Politic-ATL: Red light turn ban, water tax, pot law
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
This week at Atlanta City Hall, we're visiting red stop lights, water taxes, policing, and a new city partnership.
🚦 Red lights: The Atlanta City Council passed legislation Monday to outlaw right turns on red lights in downtown, Midtown and Castleberry Hill.
- City Councilman Jason Dozier says his legislation will enhance pedestrian safety at intersections in central Atlanta.
- On-duty government vehicles for emergencies and law enforcement vehicles are allowed to move past stop signals and signs after slowing down as necessary for safe operations.
- The AJC reports this law will impact 250 intersections.
- Police could ticket drivers who make right turns at the red lights.
- The law goes into effect Dec. 31, 2025.
🚰 Water tax: The City Council passed a resolution to ask residents on the May 21 ballot if Atlanta should reimpose a special 1% sales tax to fund water and sewer projects at $1.1 billion.
- This tax has been in effect since October 2004, and it's set to expire Sept. 30.
🌿 Pot stop: City Councilman Antonio Lewis said he's "troubled" by the implementation of Atlanta's marijuana decriminalization law after he was charged with marijuana possession this month.
- When an Atlanta police officer initially stopped Lewis in his vehicle for driving on a suspended registration, the officer also smelled marijuana in the vehicle. Lewis then handed over a marijuana "blunt."
- During the council's public comment period on Monday, Chris Brown, a resident and the executive director for CARE for Georgia — the Cannabis Access Reform and Education nonprofit — asked lawmakers to review how the police should respond to persons carrying small amounts of marijuana.
- Lewis said that the pot law "means nothing" if Atlanta's officers don't know about the law.
👩🏿 Black Girl Magic: Mayor Andre Dickens has announced that Atlanta will now host Black Girls Rock, a nonprofit that hosts annual leadership conferences for young Black women.
- Black Girls Rock founder and executive director Beverly Bond said the nonprofit's awards ceremony will be held June 27 at Atlanta's Fox Theatre.
- She also said the nonprofit is launching a citywide, multi-day festival with films, a tech summit and a music series.