Decatur, GA — The Decatur City Commission will meet on Monday, May 1, for its regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. There will also be a dinner session at 5:30 p.m. and a work session at 6 p.m. The meetings will be held in person at Decatur City Hall, 509 N. McDonough Street, and virtually via Zoom.

The work session will focus on the Child Friendly Cities Initiative. There are currently no action items on the agenda for the regular meeting.

“The Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) is a UNICEF-led initiative that supports municipal governments in realizing the rights of children at the local level using the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as its foundation,” the CFCI website states.

Decatur is working with UNICEF USA, City Schools of Decatur, Decatur Housing Authority, and Decatur Education Foundation to achieve recognition as one of the first Child-Friendly Cities in the country, according to the city website.

To access the meeting, follow these instructions:

To view the agenda, click here.

This meeting will be held in-person. Members of the public wishing to participate during either the “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/97384852888. 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 City Manager Andrea Arnold at [email protected] by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, May 1st.

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

The city aims to impact children and youth in Decatur in five goal areas. The goals areas listed on the city website are:

– Safety and Inclusion: Every child and young person is valued, respected and treated fairly within their communities and by local authorities.

– Children’s Participation: Every child and young person has their voice, needs and priorities heard and taken into account in public laws, policies, budgets, programs and decisions that affect them.

– Equitable Social Services: Every child and young person has access to quality essential social services.

– Safe Living Environments: Every child and young person lives in a safe, secure and clean environment.

– Play and Leisure: Every child and young person has opportunities to enjoy family life, play, and leisure.

During the regular meeting, the city commission will hear a report on the Frontline Response warming center. The city commission approved a memorandum of understanding with Frontline Response in October 2022 to operate a warming center on Gresham Road.

The MOU is in place from Nov. 1, 2022 to Nov. 30, 2023. Frontline serves as a cold weather warming center for unhoused individuals in the city. It provides bedding, food, and restrooms for up to 10 men and 10 women and/or children needing shelter when the temperature drops to 38 degrees or below, according to the MOU.

“At the warming center, individuals will be provided a meal and a bed for the evening,” said Shirley Baylis, downtown program manager, at the Oct. 17, 2022, city commission meeting. “Frontline staff and security will be on site 24 hours while the unhoused individuals are on the premises. In the morning, the unhoused individuals will have the opportunity to meet with a caseworker for placement into long-term housing or to be reunited with their families.”