Atlanta voters will decide in May whether or not they want to renew the city’s penny water and sewer tax to help fund new projects and repairs to the system.
The long-standing one-percent sales tax was first instituted in 2004 under Former Mayor Shirley Franklin’s administration as part a consent decree to address a federal lawsuit over water quality violations.
Atlanta City Council approved a referendum to renew the tax program which has helped avoid a water and sewer rate hike for customers. According to the city, Atlanta’s water and sewer rates have not increased since 2012.
“I think this is a really important opportunity for us to continue investing in our water and sewer infrastructure in light of the consent decree,” Council member Alex Wan, the sponsor of the measure, said in City Utilities Committee earlier this month.
If approved, the tax would collect roughly $1.1 billion over the course of the next four years to cover water and sewer projects at about $250 million per year.
The city’s water and sewer system dates back to the 19th century and is made up of more than 2,300 miles of lines, according to the Department of Watershed Management. Atlanta residents are no strangers to issues caused by outdated infrastructure.
Recently, the city’s system made headlines when the watershed department told City Council that the city has nearly $200 million in delinquent water bills, which they attribute to a lack of billing enforcement and faulty water meters that desperately need to be replaced.
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Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
All across the city, residents and visitors can stumble upon remnants of the 1996 Olympics — from the hard-to-miss Olympic Cauldron that was lit by Muhammad Ali during the opening ceremonies to hard-to-notice historical markers scattered around the city.
Council members passed a resolution last week that aims to restore Olympic-related displays on the west side that have been worn-down or vandalized.
Council member Michael Julian Bond introduced a resolution for immediate consideration that creates a task force to address the restoration of markers that were installed prior to the ‘96 games, to educate residents and visitors about Atlanta’s rich history.
The effort to revamp the historic installations comes as the city nears the 30th anniversary of hosting the major international sporting event. The resolution says the funding needed will be included in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget.
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Atlanta City Council members want their state-level counterparts across the street at the Capitol to do something about noisy cars that cause a disturbance as they whip through city streets.
A bill up for consideration during the current legislative session would create a pilot program to see if noise-detection technology can crack down on the racket. House Bill 1219, sponsored by House Rep. Deborah Silcox, an Atlanta Republican, outlines how automatic video and audio recorders may be able to catch offenders.
Motorists would face fines of up to $25 for cars that emitted noise levels greater than 70 decibels, and motorcycles that go above 95 decibels.
Council approved a resolution urging the General Assembly to pass the legislation.
“My office gets more calls regarding loud cars and mufflers more than almost any other issue,” Council President Doug Shipman said of the issue.
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Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
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