Tucker’s Mayor and City Council held a pair of virtual meetings during the month of February, discussing and deciding on several issues via Zoom. The biggest of the issues discussed was an ordinance on “urban camping”. This ordinance would seek to curb homelessness in Tucker by forging a partnership between the City and DeKalb County Police to offer resources and assistance to those camped out on public property. It mirrors efforts which have passed in surrounding cities including Brookhaven, Chamblee and Dunwoody. After extensive debate at the meeting on February 8, Council further discussed the issue at the work session on February 22. They ultimately decided to revisit the issue at a future meeting.
Council took action on a handful of other items during that meeting on February 8, including reappointing three members to the City’s Zoning Board of Appeals. Jason Burton, Bob Espy and Neil Stubblefield were reappointed to serve two-year terms into 2023. They also passed a resolution to name two Tucker parks in honor of community leaders who recently passed away. Read more about that vote on page 15.
Earlier in the meeting, Council got presentations and updates on several projects including:
- Progress being made by the City’s Convention and Visitors Bureau, Discover DeKalb. The organization’s executive director and CEO James Tsismanakis briefed Council on the impacts of COVID on tourism, while also promoting the City’s upcoming Tucker Restaurant Week.
- The five-year update on the Tucker-Northlake Livable Centers Initiative (LCI). This item was discussed and then adopted by Council on a 6-0 vote.
- Plans to enhance three bridges crossing I-285 in Tucker. The enhancements would include upgrades in fencing, lighting, and other amenities at Henderson Road, Northlake Parkway, and Lavista Road.
At the work session on February 22, Council heard presentations on the Fiscal Year 2022 budget schedule, as well as plans for the Parks and Recreation Department to install an outdoor fitness court on the site of the abandoned DeKalb County Library, which the City owns. In a brief meeting, they approved a pair of resolutions, one to urge the state legislature to take action on an annexation in the Northlake area. The other expressed support in having the state legislature remove term limits from Tucker’s City Charter.
The next meeting of the Mayor and City Council will be Monday March 8 at 7 p.m.
