The land purchase ordinance for the Lake Charlotte Nature Preserve, adopted by Atlanta City Council on April 20, 2020 and approved by the Mayor Bottoms on April 24, 2020, is notably missing “Exhibit C” which includes the required affidavits from the commissioners of the Department of City Planning and the Department of Parks and Recreation. These affidavits, as required by Section 158-66(b)(3) of the Tree Protection Ordinance, affirm that a jointly developed written list of factors and a process for evaluating parcels that may be suitable for acquisition as forested property were followed in the selection of the Lake Charlotte property. Without these attached affidavits, the land purchase ordinance is out of compliance with the Tree Protection Ordinance.

The final stamped ordinance fails to include these required affidavits. The Tree Next Door submitted an Open Records Request on May 8, 2020 requesting these affidavits and received them on May 22, 2020 as a separate file from the land purchase ordinance.

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