Major Accomplishments Highlights

FY2026 Highlights

• FIFA World Cup Matters: Provided advice and counsel to the operational and policy team tasked with coordinating the City’s actions relatedtotheFIFAWorldCupin 2026. Including preparation of Executive Orders and Legislation as well as review of MOUs and other related agreements.
• FEMA Claims: FEMA initially refused to consider one of the City’s claims associated with flooding at a Department of Watershed Management facility. The Law Department brought an action against FEMA to force them to consider the claim, and it resulted in an approximate $1 million payment from FEMA. This brings the total collected for Watershed against FEMA and the City’s insurance for the flood to approximately $43 million.
• PFAS Multi-District Litigation: The City sued several manufacturers of micro-plastics for damages associated with micro-plastics having to be removed from our drinking water supply. To date, the city has collected approximately three million dollars.
• Clean Water Act Lawsuit: Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Inc. filed a suit against the city asserting claims for violations of the federal Clean Water Act associated with Watershed’s RM Clayton sewer facility. The Law Department was able to negotiate a favorable outcome for the city potentially saving the city millions of dollars and leading to improvements at the facility.
• Complex Bankruptcy Matter: Provided advice and counsel, together with outside counsel, to the Department of Aviation through protracted negotiations involving federal bankruptcy law and municipal law matters. After various attempts by the city to secure delinquent rents, a long-standing concessions operator voluntarily filed bankruptcy in early 2025. The city filed various motions, participated in several hearings, conferred multiple times a week to monitor the federal bankruptcy process, and implemented strategy that yielded favorable results for the city. In late 2025, the Court approved the sale of the city leases to a new operator, and the city recovered several million dollars in back owed rent.
• Google Fiber: The TPS legal team led the negotiations of the franchise agreement with Google Fiber Georgia for installation and operation its FTP network within the City’s rights-of-way and led the ATLDOT team through the City Utilities legislation approval process resulting in unanimous approval of the authorizing legislation. The city anticipates generating approx. $1.5M in annual franchise fee revenue.
• Keep Atlanta Beautiful Commission: The TPS legal team provided support and counsel to the Keep Atlanta Beautiful Commission.
• Consent Decree Compliance and ADA Self-Evaluation: In July 2024, the City entered a federal consent decree committing to bringing the City’s pedestrian right of way into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act within 25 years and a Self-Evaluation of the City’s compliance within one year of the entry of the consent decree order. The TPS legal team led the effort to replace outside counsel in representing the City’s continued obligations, with outside council providing nominal court filing assistance per the Court’s order. In addition to the significant reduction in legal fees and costs, the team now manages a timelier completion of major milestones, including the filing of quarterly reports to the court and the drafting of the Self-Evaluation entirely without outside legal or consultant assistance, all at a significant reduction in costs to the City.
• Revisions to 114-418: Assisted the Department of Human Resources in revising the City Code section formerly called Family Leave to allow employees flexibility to use their leave within twelve weeks of the qualifying event and clarifying that the leave may be taken upon the birth of a surrogate child. The name of the leave in the Code section was revised to be Child Caregiver Leave to avoid confusion with leave provided under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
• Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Policy: Assisted the Department of Human Resources in the creation of the policy in furtherance of the federal law establishing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). The policy lays out the process for employees to apply for reasonable accommodations for limitations connected to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.
• Legislative Training: Assisted the Deputy Chief of Staff on behalf of the Department of Law, with creating and providing Legislative Process Training for the Executive Branch of the City of Atlanta.
• Community Access Channel: Provided advice and counsel to the Deputy Chief of Staff and the Office of Communications as they moved to partner with Atlanta Metropolitan State College to take over the operation of the City’s Community Access Channel.
• Atlanta Jazz Festival: Provided legal advice and counsel and legal services related to the 2025 and 2026 Jazz Festival.
• FAA Title VI Compliance: Coordinated and provided legal counsel and guidance to the Department of Aviation’s Office of Civil Rights to ensure full compliance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations prohibiting unlawful discrimination at ATL. Delivered advice on complex civil rights issues, including disability accommodations, age-related protections, and service animal requirements, ensuring adherence to federal standards and promoting equitable access across all airport operations.
• Airport Atrium Task Force: Staffed and provided legal counsel and advice to the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Atrium Task Force, which was established pursuant to Atlanta City Council Resolution 23-R-4638. Collaborated with task force members to conduct a thorough review of all existing procedures, policies, and applicable laws governing the airport’s Atrium and adjacent terminals, including analyzing regulatory frameworks, identifying operational and safety gaps, and advising on compliance with municipal, state, and federal requirements. Ensured that all proposed changes aligned with legal standards and best practices for large-scale transportation hub.
• Summer Youth Employment Program: Helped to implement the city’s 2025 Summer Youth Employment Program that provides employment and educational enrichment programs for young people ages 14 to 24, by completing agreements with providers of supportive services such as facility rental, travel, transportation, outreach/branding, and other relevant services. The Program, which is a crucial component of the Mayor’s Year of the Youth initiative, provides Atlanta’s youth with a variety of paid employment and internship opportunitiesranging fromfilmand entertainment, financial literacy, de-escalation, STEM preparation, entrepreneurship, and retail among other areas.

 Bond Transactions

• City of Atlanta General Obligation Bonds Defeasance 2025: Authorized the defeasance and redemption of the City of Atlanta Taxable General Obligation Refunding Bonds, and the execution, delivery and performance of an Escrow Deposit Agreement to effectuate the defeasance and redemption of various purpose General Obligation bonds and for other related purposes. Supporting legislation 25-O-1210. Amount: $17,663,123 (Closed 7/24/2025).
• City of Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Series 2025 Short-Term Borrowing Program: Authorized the issuance of up to $750 million in short-term notes to finance improvements at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The short-term notes finance interim costs related to planning, engineering, designing, acquiring, constructing, and equipping improvements at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Supportinglegislation25-O-1312.Amount: $750,000,000 (Closed 7/31/2025).
• City of Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Airport Customer Facility Charge Revenue Bonds, Series 2025 Refunding & New Money Bonds: Authorized the final pricing and issuance in an amount not to exceed $310 million for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Customer Facility Charge Revenue Bonds (Series 2025A and 2025B) to finance and refinance Airport projects, within parameters previously authorized and approves related bond sale actions, confirms compliance with required bond tests, and amends the FY2026 budget to appropriate the bond proceeds. Supporting legislation 25-O-1406. Amount: $240,140,000 (Closed 8/26/2025).
• City of Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport General Airport Revenue Bonds, Series 2025 New Money: Authorized the issuance of up to $1.3 billion in Airport General Revenue Bonds (Series 2025A/B) to finance and refinance various improvements at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, including the cost of construction, planning, engineering, design, acquisition, equipping and sustainability projects. Supporting legislation 25-O-1311. Amount: $1,066,187,360 (Closed 9/24/2025).
• Urban Residential Finance Authority (URFA) Taxable Draw-Down Revenue Bond (Housing Opportunity Program), Series 2026: The City requested authorization for the Finance Authority to issue up to $154 million in revenue bonds to refund outstanding 2021 and 2023 draw-down bonds, refinance the housing program through providing a loan to the Housing Corporation, and pay related issuance costs. The city also authorized up to $158 million in long-term take-out bonds to refinance the Series 2026 draw-down bonds at maturity or earlier redemption in support of Atlanta Housing Opportunity, Inc. Amount: $154,000,000 and $158,000,000.(Closing Scheduled 3/3/2026).

 Litigation Successes

• Grubbs v. City of Atlanta: The Department of Law obtained a favorable ruling from the Georgia Court of Appeals holding that a pro se Plaintiff who attempted to serve a Defendant by email had not properly served said Defendant. Although Plaintiff sought damages in the amount of $70,000,000, the city filed a motion to dismiss that was granted by the trial court and precluded her recovery. The Court of Appeals upheld this decision.

• Carlini v. City of Atlanta: The Department of Law obtained a favorable ruling from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia finding that the city could not be held liable for constitutional violations, federal RICO, and state RICO claims where the Plaintiff failed to adequately plead the City’s alleged involvement. Accordingly, Plaintiff’s lawsuit alleging $250,000 in damages was dismissed.
• Ziomek et al. v. City of Atlanta: Judge McBurney granted the City’s motion to dismiss after finding that the plaintiffs—who alleged zoning violations related to excessive Floor-to-Area Ratios, resulting nuisance, property value diminution, negligence, and inverse condemnation—failed to exhaust their administrative remedies and attempted an untimelycollateralattackonthezoning board’s prior decision. The Court agreed that plaintiffs were required to first appeal to the zoning board before seeking damages in Superior Court, rendering their claims unripe and procedurally barred. Although plaintiffs’ counsel continues to seek a “resolution,” their final date to appeal is March 5, 2026, and their failure to timely pursue administrative remedies appears to foreclose further action.
• During Q1-Q2, the Municipal Governance Team was served with 56 Quiet Title and Interpleader petitions. During the same period, the city filed 61 claims for payments totaling $479,720. Duringthistime-period,thecity collected $19,191 in payment of delinquent ad valorem taxes, delinquent solid waste bills, delinquent water bills and unpaid demolition lien costs.

Best-in-Class Legal Department

• DOL Continuing Legal Education: The Professional Development Committee hosted its 12th annual Continuing Legal Education (“CLE”) seminar on March 20, 2026, and March 27, 2026. Attorneys earned 8 of the required 12 CLE annual hours.

Employee Accomplishments

• Staci M. Strickland presented a Continuing Legal Education (CLE) course on Municipal Liability and Section 1983 Claims for the National Business Institute (NBI).
• Jonathan Gaul was an invited panelist at the 2026 American Public Transportation Association Legal Affairs Seminar in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The panel discussed successful Transportation ballot measures as a source of revenue complementing other funding sources supporting transportation and transit investment and their impact on transportation projects and funding, as well as lessons-learned transferable to other jurisdictions.
• Jessee Dagen and Ryan Albury-Hanna presented a Continuing Legal Education (CLE) course on Municipal Airport Contracting through the International Municipal Lawyers Association (IMLA).
• Amber A. Robinson was a panelist at The Council on Governmental Ethics Laws, popularly known as COGEL, at their 47th Annual Conference, in Atlanta, GA on December 8, 2025.