Council Watch — College Park, GA | March 24, 2026

College Park City Council · March 24, 2026

City pays DMO $2.4M yearly but can't get flags or airport ads — while council tries to make all spending decisions unanimous

“

We sit up here and we try we talk to the different vendors and the contractors that come through here. And right now we want organizations to give a report on how much they spent. We want to know...

— Councilwoman Bianca McKenzie

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Meeting Briefing

College Park's March 24 workshop exposed the city's dysfunction on full display. The Atlanta Airport District DMO, which receives $2.4 million annually from College Park, showed up with a bare-bones World Cup plan that Councilwoman McKenzie called 'disappointing' — no flags, no airport advertising, and excuse after excuse. Meanwhile, Councilman Gay pushed through controversial legislation requiring unanimous votes for any bond debt or reserve fund spending, effectively giving every council member veto power over major financial decisions. The city manager warned they won't even meet their 50% reserve fund minimum next year. Amid the chaos, city staff announced they're close to hiring an economic development director after months of delays, while residents got no meaningful say in the comprehensive plan steering committee selection process.

12:22

$2.4M DMO Can't Deliver World Cup Marketing

“We are still putting over $2 million into your organization every year and I personally do not see where we are getting um a value out of that.”

Atlanta Airport District gets millions but offers excuses instead of advertising

19:40

Councilwoman Blasts DMO for 'Disappointing' Response

“As you know, it's the elephant in the room is in Ward One, we had to start our own destination marketing uh organization to make sure that our...”

McKenzie calls out months of broken promises and missed opportunities

32:14

Council Demands Accountability for 'Millions' Without Oversight

“We sit up here and we try we talk to the different vendors and the contractors that come through here. And right now we want organizations to give...”

McKenzie calls out lack of reporting on massive vendor spending

1:00:35

Council Proposes Unanimous Vote Requirement for All Major Spending

“The household equivalent of issuing a city bond is like taking out a second or third mortgage on your home. Uh right now we have about 16 or so...”

Gay wants to give every council member veto power over bonds and reserves

1:12:07

City Manager Warns: We Won't Meet Reserve Fund Minimum

“So, uh, mayor council, you know, I think the 60% of the reserve fund balances is is admirable. Uh, and if 50% is a minimum, uh, we won't make that...”

Hicks says expenses exceed revenues by millions, can't hit 50% goal

40:08

DMO Has No Business Contact List for College Park

“One thing that would help me that I have asked for before is I don't have a list of businesses for College Park. I have one for all my other...”

Miller admits she doesn't know which businesses exist in the city

1:14:11

Council Attorney: No Charter Requirement for Majority Votes

“And what's not in there is a requirement that you vote based on a majority vote. There's no requirement in the College Park charter that a simple...”

Denmark confirms council can change voting requirements to unanimous

52:46

Ignite Resource Center Lost Funding, Survived on Ward 1 Budget

“And unfortunately, um, it's a good thing that I'm sitting in this seat, but once I started sitting in this seat, Ignite really started getting a...”

McKenzie used community enhancement funds to keep social services alive

1:01:37

75% of City Revenue Depends on Vulnerable Hospitality Sector

“Our neighbor South Fulton, 80% of their tax revenues, over 80% of their tax revenues come from residential homes. So, if a pandemic hits, they're...”

Gay warns College Park uniquely exposed to economic downturns

1:03:11

City Has 16 Outstanding Bond Instruments Already

“The household equivalent of issuing a city bond is like taking out a second or third mortgage on your home. Uh right now we have about 16 or so...”

Gay compares city debt load to having multiple mortgages on home

13:55

Hotel Rooms Down 40% for World Cup Period

“According to a Forbes article that was written last week, uh the room nights are down about 40% because of what all is going on around the country.”

DMO cites cancellations as reason to avoid airport advertising

24:56

DMO Can't Write Checks Directly to City

“I cannot write the city a check for shirts. I told you before, I said if you need to order the checks, you can give me the invoice and we could...”

Miller says legal restrictions prevent direct payments for city events

1:21:30

Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee Selection Rushed

“We have received a few appointees that we would like to appoint today as we are on a deadline, but please be rest assured that we will be...”

Staff admits they're on deadline but will add more members later

1:23:35

City Close to Hiring Economic Development Director

“We interviewed four people today for the economic development director's position. So, we're getting very close to getting a director. So, we...”

Hicks says they've narrowed seven candidates down to two

1:24:08

Fostered Foundation Event Returns After Weather Cancellation

“Unfortunately, uh the weather kind of scared us off. it was like some severe weather that was coming in and out of the week and we just didn't...”

Wilson explains why 2025 community day was called off

1:16:16

Council Member K References Bible Reading Advice

“He said, uh, he said, all you got just read Pro Proverbs cover to cover. He said, 'That'll cover everything. If you read read that and follow...”

Gay shares personal story about reading Proverbs instead of full Bible

57:28

Ignite Director Unable to Provide Call Volume Metrics

“But as far as me keeping numbers on how many phone calls I get every week, I have not been doing that. And as you know, we ignite was not funded...”

Stewart says she focuses on community presence over tracking numbers

8:11

Council Starts Workshop 3 Minutes Late Due to Quorum Issues

“We had a quorum and now we don't. We had a quorum and now we don't. So we will um waiting on uh one of our members to so we can begin this...”

Meeting delayed as council members struggle to maintain attendance