News Roundup

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has vetoed legislation approved by the Atlanta City Council that would convert Baker Street in Downtown from one-way to two-way traffic. Local businesses, including hotels, had expressed concerns about the conversion causing traffic headaches for customers, employees and delivery people.

The second phase of compensation adjustments for the Atlanta Police Department began July 1, according to a press release from the City of Atlanta. The adjustment brings senior police officers and investigators to the 90th percentile of the competitive benchmark as identified by the Atlanta Police Foundation’s compensation study. Officers will see the pay adjustment in their July 19 paycheck.

Collie Greenwood, formerly the chief service officer with the Toronto Transit Commission, has joined MARTA as chief of bus operations. In his role, Greenwood will be responsible for daily operations and maintenance of MARTA’s bus system, which includes a fleet of 532 buses and paratransit vans.

The City of Atlanta has announced the integration of WorkSource Atlanta with Invest Atlanta—aligning the city’s workforce development arm with its economic development arm. Nearly a year ago, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms appointed Kimberlyn Daniel to serve as interim Executive Director of WorkSource to establish a strategic plan that ensures the program serves Atlanta residents and to meet the deadlines of the grant programs. “This integration pairs two of the most pivotal services provided by the city, which will result in world-class training and placement for the people of Atlanta—particularly those with barriers to employment—into the jobs Invest Atlanta is recruiting, retaining and growing,” Bottoms said in a statement.

Charge unveiled its first electric scooter charging, docking, and service station at Woodruff Park on July 1. The company has secured more than 250 location and charging stations, which are compatible with any of the rentable e-scooters currently on the streets. Charge hopes the introduction of the docking stations for the dockless scooters will help clear them from sidewalks, roadways and the BeltLine.