National & Local Updates from our Councilwoman

On March 7 our governing body traveled to Washington DC to meet with our Federal Representatives. The purpose of this trip was to thank our representatives for their continued support over the past two years and to share our cities’ 2024 Federal Legislative Agenda and priorities. I was honored to have been elected by my legislative colleagues to be the spokesperson on behalf of our delegation in each of our meetings with Senator Raphael Warnock, Senator Jon Ossoff, Congressman David Scott, and Congresswoman Nikema Williams and their staff. We made great strides and when we returned home, we received news that the Senate had voted in favor of the 2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act. On Saturday March 9th it was signed into law by President Biden.

The significance of this Act was that it granted $500,000 in federal funding for our Finding the Flint River Preserve Project which will be used to pay for the purchase of the 7.5 acres for the preserve and give us the ability to begin work on the preserve. In addition, we were funded $959,752 for College Park’s Water Supply Project.

On Sunday, March 10, 2024, our legislative body traveled back to DC for the National League of Cities Congressional Conference. It was a great opportunity to meet elected representatives from across the country and get involved in national projects that will present opportunities for our city in both the present and the near future. 

While we were in Washington, we received word from Senators Ossoff and Warnock, and Congresswoman Williams that a $50 million Federal investment in the Southside Trail is being made to assist the Atlanta Regional Commission’s project that will build a new multi-purpose trail help connect schools, hospitals, job centers and MARTA rails between the Belt Line and the Flint River Trail. This is huge for our Flint River Preserve Project as well as for our city.

Keeping You First!

Councilwoman Jamelle McKenzie