Big Peach Tackles Big Bills: Atlanta's hitting home where it hurts – right in the wallet. The Southern metropolis is launching the Community Energy Trust Fund, a financial heavyweight aimed at reducing the burdensome energy costs shouldered by low-income residents, joining fists with the fight against climate change.

The fund, which will focus on clean energy projects and enhancing energy efficiency to lighten power bills, got kicked off with a $500,000 infusion from the city's own affordable housing kitty, the Atlanta City Council green-lit the transfer, tossing fiscal heft behind their convictions—and their constituents.

Council member Liliana Bakhtiari, who played wordsmith to the measure, laid out the stark choice some Atlantans face in a statement obtained by WABE: "A lot of Atlantans are having to choose between going to a doctor and feeding themselves and keeping their utilities on." It's a grim referendum on the state of energy expenses in a city blooming as fast as its signature Dogwoods.

Under the banner of the City of Atlanta’s Office of Sustainability, the fund will hatch a game plan, albeit details are scant, but Bakhtiari's priority is playing the long game with permanent fixes like weatherization over quick fixes that don’t stand the test of time, "My priority is always going to be on the longer term solutions to ensure that we’re not putting a band-aid on something," they told WABE.