Atlanta City Council Continues Investing $1.3 Billion in Hartsfield Jackson

By Staff Writer Atlanta Trend

• Aug 27, 2026

The Atlanta City Council approved an ordinance to amend the Fiscal Year 2027 Budget to anticipate and appropriate approximately $1.3 billion for the Series 2026 General Airport Revenue Bonds, continuing Council’s ongoing investment in the world’s busiest airport and the airport’s initiatives in protecting the environment (26-O-1423).

Other items approved by Council include:

• A resolution providing $99 million in supplemental funding for roadway construction and maintenance services for transportation projects citywide (26-O-3931).

• A resolution to execute a three-year, approximately $57.2 million agreement for municipal solid waste services (26-R-3926).

• A resolution authorizing a four-year, $25 million agreement for the Atlanta Drinking Water Renewal and Replacement Project (25-R-3921).

• An ordinance to adjust the solid waste service fees, and charges billed for solid waste services to include incremental adjustments each fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029 (26-O-1356).

• A resolution seeking to identify and propose budget adjustments to expand the Atlanta Police Department’s Community Assistance Response and Engagement Services (C.A.R.E.S.) Unit to provide a minimum of two C.A.R.E.S. officers assigned to each Police Zone, as well as development of a citywide implementation plan and request for periodic reporting to the Council (26-R-3844).

• An ordinance on behalf of the Department of Watershed Management authorizing execution of the fifth amendment of a contract for disposal of treatment waste, extending the contract term by three months and adding approximately $5 million in funding (26-O-1443).

• A resolution authorizing the execution of a $4.5 million project management agreement with the Midtown Business Association, Inc. for the Peachtree Safe Street-Midtown Project (26-R-3934).

• A resolution to invest $250,000 in the future economic opportunity of residents in the West Hollowell area by supporting the Grove Park Foundation, Inc.’s Neighborhood Partnership Organization capacity-building services in designated Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative communities, helping strengthen local organizations, expand pathways to economic mobility, and break the cycle of intergenerational poverty. (26-R-3850).

Items introduced for consideration include:

• A resolution to create a Municipal Option Sales Tax (MOST) Alternative Uses Task Force to evaluate whether additional municipal priorities, such as affordable housing, food insecurity initiatives, youth and senior programs, neighborhood investment and other City-approved initiatives, should be eligible to receive a portion of MOST proceeds under a future authorization and, if so, what changes would be required.

• An ordinance requiring data centers located within the City of Atlanta, and data centers served by the City of Atlanta’s municipal water system, to transition to closed-loop water-cooling systems and prohibit the use of potable (drinking) water for routine data center cooling operations.

• A resolution requiring any entity or development —including data centers—seeking a City economic development incentive to be current on all City taxes, fees, and other financial obligations to be eligible to receive the benefit.

• A resolution requesting a comprehensive study on the feasibility of establishing a seventh Atlanta Police Department patrol zone.

• A resolution authorizing a $4.5 million project management agreement with the Buckhead Community Improvement District for the Northside Resurfacing and Concrete Repairs Project and the Longleaf Drive, W. Brookhaven Drive and Terrace Drive Resurfacing Project.

• An ordinance calling for the installation of permanent historical markers at Washington Park, recognizing it’s more than 100-year history and the historic Washington Park swimming pool, which provided African American residents access to a public swimming facility during an era when public pools throughout Atlanta and the nation were frequently segregated.

• A resolution requesting a review of City-owned airport-related properties outside the current operational footprint of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport for potential public, economic development, and revenue-generating uses; and assessing the feasibility of creating a special improvement district, enterprise zone, or other economic development or value-capture mechanism to reinvest new revenues generated by these properties.

• A resolution urging the Atlanta Department of Transportation to preserve, maintain, and enhance the protected multi-use paths along Centennial Olympic Park Drive as a permanent component of the City’s multimodal transportation network and continue connection between Downtown, Midtown, the Atlanta University Center, MARTA, major sports and entertainment venues, and other destinations.

• An ordinance to expand opportunity to provide public comment by allowing members of the public to speak in order of sign-up during public comment at City Council meetings.

The City Council presented proclamations and recognitions to Rick’s Barber & Beauty Salon 30th anniversary, Frederick Douglass High School Class of 1976 50th anniversary, Sports-Based Youth Development Day, and New Hope AME Church.