Cobb County launched its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Community Needs Survey this week. The online survey is designed to gather community input on how Cobb County should prioritize its $147-million allocation of federal ARPA funding. It is open to all Cobb County residents and organizations now through Monday, Nov. 22.
This American Rescue Plan Act was passed by the U.S. Congress in March 2021. It set aside funding for local and state governments to support public health, essential workers, infrastructure measures and to lessen the negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey will help the county to reflect the community’s priorities in its plan for investing the funds between these eligible uses.
Over the next three weeks, county officials hope to hear from as many Cobb County voices as possible. The survey takes only minutes to complete, and every survey response will help to shape an investment strategy that addresses the community’s highest needs. Paper versions of the surveys are available at all Cobb Senior Services’ multipurpose centers.
The ARPA Community Needs Survey is open now through Monday, Nov. 22.
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Cobb’s Law Library is open to the public and provides resources for legal information for attorneys and laypeople.
The Law Library is on the fourth floor of Cobb Superior Court, 70 Haynes St., Marietta, and is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The telephone number is 770-528-1884. We do not give legal advice.
Packets of some domestic relations forms, for situations including divorce, legitimation, and name change, are available for purchase in the Law Library. Bring cash! Packets range in price from $1 to $15. The forms – with instructions — are also available on our website at cobbcounty.org/courts/superior-court/administration/forms We do not have forms available for every conceivable issue.
The Law Library has computers available for legal research. We also have self-help books available on a variety of common legal needs, such as drafting a simple will, the divorce process, and landlord and tenant rights.
No library or county employee can provide legal advice or advise individuals how to fill out forms. If you need legal advice, contact the Cobb Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral Service at 770-424-2947 or the Cobb office of Atlanta Legal Aid at 770-528-2565.
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UPDATED, SATURDAY, OCT. 30: Richardson’s office sent out a message Friday evening that the town hall meeting has been cancelled and that it will be rescheduled.
From the office of District 2 Cobb commissioner Jerica Richardson:
Join us on Nov. 2 from 6 – 8 p.m., for our Cobb Mobility SPLOST Town Hall at the Sewell Mill Library & Cultural Center amphitheater. It is located at 2051 Lower Roswell Rd, Marietta, GA 30068.
The purpose of this town hall is to provide information on Cobb Mobility SPLOST, including:
• How this differs from the SPLOST referendum approved by voters in November 2020 • The referenda options available • Initial investment options identified based on data and public input from the 2021 Comprehensive Transportation Plan Update (in progress) • Public involvement opportunities to provide input on these options
Some background:
A call for a Cobb Mobility SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) referendum for November 2022 is being considered by the Cobb Board of Commissioners.
Like the existing Cobb government SPLOST approved by voters in 2022 and Cobb school SPLOST to be voted on Nov. 2, this sales tax would also charge one-percent on a purchase, but only to fund transit projects, for a maximum of 30 years.
Local jurisdictions also can impose a one-percent sales tax for up to five years for surface transportation projects. In Cobb that’s being done under the county government SPLOST.
In 2012, Cobb voters soundly rejected an Atlanta regional transportation sales tax (called a T-SPLOST).
Public transit in East Cobb is sparse compared to the rest of the county; the only CobbLinc service is along Powers Ferry Road, connecting Marietta to the Cumberland area. A bus line from Marietta to Sandy Springs was eliminated in the 2009 recession due to low ridership.
The county information sheet on the Cobb Mobility SPLOST indicated that it is expected to be drafted in January 2022, followed by an estimate of generated revenue and the development of a project list, most likely to be compiled by county commissioners.
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Additional police and security will be out in force around Truist Park and The Battery Atlanta this weekend for the first World Series games in Cobb County. (ECN file)
Here’s a very late addition to the Cobb Board of Commissioners meeting lineup Tuesday night:
Just as the Atlanta Braves are set to play their first World Series game in 22 years, commissioners will be approved spending up to $350,000 in “emergency” security and other costs for games played this weekend at Truist Park.
The vote was a unanimous 5-0.
The Braves play the Astros in Houston Tuesday and Wednesday; Games 3, 4 and 5 (if necessary) would be at Truist Park Friday, Saturday and Sunday, all evening games.
The county sent out a release late Tuesday afternoon saying that the money will come from its reserve and the expenses “could include such things as supplies, equipment, signage, and overtime.”
Cobb Finance Director William Volckmann told commissioners most of the money will be used for additional overtime for security and law enforcement.
County spokesman Ross Cavitt said in the release that Cobb public safety officials have been holding meetings with Major League Baseball and state and local officials.
Cobb Public Safety Director Randy Crider said in the release that baseline security procedures have already been established stemming from plans for the MLB All-Star Game, which was to have been at Truist Park in July.
This weekend’s games will be the first World Series games to be played in Cobb County by the Braves. The franchise won its only World Series in 1995 in Atlanta at Atlanta Fulton-County Stadium.
Their last World Series was played at Turner Field in downtown Atlanta in 1999, when the Braves lost to the New York Yankees.
The Cobb statement said Cobb Police have cancelled leave, strengthened shifts and added special units “in order to increase manpower around the stadium.”
The release didn’t say how much more personnel would be in force, nor what any extra security or traffic measures would entail.
Truist Park has had five postseason games already in 2021, and the Braves clinched both of their previous series there, first against the Milwaukee Brewers and on Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Cobb release did say the following:
“Cobb Police and Cobb DOT have a proven traffic plan to get people in and out of the area, and they will be coordinating with GDOT and our neighboring cities to make sure fans can get in and out of the area as quickly and safely as possible. With a popular convention at the Galleria this weekend, county leaders are hoping as many area businesses as possible will encourage their employees to work remotely this Friday.”
Commission chairwoman Lisa Cupid:
“Much like the Braves, we faced some adversity earlier this year. But we are eager for the eyes of the sports world to see the unique venue that is Truist Park and the Battery Atlanta which has helped solidify Cobb County as one of the premier tourist destinations in the southeast.”
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Cobb County Purchasing Department and Department of Public Safety – E911 Emergency Communications Center will be hosting a “How to Do Business with Cobb County Government” webinar.
This month’s free informational webinar info session will highlight E911 Emergency Communications Center.
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From Thomas Brooks at the Cobb County Public Library comes this notice that starting Saturday and continuing weekdays through Oct. 28, businesses affected by recent flooding can consult with U.S. Small Business Association representatives for disaster loan consultations at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (2051 Lower Roswell Road).
The temporary outreach center there will be open from 10-2 Saturday, then from 10-6 Monday-Friday for the next two weeks, ending on Oct. 28.
Here’s what Cobb County government sent out Thursday about how the program will work:
The US Small Business Administration issued a Disaster Declaration for Cobb County today that will provide assistance to those impacted by flooding caused by heavy rains last month. Parts of the county were hit by more than five inches of rain in a short period of time, causing flood damage to homes, businesses, and apartments in areas that have rarely been impacted by flooding.
The declaration comes after federal, state, and local disaster teams toured the area last month. More than 250 reports of building damage were submitted to Cobb Emergency Management teams in the days following the early September deluge.
“Many who reported flood damage had never experienced such a disaster before,” said Cobb Emergency Management Director Cassie Mazloom. “After our survey teams found the impacted area was much larger than expected, we ramped up an online reporting tool that allowed residents to report building damage. We hope this declaration will allow many of these victims to get assistance to complete repairs.”
The declaration means those affected can apply for physical damage SBA loans as well as the Economic Injury Disaster Loans for small businesses. SBA officials will open a Disaster Loan Outreach Center starting this Saturday at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center at 2051 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta. Representatives will be on hand from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday, then from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The center will be open through October 28.
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Cobb County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Lisa Cupid signed a second extension of the county’s Declaration of Emergency today [Oct. 14] concerning the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The extension will allow upcoming public meetings to be held virtually, keep the county’s emergency operations plan in place, and continues to encourage residents to get vaccinated and take precautions in public. The second extension runs through November 16.
“Even though we’ve heard positive news from our public health partners on the downward trend of this latest surge in COVID cases, the county’s case rate remains more than three times what is considered ‘high community transmission,’” Chairwoman Cupid said. “Keeping this order in place will allow us to remain proactive and hopefully help end this latest surge.”
The extension also cites the “severe overcrowding” condition at Kennestone Hospital caused by coronavirus cases and continues the terms of prior declarations.
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Several of those citizens addressed Cobb commissioners Tuesday to describe what had happened to their properties, and what they said was a lacking response by the county.
One of them was Denise Canteli of Terrell Mill States in East Cobb, who showed photos of flooding caused by a collapsed storm drain, to Pebble Hill Drive where she lives, and in her yard.
She said that when she called the county’s stormwater office, “they said it’s our responsibility,” and she never heard back. “This is an unacceptable answer.”
Canteli said the aging stormwater infrastructure that’s in her community—and she noted plenty of new development nearby in the Powers Ferry and Terrell Mill corridor—”doesn’t meet 2021 demands.”
She fought back tears when she said that “I refuse to be a retention pond for Cobb County.”
Her remarks came during a public comment period, when commissioners don’t directly address citizens. But chairwoman Lisa Cupid asked Cobb Emergency Management to confer with Canteli when her speaking time was over.
Some citizens have created a group called the September 7 Storm Damage Advocacy group. East Cobb resident Hill Wright is one of them, and accused the county of having “reactive, not proactive leadership when disasters happen.
“What we see is a bureaucracy that is broken and lacks compassion,” he told commissioners.
On Wednesday, the group sent out a reminder that District 2 Commissioner Jerica Richardson is holding a virtual town hall Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
Richardson announced the town hall during her comments near the end of the meeting but didn’t reference the complaints of the public commenters.
From the September 7 group statement Wednesday—and they’re asking citizens who have lingering storm damage to report it:
The advocacy group is anxious to hear how the county will close the “clear gaps” in storm management and the gaps in aid for the people who are devastated and facing ruin. The group plans to address Cobb’s lack of “as built” records of shared community storm drainage assets, which the county is using to deny responsibility for the failure of these assets along with the lack of maintenance for these assets.
As Adam Stewart, member of the advocacy group, said, “The power company comes and cuts the trees near the lines before the storm because they know the rate payers can’t do it and they know if they don’t, that the lines will be damaged when the storm comes. Storm drainage should be the same way!”
If you have storm damage as a result of the Sept. 7 torrential downpour, go to www.SaveEastCobb.com and click on the storm damage button at the top.
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Cobb commission chairwoman Lisa Cupid fired back in response to citizen comments that she’s preventing them from expressing their First Amendment rights at public meetings.
After a public comment session at Tuesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting, Cupid cited long-standing policy giving the county chair the prerogative to impose standards of civility.
“I will continue to preserve order and decorum,” Cupid said in reading prepared remarks from a laptop computer at her side.
Her comments followed two public speakers who’ve been highly critical of her in recent weeks, and after she had ordered a citizen in attendance to be removed from the board’s meeting room for heckling.
East Cobb resident Christine Rozman
One of the previous speakers, Christine Rozman of East Cobb, returned to read the text of a letter she wrote to Cupid last week.
In September, Rozman spoke out against an agenda item for the county to hire a contractor to develop a Unified Development Code, a comprehensive planning process that some critics fear may limit or eliminate single-family zoning.
Rozman referenced the government of China and United Nations 21/2030 Agenda (a sustainable development document) in denouncing the UDC, which is in place in DeKalb County as well as the cities of Atlanta and Roswell.
Cupid later told the MDJwithout referencing anyone by name that she was “somewhat offended by some of the comments” that she said were “disparaging innuendo with respect to race, national geography and origin” and that she said didn’t reflect the board.
On Tuesday, Rozman repeated concerns about UDC, then cited New York Times v. Sullivan, a landmark free speech ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1964, that said that public debate on issues “may include vehement, caustic and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks on government and public officials.”
She said public speakers are also subject to First Amendment guarantees of free speech, “whether or not the presentation and style of said comments appeal to the preferred presentation style of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners.”
Rozman’s letter concludes with a comment she included from an unnamed attorney who told her the following:
“The message from Ms. Cupid is that anyone who speaks out against the BOC is motivated solely by racism and whatever national geography and origin means. In other words, she uses ‘innuendo,’ which is both without merit and absent fact, as a basis to disregard what was said and ultimately prevent future speech.”
Rozman didn’t read that portion of the letter at Tuesday’s meeting because her time limit had ended; she previously sent East Cobb News a copy of the letter, dated. Oct. 6.
Rozman also asked at the end of her letter that Cupid issue a formal apology to her, but none was forthcoming.
Shortly before Rozman spoke, Cupid cut off another public speaker, Hill Wright of East Cobb, who tried to continue speaking on another topic after his five-minute limit had expired.
Cupid reminded those in attendance not to speak “out of turn,” then asked County Attorney William Rowling to read aloud a statement governing public comments.
That’s a new practice at commission meetings (the Cobb Board of Education also recently began issuing such a disclaimer before public comment sessions), and comes on the heels of a suspended attempt to alter its public comment format.
Cobb commissioners were to have considered a public comment policy change in August, but the agenda item was pulled by Cupid after wide criticism, ranging from the Cobb chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to the Cobb Republican Party.
That agenda item has not been brought back up.
In her comments Tuesday, Cupid read from a board policy that public speakers are prohibited from making “impertinent, derogatory, offensive or slanderous remarks” while addressing the commission.
(Her comments come with about an hour left in the video above; the speakers in question are shown shortly before that.)
“I’m sorry if some people don’t like that policy, but that is our policy,” Cupid said. She continued, stating that persons can be barred “if their conduct is deemed out of order.”
She recited the process from there, including a citizen’s right to appeal being banned from speaking, then spoke off the cuff.
“People keep saying they want this county to run like a business . . . that is what we’re doing,” Cupid said. “This county has a budget of $1 billion. We ask for your support to help run this county like a business.
“We have a highly educated, professional county. You know what you would have tolerated in your meetings, in your classrooms, in your board rooms. So I don’t know why when people step in this room, they have amnesia.”
She said that while she welcomes public comment, “we will not allow mayhem to be the spirit of this meeting.”
The fireworks started well before that, after Cobb and Douglas Public Health Director Dr. Janet Memark briefed commissioners on recent COVID-19 trends. After she was done, a citizen in attendance shouted “I have a question,” and Cupid said he was out of order.
“That’s not how we conduct our meetings,” she said.
When he persisted, she ordered law enforcement to remove him from the room.
At that point, after the first item on the agenda, Cupid called for a five-minute recess before the meeting resumed.
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Flooded roads in the Columns Drive area of East Cobb during the Sept. 7 flash floods. Photo: Cobb County government
Some Cobb residents chafed at the county government’s response to last month’s flash flooding said they will address commissioners about the subject on Tuesday.
A newly formed group called the Cobb September 7 Storm Damage Advocacy Group said it will speak at a public comment session Tuesday. The meeting starts at 9 a.m. (preview post and agenda here).
The heavy rains on that date caused flooding in various areas of the county, especially in East Cobb.
In a release sent out Monday by group organizers Hill Wright, an East Cobb resident, and Linda Farmer, a retired teacher at Lassiter High School, they said “this storm did more than damage property: It exposed gaps in effective storm water management, negative impacts from zoning decisions, lack of building standards for storm water management, and lack of leadership to effectively respond quickly to the unfolding disaster.”
In their release, they said some homeowners were told they were responsible for making repairs ranging from $25,000-$250,000 for what they said was flooding caused by poor stormwater infrastructure.
In one case, they said the county accepted responsibility for a failing 48-inch stormwater pipe that caused a sinkhole in a resident’s yard, but since the pipe is only partially on that property, the homeowner is on the hook for $25,000.
The county did establish a reporting tool for residents stemming from those storms—the group says that happened at the behest of a citizen, “but there was no further coordinated communication to keep residents informed.”
Earlier on Monday, East Cobb-area commissioner Jerica Richardson announced she would he holding a virtual forum Thursday on the subject. The sign-up link can be found here; the event starts at 5:30 p.m.
The citizens group said in its release that it prefers to have availability with elected officials in-person and face-to-face and is asking “the county to look past individual solutions at each site and start taking a systematic approach to Cobb County storm water management.”
A county e-mail sent out late Monday afternoon said Richardson’s forum will provide an opportunity for citizens “to learn about what the county has done since the flooding and share your experiences” and to examine “steps we can take to improve our stormwater infrastructure for future disasters.”
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The 2021 Cobb County Future Land Use Map; for a larger version click here.
The Cobb Board of Commissioners will conduct a public hearing Tuesday to begin the process for updating the Cobb 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
Every five years the state requires local governments to update their long-term planning priorities.
The last update in Cobb was in 2017 (you can read it here), and Tuesday’s hearing will feature details on a timeline for the 2022 process, including a public meeting schedule and methods for getting citizen input.
That hearing (agenda item here) will take place near the start of the meeting, after public recognitions and before the public comment period.
The Cobb 2040 Comprehensive Plan also serves as a vision statement across a number of topics:
Land use; transportation; housing, economic development, community facilities, human services, public health, education, natural and historic resources, public safety, intergovernment coordination, disaster resilience, military compatability and place-making.
More information about the county’s comprehensive planning activities can be found here.
The commissioners’ meeting begins at 9 a.m. (full agenda packet here) in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta).
At 1:30 p.m. Tuesday commissioners will have a work session in the same location to hear presentations from county department heads to begin the fiscal years 2023-24 biennial budget process (agenda item here).
COVID-19 protocols are being followed for both meetings, including mandatory masks and a limit on in-person attendance due to social-distancing.
The meetings also will be live-streamed on the county’s website, cable TV channel (Channel 24 on Comcast) and Youtube page. Visit cobbcounty.org/CobbTV for other streaming options.
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With more than two-thirds of the county’s Emergency Rental Assistance funds already distributed, Cobb Commissioners approved tapping into an additional source of federal funding to continue providing rental and utility assistance to those impacted by the COVID pandemic.
Five nonprofit organizations have worked to distribute the $22.8 million Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA1) allocation and with assistance from the Cobb Magistrate Court and others more than $15 million has been distributed into the community. Local governments were under a deadline to distribute 65% of the funding by the end of September, but with that goal surpassed commissioners okay’d using “ERA2” funds to continue the program.
Commissioners formally accepted the $7.2 million in ERA2 funds earlier this year. Unlike the ERA1 funding, these funds would be available through September 2025. The same five nonprofit organizations that are currently administering the program will distribute the funds (see www.cobbcounty.org/ERA for details). The other differences include:
In order to be eligible for ERA2 assistance, the applicant must have received unemployment or experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced a financial hardship DURING or due to COVID-19;
The aggregate amount of financial assistance an eligible household may receive under ERA2 when combined with financial assistance under ERA1, must not exceed 18 months.
The Board of Commissioners approved the allocation of these funds during its Sept. 28 meeting.
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The Cobb Board of Commissioners will be asked on Tuesday to consider spending nearly $6.5 million in federal funding earmarked for rental assistance related to those impacted by COVID-19 shutdowns.
The item is to come up on the board’s regular agenda during its business meeting that starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
According to the agenda item (you can read it here) five local non-profits would get $1.15 million each in American Rescue Plan funding, plus $115,000 each for administrative costs.
Those groups are STAR-C, HomeFree, Sweetwater Mission, MUST Ministries, and the Center for Family Resources, which have previously disbursed federal rental assistance in cobb under the CARES Act.
The second Emergency Rental Assistance plan (ERA2) would provide up to 18 months of rental, utilities and home heating costs for those adversely effected by COVID-related actions, including job losses.
Those qualifying for the program include people who’ve been eligible for unemployment and have had a reduction in income due to the COVID restrictions, those who are at risk for homelessness and have a household income at or below 80 percent of the area median.
If you’re planning to be in attendance (second floor board room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta) you will be required to wear a mask.
The meeting also will be live-streamed on the county’s website, cable TV channel (Channel 24 on Comcast) and Youtube page. Visit cobbcounty.org/CobbTV for other streaming options.
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Reports of damaged homes and property continue to come into Cobb Emergency Management from last week’s torrential rainfall event. EMA continues to respond to reports, but now there is a tool to allow you to report damaged property directly to our emergency management teams.
This is only a reporting tool for the flooding event of September 8th.
If you have already spoken with a Cobb Emergency Management team please do not fill out another report.
This is only to report damage to “essential living spaces.” There were many reports of damage to yards, however, this report focuses only on residences.
The form will ask for a “Team Number/Name,” simply choose “other.”
Type in the address on the “Map Your Location” image
A picture representative of the damage is preferred.
The information gathered will be used for a report to GEMA after which any disaster declaration will be considered. If such a declaration is issued, we will contact those impacted.
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Cobb County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Lisa Cupid signed an extension to the Declaration of Emergency concerning the COVID pandemic in Cobb County, extending it through October 17, 2021.
The declaration will keep the county’s Emergency Operations Plan in place, which allows a smoother transition of resources between the county and partner organizations. The declaration continues to encourage preventative measures to combat COVID, and a new measure in the declaration will allow some public meetings or portions of meetings to be held remotely. Cobb County has instituted a mask mandate in its buildings as well as social distancing occupancy limits in meeting rooms.
“Although recent reports from Public Health have the case rate for COVID in Cobb slightly declining, we are still more than seven times the level of what is considered the high transmission of COVID,” said Chairwoman Cupid. “We continue to need to have the ability to move resources quickly and provide ways for people to participate in our county government activities in a safe manner.”
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A couple months after being temporarily shut down by a Cobb County judge, the Tokyo Valentino adult retail store on Johnson Ferry Road in East Cobb appears to be closed for good.
A For Lease sign has been posted in a front window, and East Cobb News has left a message with Tokyo Valentino’s attorney seeking further information and comment.
On July 19, Cobb Superior Court judge LaTain Kell ordered the store closed after a hearing in a legal dispute between Tokyo Valentino owner Michael Morrison and the county.
Cobb commissioners voted late last year to revoke the store’s business license, saying it misrepresented what kind of business would be going there when it received a business license in March 2020.
The county charged that Tokyo Valentino falsely applied to open a clothing store—calling itself the 1290 Clothing Co.—then featured an inventory mostly of sex toys after opening in June 2020 as Tokyo Valentino.
It was the fifth Tokyo Valentino location opened by Morrison, who has been embroiled with other jurisdictions in metro Atlanta over his various adult businesses.
After his store opened in East Cobb, Cobb commissioners overhauled the county code governing adult businesses.
Tokyo Valentino filed a federal lawsuit against the county, but that was dismissed in May.
Kell’s order was to enjoin Tokyo Valentino from doing business while the legal wrangling continued, and was not a permanent closure.
In August, Tokyo Valentino attorney Cary Wiggins made an emergency appeal for Kell to stay that injunction, but the judge declined.
Cobb officials said during the hearing before Kell that Tokyo Valentino had not applied for a general business license for 2021 or for an adult oriented business license, something that’s now required under the revised ordinance.
The new ordinance also permits adult businesses only in office-industrial zoning categories. The Tokyo Valentino store, which was formerly a mattress store, has been in a standalone building zoned for general commercial use and didn’t need to get county approval before opening.
Cobb government spokesman Ross Cavitt told East Cobb News that Tokyo Valentino’s appeal of the county’s attempt to permanently revoke its business license “is still underway.”
Cobb Police said that last fall, the Tokyo Valentino store was robbed by a burglar whom they allege stole more than $21,000 of lingerie, sex enhancement pills, CBD products, sex toys and gift cards.
A suspect was arrested in June and is facing numerous burglary and related charges for what police said was an extensive crime spree in Cobb from last September to March of this year.
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For a larger version of the proposed Buckhead city map, click here.
While a financial feasibility study for a proposed City of East Cobb is expected to be finished in November, a similar study conducted for a group pushing for cityhood in Buckhead was released on Tuesday.
Those behind the Buckhead breakaway have cited rising crime and pressure on public safety services in the City of Atlanta, and the proposed city would have more patrol officers than what are currently staffed in the Buckhead area.
The proposed City of Buckhead would have a population of just over 100,000 and cover what’s now Atlanta to roughly the I-75/I-85 split.
The other proposed services are public works, parks and recreation and community development.
From the Buckhead.com site is an analysis of the study, and there are a few things about the Buckhead effort worth noting.
First, none of the legislators who have co-sponsored the bill are from the proposed city area, which is required under state law. They’re North Fulton and Gwinnett Republicans, and thus far no Atlanta lawmakers have signed on.
Secondly, the study was done at a small-town South Georgia university that normally limits is work to that part of the state, certainly not a big city.
The Buckhead cityhood group approached the University of Georgia, which declined to do the study. Georgia State University is conducting the East Cobb feasibility study, as it did for the previous East Cobb cityhood effort in 2018.
Like the four cityhood efforts in Cobb County, Buckhead legislation filed this year would call for a November 2022 referendum, if that bill is passed by the Georgia legislature next year.
New organizations have been formed to create a City of Vinings and a City of Lost Mountain in West Cobb, which, like the new East Cobb effort, are focused on zoning and development issues.
Feasibility studies for those three proposed Cobb cities also are still underway.
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“We are giving people a choice,” Cobb commission chairwoman Lisa Cupid said.
The Cobb Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to extend paid leave hours for county employees who are out due to COVID-related reasons through the end of the year.
The measure revising the county’s emergency paid leave provision would use $750,000 of federal American Rescue Plan funding allotted to Cobb County, and employees could get up to 80 hours of paid leave.
But that’s only for county employees who have been vaccinated against the virus. The board’s vote was 4-1, opposed by Keli Gambrill of North Cobb, who said the policy is discriminatory and would hurt the county’s ability to hire and retain employees.
“Using COVID as a red herring and justification to take away personal choice—it begs the question: Why would an employee want to continue working for Cobb County?” Gambrill said in reading prepared remarks.
“It is no wonder our turnover rate is so high and we are unable to attract new employees when we fail to appreciate their service in exchange for political posturing.”
She got no support from her colleagues, including her fellow Republican JoAnn Birrell of Northeast Cobb, who said that “I see this as a benefit, not a penalty.”
Democrat Monique Sheffield of South Cobb said the policy is “simply an effort to stop the spread” of COVID-19. She said the public “elected us to do the responsible thing, and this agenda item reflects that.”
Tony Hagler, head of the Cobb government human resources office, requested the change due to “the significant increase in COVID-19 cases associated with the more contagious Delta variant within Cobb County. In addition, this Emergency Paid Administrative Leave will help alleviate the stress on staff when faced with the decision of staying home to quarantine and/or caring for family member(s).”
The new policy would pay workers who are out due to COVID-19 symptoms or quarantine their full salary, and two-thirds of their pay if they’re tending to a relative who’s got the virus.
Cobb workers now get between 13-25 days of paid sick leave annually, based on their years of employment.
Cobb’s latest 14-day average of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people has fallen under 800, but still remains extremely high, Cobb and Douglas Public Health director Dr. Janet Memark told commissioners earlier in Tuesday’s meeting.
Commission chairwoman Lisa Cupid disputed a suggestion by Gambrill that the policy change is politically motivated, calling it an “apolitical agenda item.”
She also said employees do have a choice, and that COVID-related absences are draining county resources, noting that the county is spending heavily in overtime pay to cover for COVID-related absences.
“It is a choice,” Cupid said. “You may not like the choice, but not liking the choice doesn’t mean you don’t have one.”
Commissioner Jerica Richardson, who represents part of East Cobb, voted for the policy change but did not offer any comments beforehand.
Water bills to go up
Commissioners also voted 4-1 to approve a request by the Cobb County Water System to raise rates starting in January.
The agenda item states that rates for a typical residential customer will go up by $5.43 a month.
Birrell was the only vote against, saying she couldn’t support a rate increase as long as commissioners continue to transfer revenues from the water system to fund the county budget.
Gambrill and Birrell voted against spending $3.8 million from the county’s fund balance to complete renovations of the new Cobb Board of Elections and Registrations office on Roswell Street in Marietta.
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The Cobb Chamber will host the 2021 Transportation & Mobility Summit on Tuesday, October 12 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. The luncheon will cover local, state and federal transportation initiatives impacting Cobb County and the surrounding region.
Through in-depth sessions, transportation experts and regional leaders will guide conversation addressing the transportation needs of our community, connectivity within the metro region, trends in technology, and proposed projects that have regional impact and address traffic congestion in Cobb County.
A number of speakers will be present at the luncheon summit, including:
Jannine Miller, State Planning Director, Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT)
Cain Williamson, Chief Planning Officer, Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority (The ATL)
Lisa Cupid, Chairwoman, Cobb County Board of Commissioners
Kim Menefee, Executive Director, Cumberland CID
Tracy Rathbone Styf, Executive Director, Town Center CID
Registration is now open at www.cobbchamber.org/events. Tickets are $60 for Cobb Chamber members and $100 for non-members. The Transportation & Mobility Summit is presented by Presenting Sponsor, Mold Boss; Lunch Sponsor, Comcast; Gold Sponsors, Cobb EMC, Croy Engineering, Cumberland Community Improvement District, Cushman & Wakefield, C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. Inc., Development Authority of Cobb County, Georgia Power, HNTB, Town Center Community Improvement District, and W&A Engineering; and Silver Sponsors, ARCADIS, Council for Quality Growth, Deloitte, Gateway Marietta Community Improvement District, Genuine Parts Company, KCI Technologies Inc., McCarthy Building Companies, and Lumin8 Transportation Technologies.
For more information about the Transportation & Mobility Summit, contact Stephanie Cox at scox@cobbchamber.org or 770-859-2337.
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Peachtree Corners city manager Brian Johnson runs the daily operations of one of Georgia’s newest cities.
The municipality in Gwinnett County of 43,000 came into existence in 2012, and he arrived five years ago.
He’s also a veteran of local government and has been involved in other cityhood movements in Georgia.
During a virtual town hall meeting of the East Cobb Cityhood Committee last week, he repeatedly touted the local control benefits of incorporation, noting that Peachtree Corners is similar to East Cobb—a portion of a sprawling, growing county.
Like Cobb, Gwinnett has a five-member county commission, with four district commissioners representing roughly 250,000 people.
That’s more than Cobb, where commissioners’ district include a little less than 200,000 people, a major driving point for the East Cobb Cityhood effort.
“No one individual can represent that many people,” he said at the East Cobb group’s third virtual town hall in recent months.
He noted that even when Peachtree Corners citizens don’t agree with decisions made by their city government, “they feel more comfortable that it was made at the local level.”
The Peachtree Corners City Council is non-partisan with seven elected members. East Cobb Cityhood legislation calls for six non-partisan council members, with one of them chosen by colleagues every two years to serve as mayor.
“Potholes could care less what party you’re affiliated with,” Johnson said. “Local government, city government, is the purest form of service delivery that exists because of that very reason.”
Peachtree Corners is similar to East Cobb in other respects, with an affluent, educated population. The city also provides similar services to what the East Cobb group is proposing—code enforcement planning and zoning.
And like the current East Cobb legislation that’s pending before the 2022 Georgia legislature, Peachtree Corners does not have public safety services. Gwinnett County police and fire continue to serve that municipality.
But Johnson also spelled out the challenges that new cities face. Peachtree Corners opted to provide trash pick-up with one vendor, which he said has led to complaints by some citizens who wanted a choice.
And he also said there are some people who opposed cityhood and other citizens who at times speak out when there are problems, often vocally.
“We’re not perfect, and we hear that every day,” Johnson said. “Government is a difficult business, and we’re invariably going to miss the mark.”
Before Johnson spoke, East Cobb Cityhood Committee member Sarah Haas stressed in a slide that a city of East Cobb would “not be another layer of government” but would be in charge of services transferred from the county.
In addition to code enforcement and planning and zoning, the proposed services are parks and recreation and road maintenance.
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