Councilman H. Lamar Willis - Atlanta City Council - City of Atlanta

Council Spotlight 

An open letter from Atlanta City Councilman H. Lamar Willis 

Dear Fellow Atlantan, 

For the past several months, 

my office has been diligently 

addressing your public safety 

and fiscal management concerns. 

We hosted several public 

safety workshops to inform 

homeowners of ways to protect 

our most precious resource, our 

families and homes, met with 

many of you at your neighborhood 

planning unit (NPU), community association, and civic 

association meetings, continued efforts to bring a 

Community Improvement District to Southwest Atlanta, 

and hosted my annual Swing Into Spring Tennis Camp at 

the McGhee Tennis Center. 

As we move forward with the work of the City, I will continue 

to be responsive to your concerns and seek ways to put 

For several months, the City Council debated the best use 

of tax payer money. It was with resounding clarity that the 

citizens of Atlanta expressed a need to end the public safety 

furloughs, and make the difficult decisions that are necessary 

to begin to repair the City’s troubled finances. On June 

29th, the Atlanta City Council voted 8 to 7 to increase the 

property tax by 3 millage points which would result in $56 

million in revenue. This money will be used to END public 

safety furloughs. 

There are several questions that are still on all homeowner’s 

minds… 

•How much will my tax bill increase? 

The tax increase amounts to an additional $236 — or nearly $20 

a month — for the average city homeowner. The average Atlanta 

home is valued at $239,500. 

•When should I expect to see the increase? 

Homeowners will see an increase on the August tax bills. 

•Will this tax increase restore all of the 2009 budget cuts? 

No. The 2010 budget does not reopen fire stations that were closed 

during the 2009 budget cuts. The new budget ends furloughs (i.e. 

your tax dollars to work in the most efficient means possible 

without raising taxes or decreasing critical services like our 

police officers and firefighters. There is still much to be done 

as we approach the end of 2009. 

We face challenging times but as Atlantans when we work 

together we can defeat any economic or social challenge. I 

am committed to intelligently addressing issues that impact 

the heart of who we are as Atlantans: health, safety, and 

general welfare. Our city is unique place because of who we 

are and what we can become. 

I am always available to meet you to answer any questions 

that you may have regarding the City of Atlanta and/or my 

role as your at-large council member. Please call my office at 

404-330-6041 or contact me via e-mail at 

hlwillis@atlantaga.gov to discuss your concerns. 

Yours for a Better Atlanta, 

H. Lamar Willis 

What Does Atlanta’s Budget Mean to You? 

returns police and fire to 40 hour work weeks) but does not fund 

any positions that were previously cut. This budget will restore 

trash collection to 5 day service and City Hall is now open to the 

public on Fridays. 

•Will this tax increase solve all of the City’s budget 

problems? 

The tax increase will not solve all of the City’s budget issues. It 

will however help the citizens of Atlanta to receive the basic services 

that we are required by the Charter to provide such as police 

and fire protection. The leadership at City Hall is currently considering 

several options that will generate revenue and/or savings 

such as selling/leasing the municipal jail, restructuring several 

departments to create maximum efficiency, continued furloughs 

for the majority of City employees, and reducing departmental 

budgets. This is a difficult time for all Atlantans. The sacrifices that 

each resident has made are not without appreciation. Atlanta 

has survived difficult times in the past, and will emerge from this 

current difficulty stronger and better than before!

Congratulations Are In Order! 

Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran received the Senate’s confirmation as U.S. 

Fire Administrator 

Cochran’s priorities would include reassessing the use of firefighter grants and 

building a closer relationship between the federal government and local fire 

departments. 

Prior to joining the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department, he served in the 

Shreveport, La. fire department as a Firefighter, Assistant Chief Training 

Officer, and Fire Chief. Cochran also served as President of the Metropolitan 

Fire Chiefs Association, the 1st Vice President of the International Association 

of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), and Vice Chairman of Volunteers of America (VOA). 

Joel Baker will serve as the Acting Fire Chief, until a permanent replacement 

for Chief Cochran is found. We wish him all the best as he works to lead the 

greatest Fire Department in Georgia! 

The 32nd Atlanta Jazz Festival is a winner of the 2009 Greener Festival Award 

The Greener Festival Award is based on a 56 point checklist which covers 

green office policies, energy use and carbon reduction, travel and transportation, 

support for green initiatives, waste management, recycling, water use and environmental 

protection and noise pollution. The award organizers have a team of 

environmental auditors who visit festivals to assess environmental good practice 

and effective green policies. 

The Atlanta Jazz Festival’s Go Green initiative represented an ongoing commitment 

to sustainability in recycling, transportation and event administration. 

The festival had a comprehensive and cohesive waste management and recycling 

program, a biodiesel recycling plan for waste vegetable oil from concessions, 

encouraged walking, bikes and public transportation and promoted car pools and 

ride share on the ‘Clean Air Campaign’ website. 

So often we are bombarded with the news of what has gone wrong and 

who is not doing their best. This section of the E-Update will focus on the 

outstanding achievements of Post 3 youth. If you or a child that you know is 

providing a positive example for other young people, are working to overcome 

adversity or have received an honor for your talents both scholastic and otherwise, 

please submit your story to be featured in the next E-Update. The youth 

of Atlanta need to know that their City supports them and is proud of their 

achievements. 

Please submit all electronic entries to hlwillis@atlantaga.gov or mail to 

Councilman H. Lamar Willis, 55 Trinity Ave Suite 2900, Atlanta GA 30303. 

Two young people will be selected to have their success story published in the 

upcoming newsletter. 

Councilman Willis will host a Fall Festival on October 31st at the Circuit 

City at the Camp Creek Marketplace. This event will include food, fun and 

games for children of all ages. Any volunteers interested in participating should 

contact 404-330-6041. Details are forth coming. We look forward to seeing you 

there!

Southwest Atlanta Community Improvement District (CID) 

As a lifelong resident of Southwest 

Atlanta, I am deeply vested in seeing 

this area return to the thriving 

community that it once was. 

Unfortunately, blight and crime 

have been detrimental to the areas 

that many Atlantans living in the 

southwest quadrant work shop and 

spend recreational time. It was with 

concern for this section of the City 

that I began a dialogue surrounding 

the creation of a Southwest Atlanta 

Community Improvement District or 

CID in the Fall of 2008. 

A CID is a self-taxing district that 

uses additional commercial property 

taxes to help accelerate transportation 

and infrastructure improvement 

projects. A CID is the most powerful 

public-private partnership in 

Atlanta. The CID is an effective 

tool for financing improvements that 

directly enhance property values by 

allowing commercial property owners 

to determine how funds are spent in 

their area. CIDs are comprised of private 

commercial properties zoned as 

office/industrial and retail properties. 

Residential and multi-family properties 

are not taxable by a CID. 

In order to create a CID, a majority 

of the corporate property owners 

must approve the self-taxing district. 

Seventy-five percent (75%) of the taxable 

value of the commercial property 

located within the proposed CID 

constitutes a majority. The location 

that I propose for the CID includes 

most of Fairburn Road, Cascade 

Road, a portion of the Camp Creek 

Marketplace, and Campbellton 

Road up to Centre 

Villa Road. It also includes 

Greenbriar Mall and the 

Tyler Perry Studios. 

Frequently, residents voice 

concern about what they 

perceive as “favorable” treatment 

by the City towards 

communities in Downtown, 

Midtown and Buckhead. 

The reality is that these 

communities operate CIDs 

that are able to fund many of the 

services that the City simply cannot 

afford to provide. The money 

generated pays for services such as 

Midtown Blue (additional police patrol), 

Downtown Ambassador Force, 

transportation planning, street scaping 

and other quality of life issues that 

greatly impact residents, businesses 

and visitors. 

While CIDs are typically generated 

by the community and brought to the 

council, I am taking an alternative 

path. First, I would like to speak with 

you and provide insight as to how a 

CID could benefit Southwest Atlanta 

neighborhoods. Next, I would then 

like you to encourage the owners of 

businesses that you support to consider 

supporting Southwest Atlanta 

by signing a petition to create a CID. 

I am confident that we can work 

together as residents, property owners 

and government to restore Southwest 

Atlanta to the jewel that it once was. 

If you would like me to speak at your 

community, business or civic association 

meetings regarding this issue, or 

any others, please contact my office at 

404-330-6041.

Councilman H. Lamar Willis - Atlanta City Council - City of Atlanta

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