Atlanta Council Votes to Reopen Fire Station ATLANTA, GA (WABE) - Atlanta's City Council voted overwhelmingly to reopen Fire Station Number Seven in the West End yesterday, but only after more than an hour of debate and clarification.

Last week, West End residents were confident that the measure would fly through council, so many were surprised at the number of last-minute qualms that popped up.

The ordinance finds $1.1 million to open the station in other departments' consulting, supplies, travel, and non-personnel budgets. But Councilmember Felicia Moore felt the ordinance still left too much discretion to the administrative branch:

MOORE: If we really are serious about this, and I believe we all are, we need to find specific cuts to the budget that we all can live with, and not give the mayor any latitude, and tell her where we want those cuts to be made.

Moore voted in favor of the ordinance, but reminded her peers that when they last asked the mayor to make cuts, the fire station was closed. Moore worries that once again, the administrative branch will make cuts that the council considers unacceptable.

In a letter to Councilmembers last week, Mayor Shirley Franklin all but promised a veto.
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