8/18/2025 Meeting Preview
You’ll see below some of the agenda highlights for our second meeting in August. 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 typically on the first and third Mondays of the month. Workshop session begins at 6:00 pm; 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 speak in person at the meeting or 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.
WORKSHOP SESSION
1. Update and Presentation from Destination College Park: College Park Visitor Center and Museum Initiative
Per their contract, Destination College Park was retained by the city for the following purposes:
“1. The Contractor shall collaborate with the City to enhance visitor experiences, promote local culture, and stimulate economic growth through the establishment and operation of a visitor center and related programs.
2. The Contractor shall establish and maintain a visitor center in College Park that provides maps, brochures, and local insights to travelers and guests. (Visitor Center Development)
3. The Contractor shall highlight College Park’s history, aviation significance, hospitality and cultural diversity through exhibits, events, and partnerships with local artists and businesses. (Cultural Promotion)
4. The Contractor shall assist World Cup visitors in navigating the city, including promoting MARTA accessibility, historic downtown attractions, and local businesses and attractions throughout College Park, Georgia. (Tourism Support)
5. The Contractor shall execute campaigns to position College Park as a premier short-stay destination for World Cup global and local travelers and visitors. (1st Stop College Park and Visitor Center Marketing)
6. The Contractor shall submit quarterly reports to the City detailing progress, visitor engagement metrics, and collateral completed.”
So far, Destination College Park has received at least $50,000 toward their contract (payment of $40,000 upon signing the contract and a second installment of $10,000), and another $9500 earlier in the year for business services.
The contract with Destination College Park lays out requirements for quarterly reporting and I am hopeful to receive additional information about their efforts thus far in tonight’s presentation.
REGULAR SESSION
9. 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.
Additionally, for FY2025–2026, each member of the governing body has been allocated $900,000 in community enhancement funds—$500,000 designated for capital projects and $400,000 for non-capital expenditures.
Unlike the formal budgeting process undertaken by staff—where every dollar is tied to a specific line item—I and my colleagues did not go through that level of detail when these enhancement funds were allocated. As a result, some of the items being funded through these accounts are appearing for the first time on the consent agenda without any prior discussion.
In the spirit of transparency—and to ensure you have a real opportunity to weigh in on how these public funds are used—I believe that any community enhancement expenditure not specifically identified in the adopted budget should appear in the Regular Business section of the agenda, not the Consent Agenda.
As this fiscal year continues, I will provide quarterly updates detailing how your community enhancement dollars are being spent. You deserve to know where and how your tax dollars are being invested.
C. Consideration of and action on a request to contract Augustine Peets for 12 months as the contractor for Project Manager for Ward 1 Capital Improvement Projects. The contract amount is for $36,000. This is a budgeted item. FUND: Ward 1 Community Enhancement Capital Outlay GL Account #100.1100.54.7181 (FY2026). This item is sponsored by Mayor Pro Tem Jamelle McKenzie.
This position was not specifically contemplated in the Ward 1 community enhancement budget. Furthermore, while the agenda item reflects an expense of $36,000, the contract includes incentives that could put the actual cost at $50,000. I will be requesting this item be removed from the consent agenda for further discussion.
10. Regular Agenda
A. Consideration of and action on a request to propose that each Mayor & Council member allocate $20,000.00 from Community Enhancement funds towards the City of College Park Homeless Initiative. This request has been introduced by Councilman Carn. It is a budgeted item that impacts all wards. The details are as follows: Fund: Community Enhancements G/L 100-1100-52-7281/7282/7283/7284 and G/L#1001300-52-7285 with each Community Enhancement account contributing $20,000.00 each. The total contribution will amount to $100,000.00.
At our last meeting, several of our youth made a presentation challenging us to do more to tackle issues of homelessness in our community. I agree we can and should do more. However, I think this process needs to happen differently. I would be interested in sending out an RFP and allow community partners who do this type of work to share with us their strategies to make a lasting impact. I am unclear based upon the information in the packet how these funds would specifically address the issues the students raised, including humanitarian concerns, the strain on public services and economic impact.
B. Consideration of and action on a request to approve an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) between College Park and BIDA. This item is sponsored by Lindell Miller, City Manager.
This is an issue that absolutely needs to be addressed. However, it would make more sense for counsel for the city and counsel for BIDA to work on a mutually agreeable IGA and then present it to both bodies. At our meeting last Wednesday, BIDA attorney LaTonya Nix Wiley said she had not seen nor reviewed the IGA. She and the city attorney have a meeting this Wednesday to address several matters and I think it would be wise for us to remove this item from the agenda tonight. Otherwise, any amendments subsequently made by the attorneys or the BIDA board would have to come back to city council, essentially creating twice the work.
C. Consideration of an action to adopt the "City of College Park, Georgia's Financial Management Policy for BIDA Transactions." This item is sponsored on behalf of Lindell Miller, City Manager.
There is a certain level of friction right now about the relationship between the city and BIDA when it comes to disbursement of funds. This is largely because of several transactions that took place last fiscal year regarding commissions on properties that were improperly paid by the city, on behalf of BIDA. BIDA is an authority that was created by an amendment to the Georgia Constitution. As such, it has its own powers that may be infringed upon with this policy. I think it makes sense to come to an agreement within the IGA that would include a detailed financial policy.
