April 16, 2026
The April meeting was called to order by Emily Boatwright at 6:45pm with just the neighborhood representatives. She began recognizing our city council representatives – Mary Norwood, Alex Wan, and Matt Westmoreland as well as representatives from various non-profit organizations.
City Council Representative Matt Westmore began by discussing several topics. He began with the World Cup regarding safety, transportation, Marta and Partners At Home are just some of the groups involved.
Next discussion was the Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative focusing on 7 historically underserved areas around Atlanta. The biggest issue is the funding mechanism. One of the approaches being considered is TADs. Research and discussions regarding this approach are on-going. The TADs come with their own set of issues including the boundaries, the legislative limit, and a 1.5 mil tax increase to fund the bonds, extending the date among others.
Representatives from Lucy McBath’s office discussed how they and the Representative McBath can help. They are out and about in the neighborhoods.
City Council Representative Mary Norwood brought us to date on Zoning 2.0. She is meeting with the Department of City Planning to discuss releasing the plans to the public. She discussed how the decision and review processes are still in limbo. There seems to be a push to remove or reduce the impact of the NPUs.
Peachtree Creek Restoration has been given to Livable Buckhead for oversight. The Atlanta Memorial Park Conservancy has raised money to design the middle part of the creek and then several months it to be expanded to the boundaries of Buckhead. This will encompass Districts 6, 7, 8, and 9. Peachtree Creek is in definite need of restoration and cleanliness.
Fulton County Board of Assessors update was given by Lee Morris. Lee mentioned some of the various property tax exemptions and how complex it is to administer. He also discussed how uneven property tax exemptions are. An example is he found a 300-unit apartment complex that was not even on tax digest. There was a similar issue with a data center which is only valued at 50%. The project doesn’t start the 50% taxes until the project is complete. The data center is for 4 buildings, and the taxes will not start until the 4th building is complete. The question is “what if the 4th building if never built.
The tax digest is ready but is being held up waiting for the Governor to decide whether to veto or sign a couple of bills relating to property tax. He also mentioned that currently Fulton County District 3 accounts for 28.25% of the county tax digest.
The meeting was concluded with various discussions on what was passed on legislation passed and those that failed as well as those expected to be reintroduced next year.
Debra Wathen was recognized for the many, many years of dedicated service to the Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods.
Respectfully Submitted
Anne McKillips, Secretary