Fresh Loaf

Veteran imbiber Tom Houck, a man I’ve never seen without a cocktail in his hand, has been e-mail blasting all of Atlanta to attend a public hearing to discuss bar hours that’s scheduled for 6 p.m. this coming Monday at City Hall.

The hearing was called to give the nightclub set its own dedicated forum to discuss the merits of a recent proposal by Councilman Kwanza “Tweeter” Hall to reconsider the city-mandated 2:30 a.m. last call, which was adopted in 2003, before Hall joined Council.

If you miss this hearing, don’t expect to be allowed to speak on the issue at the following week’s Finance Committee meeting, says Chairman Howard Shook, who called for Monday’s forum to exclusively address bar hours.

Of course, we don’t need to wait until Monday to find out what Mayor Shirley Franklin thinks of Hall’s proposal. She’s quoted in a story in today’s AJC, but here’s the entire text of her commentary, which was sent to Council members:

Hall’s proposed legislation isn’t sound public policy. It is a publicity stunt, a gimmick.

It may play well in some segments of the population but it doesn’t make sense for our city as there is greater demand for public safety services to patrol street, save lives and prevent crime. Whether there is money to be made or not, the expansion of hours will stretch Atlanta’s current public safety resources. This proposal comes from a Council member who didn’t vote in 2008 or 2009 to restore full public safety funding.

I enjoy lively nightlife as much as anyone but public safety should be the city’s top priority. Until the APD force is at least 2000 officers and Atlanta’s crime rate ranking is below the top 100 in the country, stretching the resources for a few bucks isn’t sound policy.  As I leave office my opinion remains the same. Use APD resources wisely, build the force, invest in training and leadership.

S Franklin

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Chastain Park Amphitheater isn’t just a hostile environment for Garrison Keillor, Morissey and people who actually enjoy listening to music.

According to an audit by the U.S. Department of Justice, the city-operated music venue — and numerous other city buildings — violate the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Fox5 Atlanta reports that Atlanta will now have to pay $13 million in fines and facility renovations. Under a settlement agreement approved by the City Council Finance Committee yesterday (and which full council will have to approve on Monday), City Hall will pay $2 million each year until the debt is settled.

It seems Atlanta was randomly selected by the Feds for an ADA compliance audit. The results weren’t pretty. Finance Chairman Howard Shook says his committee was handed a thick binder listing literally “hundreds of defects” that need fixing — from wheelchair ramps built at the wrong grade to bathroom hand dryers installed at the wrong height.

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OK, that may be a little over-dramatic, but it’s essentially true.

Two days ago, the City Council passed a $541 million city budget for fiscal year 2010 —  beginning, well, today, actually — which is $100 million less than the $640 million budget adopted in 2007. Now, that comparison is a little misleading because the FY2008 budget was based on some rather hinky accounting. Still, the city had to do a lot of heavy lifting to cut the budget down to $541 million, including staff layoffs, employee furloughs and a 3-mill tax hike.

Perhaps you’ve heard something about this. Well, what you likely hadn’t heard much about is a re-amortization of the city’s pension obligations, a provision buried within the budget.

I don’t mean to suggest anything sneaky about the action. It was certainly discussed at length in meetings that were open to the public, if poorly attended. But it was somewhat controversial among Council members because it carries a certain financial risk.

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Jim Maddox, caught between naps

The Atlanta City Council voted today to raise property taxes by 3 mills, an outcome we’d been predicting for weeks. But the actual vote count — 8 to 7 — was closer than anyone expected it to be. Not because Council members believed the tax hike was a bad idea. Hell, with only one or two possible exceptions, even those who voted against it were privately praying it would pass.

No, the vote was so close because several of our Council members possess, as Teddy Roosevelt once said, “the backbone of a chocolate eclair.”

Exhibit A is Jim “40 Winks” Maddox, the self-proclaimed “Dean of the Council” because he’s warmed a chair in City Hall for more than three long decades. Today, Maddox shocked his colleagues by voting against the tax hike and the $541 million budget. This is a guy who, two months ago, said publicaly that he didn’t think Mayor Franklin’s proposed 3-mill increase was big enough!

“I’m prepared to approve a tax increase to end the furloughs for all employees,” he announced at a budget hearing at the end of April.

But that was before he picked up three challengers for his beloved Council seat. So, today, without giving anyone a heads up, the lily-livered Maddox cravenly hung his colleagues out to dry.

Here’s guessing the next Council retreat is going to be awwwkward.

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