City of Atlanta Launches Pilot Incentive Based Recycling Program

/PRNewswire/ -- The City of Atlanta announced that a select group of Atlanta residents will soon be rewarded for their curbside recycling efforts. In an effort to encourage proper recycling habits, boost recycling participation, reduce the amount of recyclables being sent to area landfills and save taxpayer money, City officials introduced the pilot rewards program as an opportune way to move towards a greener, cleaner Atlanta.

In order to complement Atlanta's existing sustainability initiatives, the City of Atlanta has partnered with Rehrig Pacific, a container company and service provider, to bring a unique incentive based pilot recycling program to its residents. As part of this pilot program, Rehrig Pacific has collaborated with key sponsor Coca-Cola Recycling, LLC and rewards partner RecycleBank® to offer Atlanta residents a premiere rewards and loyalty program that incentivizes household recycling. City officials are confident they will see a rise in recycling volumes and a decrease in waste tonnages. In addition to the benefit to the environment, the rewards program will give residents and local businesses a needed economic boost.

The City of Atlanta selected 10,000 households for the incentive based pilot recycling program. The participating households represent a cross section of recyclers throughout the City. The RecycleBank® rewards program will encourage better participation in the curbside recycling program. It will also allow the City to evaluate changes in the amounts of recyclables collected from residents participating in the pilot program.

"Incentive based recycling will help us to meet our recycling and sustainability goals while giving something back to our residents. During today's recession and economic climate, saving money on groceries, on clothing, or at the pharmacy translates to great value. We have found a way to provide real financial rewards and help the environment at the same time," said Mayor Shirley Franklin.

Each home in the pilot area will receive a brand new 96-gallon blue cart, retrofitted with an ID tag with the resident's household address and RecycleBank account number. City trucks have been retrofitted with technology to read the cart ID tag. Upon activating their account with RecycleBank, either online or by phone, the household will begin to earn RecycleBank Points with every pick-up.

Points can be redeemed for rewards, gift cards, groceries, and products at hundreds of local and national RecycleBank Reward Partners. Partners include giant national brands and retailers such as Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Publix, and CVS/pharmacy, as well as local partners like Zoo Atlanta, Radial Café, Rita's Water Ice, MetroFresh, Edgewood Avenue Pizza, and Six Feet Under.

Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE), housed in Atlanta, is a significant player in making the pilot program a reality for their local neighbors. Through sponsorship dollars, they have enabled the purchase of the 10,000 Rehrig Pacific blue recycling carts needed for the pilot program.

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City of Atlanta Seeking Pension Payment Refund

The City of Atlanta was notified by the IRS on September 14th of unpaid taxes, penalties and interest which totaled $2.5 million related to the City’s pension funds. The penalties and interest were imposed because the City was a few days late on some of its monthly pension payments.

The City intends to seek a full refund. As a first step of that effort, the City sent a letter on September 21th requesting a refund of $894,000 that was paid to the Police Pension fund instead of the General Fund pension account.

Based on legal advice about the pension payment, the City paid the full $2.5 million IRS levy bill on September 23rd even though it is pending an appeal
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City of Atlanta Wins Playful City USA for the Third Consecutive Year

For the third consecutive year, KaBOOM!, a national non-profit dedicated to bringing play back into children’s lives, has named the City of Atlanta a Playful City USA community.

The City of Atlanta is one of 93 communities across the nation that has taken innovative approaches to make play a priority and ensure that children have the time and space they need to play. Despite the down economy, the City of Atlanta supports its communities in building and maintaining play spaces and developing programming to meet the needs of the community.

“This is an honor for the City of Atlanta to be recognized three years in row for our dedication to play, “says the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Commissioner Dianne Harnell Cohen. “We are proud to provide the residents and visitors play spaces to enjoy throughout the City of Atlanta.”

The Atlanta Taskforce on Play (ATOP) was instrumental in working with City of Atlanta in demonstrating creative commitments to the cause of play. “The freedom to play in a beautiful, safe, fun, clean, creative environment is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children,” says ATOP Founder Cynthia Gentry.

The City of Atlanta and ATOP will host the City of Atlanta’s second annual Great Atlanta PLAY DAY on September 26, 2009; a day where people will turn off their TVs, shut down their computers and go outside to play.
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US Department of Justice COPS Hiring Recovery Program (CHRP) Grant Award

The Department of Justice has approved a COPS Hiring Recovery Program (CHRP) grant award for 50 police officer positions in Atlanta. The estimated amount of federal funds to be awarded over the three-year grant period is $11,209,300.00.

The official notification has been provided and as soon as the City receives their award letter this fall, Atlanta Police Department will begin the process of adding police officers to the force.

The department will receive a COPS Hiring Recovery Program (CHRP) grant award for 50 officer positions. The estimated amount of federal funds to be awarded to your jurisdiction over the three-year grant period is $11,209,300.00. When the grant funding ends, there must be a plan to sustain the additional officers as the City seeks to increase the police force to reach a minimum goal of 2,000 police officers.

Atlanta Deputy Chief George Turner said that the goal is to have a recruit class this fall with the 50 new recruits. Once the officers are trained they will be dispatched into the community. The police department is proud and happy to add 50 new officers to the force, said Chief Turner. All the positions awarded under the grant must be used to initiate or enhance community policing in the City of Atlanta.

Currently, the City of Atlanta authorized positions (budgeted for) is 1,701 sworn police.
Mayor Shirley Franklin believes that the COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) program is vital in the crime-fighting efforts of American cities. Franklin said, “ I join other mayors and local officials in acknowledging the Department of Justice and Attorney General Eric Holder for their efforts to advocate on behalf of cities. Atlanta competed nationally for this grant along with hundreds of other communities, and this award represents an important public safety investment in our community.”

The Recovery Act grants, which will be administered by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) through the federal agency’s COPS Hiring Recovery Program, provide much needed financial support to state, local and tribal governments, and will help the nation’s law enforcement agencies add and retain the manpower needed to fight crime more effectively through community policing. The Department of Justice received over 7,200 applications for more than 39,000 officer positions, representing a total of $8.3 billion in requested funding.

The Recovery Act includes $4 billion in Department of Justice grant funding to enhance state, local, and tribal law enforcement efforts, including the hiring of new police officers, to combat violence against women, and to fight internet crimes against children. In addition to today’s COPS awards, to date the Department of Justice has awarded $1.7 billion through formula state and local Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants, $95 million through the Victims of Crime Act Formula Grant Program, $41.5 million for Internet Crimes Against Children initiatives, $127 million in Office on Violence Against Women Recovery Act funds and $8.6 million for assistance for law enforcement along the Southern Border and in high intensity drug trafficking areas.
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City of Atlanta Parking Management Statement

The City of Atlanta is planning to adopt new legislation for comprehensive parking management services including meter installation and maintenance, collection of meter revenue, parking enforcement, electronic processing of ticketing and payments, and delinquent collections.

The parking enforcement component will include ticketing, booting, and towing of vehicles with at least 3 outstanding parking citations.

The new system is planned for implementation in Fall 2009. Prior to implementation, a public education campaign will be used to advise the public about the new program and obtain information about outstanding parking citations. It will include public service announcements via television, print, and electronic media.

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City of Atlanta Statement in Regard to the Georgia Supreme Court’s Decision in Columbus vs. Expedia, Inc.

The City of Atlanta believes today’s Supreme Court decision in Columbus vs. Expedia, Inc. is a very positive development. In that decision upholding a permanent injunction against Expedia, Inc, the majority recognized that Expedia Inc. in fact collects taxes from its customers. The Court also recognized that, under both state and local law, occupancy taxes are to be collected on the amount the customer pays for the room. Finally, the Court held that, so long as Expedia collects taxes from customers, it must collect taxes on the amount its customers pay as a room rate and remit those taxes to the appropriate municipality. The City of Atlanta believes that this decision validates the positions that the City has taken in its lawsuit, currently pending in Fulton County Superior Court.

Atlanta brought its suit to collect recovery of occupancy taxes as collected by the online travel companies. Even though those companies would charge the same retail room rate as would a local hotel, Atlanta would receive less money in those transactions where the online travel companies rather than the hotel collected the taxes. Again, Atlanta is pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision and looks forward to recovering past due occupancy taxes in its pending case, as well as securing compliance with state and local tax laws going forward.
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Atlanta's CFO Responds to Internal Audit

City of Atlanta Chief Financial Officer James Glass today released the following statement regarding the Performance Review of the Department of Watershed Management conducted by the City’s internal auditor and KPMG at the request of the City Council:

“I am grateful for the hard work and dedicated effort that is evident in the Performance Review of the Department of Watershed Management. The Performance Review offers many sound recommendations, a significant feat given the demands of creating this important review in a relatively short time period.

However, I believe the final analysis as it relates to rate setting and budgeting to be flawed because of a lack of understanding about what is happening in the credit and financial markets and the environment in which the City of Atlanta is currently operating. Additionally, the auditors have not anticipated some serious risk factors and what they mean in relation to the Department’s debt coverage.

These risk factors could pose a significant threat to interest rates, the amount of debt the Department is carrying and termination costs and would require the Department to make drastic cuts to its capital program, potentially falling out of compliance with Federal Consent Decree mandates.

Many variables impact the Department’s financial picture. It is my belief that the Performance Review seriously understates the impact of the international credit crisis on the City’s borrowing ability and has made assumptions about budgeting that cannot be supported in this current economic climate.

Therefore, I would recommend that, with the exception of implementing some of the operational recommendations set forth in the Performance Review, the City defer taking action on any financial recommendations for six months.

This would give the Department sufficient time to determine the direction the international financial markets are taking and make judgments that will allow it to continue to meet federal requirements as it provides the exceptional water and wastewater services that are, after all, the reason the Department exists.”
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Mayor Franklin Delivers $541 Million Proposed Budget for FY2010

Mayor Shirley Franklin delivered her proposed FY2010 budget for the City of Atlanta to the City Council today. Highlights of the proposed budget include:

· The elimination of the furlough that was introduced during FY2009 as a cost savings measure. All City employees – including public safety personnel – will return to a 40 hour work week
· Savings initiatives of nearly $60 million
· The authorized General Fund workforce will be less than 4,000, a reduction from approximately 5,600 in 2001.
· A three mill increase in the property tax millage rate. For the average City of Atlanta (in Fulton County) homeowner this represents a 7% increase in the total property tax bill or a $20 per month increase in property taxes.

“Despite the fact that the City has seen an $88 million reduction in revenues as a result of this historic recession, we have a responsibility to ensure that basic municipal services are delivered”, said the Mayor. “We have reduced spending through the furloughs, layoffs, and other measures. However, we must increase our revenues if we are to return our public safety and other core services to full-time operation.”

With this budget, the City will reduce its general fund workforce from 5,617 in 2001 to 3,934, a 30% reduction. This is during a period in which the City has grown by 25%. According to recent Bain & Company analysis, the City has moved from second-worst performing city among major cities in the country in terms of efficiency to the second best.

The 3 mill rate increase is consistent with millage rate increases that have occurred during previous recessions. During both the 1991 recession (+2 mills) and the 2001 recession (+3 mills), millage rates were increased in response to declining revenues.

Budget FAQs are attached and the full budget document is available on line at www.atlantaga.gov.
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