News Roundup

Atlanta Police Department officers got their pay increases just in time for Christmas, according to the city. Beginning Dec. 21, all police personnel at the Police Officer rank saw an increase in their pay and overall compensation— which brings them to the competitive benchmark for their tier. Other ranks will begin to see adjustments to reach the competitive benchmark beginning July 2019.

Rideshare competitors have entered Intown’s crowded scooter market, joining Bird and Lime to offer the dockless electric devices. The Atlanta City Council is considering regulations after residents have expressed concern about the proliferation of scooters crowding local sidewalks.

Atlanta City Councilmember Amir Farokhi has introduced legislation that would amend the city charter to fund participatory budgeting (PB) in Atlanta. With PB programs, residents propose capital projects for their communities, create a ballot of the best ideas and vote on which projects to implement free of government interference. Farokhi hopes to get funding for his pilot as part of the fiscal year 2020 budget.

Work is underway on a renovation of the pedestrian bridges at the Inman Park/ Reynoldstown MARTA station. The pedestrian bridge from the DeKalb Avenue side of the station has already closed along with the parking lot and riders are being shuttled to the Seaboard Avenue entrance to access that station. Parking is available on the Seaboard side. Zipcars have been temporarily removed while renovations continue. Renovations are expected to last until Spring 2019 to be followed by work on the Seaboard pedestrian bridge.

The Atlanta City Council voted unanimously to place greater regulations on the car booting industry, including stricter background checks and clear identification for booting companies as well as more easy-to-read signage.