Council members urge Dickens administration to revisit Beltline rail
Nearly a year and a half after local leaders secretly voted to halt Beltline rail in its tracks, several Atlanta City Council members are urging the mayor’s administration to reconsider.
A resolution introduced Tuesday seeks to reaffirm Council’s support for the long-awaited project, and calls on Mayor Andre Dickens’ office to collaborate with MARTA and Atlanta Beltline, Inc. to get the ball rolling.
Introduced by Council member Kelsea Bond, the proposed resolution requests that leaders develop a timeline and a plan for the construction of 22 miles of Beltline rail, and to present those plans by late January.
Eight of Bond’s colleagues have already signed on to the proposal.
“This is something that we’ve talked about for a decade,” said Bond, who noted there’s “overwhelming support” for expanding public transit in Atlanta.
Plans to build light rail along the Eastside Beltline were thrust into limbo last year when Dickens pulled his support and said he wanted to start construction near the proposed Murphy Crossing redevelopment instead.
Then in May 2025, a group from the city of Atlanta, the Beltline and MARTA voted to stop all work on the Eastside project. The move sparked outrage among Beltline-goers and transit enthusiasts when it was first reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution earlier this year.
Bond, who doesn’t own a car, called transit expansion one of the most impactful investments the city could make to reduce costs for working families. The first-term council member is hopeful the resolution will help persuade decision makers “that this is a project worth pursuing.”
A multiyear transit study unveiled last week suggested building all 22 miles of light rail could generate about 4.2 million trips annually.
“People are really happy about that, but we need that commitment on the city side as well,” Bond said Tuesday.
What remains unclear is exactly how the project would be funded and whether there’s enough space to include light rail alongside the entire length of the bustling Beltline. Light rail alone could cost at least $3.5 billion, and the new MARTA stations have been estimated at $1.3 billion.
Matthew Rao, the chair of Beltline Rail Now, said he and others are encouraged by Bond’s push to “jump-start” the project.
Building light rail along the Beltline would be transformational for the city and its residents, Rao said Wednesday, especially as traffic congestion and parking get worse.
While there’s some skepticism about what the non-binding Council resolution might actually accomplish, Rao said he and other Beltline rail supporters remain optimistic.
“We see this as the beginning of City Council taking back responsibility to achieve the project it itself created nearly 25 years ago,” Rao said. “It is a moral call to those who have fumbled and punted the ball for various reasons over the last 10 years of the More MARTA program to get going again.”
Council signs off on ‘Parking Bill of Rights’
Speaking of congestion, Council members on Tuesday approved legislation aimed at regulating how private lots and parking garages operate within city limits.
Council member Jason Dozier’s “Parking Bill of Rights” requires operators to clearly disclose rates, fees and accepted methods of payment before people park their vehicles.
Dozier said the goal is to help unwitting customers avoid being towed, booted or sent surprise parking fines weeks later in the mail.
Some garages only take certain payment methods or require drivers to download specific apps before leaving their cars, Dozier said. Other vendors have started using license plate readers to scan drivers’ tags and begin charging the second they roll into a deck.
“The technologies that are being rapidly adopted across the industry have created a lot of headaches for my constituents, especially seniors,” Dozier said. “They’re having to download apps, scan a QR code or put their information in just to park somewhere for 15 minutes.”
The legislation requires vendors to post parking rates up front, provide information about how license plate data is stored and offer ways for drivers to dispute any potential fines.
Council considers extending family leave for city employees
Council members could expand the city’s family leave policy for the first time in more than a decade following a proposal introduced this week.
Council member Matt Westmoreland has been visiting with city employees for several months, and noted some have complained that Atlanta’s parental leave policy is “inadequate.”
Currently, primary caretakers are allowed up to six weeks of paid parental leave and secondary caretakers can take two weeks off.
Westmoreland’s legislation, which has the support of all 14 of his colleagues, would allow 12 weeks for all new parents.
A study group formed in the spring examined what other cities and private sector employers offer expecting parents. In addition to recommending the city extend its paid leave policy, the group suggested eliminating the distinction between primary and secondary caregivers altogether.
“We want new parents to be able to bond and spend time with their children,” Westmoreland said. “And as people are looking at where to work, we want Atlanta to be a place that draws the best talent.”
Westmoreland said his proposal would allow employees more flexibility around when they begin their paid time off, so they can stagger leave with their partners if they wish. It would also allow more time for parents whose babies are kept in neonatal intensive care units.
If approved, the updated policy would take effect at the start of next year.