Dear Fellow Atlantan,
2007 proved to be a year of outstanding achievement for the Post
3 At-Large office. We were able to
successfully pass legislation to create a Civilian Review Board, cosponsored
Urban Development Day, launched the “Go Milk Campaign” and the Ecumenical
Breakfast series and reestablished the City Hall Walker’s Club. It has indeed been a year filled with steadfast betterment for the citizens
of Atlanta.
I anticipate that 2008 will prove to be increasingly successful as I continue
to look for new ways to create a better Atlanta. It is my goal to ensure that every citizen in the City of Atlanta feels
connected to their local government.
This year, you can expect to find both my staff and myself heavily involved in your neighborhood planning units, community meetings and a host of other business and community meetings, as it is imperative that I remain in touch with your concerns.
Councilman H. Lamar Willis and his wife, Dr. Kamili J. Willis and their children,
Kayla and Henry.
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It is my hope that you will continue to reach out to my office for assistance,
and that you will continue to share your insight on the needs of the City
as we continue to press forward.
Again, best wishes for you and your loved ones and as always, if I can
be of service please do not hesitate to contact me at 404-330-6041.
Yours for a Better Atlanta
H. Lamar Willis
A Community Improvement District (CID) is a self-taxing district that uses
additional property taxes to help accelerate transportation and infrastructure
improvement projects.
CIDs are comprised of private commercial properties zoned as
office/industrial and retail properties.
Residential and multi-family properties are not taxable by a CID. In order to create a CID, a
majority of the corporate property owners must approve the proposal to have a
CID. Seventy-five percent (75%) of the
taxable value of the commercial property located within the proposed CID
constitutes a majority.
The advantage of having a CID is to raise funds to improve the community
by increasing the economic viability of its district and to enhance mobility
and safety in the community.
Examples of
communities that have established CIDs are
Midtown, Buckhead and the Perimeter
area.
Councilman Willis is exploring the possibility of a CID in Southwest Atlanta. If you are a business owner in Southwest Atlanta, please contact Councilmember Willis' Office at (404) 330-6041 to obtain a survey regarding the CID. If you would like a better idea of what a CID entails and the benefits of a CID please visit the Buckhead CID site at www.buckhead.net/cid.
In 2007, we celebrated Young Authors Day for the first time in the City of Atlanta and honored Miles and William Rabun. Authors, Miles Larone Rabun, nine years old, and his brother William Brooks Rabun,  seven years old are children of native Atlantans who are graduates of Atlanta Public Schools.
In the summer of 2006 these young authors wrote a story about their  grandmother's backyard and turned it into their very first professionally published book. Their book is entitled “My Grandma's Backyard”, and was written to share with young people their experiences when visiting
their grandmother in Atlanta every summer. It is a fun tale that reflects real adventures from Miles and William's
summer in Atlanta with their grandmother and longtime resident, Kappitola
Williams, who is an environmental specialist for the state of Georgia.
Both the City of Atlanta and Raleigh, North Carolina have recognized the achievements of these young men and honored them with proclamations for their efforts. Councilman Willis is proud to celebrate these young African-American male authors whose actions are positive and promote literacy, writing and comprehension.
For more information about the young authors and the children's book, My Grandma's Backyard, go to: www.mygrandmasbackyard.com.
Kelvin J. Cochran was named the new chief of Atlanta’s Fire Department.
Cochran started as a firefighter in the Shreveport department in 1982. He became chief of that department in 1999. During his 26-year career
in Shreveport, he served as a training officer and assistant chief training
officer immediately before being named chief. Cochran currently serves
as the first vice president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs
and is slated to move into the president’s position in 2008.
In Shreveport, Cochran directed the operations of a 600-member Class One
fire department covering 112 square miles which provides emergency medical
services and advanced life support transport . Cochran also oversaw emergency operations. In addition to
serving as fire chief, he also served as Homeland Security Coordinator
and was responsible for emergency preparedness efforts within the City
of Shreveport.
The City of Atlanta’s fire department covers 132 square miles. The
Atlanta Fire Department also provides mutual aid to neighboring counties
upon request. The Department has 37 fire stations and 1,045 sworn and non-sworn
employees. The fire chief also has oversight for the Airport Fire Service,
which has 208 employees and provides aircraft fire protection, structural
fire protection, emergency medical services protection, and hazardous materials/special
rescue response protection to the traveling public and employees of Hartsfield
Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world's busiest airport.
2007 was a banner year for legislation crafted to address Public Safety
issues affecting the citizens of Atlanta. This year, the Atlanta Citizen Review Board,
as envisioned by Councilman H. Lamar Willis, was created to consider grievances
of citizens who have complaints against any member of the Bureau of Police
Services or the Department of Corrections and recommend general reforms or
specific actions against individuals.
When the legislation was still in debate, Willis welcomed Philip K. Eure
from the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement
(NACOLE). Mr. Eure presented information on the importance of establishing
a stronger and codified Citizen Review Board in Atlanta.
"We owe it to our citizens and
to the hardworking employees of our law enforcement agencies to have a
respectful, competent and unblinking oversight body," Willis said. The legislation establishing a codified
Citizen Review Board was approved by the Atlanta City Council by a vote of 14-0
on substitute as amended by Full Council. (Reference 07-O-0141) The bill was
co-sponsored by District 10 City Councilman C.T. Martin, and District 3 City
Councilman Ivory Lee Young, Jr.
An overview of the board and more
up-to-date information can be found at: . http://www.atlantaga.gov/media/medadv_civilreview_120606.aspx For consideration for an appointment to the board please visit: http://www.atlantaga.gov/bca/onlineapplicant.aspx.
Councilman Willis also co-sponsored and supported several initiatives directly
benefiting Atlanta’s citizens this year. All legislation referenced below was passed and adopted by City Council including:
To view any legislation mentioned in this
article please visit this link: http://apps.atlantaga.gov/citycouncil/captions/
and type in the legislative reference number.
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