Decatur Commission considering license for new restaurant, increasing city manager’s spending authority
Commissioners, pictured left to right, are: Mayor Pro Tem Tony Powers, Lesa Mayer, Kelly Walsh, Mayor Patti Garrett, and George Dusenbury. Photo obtained via the city of Decatur
Decatur, GA — The Decatur City Commission will meet on Monday, May 2 at 6:30 p.m. for a work session and at 7:30 p.m. for a regular meeting. The meetings will be held in person at Decatur City Hall, 509 N. McDonough Street, as well as Zoom.
During the regular meeting, the board will consider approval of an alcoholic business license for Tortuga y Chango, a new restaurant opening on West College Avenue. The work session will be focused on the Atlanta Regional Commission’s economic outlook.
To access the meeting, follow these instructions:
To view the agenda, click here.
“Public Comment” or “Requests and Petitions” portions of the meeting may attend the meeting in one of two ways:
1. Attend in-person by coming to Decatur City Hall, 509 N. McDonough St.
2. Register in advance at https://zoom.us/j/93436380177. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. You may also participate by phone by calling (929) 205-6099 and entering the meeting ID (The 11-digit number shown in the Zoom registration link.)
NOTE – This meeting will utilize virtual meeting technology. We cannot guarantee it will operate as planned. If your participation must be a matter of public record, attend the meeting in person or email your comments to Assistant City Manager David Junger at [email protected] by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, May 2nd.
Members of the public may also view the live broadcast of the Decatur City Commission meeting at https://www.decaturga.com/citycommission/page/streaming-video
Tortuga y Chango will open in the space that used to be Lawrence’s Café in Oakhurst. Co-owner Alan Raines has operated El Tesoro in Decatur and a second location in Atlanta, as well as Iris in East Atlanta Village.
The new restaurant is seeking an alcoholic business license for beer and wine beverages and spirituous liquor for consumption on premises as well as a catering license, according to a memo written by Angela Threadgill, planning and economic director.
The owners plan to open Tortuga y Chango by late June.
Also on the agenda, the city commission will consider approval of four revisions to the city’s financial policies as part of the fiscal year 2022-2023 budget. One of the amendments would increase the purchasing amount City Manager Andrea Arnold may authorize without city commission approval from $10,000 to $25,000, according to a memo from Finance Director Russ Madison.
“City staff conducted a survey of nearby cities to determine the proposed spending threshold,” Madison wrote in the memo. “Increasing the threshold may assist departments in completing projects more efficiently. For purchases under the threshold amount, the city manager would retain the discretion to require competitive bids.”
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