Politics on WACN 21 News

Atlanta City Council passes $19M emergency package for migrant shelter overflow

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 22:15:00 -0400

The Atlanta City Council voted 11–4 late Wednesday to approve a $19 million emergency spending package aimed at shoring up the city’s two migrant shelter sites, which have been operating over capacity for the past five months.

The vote came after nearly three hours of public comment, with speakers split between supporters who said the shelters are a moral obligation and opponents who argued the funding should go to longer-term housing for existing unhoused Atlantans.

Fulton County commission approves controversial data-center rezoning

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 21:00:00 -0400

The Fulton County Commission voted 4-3 Wednesday night to rezone roughly 280 acres in south Fulton for two new hyperscale data centers, clearing the way for what would be among the largest such facilities in the country.

The vote, taken at a contentious 5-hour meeting, was the most-watched local political action in metro Atlanta this year. More than 200 people attended in person; the meeting room spilled over into an overflow space.

Atlanta mayor unveils $200M affordable housing bond proposal

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 10:00:00 -0400

Mayor Andre Dickens unveiled a $200 million affordable housing bond proposal Tuesday morning, the largest single-purpose bond the city has ever put before voters.

If approved in the November general election, the bond would fund roughly 8,000 units of affordable housing over the next six years, with priority for renters earning less than $50,000 a year and homebuyers earning less than $80,000 a year.

The proposal is the centerpiece of the mayor’s second-term housing agenda and the most expensive ballot measure in Atlanta since the 2015 Renew Atlanta infrastructure bond.