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District 8 News & Updates

Crime, infrastructure fixes, and good government practices have been at the forefront in District 8, as the new year has dawned.

Auto break-ins and thefts have residents buzzing and wondering what measures are being taken to stop them. In this newsletter, we’ll provide some answers and offer some perspective.

Voter-approved Renew Atlanta bonds and T-SPLOST sales taxes are slated to fix city streets, sidewalks, bridges, and buildings. But the process has been slow, costs have risen, and there’s not enough money to meet all the needs. There are many successes, some disappointments, and a few difficult decisions remaining.

Good government requires structure and discipline. City Council members and I have taken two steps to provide both. To find out more, scroll down to "Two Steps Toward Better Government" or click on the title in the Table of Contents below.

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Table of Contents

Crime in Buckhead

One day after three of his officers arrested two men believed responsible for dozens of car break-ins, Major James B. Shaw, commander of Atlanta Police Zone 2, hardly sounds like someone who is celebrating. Vehicle-related crimes --- break-ins and auto theft --- have become the bane of his existence. Social media is ablaze with reports of brazen crimes, and it has become a frequent topic at neighborhood meetings.

Then, barely 36 hours after the two arrests, five homes in the area of Peachtree Battle, Howell Mill and Moores Mill Roads were broken into, and several cars were stolen from garages. Although it was several miles from a similar January 25 episode near Chastain Park, there were striking similarities. The good news: Two of the three suspects were arrested, two cars were recovered, and stolen property was found in the cars.  

So is Zone 2 (which includes City Council District 8, which I represent) in the midst of a crime wave? What do the statistics show, what are police doing, and what can we --- as individuals --- do to protect ourselves and our property?

While violent crimes against individuals are flat or down (armed robberies, for instance, fell to 137 in 2018 in Zone 2, down from 189 in 2017 and 213 in 2016), according to Major Shaw, car break-ins are what have people most concerned. Through the first four weeks of 2019, there have been 259, as compared with 201 during the same period a year ago--nearly a 30% increase.  
Major Shaw estimates dozens of individuals working in crews of two or more ‘that come from all over the Atlanta area are driving this thing. They’re in their teens to late 20s. This is all they do.’

So far this year, at least 17 arrests have been made in Zone 2 for breaking into a vehicle or driving a stolen car, he reports. The two men arrested January 28 had criminal histories. One was wearing a GPS ankle monitor mandated by a Cobb County Court. The monitor’s history shows the men in the vicinity of numerous car break-ins, according to Major Shaw. Three guns were found in their vehicle, he said. Two were reported stolen in separate incidents earlier in the day. ‘This was a major catch.’  
 

Crime is traumatic, especially when it involves you or someone you know. In past years, I have had my car stolen and my house broken into and ransacked. In recent days, a family across the street from where I live was hit. Thieves entered a family vehicle parked outside, opened the garage door with an automatic device, and took one of the family’s cars parked inside. My neighbor was struck by her own car as she tried to stop the thieves. Fortunately, she was not seriously injured.

It was a terrible moment. It’s why your safety and well-being are my highest priority. So what do we need to do to address crime, and what is being done now?

It’s no secret that APD is about 400 officers short of its goal, and the single most important thing that needs to be done is to hire more officers. We took a huge step to address this problem when we adopted a historic pay raise for police, which went into effect for many officers in December, to get their pay to competitive levels. This should make recruitment and retention easier. But that takes time; we didn’t get into this situation overnight, and we won’t get out of this situation overnight.

One action which would have an immediate impact for our neighborhoods is zone realignment. Zone 2 --- at 44 square miles and with 13 beats --- is Atlanta’s largest police zone, nearly equal to the area of the city of San Francisco. I’ve been told Zone 2 could soon shrink, with two beats moving to other zones, while keeping the same number of officers to patrol Zone 2. None of the beats in District 8 would be affected.

Cameras and license-plate readers (LPRs) are invaluable crime-fighting tools. According to the Atlanta Police Foundation (APF), crime decreases 20% or more when cameras and LPRs are in place. Many recent arrests have been facilitated through their use. We have a camera plan for District 8 that we are about half way to achieving. I’m committed to completing this plan and have worked with the police foundation to find more, less expensive alternatives for neighborhoods, businesses, and the city to purchase cameras. APF has worked to cut the price of an LPR from $15,000 to $10,700 and the cost of a camera from $13,500 to $10,700. While not an insignificant cost, these lower prices can assist neighborhoods in considering making a purchase. If you are interested in your neighborhood making a purchase, contact your neighborhood president or Jim Elgar in the District 8 office.

There are also other technologies we need to explore that would serve as a force multiplier, so that citizens and private security guards can assist in providing critical information to police in real time. You’ll hear more about this in the near future.


Additionally, we must keep repeat offenders off the streets. This is an important piece to the crime puzzle and involves other governmental agencies. Our Fulton County judges play a big role in this and the public, as voters who elect judges, need to understand how tough each judge is on repeat offenders. Fellow Council member Howard Shook and I have proposed legislation to place cameras in Fulton County courtrooms to allow citizens to see how judges rule. Scorecards for judges have also been proposed by others. The Atlanta Police Foundation will issue its 2018 repeat offender report by March 31st. The report will quantify the extent of this issue. If police arrest repeat offenders, we need a justice system that hands out sentences that protects the public. This is an area that needs more attention and a place I will spend more time in the future. And we will need your help.

However, ‘until they (thieves) stop being successful, they’re not going to stop,’ says Major Shaw. The word is out that Zone 2 is an inviting and easy target. Of the 56 car-theft reports in January, 29 involved vehicles with keys left inside.

Twenty-seven handguns, two assault rifles, and cash totaling more than $38,000 have been stolen in Zone 2 during car break-ins, ‘and that’s not counting all the thousand-dollar purses, laptops, and cell phones (that have been stolen),’ according to Major Shaw.

There are steps all of us can take to reduce car-related crime:

 

  • Don’t leave your extra keyless entry fob in your car or hidden anywhere on your car.
  • Never leave your car running and unlocked.
  • Activate your car’s tracking system if it has one.
  • Lock your doors while driving, parking, fueling and leaving your vehicle.
  • Photograph your license plate with your cell phone. Make sure your plate is present and accurate when returning to your car.


If you carry a weapon in your vehicle, properly secure it in a pry-resistant gun safe secured to your vehicle and make sure it is unloaded with a locking cable also attached to your vehicle. And always conceal your weapon.

So have we entered some new version of the Wild West?  Historical perspective provides a partial answer. In 2000, the last year Atlanta hosted a Super Bowl, there were 1,107 auto thefts in Zone 2. In 2018, we had 601. Overall, crime fell last year to 6,337 incidents, down nearly a third from 9,621 in 2000.

These numbers in no way provide comfort. But they do tell a story that reversing crime is akin to running a marathon, not a sprint. And we must continue to run this race together.

The Story of Renew Atlanta and TSPLOST

In 2015 Atlantans were told their city needed $1 billion in repairs for streets, sidewalks, bridges, and buildings. Since then, steel, asphalt, and concrete costs have risen an estimated 20-30%. This means that, in 2019 dollars, the needs identified in 2015 now stand closer to $1.2-$1.3 billion.

On March 17, 2015, voters overwhelmingly approved a $250-million Renew Atlanta bond package to address some of those needs. Because of the attractiveness of the bonds, they fetched a premium of $36.5 million, raising their value to $286.5 million. All but $8 million of that $36.5 million has been spent, but more about that later.


In November 2016, voters supplemented those funds with a five-year transportation special purpose local option sales tax (TSPLOST), which is now expected to add $260 million to the improvement pot. While legislation allowed for a 0.5 cent sales tax, a more modest amount of 0.4 cents was proposed and approved. This naturally reduced the amount of money generated and the number of projects which could be funded. Sales tax collections began in April 2017.

As a result of leveraged partnerships with the Georgia Department of Transportation, organizations like the Beltline and PATH and community improvement districts, an estimated $22 million can also be generated. That brings the total improvement fund to an estimated $540 million ($258 million from Renew, including the $8 million remaining bond premium; $260 million from TSPLOST; and $22 million in partnerships).

That’s the backdrop regarding why the city faces tough choices on how best to spend $109 million not already committed from the $540 million. From the very beginning, Atlanta had more projects than it had dollars to spend on them. In the meantime, confusion and suspicion have arisen as to how money has been spent and why the $540 million feels so inadequate.


Misinformation has added to the confusion, and critics of the improvement program have seized on that. For instance, one news report said the available funds totaled $630 million, but that assumed a 0.5-cent TSPLOST tax that was reduced to 0.4.

To clarify the situation and attempt to restore credibility, Atlanta’s Deputy Chief Operating Officer Joshua Williams has led a series of city-wide meetings, including one on January 24 at Sutton Middle School that attracted more than 120 citizens. Participants were asked to provide guidance on how the remaining $109 million should be spent. Another meeting is scheduled February 28 at 6:30 p.m. at the school on Northside Drive. 

Based on that first meeting and audit reports, here is what we know:

Of 228 original projects, 205 remained on the city’s list as of July 31, 2018, the period covered by the most recent city audit.

In District 8, projects totaling $36.3 million are on the city’s list, including $5.6 million allocated to each Council member :for spending in his or her district.

So far, $16 million in District 8 projects have been completed or are in process:

  • Over 8 miles of District 8 streets have been repaved and 4 more miles are in the process of being completed. These streets include portions of Howell Mill, Margaret Mitchell, Peachtree Battle, Bohler, East Andrews, W. Paces Ferry, Collier Road and Northside Parkway. The cost: $4.1 million.
  • Over $300,000 in improvements have been made at the Chastain pool, and nearly the same amount will be spent to refurbish the Chastain Art Center.
  • More than $600,000 in major improvements are in process at Fire Stations 26 & 27.
  • $2.1 million in smart traffic signals are in process in Buckhead, and $250,000 in signal improvements at Mt Paran/Randall Mill/W Conway have been completed.
  • Powers Ferry bridge reconstruction is underway at a cost of $3.6 million.
  • The ribbon has been cut on a $2-million two-mile Beltline extension of the PATH at Memorial Park/Bobby Jones Golf Course, and $1.7 million in sidewalks are in process at Atlanta Memorial Park.
  • School signage upgrades have been completed at Jackson and E. Rivers elementary schools and at Sutton.
  • The W. Wieuca PATH widening will soon be underway, with the city’s contribution at $1.2 million.
  • Sidewalks have been added on portions of West Paces Ferry, Dudley Lane, and Moores Mill at a cost of $165,000.

With hundreds of projects across the city, there will always be differences of opinion on what should be done. And I am no exception.

I disagreed with and voted against the decision to spend $10 million of the bond premium funds to complete a $23.2-million pedestrian bridge over Northside Drive to the Mercedes-Benz stadium. However, I voted with 13 of my Council colleagues to tap $10 million in TSPLOST funds to go toward the purchase of a $100-million parcel to create a gateway to Piedmont Park and the Botanical Gardens. By using those dollars and meeting a transportation need, as TSPLOST required, we got $80 million in private funds that will expand access to one of Atlanta’s premier parks. It was a smart deal.


Have all the i’s been dotted and t’s crossed?  They seldom are in undertakings of this magnitude with so many decision-makers and interested parties involved. To some degree, that is a price we pay for a democratic process.

We’re a long way from finished, and the process has been agonizingly slow, but I have confidence in Deputy Chief Operating Officer Williams to get the work done. Rest assured, my Council colleagues and I are watching, as we know how important these projects are to you.

Two Steps Toward Better Government

Even as our city awaits resolution of a two-year-old federal investigation into wrongdoing, my council colleagues and I have taken two important steps toward heading off future misdeeds. Each is aimed at the good government citizens expect and deserve.

In the past, city-issued credit cards have been used inappropriately and, perhaps, illegally. I have joined fellow council member Andre Dickens in a council-approved measure to bring stringent controls to the use of these credit cards. This is now part of  the city code, meaning violations could lead to disciplinary action, including felony criminal prosecution.

To clarify the new policy, we included specific examples of purchases and uses strictly prohibited.  Among them:

 

  • Goods or services not directly related to official city business.
  • Data plans, software or applications for non-city-issued devices such as smartphones, laptop computers and tablets. There are exceptions when traveling on official city business.
  • Memberships at wholesale warehouses and shopping clubs.
  • Cash advances.
  • Gift cards, store value cards and similar products.
  • Personal dry-cleaning charges.


The list goes on, but you get the idea. What should be common sense sometimes needs to be spelled out.  

I also joined nine other Council members as co-sponsors of legislation, 
spearheaded by Council President Felicia Moore, to create an independent compliance office to look into allegations of public corruption or other violations of city, state, and federal laws as they apply to city officials, elected officials, and city vendors. Here is how the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported the story:

‘The office would have an initial budget of $1.4 million and a staff of six that includes a compliance officer, a deputy compliance officer, two executive assistants and two investigators. 

‘The plan would provide a new level of independent oversight of city government. The compliance office, which would have subpoena power, would be overseen by an independent seven-member board with a mix of lawyers, accountants and other professionals. The members would be recommended to the mayor by various local, state and national organizations such as the Atlanta Bar Association, National Association of State Auditors and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. The council would have final say to confirm the members.

‘Council President Felicia Moore authored the legislation. Ten other council members have put their names on the proposal as sponsors — J. P. Matzigkeit, Matt Westmoreland, Dustin Hillis, Andre Dickens, Jennifer Ide, Amir Farokhi, Howard Shook, Marci Overstreet, Natalyn Archibong and Carla Smith.’

The compliance office legislation will now go through thorough public discussion before we finalize and put it to a vote. Be on the lookout for this, and I encourage you to share your thoughts. It’s how the public process works best, with input from the public.

ATL311


Remember to use 311 for non-emergency services. 311 is Atlanta’s primary phone number for government information and non-emergency services.

311 provides citizens, visitors and business owners with a single contact number for City of Atlanta non-emergency requests such as a missed garbage pickup. Hours are Monday through Friday, 7a.m. to 8 p.m. The customer service center is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

District 8 Contacts

 

J.P. Matzigkeit    

jpmatzigkeit@atlantaga.gov

404.330.6051

 

Katie Howard

jpmatzigkeit@atlantaga.gov

404.330.6051

 

Jim Elgar

jqelgar@atlantaga.gov

404.546.4911

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