6/2/2025 Meeting Preview
You’ll see below some of the agenda highlights for our first meeting in June. I’ve added information from the council agenda memos and background on items that may be of particular interest, along with my thoughts on those issues. You can watch our meetings on the city’s Facebook and YouTube pages. Our meetings are on the first and third Mondays of the month. Our workshop session has been cancelled for today’s meeting. Regular session begins at 7:30 pm; executive session, if necessary, takes place at the conclusion of the regular session.
You can access the full agenda packets here.
We welcome your attendance at our meetings and public comment is available near the start of the meeting, before any actions are taken. You can submit an e-mail with your name, address, and comment or remark to pcomment@collegeparkga.com no later than 7:30 pm on the evening of the meeting. The City Clerk will read your name, address and comment into the official record. If you have feedback for Mayor and Council directly, you can e-mail us.
REGULAR SESSION
8. Consent Agenda
As I’ve noted before, “[a]ccording to the Georgia Municipal Association’s Handbook for Mayors and Councilmembers, a consent agenda can be a useful tool when a governing body has a lot of business to cover. It typically includes noncontroversial items or those previously discussed and needing final approval, such as permit issuances, street closures, or bill authorizations. While a consent agenda can save time, it should never be used to bypass public participation or stifle open dialogue.”
We regularly utilized consent agendas in 2023. The items on the consent agenda were part of the workshop session for discussion and then approved in the regular meeting. Any member of the body could pull an item off of the consent agenda in the regular session for individual consideration. This process ensured each elected official understood the business at hand before a vote. This hasn’t happened with the use of consent agendas in 2024 and so far in 2025.
D. Consideration of and action on a request for approval of the Price Barbershop & Duplex General Contractor for building stabilization and design professional services. The City of College Park is “piggybacking” from the Sourcewell contract, reference on page 13 of the City of College Park Purchasing Policies and Procedures Manual. This item is presented by Economic Development Consultant Brian Hooker. The cost is $395,658 of which $157,500 will come from FY 25 and $238,158 will come from FY 26. This item is sponsored by Mayor Pro Tem Jamelle McKenzie. This is budgeted items G/L #100-998-052-6150 Community Enhancement Budget and G/L #275-4975-54-7655. This item is located in Ward 2.
When we’ve used Sourcewell in the past, we’ve had a particular vendor selected for the job and details about the project. While there is information included about the “piggybacking” concept, there is no additional documentation about the work itself.
9. Regular Business
C. Consideration of an action to approve a contract for services with the Old National Merchant Association in the amount of $50,000 for services and resources to the merchants of the Old National and Godby Road corridor. This is a budgeted item from the Ward 3 Community Enhancement Funds (G/L Account #100-6122-54-7851). Requested by Councilwoman Tracie Arnold.
The Old National Merchants Association has been a staple of the community for over two decades and they serve both the City of College Park and the City of South Fulton. I look forward to learning more about how these funds will be allocated to support our businesses in the corridor.
H. Consideration of and action on a request to approve an Ordinance Amending Section 3-24 of City Charter.; Maximum number of retail package liquor store licenses permitted.
Since the introduction of the Alcoholic License Review Board earlier this year, the four liquor stores in the city, who have all been operating continuously for many years, have been subject to warnings about their lack of compliance with our ordinances. You can see the letters below.
I haven’t received feedback that the establishments in question are causing problems within the community. This ordinance amendment would allow for all four businesses that are in operation to remain in operation. Our current ordinance allows for one liquor store for every 5,000 residents, based upon our population as of the 2020 census, which was 13,930. This would mean one store would have to close. I’ve proposed moving the ratio down to one store for every 3,000 residents, which would not allow for any additional liquor stores, but would allow for the ones we have to stay open. If we reach a population of over 15,000 after the 2030 census and make the determination we do not want an additional liquor store, we can take another look at the ordinance at that time. I do not think it is good practice to actively attempt to shut down long-time businesses that have not been found to be nuisances in the community. It could also serve to have a chilling effect on others looking to do business in College Park.
10. Public Hearings
B. 2025-2026 Recommended Budget Presentation
We typically have public hearings before we get into the rest of the business of the agenda. I am going to request this is moved up so the public doesn’t have to wait for the entirety of the rest of the agenda to speak on the budget. It is helpful to me to have the percentage change from year-to-year included in the documents to better understand trends and areas of concern, which is not present in this current version.
The proposed budget of $219,500,000 is a 10% increase over last year’s budget. I look forward to a robust discussion about not only our financial situation, but macroeconomic trends that could impact our finances in the upcoming fiscal year.
12. City Manager’s Report
Ms. Lindell Miller has been appointed to the role of Interim City Manager following the departure of Dr. Emmanuel Adediran.
