LORD, WE PRAY THAT YOU'LL OPEN OUR HEARTS TO ONE ANOTHER, THAT WE MAY SERVE WITH INTEGRITY AND LOVE. LET THE WORK OF THIS COUNCIL REFLECT THE HOPE OF A FUTURE WHERE ALL PEOPLE ARE VALUED, AND WHERE JUSTICE ROLLS DOWN LIKE WATERS, AND RIGHTEOUSNESS LIKE A MIGHTY STREAM. BLESS THIS MEETING, BLESS THIS CITY, AND MAY YOUR WILL BE DONE AMONG US. IN JESUS NAME, AMEN. AMEN. PRAISE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. THANK YOU, PASTOR VERNON, OUR SERGEANT AT ARMS THIS EVENING IS CAPTAIN

[VI.1. Office of Equity Inclusion and Empowerment Human Services Update]

ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. INTERIM CITY MANAGER MISS JESSIE. AND AGAIN, THANK YOU, MAYOR, AS ALWAYS TO SERVE THIS CITY. THANK YOU, COUNCIL, FOR THE SUPPORT. I JUST WANT TO START OFF BY GIVING YOU ALL AN OVERVIEW, JUST KIND OF A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING IN THE OFFICE ON THE HUMAN SERVICES SIDE. AS ALWAYS, WE GOT TO HAVE A VISION. IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO GET THERE? RIGHT. SO OUR VISION FOR THE OFFICE IS TO EMPOWER FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS WITH RESOURCES IN HOPES OF AIDING THEM TO LIVE THE LIFE THEY WANT TO LIVE. OUR MISSION. YOU'LL NOTICE THAT IN PART BY GETTING A HEAD FRAMEWORK, YOU'LL SEE THAT A WHOLE LOT. THAT'S AN INITIATIVE THAT WE LAUNCHED BACK IN NOVEMBER. THAT'S WHAT WE FRAMED OUR WORK BASED OFF OF THE DATA THAT WE'VE DEVELOPED OVER THESE LAST FEW YEARS. THE MISSION TO THE EMPOWERED BY GETTING A HEAD FRAMEWORK IS TO HELP ENHANCE THE

[00:05:05]

BETWEEN 2021 AND 2022, THE POPULATION GREW FROM 37,895 TO 38,113, WHICH WAS A 0.575% INCREASE, AND ITS MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME GREW FROM 50,000 TO 59,000, WHICH WAS A 18.3% INCREASE THE ESTIMATE. HOUSEHOLD MORTGAGE IS 1285. THE ESTIMATE HOUSEHOLD RENT IS 1700, AND THE PERSONS IN POVERTY EIGHT 19.8. AND I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT JUST TO EVEN HIGHLIGHT THE POVERTY AREA. THROUGH SOME RESEARCH. I DID FIND THAT EAST POINT PROBABLY ABOUT 8 OR 9 YEARS AGO, MAYBE TEN. THE POVERTY LEVEL WAS AT 28%. IT BEGAN TO DECREASE WHEN I GOT HERE. I REMEMBER SEEING 23%. AND THEN AS I'VE BEEN HERE, IT'S DECREASED TO 19.8%, WHICH IS AMAZING FROM MY POINT OF VIEW. THE STAFF, WE HAVE STAFF NOW, I THINK WE'VE KNOWN IT TO BE PRETTY MUCH A ONE MAN BAND FOR A LITTLE WHILE. WE FINALLY WERE ABLE TO GET A STAFF TO WHERE WE NEEDED TO BE BASED ON DATA AND INFORMATION THAT WE'VE COLLECTED SINCE 2021, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO KIND OF BRANCH OUT WHAT WE NEEDED TO DO IN THE OFFICE. SO WE HAVE A COMMUNITY SOCIAL SERVICES MANAGER, WHICH IS MYSELF. WE HAVE A COMMUNITY LIAISON, WHICH IS SHANNON SHANNON ARMSTRONG. I'M SURE YOU GUYS PROBABLY FAMILIAR WITH HER. AND THEN WE HAVE THE HOUSING COMPONENT, WHICH THEY FOCUS ON THE HOUSING POLICIES AND HOMEOWNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT. WE HAVE A HOUSING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, WHICH IS FRANK WHITFIELD, AND WE ALSO HAVE A PROGRAM ANALYST THAT WE JUST HIRED. SO I THINK SHE STARTED ON MONDAY. BUT IT'S A CLEAR DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE TWO OF THE MANAGERS, WHICH MYSELF WE FOCUS ON THE SOCIAL SERVICES, HIGH LEVEL SOCIAL SERVICES, SUPPORT, COACHING, WHICH A LOT OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH, CASE MANAGEMENT. I DON'T LIKE THAT TERMINOLOGY. THINGS HAVE CHANGED. I THINK WE NEED TO CHANGE IN SOCIAL SERVICES, SO WE'RE NOT CASE MANAGING ANYONE. PEOPLE ARE CAPABLE OF MANAGING THEMSELVES, WE'RE SUPPORTING THEM. SO IN OUR COMMUNITY RESOURCES, WE FOCUS HIGHLY ON THAT, MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THE RESOURCES NEEDED HERE IN THE COMMUNITY. WE FOCUS ON HOMELESS INTERVENTION AND PREVENTION, CRISIS INTERVENTION AND PREVENTION. THOSE ARE SOME IMPORTANT ASPECTS THAT WE FOCUS ON IN THE HUMAN SERVICES SIDE OF THIS DEPARTMENT. HERE ARE SOME OF OUR GOALS. I WON'T READ THEM ALL TO YOU, BUT YOU CAN KIND OF SEE MY HIGHLIGHT. SOME OF THEM.

THESE GOALS WERE PRETTY MUCH BASED OFF OF WHAT WE HAD BEEN ANALYZING FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS, JUST BASED OFF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, BASED OFF THE VISION THAT THE MAYOR HAS FOR THE CITY, BASED OFF SOME OF THE INPUT THAT YOU GUYS HAVE GIVEN US. THIS IS WHAT WE CAME UP WITH CLOSING CRITICAL SERVICE GAPS FOR VULNERABLE AND UNDERSERVED MEMBERS OF THE EAST POINT COMMUNITY. I REALLY DON'T LIKE UNDERSERVED EITHER, BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE WE HAVE A LOT OF RESOURCES. WE'VE WORKED REALLY HARD TO GET A LOT OF RESOURCES HERE IN THE CITY. SO IMPROVE HEALTH AND WELLNESS OUTCOME BY ADDRESSING THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH THAT CHALLENGE THE EAST POINT COMMUNITY AND SO ON. YOU'LL JUST SEE ADVOCATING AND PROVIDING LEADERSHIP FOR IMPROVED EFFICIENCIES AND EFFECTIVENESS FOR HUMAN SERVICES. THE HUMAN SERVICES SYSTEM, BOTH REGIONALLY AND REGIONALLY, WHICH IS WE WERE EVERYWHERE JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE CONNECTING THE DOTS AND WE WORK HEAVILY COLLABORATING WITH OUR INTERNAL PARTNER, WHICH IS THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. WE WORK QUITE A BIT WITH THEM, RECEIVING CALLS FROM THEM AFTER HOURS.

DURING HOURS WE WORK HEAVILY IN FLUENTLY WITH OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT. JUST TO GIVE YOU SOME OVERVIEW OF WHAT TYPE OF EDUCATION WE HAVE HERE IN THIS OF THE HUMAN SERVICES SIDE. THIS I AM A CERTIFIED BRIDGES OUT OF POVERTY TRAINER. I AM ALSO MYSELF AND SHANNON. WE ARE MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AIDERS. WE'RE CERTIFIED IN THAT I AM A CERTIFIED CRISIS INTERVENTION TRAINER COORDINATOR. I'M A CERTIFIED COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER AND BETWEEN THE BOTH OF

[00:10:03]

HERE I USE OUR THE SOURCE ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE SOURCE. THE MONTHLY COST FOR ONE ADULT WITH NO CHILDREN. AND THE REASON WHY I'M HIGHLIGHTING NO ONE ADULT AND NO CHILDREN, BECAUSE WE DO SERVICE OUR SENIOR POPULATION AND A LOT OF THEM ARE JUST INDIVIDUALS. BUT WE SEE THROUGH THE ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE CHART WITH THE CALCULATION YOU JUST PUT FULTON COUNTY IN OR WHATEVER COUNTY YOU'RE TRYING TO CALCULATE WHAT YOU NEED, YOU WOULD APPROXIMATELY NEED TO HAVE AN ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME OF 55,000 FOR AN INDIVIDUAL AND FOR TWO ADULTS WITH NO CHILDREN, 71,384 AGAIN, IF YOU JUST KEEP IN MIND THE INCOME THAT WE WATCHED BEFORE WE CAME TO THIS SLIDE, WHAT AN INDIVIDUAL WOULD HAVE TO MAKE IN ORDER TO RECEIVE SERVICES FROM THE GOVERNMENT. HERE IS WITH ONE ADULT AND THREE CHILDREN. OUR VAST MAJORITY OF OUR FAMILIES WE SERVE ARE SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES WITH THREE OR MORE KIDS. AND THE ANNUAL INCOME HERE IS 124,681 TWO ADULTS AND THREE CHILDREN 130 308. NOW LET'S LOOK AT SOME DATA FROM OUR CITY JUST BASED ON JUST KEEP THE THINGS THAT I JUST SHOWED YOU IN MIND, AND JUST LOOK AT SOME OF THE DATA THAT WE RECEIVED IN OUR CITY IN 2022. WE CONDUCTED A COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT. AND AS WE CAN SEE FROM OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT THAT A VAST MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION REQUESTED FINANCIAL LITERACY. AND THEN WE HAVE UTILITY ASSISTANCE. WHEN I LOOK BACK AND TRY TO DISSECT SOME OF THE DATA, THE VAST MAJORITY OF FINANCIAL LITERACY CAME FROM THAT POPULATION OF 34 TO 45 AND OUR SENIORS 65 PLUS WAS UTILITY ASSISTANCE. THIS WAS OUR AGE BRACKETS THAT FILLED OUT THE SURVEY. WE HAVE BIG NUMBERS IN 35 TO 44. AND I THINK THE MEDIAN AGE FOR EASTPOINT IS LIKE 34.7. AND THEN WE HAD A LARGE GROUP OF OUR 65 PLUS PERCENTAGE OF RESIDENTS. HERE IS OUR EDUCATION LEVEL. I WAS NOT SURPRISED BECAUSE I RUN ACROSS A LOT OF SMART RESIDENTS HERE. THIS DID NOT SURPRISE ME ONE BIT. THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE SURVEYORS HAVE BACHELOR DEGREES, MASTER'S DEGREES, AND SOME COLLEGE. AND HERE IS THE INCOME. THIS IS WHERE THE INCOME WAS FOR THE SURVEY. A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE IN THE 30,000 UP TO FOUR, 49, 999.

SO BASED OFF OF THAT DATA THAT I JUST SHOWED YOU, WE STARTED STRATEGIZING TO PUT SOME THINGS IN PLACE AND HOW WE WANTED TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WAS CAUSING POVERTY IN THE CITY.

SO WE WANTED TO TAKE A LOOK AT SUPPORTING AND STRENGTHENING FAMILIES SO THAT THEY CAN THRIVE WHILE LIVING AND WORKING IN EASTPOINT. SO HOW DO WE DO THAT? WE'LL SHOW SOME SOME THINGS IN A MINUTE. ENGAGING FAMILIES AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS IN FAMILY CENTERED COMMUNITY BUILDING, INCREASING THE IMPACT OF CITY RESOURCES THROUGH IMPROVED INTERNAL COLLABORATION.

[00:15:03]

RIGHT HERE IS WHERE WE GET INTO THE FRAME WORK THAT WE'RE DOING. ON NOVEMBER 7TH, WE LAUNCHED THE EMPOWERED BY GETTING AHEAD FRAMEWORK. THIS IS THE FRAMEWORK THAT WE USE. WE PUT TOGETHER, WE USE THE DATA THAT I JUST PREVIOUSLY SHOWED YOU TO CREATE A FRAMEWORK TO HELP SUPPORT SOME OF THE NEEDS THAT WE HAVE FOR THAT WE'VE ENCOUNTERED THROUGH OUR RESIDENTS, WHETHER IT'S THE COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT, WHETHER IT'S THE CLIENTS COMING INTO THE OFFICE NEEDING SUPPORTIVE SERVICES. BUT THIS IS WHAT WE LAUNCHED ON NOVEMBER 7TH. IT WAS A GREAT SUCCESS.

PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY STILL TALKING ABOUT IT TODAY. WE WORKED HARD ON THINKING ABOUT HOW WE WANTED TO LAY THIS FRAMEWORK AND PUT IT TOGETHER. THESE ARE JUST SOME OF OUR PICTURES OF SOME PEOPLE THAT CAME OUT TO SUPPORT US. IT WAS A REALLY BIG THING. IT WAS IT WAS REALLY GOOD. I WAS PROUD OF IT. HERE. JUST TO TALK ABOUT THE PILOT FRAMEWORK, IT'S A DURATION. WHAT WE DID WAS DID A COLLABORATION WITH THE AFRICAN AMERICAN MAYOR ASSOCIATION, THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR FAMILY LEARNING, AND WE USE SOME OF THE FUNDING THAT WE HAVE IN HOUSE TO KIND OF HELP UNDERGIRD THIS FRAMEWORK. WE'RE DOING A PILOT PROGRAM RIGHT NOW, WHICH STARTED NOVEMBER. IT ENDS IN MARCH. SO THAT'S THE DURATION OF THIS FRAMEWORK. WE TOOK 25 FAMILIES.

WE ENDED UP WHERE WE'RE ALMOST DONE. THIS FRAMEWORK WILL END IN MARCH, ABOUT MAYBE 5 OR 6 OF OUR FAMILIES KIND OF FELL OFF JUST BY THEIR OWN CHOICE. WE JUST GAVE THEM AN EXIT LETTER. ONE THING YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT THIS OFFICE WE DOCUMENT FAIRLY. THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NOTHING YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO ASK FOR THAT WE CAN'T PROVIDE. WE DOCUMENT. SO PEOPLE, WHEN THEY COME IN, THEY GET AN INTEREST LETTER. LETTER. WHEN THEY LEAVE, THEY GET AN EXIT LETTER. SO WE WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE THEM WITH THAT ENTRANCE AND EXIT. WHEN THEY DECIDED THAT THEY WANTED TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT, WHICH IS FINE. WE STILL SUPPORT THEM IN THE WAY THAT WE CAN. THEY DO. THEY CAME IN HAVING TO COMPLETE AN APPLICATION TO BECOME A PART OF THIS COHORT. THIS IS AGAIN, THIS IS A PILOT. THIS IS OUR PILOT PROGRAM THAT WE WANTED TO DO. WE ASSIGNED THEM A SUPPORT COACH.

THE SUPPORT COACHES CONSISTED OF MYSELF, SHANNON, AND WE WE'RE WORKING WITH BUILDING CHANGE LLC. WE WORK WITH THEM TO PROVIDE SOME CASE SOME SUPPORT COACHING. AND I'M TALKING ABOUT.

SOCIAL SERVICES. WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT SOCIAL SERVICES, I THINK A LOT OF OUR REVOLVING DOORS COME WHEN WE DON'T HAVE THE SUPPORT THAT WE NEED. SO I'VE IDENTIFIED THAT ON THE FRONT END TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THAT SUPPORT. SO WE ALL JUST TOOK A TEAM OF PEOPLE. WE DIVIDED THESE THE RESIDENTS UP. AND THESE ARE OUR OUR PEOPLE, OUR PARTNERS IS WHAT WE CALL THEM. THESE ARE OUR PARTNERS BECAUSE WE WANT PEOPLE TO FEEL EMPOWERED. IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU BEING A CASE MANAGER, A CASE THAT WE GOTTA MANAGE. WE'RE SUPPORTING. AND YOU'RE WE'RE IN A PARTNERSHIP TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO A TRANSACTION SO THAT WE CAN SEE TRANSFORMATION, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR. SOME OF THE COURSES THAT WE HAVE, WE'RE ACTUALLY HOSTING RIGHT NOW THAT MAY BE FOR SHANNON IS IF SHE'S NOT ALREADY BEHIND ME, WE'RE FACILITATING A CIVIC SESSION RIGHT NOW. IT'S FROM 630 TO 8:00, BASIC GIVING BASIC ONE ON ONE ABOUT CIVICS.

JUST ENLIGHTEN THE PEOPLE ABOUT COUNCIL MEETINGS. ENLIGHTEN THEM ABOUT HOW TO GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT. WE HAVE MONEY MANAGEMENT AND BUDGETING. I THINK WE'RE GOING INTO OUR FIFTH, OUR FIFTH MONEY MANAGEMENT, ALL OF THESE CLASSES. WE'RE PROBABLY GETTING READY TO GO INTO THE FIFTH ONE. SOME YOU'LL SEE UP HERE THAT'S GOING TO BE NEW BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO WHEN WE START THE NEXT COHORT, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A PARENT SUPPORT SESSION. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SELF-CARE SESSION. BUT MOST OF THEM WE'VE ALREADY BEEN DOING THEM. WE WAS TALKING TO THE LADY THAT'S HELPING US DO THE DATA, PUT THE DATA TOGETHER. SHE WAS JUST SURPRISED THAT WE'VE DONE SO MANY CLASSES. BUT WHEN YOU ASK ME TO DO SOMETHING, I'M JUMPING IN HEAD FIRST, SO WE'RE GOING TO GET IT DONE. BUT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, WE'LL HAVE THAT NEXT MONDAY. WE ACTUALLY HOST OUR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS RIGHT HERE FROM 9 TO 12. I THINK WE'LL BE GOING INTO OUR FOURTH ONE. WE HAVE A GOOD GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT SHOW UP MOST OF OUR CLASSES. WE DON'T HAVE LESS THAN 20 PEOPLE IN OUR CLASSES. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROBABLY A LITTLE LESS BECAUSE MOST OF OUR PEOPLE ARE WORKING. SO WE PROBABLY HAVE TEN OR MORE. BUT FOR THE MOST

[00:20:01]

THE LINES ARE LONG. WE'LL HAVE PEOPLE ON THE STREETS HOMELESS FOREVER, SO WE'D RATHER WORK WITH THEM, THE ONES THAT WE CAN. WE KNOW THERE ARE SOME EXCEPTIONS, BUT WE RATHER WORK WITH THEM AND GET THEM IN MARKET RATE HOUSING. THAT WAY THEY'RE GETTING OFF THE STREETS AND THEY'RE ABLE TO LIVE, YOU KNOW, A LIFE THAT'S QUALITY AND HOMELESS. PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION. WHEN I SAY HOMELESS PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION, I'M TALKING ABOUT RENTAL ASSISTANCE. I KNOW I'M CHANGING A LOT OF NAMES, BUT I'M JUST TRYING TO GET OUT OF TRADITION BECAUSE SOCIAL SERVICES DOESN'T LOOK THE SAME ANYMORE. EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT. SO WE'VE HELPED 1250 PEOPLE STAY HOUSED OR PREVENTED THEM FROM BECOMING HOMELESS.

WE'VE HELPED WITH UTILITY ASSISTANCE. THOSE ARE THE NUMBERS THERE. AND OUR IN-HOUSE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE IS RAPID REHOUSING, HOMELESS PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION AND UTILITY ASSISTANCE. I JUST NAME THOSE THREE OUT THERE BECAUSE WHEN PEOPLE COME TO US, IT'S MORE THAT'S NEEDED. RAPID REHOUSING. IF YOU FIND THAT PERSON, I CAN THINK RIGHT OFF THE BAT OF A PERSON THAT WAS ACTUALLY REFERRED BY THIS COUNCIL. AND I'M JUST THINKING IN ONE PERSON PARTICULAR, I'M SURE MANY OF YOU HAVE SENT A PERSON, BUT WE WENT TO VISIT HER. I WANT TO SAY THURSDAY, AND SHE WAS ACTUALLY LIVING RIGHT BACK THERE. WE WENT TO VISIT HER THURSDAY. IT JUST MADE OUR HEART SO HAPPY TO SEE THAT SHE'S IN HER OWN PLACE PERMANENTLY. AND THEN IT'S ANOTHER ONE THAT I CAN THINK OF THAT'S HOUSED, AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO SOME MORE TRANSITIONING WITH HER. SOMETIMES I'M NOT GOING TO SIT HERE AND ACT LIKE EVERYTHING IS HUNKY DORY ALL THE TIME, BUT MOST OF THE TIME IT IS. BUT SOME WE HAVE TO DO SOME ADDITIONAL SERVICES AND UNFORTUNATELY ONE PERSON WE WILL WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. IT'S JUST NOT WORKING AND WE DON'T WANT TO SIT AND SET ANY FAMILY OR ANY, ANY INDIVIDUAL FOR FAILURE.

THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE SUCCESSFUL IN WHAT TRANSPIRES WITH THEM. AND SHANNON AND I WORK HARD. WE'VE MADE A LOT OF RELATIONSHIPS OUTSIDE RAPID REHOUSING. THAT'S NOT AN EASY TASK TO HOUSE 315 PEOPLE. WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS. WE JUST MADE ANOTHER CONNECTION RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER WITH PROPERTY. AND WHEN I SAY MAKING CONNECTIONS, I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT GIVE US A SPOT SO WE CAN PUT SOMEBODY THAT'S HOMELESS. NO, WE GO CHECK THE PROPERTY, WE MAKE SURE THAT IT'S TURNED. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO PUT OUR CLIENTS IN ANYTHING JUST BECAUSE YOU THINK IT'S ANYTHING.

WE DON'T DO THAT. WE GO OUT, WE TAKE PICTURES, WE DO OUR OWN CHECK OFFS TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE HOUSING THEM PROPERLY. WE'RE NOT HOUSING THEM IN MILDEW AND MOLD AND BUGS, AND WE'RE NOT DOING THAT. IF WE FIND OUT THAT HAS TRANSPIRED, WE REQUEST THAT WE GET THEM MOVED IMMEDIATELY.

SO WE'RE WE'RE ALL HANDS IN. I DON'T MIND ANYBODY COME SHADOWING ANY DAY. WHAT WE SAY WE DO, WE DO IT. AND THIS IS THE MONEY THAT WE'VE SPENT ESG FUNDING. WE HAD ESG 19, ESG 20

[00:25:10]

WE CAN'T. I CAN'T FUNCTION WITH JUST PEOPLE RANDOMLY COMING. I LIKE TO GIVE PEOPLE ATTENTION.

SO IF YOU CALL ME AND SAY, HEY, I KNOW SOMEBODY HERE OR THERE, ANOTHER, I'LL PUT THEM ON MY CLIENT TRACK. SO THAT WAY I CAPTURE THEIR NAME AND INFORMATION AND I GET TIME TO SEE ABOUT THEM, BECAUSE I'M STILL DEALING WITH FIRES TO PUT OUT FROM 2 OR 3 DAYS AGO. NOT ALONE. THE ONES THAT COME ALONG THE DAY BEFORE SOMEBODY CALLS IN. SO HERE IS IT. IT ASKS YOU A SIMPLE QUESTION ARE YOU A EASTPOINTE RESIDENT? MOST OF THE PEOPLE THAT COME THROUGH ARE EASTPOINTE RESIDENT. I DO KNOW THAT SOME PEOPLE, SOME CITIES WERE CALLING. THEY WERE CALLING, ASKING SURROUNDING CITIES, HEY, HOW ARE Y'ALL DOING THIS? CAN Y'ALL HELP US? WHAT CAN YOU DO? I DON'T MIND, YOU KNOW, TELLING, BUT WE GOT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE TAKING CARE OF HOME FIRST. SO WHAT IS YOUR HOUSEHOLD STATUS? THEN? WE GOT MOST OF FAMILIES AND THEN WE HAVE INDIVIDUALS AND THE HOUSEHOLD INCOME AGAIN. YOU SEE WHERE OUR INCOME LIES. SO THE INCOME HERE, WE DON'T JUST ASK THEM THAT AND JUST GO WITH IT. WE HAVE TO VERIFY IT. SO THIS IS HARD DATA. THEY HAVE TO GIVE US 30 DAYS PROOF OF INCOME. SO WHEN THEY GIVE US INCOME WE CALCULATE IT. AND THIS IS HOW WE GET OUR NUMBERS. AND HERE IS OUR SUPPORTED SERVICES. THIS IS WHAT PEOPLE ARE CALLING IN FOR.

RENTAL ASSISTANCE IS THE MOST. AND HERE WE ADD IT IN AGAIN I TOLD YOU THAT I'M A COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER. I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I WAS USING IT TO MY BENEFIT FOR THE COMMUNITY, AND WE IMPLEMENTED A HEALTHY FAMILY SURVEY. SO THEY HAVE TO FILL OUT A SURVEY SO WE CAN KIND OF SEE WHERE PEOPLE ARE MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY, WHERE THEY ARE, WHERE THEIR HEALTH IS. SO YOU CAN SEE HERE WE HAVE A VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WITH HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND DEPRESSION.

THIS HAS STARTED THIS YEAR. SO WE GOT 40 RESPONSES RIGHT NOW. BUT PEOPLE ARE, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU CAN'T PAY YOUR BILLS OR THINGS FEEL LIKE IT'S NOT GOING THE RIGHT WAY FOR YOU FEELING LIKE YOU CAN'T MAKE IT, THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS. BUT FOR THE MOST PART, THAT'S WHAT WE DO. THAT'S IT. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR THOROUGH PRESENTATION, FOR THE WORK YOU DO EVERY DAY TO EMPOWER PEOPLE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY TO YOU AND SEE SHANNON BEHIND YOU. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU DO. COUNCIL MEMBER CUMMINS. THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. YOU GUYS ARE DOING AN AWESOME JOB AND WORKING WITH OUR UNHOUSED BECAUSE THEY AREN'T HOMELESS. AND JUST THE DIFFERENT SERVICES THAT YOU GUYS ARE PROVIDING. SO I JUST ADD A COUPLE QUESTIONS THAT I JUST WANTED TO ASK. SO I KNOW I SAW THE LIST OF ALL THE DIFFERENT CLASSES THAT YOU OFFER. HOW OFTEN DO YOU ALL MEET? FOR THOSE? IT'S EVERY MONTH. IT'S EVERY MONTH. THEY'RE JUST ONCE A MONTH THAT THEY COME IN. AND SO I KNOW YOU TALKED ABOUT THE YOUNG LADY THAT YOU SAY THAT YOU GUYS HELPED HER AND YOU WENT BACK TO FOLLOW UP ON HER TO MAKE SURE SHE'S STILL IN THE PLACE THAT YOU PUT HER. SO IS THAT, LIKE, WHAT THE YOUR SUCCESS STORY. THAT'S WHAT IT THAT'S WHAT YOU GUYS INTERNALIZE AND THAT'S WHAT YOU JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE THOSE THINGS THAT YOU PUT IN PLACE FOR THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE PROGRAM, WAS THAT SOMEONE THAT WENT THROUGH THE PROGRAM? YES, ABSOLUTELY. ACTUALLY, SHE CAME THROUGH OUR RAPID REHOUSING. SO WE HAVE TO STICK WITH THEM SIX MONTHS. THAT'S OUR GOAL. THAT'S OUR LANGUAGE. STAY WITH THEM SIX MONTHS TO SEE HOW THEY'RE DOING, REGARDLESS IF THEY'RE A PART OF THE EMPOWERED BY GETTING AHEAD PROGRAM OR NOT, WE STAY TO STAY WITH THEM SIX MONTHS UNTIL WE GET THEM ON THEIR FEET, GET THEM WORKING, AND THEN WE CAN PROBABLY LIST SO MANY PEOPLE THAT WE'VE GOTTEN JOBS. SO WE GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE MAKING LIVABLE WAGES, TOO. OKAY.

AND I KNOW THAT NUMBER WAS 315. THAT'S HOW MANY UNHOUSED PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE IN THE CITY OF EAST POINT. THAT'S HOW MANY WE'VE RAN ACROSS THE HOUSE. YES, MA'AM. SO DO WE DO ANY TYPE OF I KNOW, LIKE THE RENTAL ASSISTANCE AND STUFF LIKE THAT, BUT ARE THERE ANY LIKE, HOMEBUYER PROGRAMS OR

[00:30:03]

HOMEOWNERSHIP PLANNING WE DID THIS IS PROBABLY ABOUT THIS MONTH WILL BE OUR FIFTH SESSION.

AND WE'RE HAVING A BIG SESSION COMING UP SOON. SO THE INCENTIVES THAT ARE OFFERED DURING THE HOMEOWNER. YEAH, I MEAN FOR, YOU KNOW, FOR THE PEOPLE TO COME IN, YOU KNOW, TO PURCHASE THEIR HOMES, ARE THERE ANY TYPE OF INCENTIVES THAT WE ARE? YES. THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH OUR EIGHT WEEK PROGRAM. AND AT THE END OF THAT PROGRAM, THEY'LL GET A CERTIFICATE. AND THAT CERTIFICATE AIDS THEM IN GETTING THE COUNCIL THEY NEED AND THE DOWN PAYMENT ASSISTANCE FOR BUYING A HOME. OKAY. AND I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT PROVIDING A LOT OF LIKE THE SOCIAL SERVICES.

AND I THINK I MENTIONED IT BEFORE, ATLANTA HAS THAT PROGRAM, THE MELODY, WHICH IS THE IT'S A KLEENEX BOX, COMMUNITY CLINICS, HOUSING COMMUNITY. AND THEIR PEOPLE TRANSITION TO WHERE YOU'LL HAVE THE UNHOUSED. THEY PUT THEM IN THIS PROGRAM. THEY PROVIDE A LOT OF THE SERVICES THAT YOU GUYS HAVE, THE MENTAL COMPONENT AS WELL. AND LIKE A LOT OF THE EDUCATION, LIKE YOU SAID, THE CIVIC CLASSES ABOUT THAT CREDIT AND EVERYTHING, AND I DON'T KNOW, I MEAN, IT'S KIND OF FAR OUT THERE, BUT I THINK IT'D BE SOMETHING GREAT THAT WE COULD POSSIBLY, YOU KNOW, LOOK AT IF YOU GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHECK OUT THE MELODY, IT'S A, IT'S A CONEX COMMUNITY, OKAY, THAT THE CITY OF ATLANTA HAS. AND THEY BASICALLY THEY HELP PEOPLE TRANSITION FROM LIVING IN. AND IT'S A SMALL LIVING SPACE, BUT IT'S A GOOD, CLEAN, SAFE LIVING SPACE. AND I THINK THEY HAVE THEIR 50, 40 OR 50 THAT THEY HAVE. AND THEN FROM THERE THEY'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE ALL THOSE SERVICES. EVERYBODY PRETTY MUCH IS ON SITE. AND I KNOW WE HAVE MOREHOUSE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, GRADY, WHERE THEY CAN COME IN AND THEY PROVIDE THE MEDICAL COMPONENT. YOU I KNOW YOU YOU AND I GOT YOUR NAME. I'M SORRY, MISS SHANNON. PROVIDE THE MENTAL HEALTH COMPONENT, BUT IT'S SOMEWHERE WHERE WE'LL HAVE EVERYBODY KIND OF IN ONE AREA AND YOU CAN CONSTANTLY WORK WITH THEM. YOU CAN PROVIDE CLASSES AND STUFF LIKE THAT. SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE MAY WANT TO CONSIDER AS WELL. RIGHT? WE BUILD PARTNERSHIPS WITH SOME OF THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH FACILITIES. SO MOST OF OUR CLIENTS IS WE IT TAKES US MAYBE 2 OR 3 TOUCHES. WHEN I SAY TOUCHES, I MEAN ENCOUNTERS WITH THEM TO REALLY GRASP WHAT THEY NEED. AND THEN WE DETERMINE, OKAY, THEY NEED THAT BEHAVIORAL HEALTH. AND WE DO REFERRALS INSTANTLY TO GRADY OR EITHER WHAT'S WHAT IS THAT ONE SHANNON. IS IT BEHAVIORAL. RIVERWOOD.

YEAH. RIVERWOOD. YEAH. SO AND WE DON'T JUST ONCE WE REFER THEM WE DON'T JUST LEAVE IT AT THAT.

IT'S IT BASICALLY CIRCLES BACK AROUND TO US. I DON'T SAY THAT TO TOOT OUR OWN HORN, BUT I JUST I JUST HATE THAT RECYCLING SYSTEM WHERE PEOPLE ARE RECYCLED OUT AND BACK INTO THE. YEAH, THAT. BUT IT'S OKAY. YOU GUYS ARE DOING A GREAT JOB, SO IT'S OKAY TO TOOT YOUR HORN. WE HAVE TO DO IT. BUT THANK YOU, THANK YOU. I YIELD, MADAM MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBER FREELAND, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. I HAD A QUESTION. YOU HAD A SLIDE ABOUT BENCHMARKS GETTING AHEAD.

PILOT. WHAT? WHAT IS THE SORT OF TIMELINE ON THAT OR WHAT ARE THE WHAT IS THE RHYTHM FOR FOLLOW UP OR HOW LONG DO YOU TRACK? OKAY, WELL, EVERY MONTH WE HAVE MEETINGS WITH OUR CLIENTS MONTHLY. SO SIX MONTHS IS THE DURATION OF THE TIME THAT WE SPEND WITH THEM. IT CAN BE LONGER 12 MONTHS. WE GO UP TO 12 MONTHS. BUT WE HAVE TO BE RATIONAL AND REASONABLE IN WHAT WE INTAKE AND WHAT WE DO. BECAUSE I'M JUST NOT ABOUT A BUNCH OF QUANTITY, BUT I WANT THE QUALITY FOR THE RESIDENTS. SO IN ORDER FOR US TO HAVE THE QUALITY, WE GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE IN THE RIGHT NUMBERS, SUITABLE FOR THE WORK THAT WE CAN DO FOR WHAT WE HAVE.

SO WE DO SIX MONTHS. SOMETIMES PEOPLE STAY WITH US A YEAR. ONE GUY, HE'S BEEN WITH US TWO YEARS, TWO AND A HALF YEARS. SO IT JUST DEPENDS. THEY JUST LIKE THE SUPPORT AND THE THINGS THAT WE'RE BRINGING TO THE TABLE. SO THEY JUST KEEP GOING AND WE CHECK THE MARKS OFF. WE HAVE OUR MONTHLY MEETINGS TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR THE ONES THAT ARE IN THE FRAMEWORK ARE PROGRESSING IN PRIOR TO THE FRAMEWORK THAT THEY'RE PROGRESSING. IT'S A PRACTICE THAT WE DO WITH THEM.

COUNCIL MEMBER ATKINSON YES, THANK YOU SO MUCH AND THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING AND SHANNON IS DOING. I'M GREATLY APPRECIATE IT AS IT RELATES TO PARTNERSHIPS. ARE YOU GUYS ALSO PARTNERING WITH THE ZION HILL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, LOCATED RIGHT HERE IN EAST POINT? WE WHEN WE CAN WE DO. AND I'M JUST GOING TO BE TRANSPARENT WHEN WE CAN GET IN THE DOORS, WE CAN. I'M NOT A BIG PROPONENT OF SENDING PEOPLE AND SAYING, HERE, HERE'S A PIECE OF PAPER, GO TO ZION HILL. BUT CONNECTIONS, I THINK IT'S. CHANGES IN SOME OF THESE AGENCIES MAKE IT HARD. BUT WHEN IT'S BECOME DIFFICULT, WE HAVE TO KEEP MOVING TO SOMETHING ELSE

[00:35:02]

HAVE WE HAVE I JUST WHEN IT COMES TO PARTNERSHIPS, I THINK IT'S BETTER WHEN IT'S ON PAPER SO PEOPLE CAN HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THEY'RE PARTNERING WITH. AND WE'RE WE'RE GETTING TO SEE WHAT ALL OF THAT LOOKS LIKE IN THE OFFICE. BUT WE HAVE WE'VE REACHED OUT WHO ARE SOME OF THE OTHER PARTNERS THAT WE HAVE IN THIS EFFORT. WELL, WE PARTNER WELL, I DON'T WANT TO SAY PARTNER, BUT WE HAVE CONNECTIONS WITH BUCKHEAD CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES, MERCY CARE. HOSEA HELPS. FOLKS IN ATLANTA COMMUNITY ACTION AUTHORITY, FULTON, FULTON COUNTY. IT'S MANY PEOPLE, BUT AND I'M NOT TRYING TO BE LIKE NOT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, BUT IT'S YES, I UNDERSTAND. I JUST WANTED A BETTER IDEA. I THOUGHT I HEARD YOUR PRESENTATION, YOU TALKED ABOUT PARTNERSHIPS. AND SO I WAS JUST WONDERING ABOUT THOSE PARTNERSHIPS THAT YOU WRITE, THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE HAVE. MAINLY WHEN I MADE REFERENCE TO THE PARTNERSHIPS, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE HAVE WITH PEOPLE THAT WE'VE PUT STUFF IN WRITING WITH, AND NOT SO MUCH THAT THAT'S MORE OF A REFERRAL SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE WITH SOME OF THESE, AND THEY HAVE THEIR OWN LIST THAT THEY HAVE CREATED. SO IF WE CAN'T JUST JUMP IN ON THAT LIST NOW, LIKE HERE, WE GOT OUR OWN RESOURCES. SO I HAVE TO REACH OUT OTHER PLACES AND GET RESOURCES. WE'VE HAD TO BE CREATIVE WITH THAT BECAUSE THEY'RE JUST NOT REAL RECEPTIVE OF US JUMPING IN FRONT OF EVERYBODY ELSE. THEY SERVE IN THE COUNTY. SO JUST FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM, THAT'S WHAT I MEAN BY WE HAVE NOT CREATED A PARTNERSHIP WITH THOSE TYPE OF ENTITIES THAT GIVE THE SAME SERVICES THAT WE DO, BUT WE'RE FORTUNATE ENOUGH SOMETIME TO GET IN. SOMETIMES. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER MARTIN ROGER, THANK YOU. AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR EFFORTS WITH THE OFFICE OF EQUITY, INCLUSION AND EMPOWERMENT. I'VE SENT SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS TO YOU OVER THE YEARS PRIOR TO BECOMING A COUNCIL MEMBER AND ALSO AS A COUNCIL MEMBER. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR BOOTS ON THE GROUND EFFORT.

I WAS VERY EXCITED TO HEAR THAT YOU TAKE AN ADDITIONAL STEP, YOU AND YOUR STAFF, TO ENSURE THAT WHERE YOU'RE HOUSING INDIVIDUALS IS AN APPROPRIATE LIVING SPACE. SO THAT'S JUST AN ADDED TOOL FOR US IN OUR TOOLBOX. AND JUST THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORK. YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU AGAIN. I BEEN AT EVENTS AND YOU HAVE HAD TO LEAVE BECAUSE YOU'RE ABOUT TO GO HELP SOMEBODY MOVE INTO THEIR HOME THAT YOU HELPED THEM GET. AND I THINK THAT'S ADDITIONAL WORK THAT GOES TO YOUR PASSION AND COMMITMENT TO THE WORK. AND THOSE AREN'T THINGS YOU CAN REALLY TEACH PEOPLE. SO IT'S INNATE IN WHO YOU ARE. AND YOU BRING THAT PASSION. AND SHANNON BRINGS THAT PASSION TO THE WORK. AND I THINK PEOPLE DEFINITELY VALUE AND APPRECIATE IT. AND YOU'VE BEEN IMPACTFUL TO OVER 1600 PEOPLE WHO HAVE REACHED OUT. SO WE APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'RE DOING. WE KNOW THAT COVID JUST SHINED A SPOTLIGHT ON THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE IN NEED OF SUPPORT, AND THAT IT CONTINUES TO INCREASE. AND EVEN THOUGH WE'VE GOTTEN WE'RE GETTING THROUGH COVID, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THOSE NEEDS GO AWAY. AND IT'S IMPORTANT AS WE SERVE ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS, THAT WE ENSURE THAT WE HAVE INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE THAT ALLOWS US TO BE ABLE TO DO IT. THANKS FOR THE GRANT FUNDING THAT YOU HAVE GONE OUT THERE AND

[00:40:06]

ALL RIGHT. NEXT UP, ANY COMMITTEE REPORTS OR ANY OTHER PRESENTATIONS OR ANNOUNCEMENTS.

ANY APPOINTMENTS. ANY COMMITTEE REPORTS FROM ANY OF THE PERSONS ON THE EITHER BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE OR THE HUMAN COUNCIL, HUMAN RESOURCES COMMITTEE. APPROVAL OF COUNCIL AGENDA. IS

[VIII. ADOPTION OF THE COUNCIL AGENDA]

[IX. APPROVAL OF CITY COUNCIL MINUTES]

MINUTES FROM THE REGULAR MEETING HELD ON JANUARY 27TH, 2025. SO MOVED SECOND, IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL THOSE OPPOSED? MOTION

[X.2. Council Discussion and Possible Action on Chevron Food Mart Retail Sales Alcohol License (1337 Virginia Avenue) - Public Hearing Required]

EACH SIDE WILL BE GIVEN THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME. SPEAKERS MUST ADHERE TO THE RULES OF DECORUM.

THANK YOU. CAN I GET A MOTION TO OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE CHEVRON FOOD MART? RETAIL SALES ALCOHOL LICENSE 1377 VIRGINIA AVENUE. SO MOVED. SECOND, IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL THOSE OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES. MISS JESSIE, I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO YOU FOR STAFF TO GIVE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THIS BEFORE WE OPEN THE HEARING. THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. WE HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE HERE FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO TALK ABOUT THIS. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. I HAVE TWO ALCOHOL REQUESTS. THE FIRST ONE IS FOR AREEF MUHAMMAD JIWANI. HE'S APPLYING FOR AN ALCOHOL LICENSE FOR RETAIL SALE OF AN EXISTING BUSINESS, CHEVRON FOOD MART, LOCATED AT 1377 VIRGINIA AVENUE.

MR. GIOVANNI IS THE REGISTERED AGENT OF AN EXISTING BUSINESS AND HAS NO HISTORY WITH THE CITY OF EAST POINT. MR. GIOVANNI HAS PASSED THE BACKGROUND PROCESS, ADHERED TO ADVERTISEMENT REQUIREMENTS AND OBEY ALL BY LAWS REQUIRED. AS A NEW APPLICANT, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDS THE ISSUANCE OF ALCOHOL LICENSE FOR RETAIL SALE OF BEER AND WINE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I'M GOING TO SHIFT TO THE SIDE. I'M GOING TO ASK ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO COME UP AND SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF THE REQUEST FOR ALCOHOL LICENSE. PLEASE COME UP AT THIS TIME.

GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS SALEEM KABBANI.

[00:45:03]

ANYONE ELSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT? IS THERE ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK IN OPPOSITION OF THE REQUEST FOR A RETAIL SALES ALCOHOL LICENSE AT 1377 VIRGINIA AVENUE, COME FORWARD. GOOD EVENING, MADAM MAYOR. CITY COUNCILORS 1277 VIRGINIA. THAT'S A VERY HIGH CRIME RATE IN OUR CITY. IT'S ON THE BORDER OF MY LITTLE COMMUNITY OF EGAN PARK. DO WE REALLY NEED ANOTHER SOURCE FOR ALCOHOL? RIGHT THERE? I'M. I'M WONDERING IF THAT'S A WISE DECISION, GIVEN THE OVERALL ACTIVITY OF THE POLICE IN THAT VICINITY. IT'S A VERY, VERY DIFFICULT AREA FOR THE POLICE ALREADY. SO MORE ALCOHOL SEEMS IFFY TO ME. THANK YOU. SO ANYONE ELSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK IN OPPOSITION TO A REQUEST FOR A RETAIL SALES ALCOHOL LICENSE AT 1377 VIRGINIA AVENUE. ANYONE IN OPPOSITION? CAN I GET A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING? SECOND, IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL THOSE OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES ANY FURTHER ACTION ON THIS ITEM? COUNCIL MEMBER ZIEGLER. YES. I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ASK A QUESTION ABOUT THE ACTUAL ADDRESS. I DON'T THINK THAT ADDRESS IS CORRECT. SO YOU DO A MOTION TO OPEN THE FLOOR FOR DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION, AND THEN WE CAN I'LL MAKE A MOTION FOR DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION FOR THE ALCOHOL LIQUOR ALCOHOL LICENSE AT THE CHEVRON FOOD MART. RETAIL SALES. SO IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR. AYE. AYE. THOSE OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES. COUNCIL MEMBER ZIEGLER. YEAH. I BELIEVE THAT THE ADDRESS IS 1337 AND NOT 1377. 1377 VIRGINIA AVENUE IS THE MOTEL SIX. AND 1337 IS THE GAS STATION WITH THE SUBWAY AT IT? YES. OKAY. JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE RIGHT THING. MISS JESSE. I WILL HAVE THE POLICE. HAVE STAFF CLARIFY WHAT THE ADDRESS IS. THE CORRECT ADDRESS IS 1337, AND IT IS LISTED ON THE APPLICATION AS WELL. I JUST IT WAS A TYPO ON MY BEHALF. OKAY. THANK YOU. ANYTHING ELSE? COUNCIL MEMBER? ZIEGLER. SURE. AND TO MR. WARDLOW'S POINT, DO WE HAVE CRIME DATA ON THAT AREA IN PARTICULAR, SINCE THIS IS RIGHT NEXT TO MOTEL SIX? YES. I DON'T HAVE IT WITH ME NOW, BUT WE CAN GET THAT. I'M GOING TO ASK. I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE REQUIREMENTS FOR ISSUANCE OF ALCOHOL LICENSES ARE, AND WHETHER OR NOT CRIME DATA IS SOMETHING THAT IS A FACTOR. AND SO I WOULD DEFER TO LEGAL BEFORE WE GET INTO THAT, SINCE WE'RE IN A PUBLIC HEARING AT THE MEETING. AND IF YOU NEED SOME TIME, I CAN GO TO THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS. MADAM MAYOR, I WOULD ASK JUST TO GIVE ME A COUPLE MINUTES. LET ME CHECK AND SEE. OKAY. THANK YOU. THIS IS AN EXISTING GAS STATION, CORRECT? CORRECT. IT'S JUST NEW OWNERS. SO THEY ALREADY HAVE AN ALCOHOL LICENSE. THEY ARE JUST NEW OWNERS. THAT'S A TRANSFER, CORRECT. SHROPSHIRE. THAT ANSWERS MY QUESTION. IT'S A

[00:50:04]

SO IF THE APPLICANT CAN COME BACK FORWARD REALLY QUICKLY BECAUSE I THINK CHEVRON AND CIRCLE K ARE SEPARATE, IS THE CHEVRON. ARE YOU IN THE SAME SUB LOT AS THE SUBWAY? THE SUBWAY IS THE TENANT NEXT DOOR. IT'S A SEPARATE BUSINESS. SEPARATE BUSINESS. BUT IT'S CONNECTED TO.

THAT'S CORRECT. AND THE GAS STATION IS A CHEVRON GAS STATION. THAT'S CORRECT. THE CIRCLE K IS ACROSS THE STREET. NO. CIRCLE K IS THE BRAND. SO THIS IS THE CHEVRON STATION BRANDED AS CIRCLE K FRANCHISE. YEAH OKAY. SO CIRCLE K AND CHEVRON IT'S THE SAME LOCATION.

THAT'S CORRECT. YEAH. THANKS COUNCILMEMBER. YEAH OKAY. SEND US THAT DOCUMENT. SO WE HAVE 1 OR 2 THINGS THAT WE CAN DO AT THIS POINT. WE HAVE WE'RE IN A MOTION TO FOR DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION. WE CAN EITHER WAIT TILL THEY PRINT IT OUT AND GIVE IT TO US, OR WE CAN TABLE THIS ITEM AND MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ONE AND COME BACK WITH A MOTION TO TABLE, MOTION TO TABLE. SO IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR.

ALL THOSE OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES. NEXT UP WE HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING. OH. SO WHAT WE'RE DOING IS TABLING THE ITEM THAT WILL GET US THE INFORMATION. AND THEN WE WILL

[X.3. Council Discussion and Possible Action on Alcohol License for Consumption on Premises at Whisk Atlanta (3523 Camp Creek Parkway) - Public Hearing Required]

[00:55:18]

SO BUT AS A RESIDENT, I AM SOMEONE WHO HAS FOREVER BEEN LOOKING FOR THE TYPE OF RESTAURANT I'M USED TO FROM WHERE I COME FROM, WHICH IS UP NORTH, BUT MOSTLY A BREAKFAST AND BRUNCH EXPERIENCE THAT'S A LITTLE UPSCALE AWAY FROM THE TRADITIONAL HUSTLE AND BUSTLE OF MIDTOWN, BUCKHEAD, DOWNTOWN, ETC. THIS IS IN THE SAME LOCATION AS THE THIS IS IT. AND SO IT'S BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO A REALLY BEAUTIFUL RESTAURANT AND DINING EXPERIENCE. SO I AM HERE AS A RESIDENT IN SUPPORT OF THIS GENTLEMAN'S NEW BUSINESS. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT? YOU CAN GO IF YOU'D LIKE. HI.

YES, I JUST WANTED TO SAY, WELL, FOR ONE, THANKFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF BEING ABLE TO PUT A BRUNCH RESTAURANT IN OUR IN OUR BACKYARD. I GREW UP ON BUTLER ROAD. I WENT TO SCHOOL ON STONE ROAD. I'M DRAWING A BLANK WOODLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL ALL THREE YEARS RIGHT FROM 40 WEST. SO THIS IS MY AREA I HAVE. I CURRENTLY HAVE A VALET BUSINESS WHERE I PARK. WE PARK AT A FEW NOTABLE RESTAURANTS. WE HAVE AROUND TEN LOCATIONS. SO I'M, I'M, I'M BIG IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY. AND THEN FROM THAT I'VE STARTED. WELL, I HAVE A CO-OWNER IN A FRANCHISE ON CAMP CREEK PARKWAY THAT'S A GOLDEN CROSS CARIBBEAN RESTAURANT. SO I HAVE I HAVE RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE. BUT MORE THAN THAT, I KIND OF WANT LIKE SHE LIKE SHE SAID, JUST BRING SOMETHING THAT'S NOT TOO ROWDY TO OUR PART OF TOWN. SO WE DON'T EVERY TIME WE WANT TO DO SOMETHING NICE, WE DON'T HAVE TO GO ALL THE WAY UP INTO THE CITY AND SIT IN TRAFFIC FOR ALL DAY SO WE CAN JUST HAVE SOMETHING NICE IN OUR BACKYARD. FAMILY LIKE SHE SAID, FAMILY FRIENDLY. NOTHING TOO. NOTHING TOO CRAZY. NOT A BUNCH OF, YOU KNOW, GREEN WALLS AND STUFF AND LOUD MUSIC. IT'S JUST REALLY COOL AND REALLY NICE ENVIRONMENT. SO SORRY TO TALK TOO MUCH. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.

ANYONE ELSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF THE REQUEST FOR AN ALCOHOL LICENSE FOR CONSUMPTION ON PREMISES AT WHISKEY ATLANTA, 3523 CAMP CREEK PARKWAY. ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK IN FAVOR? IS THERE ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK IN OPPOSITION TO THE REQUEST FOR ALCOHOL, LICENSE FOR CONSUMPTION ON PREMISES AT WHISKEY ATLANTA? ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK IN OPPOSITION TO THE REQUEST, ANYONE IN OPPOSITION? YOU CAN CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. MADAM MAYOR, I MAKE THE MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. SECOND, IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. THOSE OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES ANY FURTHER ACTION ON THIS ITEM. MADAM, MAY I MAKE A MOTION THAT WE APPROVE THE ALCOHOL LICENSE FOR WHISKEY? GO AHEAD. COUNCILMAN BUTLER. MADAM MAYOR, I MAKE THE MOTION THAT WE APPROVE THE ALCOHOL LICENSE FOR WHISKEY. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED. ANY DISCUSSION? WHEN DID YOU ALL OPEN GOLDEN CREST. JUNE 14TH OF LAST YEAR. LAST YEAR? YES. YOU WERE THERE? YEAH. SO I ATTENDED THE GRAND OPENING OF GOLDEN CREST IN CAMP CREEK IN JUNE AND WAS SHARED. AND THEY SHARED WITH ME THEN THAT A BRUNCH SPOT WAS COMING. IT'S KIND OF UNDER WRAPS AT THE TIME, BUT GRATEFUL THAT YOU ALL WERE ABLE TO WALK. THAT ONE IS IN CAMP CREEK AND NOT ACTUALLY IN EAST POINT. THIS IS AND IS A PLEASANT ADDITION TO THE OFFERINGS HERE IN OUR CITY.

SO THANK YOU. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? COUNCIL MEMBER? NO, MA'AM. I'M OUT OF DISCUSSION.

COUNCIL MEMBER CUMMING THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR, CAN I JUST SAY SOMETHING TO HIM ABOUT JUST WITH THE BUSINESS, JUST APPRECIATING, OKAY. YES. THANK YOU. CONGRATULATIONS ON STARTING THIS. AND I SAW THE ADVERTISEMENT FOR IT. AND WHEN THEY SAY THE CAPTION THAT I READ ON SOCIAL MEDIA WAS BRINGING BUCKHEAD TO CAMP CREEK, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HE DID. I MEAN, IT IS A IT'S A BEAUTIFUL SPOT AND I'M DEFINITELY LOOKING FORWARD TO PATRONIZING YOUR BUSINESS.

THANK YOU. CONGRATULATIONS AND GOOD LUCK TO YOU, YOUNG MAN. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SHROPSHIRE. THANK YOU. CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW BUSINESS. SO LET ME ASK YOU, WHEN WILL YOU BE OPEN TO HAVE THE GRAND OPENING IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY HAD IT? SO WE HAVE

[01:00:07]

OKAY, OKAY. SO WHEN YOU DO DO YOUR GRAND OPENING, YOU'RE GOING TO SEND OUT NOTICE. OF COURSE.

OF COURSE. YES, YES, YES. WE JUST DIDN'T WANT TO PROMOTE IT TOO MUCH AND THEN GET BOMBARDED WITH TOO MANY PEOPLE AND WE CAN'T HANDLE IT. BUT THAT'S FINE. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER MARTIN ROGER, I JUST WANTED TO SAY I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU ALL ENDED UP IN MY NEWS FEED ON INSTAGRAM, BUT I WAS VERY EXCITED AND I STARTED FOLLOWING THE PAGE AND SOMEHOW I FOUND MYSELF INSIDE THIS RESTAURANT TWICE THIS WEEKEND. AND I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT IT IS A BREATH OF FRESH AIR FOR EAST POINT. I WAS TAKEN AWAY BY THE DECORATION. YEAH, THE ATTENTIVENESS, THE ATTENTIVENESS, ATTENTIVENESS OF THE STAFF, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE FOOD. THERE'S ALSO TALK YOUR BUSINESS UP. YOU ALL HAVE A CAFE. YES, THAT HAS AN AVAILABLE ROOM SPACE IF PEOPLE WANT TO RENT IT OUT. BUT I WAS THOROUGHLY IMPRESSED WITH I JUST STUMBLED UPON IT IN MY NEWS FEED AND I WAS LIKE, WELL, THIS IS IN EAST POINT. LET ME JUST GO CHECK IT OUT. BUT I HAD A VERY GOOD EXPERIENCE THERE AT YOUR RESTAURANT, THE DECOR, WHOEVER DID THE DESIGN, THEY TURNED THE THIS IS IT CAFETERIA INTO A FULL BLOWN, I MEAN, BEAUTIFUL RESTAURANT. SO THANK YOU. CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING TO EAST POINT.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. THANK YOU. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THE MOTION TO APPROVE THE ALCOHOL LICENSE FOR CONSUMPTION ON PREMISES AT WHISKEY ATLANTA, 3523 CAMP CREEK PARKWAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL THOSE OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES. CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU. ARE YOU. SO BLESSED? THAT WORKS. TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHICH PART OF THE GLASS.

IS. CAN WE GET A MOTION TO MOVE? REMOVE ITEM NUMBER TWO FROM THE TABLE. SECOND, IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED. ANY DISCUSSION? NO. I WAS GOING TO MAKE THE MOTION. YEAH, JUST A QUESTION. NOW THAT WE HAVE THIS. SO. OH, SORRY. DISCUSSION.

POSSIBLE ACTION. APOLOGIES. IN FAVOR. THOSE OPPOSED MOTION CARRIES. CAN WE GET A MOTION FOR DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON CHEVRON FOOD MART RETAIL SALES. ALCOHOL LICENSE 1337 VIRGINIA AVENUE. SO MOVED THERE. SECOND, IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED. DISCUSSION.

COUNCILMEMBER. FREELY. SO NOW THAT WE HAVE THIS INFORMATION, I GUESS MY FOLLOW UP QUESTION FOR THE DEPUTY CITY ATTORNEY IS STILL IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT. DOES THAT CONSTITUTE THE LEGAL NOTICE THAT'S REQUIRED VIS A VIS THE PUBLIC HEARING? DID THE DID THE NOTICE HAVE THE CORRECT ADDRESS? OH, SORRY, I ASSUMED YOU HOLD ON A MINUTE. CAN YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMEMBER. I THINK IF THE NOTICE HAS THE CORRECT ADDRESS, I THINK THAT SATISFIES THE REQUIREMENT. THE NOTICE IT APPEARS TO BE TAPED TO THE DOOR OF THE LOCATION IS THAT WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR? SO. I

[01:05:05]

[XI. PUBLIC COMMENTS]

SPEAKERS MAY ADDRESS THE COUNCIL ONLY ONCE DURING THIS TIME OF THE AGENDA. SPEAKERS MUST IDENTIFY THEMSELVES AND THEIR ADDRESS PRIOR TO SPEAKING. QUESTIONS FROM THE SPEAKERS MAY NOT BE ADDRESSED DURING THE PUBLIC SPEAKING SECTION OF THE AGENDA. EAST POINT RESIDENTS WILL HAVE PRIORITY OVER OTHER SPEAKERS. THERE WILL BE A TOTAL OF NOT MORE THAN 60 MINUTES FOR THE PUBLIC SPEAKING SECTION OF THE AGENDA. SPEAKERS MAY ONLY ADDRESS THE PRESIDING OFFICER.

SPEAKER SHALL OBSERVE ALL RULES OF DECORUM. NO DEBATE, DISRESPECT OR OBSCENITY SHALL BE TOLERATED. THE PRESIDING OFFICER SHALL RULE ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL OUT OF ORDER THAT FAILS TO COMPLY WITH THE FOREGOING. MADAM CITY CLERK, YOU MAY CALL THE FIRST SPEAKER UP FIRST WE HAVE MR. TOM WARDLOW. MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. MY NAME IS TOM WARDLOW. I AM A RESIDENT OF EAST POINT. MY I LIVE AT 1301. EXCUSE ME, I SORRY, 1301 MERCER HERE IN THE CITY OF EAST POINT. I HAVE TWO THINGS THIS EVENING AND BOTH OF THEM REVOLVE AROUND AN ISSUE OF TIMELINESS. SORT OF. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE THINGS. AND SO I JUST WANT TO SET IT UP IN THAT WAY. FIRST THING THAT I HAVE IS I UNDERSTAND THAT PUBLIC WORKS OR WHOEVER HAS APPROVAL TO PUT THE SIDEWALK IN ON SYLVAN ROAD, SOUTH OF CLEVELAND. THAT'S NEAR THE WALMART. I JUST WANT TO KNOW IF, IN FACT, THOSE MONIES HAVE BEEN APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL ALLOCATED AND WHAT THE TIMELINESS OF THAT SIDEWALK IS. IT IS A DANGEROUS SPOT IN OUR

[01:10:05]

HELLO, MAYOR AND COUNCILMAN. MY NAME IS BARBARA BOYCE. I LIVE AT 1356 SAINT MICHAEL AVENUE, EAST POINT, AND I'M IN A SECTION CALLED COLONIAL HILLS. I'VE BEEN COMING TO THIS COUNCIL OVER TEN YEARS TO TRY TO GET MY STREET PAVED, AND ALSO THE ENTRANCES AND THE EXITS GOING IN AND OUT OF EAST PARK, PAVED. I CALLED THE FULTON COUNTY. ADMINISTRATION AND ASKED THEM ABOUT PAVING MY ROAD, MY STREET, BUT THEY TOLD ME THAT I THAT THE COUNCIL HAS TO PUT COLONIAL HILL ON THE VOTE ON THE PAPERWORK TO BE DONE. OKAY. AND SO I FOUND OUT ALSO I CALLED THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ALSO ABOUT BUT NOTHING HAS HAPPENED. AND I'M WONDERING IF COLONIAL HILLS, A PART OF EAST ONE CALLED WE DON'T GET ANYTHING AND WE PAY THE $0.01 SALES TAX TO SPLOSH TO GET MY STREET PAVED. AND THOSE ENTRANCES IN THE IN THE RIGHT OF WAYS WITH THE TREES AND THE LIMB JUST OVERPOWERING THE WHOLE SECTION. CALL TO GET IT DONE DOESN'T GET DONE. AND SO I'M TIRED. I DON'T GET MY BEST, SO I'M GOING TO HAVE TO MOVE ON AND CALL OTHER PEOPLE, BECAUSE THIS IS A RIGHT THAT I HAVE AS A CITIZEN OF EASTPORT AND COLONIAL HILL. AND YOU TAKE MY TAXES EVERY TIME I BUY SOMETHING, I HAD TO PAY $0.01 SALES TAX, DON'T I? AND THIS IS AND BEING THE STATE ROSE, WHY AREN'T THEY DONE? THEY WEREN'T DONE WHEN WE HAD THE OLYMPICS. OTHER PARTS OF THAT 166 WEST WAS GETTING PAID, BUT NOT EAST POINT. SOMETHING IS WRONG. AND IT NEED TO BE DEALT WITH BECAUSE THIS IS A TAX PROBLEM. I AM A CITIZEN. I PAY A $0.01 SALES TAX AND THE STATE TAX AND THE FEDERAL TAX, BUT NOTHING'S GETTING DONE ON MY AT COLONIAL HILL. AND I WANT TO

[01:15:07]

LASTLY, WE HAVE MR. ERIC COLEMAN. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, ERIC COLEMAN 494192 MAPLE LANE. TODAY. I'M ACTUALLY REALLY SEEKING YOUR ASSISTANCE OR HELP WITH INFORMATION AVAILABILITY ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE, SPECIFICALLY THE PLANNING AND ZONING WEBSITE.

THERE'S A BUTTON THAT. BASICALLY GUIDES YOU TO ZONING CASES. I CLICK ON THAT BUTTON, GO TO THE PAGE. THERE ARE A SERIES OF LINKS. THOSE LINKS ARE BROKEN. SO THE INFORMATION ON THAT PAGE IS UNAVAILABLE TO KIND OF EXPLORE. THAT APPEARS TO BE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE.

ADDITIONALLY, ALONG THE SIMILAR SIMILAR LINES, THE GEOPOINT WEBSITE ALSO SPECIFIC TO PLANNING AND ZONING, IT APPEARS TO BE A REALLY USEFUL TOOL, BUT IT APPEARS THERE IS A EAST POINT PLANNING DEPARTMENT MAP THAT PLOTS AND GEOCODES ZONING CASE REPORTS. IF YOU GO ON THAT PAGE AND CLICK ON THE CASE REPORTS, THAT INFORMATION IS ALSO OUTDATED. IT APPEARS TO BE BEHIND IN TIME, MAYBE SEVERAL YEARS, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE A REALLY GOOD RESOURCE AND IT COULD BE REALLY BENEFICIAL FOR PEOPLE MAKING INFORMED DECISIONS ABOUT PLANNING AND ZONING MATTERS ACROSS THE CITY OF EAST POINT. AND THEN LASTLY, I'D LIKE TO THANK THE EAST POINT POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR PROVIDING INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE ON THE CRIME RATES ACROSS THE CITY. BUT IN HIS COMMUNICATION OR IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S COMMUNICATION ABOUT CRIME RATES ACROSS THE CITY, I FOUND THERE TO BE SOME POSSIBLE DISCREPANCIES. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, IN HIS COMMUNICATION TO THE CITY, IT WAS NOTED THAT HOMICIDES WERE WERE UP. BUT HOMICIDES HAVE ACTUALLY DOUBLED SINCE 2023. THE RATES HAVE INCREASED 112%. SIMPLE ASSAULT HAS INCREASED 49%, RAPE 22% ROBBERIES. IT WAS NOTED THAT THERE WAS A SLIGHT INCREASE, BUT THERE WAS ACTUALLY AN INCREASE OF 21%. ADDITIONALLY, HOMICIDES. THERE WERE 17 HOMICIDES SOLVED.

IT WAS 12. IT WAS NOTED THAT THERE WAS A CLEARANCE RATE OF 94, BUT IN ACTUALITY, THAT CLEARANCE RATE IS CLOSER TO 71. OVERALL, AS NOTED, IT APPEARS THAT CRIME IS DECREASING, BUT VIOLENT CRIMES LIKE HOMICIDES, ROBBERY, ASSAULT HAVE INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. SO I'M REALLY I REALLY WANT TO INQUIRE WHAT THE CITY IS DOING TO ADDRESS VIOLENT CRIMES ACROSS THE CITY. LASTLY, THERE WAS A NOTE REGARDING STATISTICS ABOUT BREAK INS. THERE WAS A 44% REDUCTION. THAT INFORMATION DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE AVAILABLE ON THE CRIME STATISTICS REPORT. AND THEN LASTLY, I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO SEE THESE STATISTICS PER WARD SO THAT WE COULD BEGIN TO ADDRESS CRIME EQUITABLY ACROSS THE CITY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THOSE ARE ALL THE PUBLIC COMMENTS WE HAVE THIS EVENING. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO SPOKE DURING PUBLIC

[XII. 4. Council Discussion and Possible Action on P2024RZ-006-08 Rezoning Request for Property Located at 2928 Palm Drive from R1-A District to R-3 District (Public Hearing Held November 18, 2024)]

[01:20:07]

WE'RE AT A STANDSTILL. AND MOVING FORWARD. PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDED DENIAL OF R3. STAFF ALSO RECOMMENDED DENIAL OF THE R3. ANOTHER OPTION WOULD BE TO POSSIBLY APPROVE THE R3 WITH A SET OF CONDITIONS AND IF THAT IS, THE WISHES OF COUNCIL FOR US TO WORK WITH THE APPLICANT AND POSSIBLY COME UP WITH CONDITIONS FOR R3, WE WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO WORK WITH THE APPLICANT AND OUR STAFF TO COME UP WITH CONDITIONS. BUT AT THIS POINT, THE APPLICANT ASKED FOR A DEFERRAL TO SEE THIS MORE INPUT FROM COUNCIL, BUT WE THOUGHT WE FOLLOWED THE REZONING PROCESS. THE REZONING PROCESS IS AS FOLLOWS. THEY SUBMIT THE APPLICATION, IT GOES THROUGH CCIM. IT GOES THROUGH PLANNING COMMISSION FOR RECOMMENDATION. IT COMES TO THIS COUNCIL FOR RECOMMENDATION. SO THE OPTIONS ARE FOR COUNCIL TO TAKE ACTION TO APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE THE REZONING OR. THE APPLICANT HAS THE OPTION OF REQUESTING THE DOWN ZONING. SO THAT'S WHERE WE ARE. IT'S REALLY IN THE APPLICANT'S COURT TO MAKE A DECISION WHETHER HE WANTS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH A NEW APPLICATION FOR THE R2 DOWNGRADE FROM WHAT HE WAS ASKING. BUT AS IT STANDS, PLANNING COMMISSION HAS RECOMMENDED DENIAL AND STAFF HAS RECOMMENDED DENIAL. BUT YOU SAID THERE WAS AN ADMINISTRATIVE PERMIT APPROVAL. THE ADMINISTRATIVE PERMIT THAT WAS APPROVED CAME FORWARD IN AUGUST AND IT WAS DONE ADMINISTRATIVELY. HIS PETITION, HIS APPLICATION MET ALL OF THE REQUIREMENTS TO BE APPROVED FOR THE ADMINISTRATIVE PERMIT, AND THAT IS TO USE THE PROPERTY AS IT CURRENTLY IS. IT'S A LEGAL, NONCONFORMING USE FOR DUPLEX AND TRIPLEX USE. AND HIS APPLICATION, HIS PROPERTY MET ALL OF THE CONDITIONS AND IT WAS APPROVED ADMINISTRATIVELY. THE DISCREPANCY CAME INTO PLAY WHEN THERE WAS SOME TYPE OF FINANCIAL APPLICATION THAT HE WAS SEEKING THROUGH HIS HIS BANK OR INVESTORS, AND IT WAS NOT DENIED. IT WAS DENIED, WHICH IS A PROCESS AND SYSTEM THAT PLAYS OUTSIDE OF OUR PURVIEW. COUNCIL MEMBER CLEMENS, THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. SO WHAT HE HAS IN THE FRONT, THAT'S THE SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCE, CORRECT? THAT'S A SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCE. AND THE UNIT THAT'S IN THE BACK. WHAT IS THAT? THAT IS A IT'S A TWO UNIT, SO IT'S A DUPLEX IN THE BACK. YES. AND WHEN HE INITIALLY WENT IN AND DID THE PERMIT, IT WAS APPROVED FOR HIM TO DO WHAT HE HAS THERE NOW. SO THAT PROPERTY WAS SET UP. SINGLE FAMILY RIGHT IN THE FRONT AND THEN AND SET UP WITH TWO UNITS IN THE BACK THAT HAS BEEN IN PLAY SINCE THE 60S. SO IT WAS A LEGAL NONCONFORMING USE. SO THAT WAS ALREADY BACK THERE, CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT. SINCE THE 60S AND CONVERTED IT INTO WHAT WAS IT ORIGINALLY BEFORE BEFORE HE WENT IN AND DID THE RENOVATION. IT'S BEEN THAT USE SINCE THE 1960S. AND WHAT'S ALREADY AND THIS IS A R1 COMMUNITY. CORRECT. RIGHT. THAT'S CORRECT. HE'S WANTING TO HAVE IT. THE ZONING AND THE ZONING, THAT'S ALL CONTINGENT UPON THAT HAS TO DO WITH HIS FINANCING, THAT IT NEEDS TO BE ZONED AS SUCH SO THAT HE CAN GET SO HE CAN GET THE APPROVAL FOR THE FINANCING. CORRECT. THAT'S OUR UNDERSTANDING. CORRECT. WHICH PLAYS OUTSIDE OF OUR PROCESS AND OUR RECOMMENDATIONS. OKAY. AND SO WHAT HE'S ASKING IS THAT WE GO BACK AND WE RE RE REZONE IT AS R3. THAT IS HIS PETITION BEFORE THE COUNCIL. YES. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE IN

[01:25:01]

SO SINCE THIS IS ALWAYS THIS WAY SINCE THE 60S, IS THERE, COULD IT BE GRANDFATHERED IN OR BECAUSE THE ONLY THING HE DID WAS JUST FIX UP WHAT WAS ALREADY THERE? CORRECT? CORRECT. DID HE GO THROUGH THE PERMITTING PROCESS AS HE WAS SUPPOSED TO? I MEAN, HE ACTUALLY STARTED WORK ON THE PROJECT WITHOUT GETTING PERMITS. AND THIS IS HOW IT CAME BEFORE US. OKAY. CLEAR AS MUD NOW. OKAY. THANK YOU. COUNCILMEMBER BUTLER. WHAT MAKES IT WHAT ZONING OR WHAT PROCEDURE MAKES IT CONFORMING MAKES IT A CONFORMING USE? R3 WOULD MAKE IT CONFORMING TO MULTIFAMILY FOR THE FOR THE FINANCIAL ASPECT THAT HE'S SEEKING. HE IS A LEGAL NONCONFORMING USE RIGHT AS IT STANDS NOW. YEAH, BUT NOT FOR THE FINANCING. WHAT WOULD IT MAKE WHAT WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO MAKE IT BE CONFORMING. IT'S CONFORMING NOW. IT CONFORMS BASED ON IT'S A LEGAL NONCONFORMING USE. NOW. IT'S A LEGAL NONCONFORMING USE. YES. SO WHEN WE DO THE ZONING FOR HABITABLE STRUCTURES THAT'S THAT'S STILL R1, BUT THE HABITABLE STRUCTURE, THIS PARTICULAR PROPERTY IS DIFFERENT THAN A HABITABLE ACCESSORY STRUCTURE BECAUSE IT HAS TWO UNITS IN THE BACK VERSUS HAVING JUST ONE. AND WHEN YOU SAID THAT WE COULD DO AN ADMINISTRATIVE MAKE IT R2, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN R2 AND R3 IN THIS CASE? YOUR RECOMMENDATION WAS HIM. FOR TO HIM WAS R2. IT WAS R2. HOWEVER, R2 WOULD NOT WORK FOR THIS SCENARIO. AFTER WE LOOKED AT IT AND WE MET WITH HIM, IT WOULD NOT WORK BECAUSE HE HAS TWO UNITS IN THE BACK AND HE HAS ONE ONE HOUSE IN THE FRONT. A R2 IS FOR TWO FAMILY ONLY. OKAY. THANK YOU. SO THE ONLY THING THAT WOULD MAKE IT A CONFORM TO WHAT THE USE IS, IS R3, BECAUSE IT'S A TRIPLEX. YES.

OKAY. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ATKINS. YES. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR SMITH, AS IT RELATES TO THE DUPLEX THAT'S BEHIND THE PRIMARY STRUCTURE AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE PERMIT THAT WAS PROVIDED TO MR. LAY THAT IS STILL IN EFFECT, AND IT STILL MAKES THE PROPERTY LEGAL. YES. MR. LAY WANTS A REZONING TO UNLOAD THE PROPERTY TO SELL THE PROPERTY. IS THAT CORRECT? TO YOUR KNOWLEDGE? THAT IS CORRECT, TO MY KNOWLEDGE. SO IN ESSENCE, THE REQUEST OF THIS BODY IS TO REZONE IT TO MULTIFAMILY. AND THEN MR. LAY THEN WOULD GET THE BANK WOULD APPROVE A LOAN, AND THEN HE WOULD NO LONGER BE THE OWNER, AND THEN SOMEONE ELSE COULD COME AND OWN THE PROPERTY. AND BECAUSE IT'S MULTIFAMILY, THERE COULD EVEN BE MORE UNITS THERE. THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY. OKAY. SO RIGHT NOW WITH THE ADMINISTRATIVE PERMIT, BECAUSE IT IS A NON-CONFORMING GRANDFATHERED USE, EVERYTHING IS COMPLETELY LEGAL RIGHT NOW. THAT'S RIGHT. CORRECT. YES. SO IF THIS BODY DID NOTHING THAT PROPERTY CAN OPERATE WITH A PRIMARY STRUCTURE IN FRONT AND TWO UNITS IN THE BACK. AND IT'S A LEGAL NON-CONFORMING GRANDFATHERED USE. CORRECT. THAT IS CORRECT. OKAY. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SHROPSHIRE. THANK YOU. MISS SMITH. DID THE DID ANY OF THE RESIDENTS SPEAK DURING THE PUBLIC HEARING? NONE OF THE RESIDENTS? NO. NO ONE CAME OUT IN OPPOSITION OR TO SUPPORT IT. OKAY. SO BASICALLY WHAT HE WANTS IS THE CHANGE IN ZONE TO BE IN COMPLIANCE. HE WANT THE CHANGE, HIS INTENT FOR THE CHANGE IN THE ZONING WAS TO SUFFICE A

[01:30:03]

THAT'S RIGHT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER MITCHELL, I HEARD YOU MENTIONED EARLIER. ARE WE ABLE TO PUT STIPULATIONS AROUND, SAY, MULTIFAMILY MOVING IN OR THAT IS AN OPTION BECAUSE I THINK THAT IS THAT'S YOUR BIGGEST CONCERN. I GUESS WHAT I'M HEARING STAFF RECOMMENDED DENIAL OF THIS.

THERE ARE NO R3 PROPERTIES WITHIN THE VICINITY. WE CONSIDER THIS SPOT ZONING. IT WOULD BE OUT OF CHARACTER FOR THE COMMUNITY AT HAND. THERE ARE A LOT OF SINGLE FAMILY HOMES. SOME OF THEM DO HAVE HABITABLE ACCESSORY STRUCTURES IN THE VICINITY. HOWEVER, JUST DROP IN AN R3 MULTIFAMILY IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT WOULD BE OUT OF CHARACTER. AND THEN WHAT WOULD STOP THE NEXT PERSON, THE NEIGHBORS, FROM COMING IN AND ASKING FOR THE EXACT SAME THING? AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN WE'RE FLIPPING A COMMUNITY THAT WAS SINGLE FAMILY WITH 1 OR 2 HABITABLE STRUCTURES IN THE BACKYARD TO MULTIFAMILY. AND SO THAT'S NOT THE PLAN. AND THAT WASN'T THE INTENT OF THE ORDINANCE OR THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. SO WE JUST DO NOT RECOMMEND OR SUPPORT THAT FROM A STAFF PERSPECTIVE. EVEN IF WE DECIDED TO PUT STIPULATIONS ON THIS, WOULD HE STILL BE ABLE TO, I GUESS, RENOVATE THIS PIECE OF PROPERTY? NO. OKAY. OKAY. WELL THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER. ZIEGLER. HI. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR SMITH. SO THIS IS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF RIVER PARK, AND ALTHOUGH PEOPLE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO ATTEND THE PUBLIC MEETINGS, THEY HAVE BEEN VERY VOCAL IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS THEMSELVES. AND THEY ARE VERY OPPOSED TO THIS REZONING REQUEST. THEY ARE REALLY WORRIED ABOUT ABOUT AN APARTMENT COMPLEX COMING IN, BECAUSE THAT IS AN ALLOWABLE USE FOR R3, AND THERE'S NOTHING THAT WOULD STOP SOMEBODY TO DO AN APARTMENT COMPLEX. IF WE APPROVE AN R3 REZONING. AND TO YOUR POINT, IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT. YOU KNOW WHAT? WHAT IS THERE RIGHT NOW IS ALREADY IN CONFORMING.

IT'S ALREADY WITHIN USE. HE'S ABLE TO DO WHAT HE WANTS TO DO. THE ONLY THING THAT HE CAN'T DO IS HE CAN'T SELL THE PROPERTY RIGHT NOW BECAUSE HE WANTS TO SELL IT TO SOMETHING, TO SOMEBODY ELSE IN A DIFFERENT WAY. SO I'M I'M A NO VOTE ON THIS ISSUE, AND I HOPE THAT EVERYONE ELSE AGREES AS WELL. THANKS. SO. DIRECTOR SMITH, BASED ON THAT, WHEN DID YOU GRANT THE ADMINISTRATIVE PERMIT AGAIN? IN AUGUST OF 2024. SO FROM THAT POINT FORWARD IS CONFORMING. YES. WITH THE RENOVATIONS HE'S DONE AND ALL OF THAT. YES. HE'S NOW ASKING TO BE ABLE TO CHANGE THE ZONING. SO POTENTIALLY AN APARTMENT COMPLEX CAN GO THERE. HE CAN SELL IT AND MAKE MORE MONEY, POSSIBLY. POSSIBLY. SO I WAS TRYING TO FIND QUICKLY IN THE CODE, BUT I COULDN'T FIND IT. WOULD A MULTIFAMILY R3 ZONING? HOW MANY UNITS COULD? IT WAS 4 TO 8

[01:35:05]

IT'S ZONED R1 THREE, WHICH ARE SINGLE FAMILY URBAN RESIDENTIAL. SO WHEN HE PURCHASED IT, THAT WAS THE ZONING. THAT WAS BASICALLY WHAT HE KNEW AT THE TIME WAS APPROVED THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, OUR UPDATED PLAN. WHAT IS IT? ZONED IT AS? IT IS REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, WHICH IS. A REDEVELOPMENT NEIGHBORHOOD, IS THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DESIGNATION AND REGIONAL NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT. R3 IS ONE OF THE TYPICAL ZONING DISTRICTS, HOWEVER. FOR OUR FOR MULTIFAMILY AND I CAN'T READ THIS, BUT I'M GOING TO DO MY BEST. IT IT BASICALLY STATES THAT IT ALLOWS FOR THE MULTIFAMILY AT INTERSECTIONS, AT CORNERS, OR WHERE CURRENTLY EXISTING. SO THAT'S WHY STAFF RECOMMENDED DENIAL OF IT, BECAUSE THIS PARTICULAR LOCATION IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS NOT ON A CORNER AND IT'S NOT ALREADY EXISTING.

SO IT'S NOT IN LINE WITH OUR COMPREHENSIVE. IT'S NOT. SO COUNCIL HAS THREE OPTIONS. IF WE DO NOTHING. THERE'S STILL AN APPLICATION OUT THERE WITH NO DECISION FROM COUNCIL. AND I'M NOT SURE THE LEGAL IMPLICATIONS OF THAT. COUNCIL CAN APPROVE OR COUNCIL CAN DENY. AND THE APPLICANT WAS AWARE BUT IT'S NOT HERE THIS EVENING. SO THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING. YES. ANY ACT ACTION ON THIS ITEM. COUNCIL MEMBER. COUNCIL MEMBER. I SAW YOU MOVING. COUNCIL MEMBER FREELY. YES, MADAM MAYOR, I'D MAKE A MOTION TO DENY THE REZONING REQUEST FOR 2928 PALM DRIVE. SECOND. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? HI. ALL THOSE OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. NEXT UP IS THE LEGISLATIVE ROUNDTABLE. GET A MOTION TO OPEN THE FLOOR FOR DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION. SECOND, IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL THOSE OPPOSED. MOTION

[XII. 5. Legislative Roundtable]

[01:40:01]

[XIII. COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL]

[01:45:04]

SO AS IT RELATES TO ROADS BEING REPAIRED IN THE CITY OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS, MISS JESSIE, I BELIEVE WE'RE IN T-SPLOST TWO. YES, MA'AM, WHICH IS ABOUT $35 MILLION THE FIRST TIME. AND WE'RE. IF THE NUMBER THAT WAS SHARED CORRECTLY IS 23 MILLION NOW, I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY

[01:50:01]

RECOGNIZE THAT, CELEBRATED IT, AND REALLY ENCOURAGED PEOPLE TO BE WELCOMING TO EVERYONE, REGARDLESS OF WHERE YOU'RE FROM, WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE, WHO YOU LOVE, WHAT YOUR INCOME STATUS IS, ANY OF THAT. NONE OF THAT MATTERS. EVERYONE IS VALUED HERE IN EAST POINT. NO, WE HAVE A LOT OF OTHER THINGS HAPPENING IN THE WORLD, BUT IN EAST POINT, WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT AND DOUBLE DOWN ON IT AND CONTINUE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CELEBRATING OUR DIVERSITY THIS YEAR. I KNOW THERE IS A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT ARE PROBABLY OFF THE NATIONAL LIST, BUT WE'LL STILL BE CELEBRATED HERE. BLACK HISTORY MONTH, PRIDE MONTH, ASIAN AMERICAN MONTH, HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH. AND I'M TRYING. I'M PROBABLY FORGETTING SOME. WE DO THE. WHAT'S THE POWWOW, THE NATIVE AMERICAN. AND SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO CELEBRATE AND RESPECT AND HONOR AND VALUE OUR DIFFERENCES, BECAUSE OUR DIVERSITY IS OUR STRENGTH FOR EAST POINT. AND AS

[XIV. EXECUTIVE SESSION]

THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. I ALSO WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO CHRIS, CHRIS SWAIN AND THE STAFF OF EAST POINT. IN ACCORDANCE WITH BLACK HISTORY MONTH, WE HAD THREE NEW MURALS THAT WERE PRESENTED. ONE OF ESTEEM, FORMER CITY COUNCILMAN AND FORMER STATE REPRESENTATIVE JOE HEXTALL. HE

[01:55:04]

EXECUTIVE SESSION. MEETING MINUTES. SO MOVED. SECOND, IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL THOSE OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES MOTION TO ADJOURN. SO MOVED. SECOND. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR?

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.