East Cobb Government

Cobb imposes mask mandate at county government buildings

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Jackie McMorris, Cobb County Manager
Jackie McMorris, Cobb County Manager

Cobb County Manager Jackie McMorris said that beginning Friday, a mask mandate will be in effect in all government buildings, due to rising COVID-19 case figures.

They include libraries, but outdoor facilities—including county parks and the Mable House Amphitheater—will be exempt from the order.

McMorris said the decision also stems from an increase in COVID-19 cases within the county workforce, but she didn’t specify how many people are affected.

“As the result of what is going on across the nation, the region, and of course here in Cobb, we’ve had to make some tough decisions on what we are going to do here in Cobb County Government,” Dr. McMorris said Tuesday in a statement issued by the county.

The mandate covers county employees, visitors, contractors and vendors, and public meetings also will be socially-distanced, as they were previously. Cobb courthouses have maintained a mask mandate since the pandemic began in March 2020.

There’s not a timetable for ending the mandate, and McMorris said masks will be available for people coming to county facilities who don’t have them.

Cobb had a similar mask mandate for several months last year and early this year, but dropped it when cases began falling during the spring.

However, the rapidly spreading Delta variant of COVID-19 has resulted in the highest transmission rates in Cobb since then.

As of Tuesday, the 14-day average of cases per 100,000 people had soared to more than 600, well above the “high community spread” threshold of 100 cases per 100,000.

“We’re in the second month of this and it just does not seem to be going away,” said Dr. Janet Memark, Director of Cobb and Douglas Public Health in the Cobb statement. “Right now we’re seeing younger people being hospitalized, and we continue to see hospitals that are dangerously low on critical care beds and medical-surgical beds.”

She didn’t offer any figures or further elaborate.

Some cities in Georgia, among them Atlanta, have imposed mask mandates beyond government facilities, including private businesses and other entities that are open to the public.

Cobb has not done that. Former Cobb commission chairman Mike Boyce said last year that while he strongly urged citizens to wear masks in public, he didn’t want to stretch law enforcement to that purpose, and also indicated he wasn’t likely to get his colleagues to agree.

Current chairwoman Lisa Cupid has been wearing masks at public meetings, and indicated in a county-produced video last week that she was considering taking some action.

She didn’t specify what that might be.

More from McMorris and Memark about the mask mandate can be seen in the video below.

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Cobb property tax bills mailed; payment deadline is Oct. 15

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Submitted information:

Tax Commissioner Carla Jackson announced that 2021 property tax bills have been issued. Payments are due by October 15. Payments must be received or USPS postmarked by the October 15 due date to be considered on time.

A total of 266,073 tax bills representing $994,740,860 was calculated consisting of 250,551 Real Property for $926,061,079 and 15,522 Personal Property for $68,679,781.

The six cities of Cobb bill and collect their own property taxes. The chart below details this year’s property taxes for Cobb County’s billing and collection authorities:

picture of pie graph of tax bills

Payments may be made online, by phone, mail, or in-person. Processing fees may apply:

  • Online at www.cobbtax.org via e-Check, debit or credit card.
  • Phone automated system at 1-866-PAY-COBB (1-866-729-2622).
  • Mail to Cobb County Tax Commissioner, PO Box 100127, Marietta, GA 30061.
  • In-person at any of the following locations: o Property Tax Division at 736 Whitlock Avenue, Marietta;
    • East Cobb Office at 4400 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta; and
    • South Cobb Government Service Center at 4700 Austell Road, Austell.
  • 24/7 drop boxes for checks/money orders made payable to Cobb County Tax Commissioner at:
    • Property Tax Division at 736 Whitlock Avenue, Marietta;
    • North Cobb Office at 2932 Canton Road, Marietta;
    • East Cobb Office at 4400 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta; and
    • South Cobb Government Service Center at 4700 Austell Road, Austell. 

For property owners with escrow accounts, tax information is sent to the mortgage companies; however, the property owner is responsible to ensure taxes are paid by the due date.

For questions or assistance, email tax@cobbtax.org or call 770-528-8600.

Please visit Understanding Your Tax Bill at www.cobbtax.org for a detailed explanation of our 2021 tax bills.

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First look at 2020 Census: Cobb population grows by 11 percent

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Cobb 2020 Census

The U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday released 2020 data for the purposes of redistricting, and the overall picture (summary report here) is that the nation is getting more ethnically diverse and living more in metropolitan areas as its population grows.

As of April 2021 there were more than 331 million people living in the United States, compared to 308 million people in April 2010.

In Cobb County, that population growth comes to more than 11 percent from the 2010 Census. As of April 2021, Cobb’s population was 766,149, compared to 688,078 in April 2010.

The Census Bureau has provided some initial “QuickFact” localized data at this link, and we’ll summarize some of those findings below.

Nearly 13 of Cobb’s citizens are age 65 and older, similar to the previous Census, and 22 percent are age 18 and under.

When it comes to race and ethnicity, Cobb’s “white alone” population—that portion of the population that does not include other ethnic groups—is at 51.1 percent.

The black or African American population now stands at 28.8 percent and the Latino or Hispanic population is at 13.3 percent.

More than 64 percent of Cobb residents live in owner-occupied housing, and the median value of those units is at $257K. The median gross rent in the county is $1,202.

There are more than 280,000 households in Cobb, and more than 91 percent have a broadband Internet subscription.

But 14.4 percent of Cobb residents under the age of 65 do not have health insurance, which is higher than the national average of 9.5 percent.

Cobb commuters also spend more “mean” travel time than the national average when it comes to getting and from their jobs: 31.6 minutes, compared to 26.9.

The 2020 Cobb Census data also show that the median household income is $77,932, and the per capita income is at $40,031 (both in 2019 dollars). More than 8 percent of Cobb residents live under the poverty line, less than the national average of 10.5 percent.

Total employment in Cobb is 360,023, and there are 80,947 businesses in the county.

As we noted last fall, the Census response rate in the county had exceeded 70 percent, and those numbers were even higher in East Cobb Census tracts.

We’ll be reporting more on East Cobb Census numbers as we get to the ZIP Code level of detail that’s not available for the moment.

The Atlanta Regional Commission has estimated that by 2050, Cobb’s population is expected to surpass 1 million.

East Cobb’s roughly estimated population was around 200,000 in late 2019, according to the Georgia Demographics website:

  • ZIP Code 30062: 65,801;
  • ZIP Code 30066: 55,937;
  • ZIP Code 30067: 46,536
  • ZIP Code 30068: 32,453.

That doesn’t include the Roswell ZIP Code 30075 which contains the extreme northeast portion of Cobb County, or about 8,100 residents of the 53,779 population of the ZIP Code.

The Census Bureau will be providing more data by the end of September at this link.

 

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Cobb commissioners delay vote on limiting public comment

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Citizens from across Cobb County used nearly all of their allotted 60 minutes of public comment Tuesday to blast a proposal that would limit their ability to directly speak to county commissioners at their meetings.

Cobb commissioners public comments
“There should be more access, not less access,” East Cobb resident Hill Wright said.

A proposal to cut total public comment time to 30 minutes and to limit individual speakers to three minutes was pulled to allow for more consideration, board chairwoman Lisa Cupid said.

The proposed changes drew the opposition of the head of the Cobb Republican Party as well as the local SCLC chapter, and individual citizens, some of them from East Cobb.

The changes would have revised a 30-year-old policy of allowing up to 12 speakers to speak for as long as five minutes each.

In an agenda item, the county said the existing policy was formulated before such forms of communication as e-mails and social media.

But some citizens said those electronic communications often don’t get a response, and they were critical of the proposed changes that would push all public comments to the end of meetings, after commissioners had taken votes.

“This is the one time that we citizens can look all five of you in the eye and tell you what we think, give you feedback and advocate [against] what we feel are bad policies,” East Cobb resident Hill Wright said.

“Yes, there’s e-mail, there’s other communications, but it’s not like standing up here and letting you know. It’s not the same as a room of people showing up to let you know. This is really how our government should work.”

Another East Cobb resident, Christine Rozman, called the proposed changes “a real assault on our freedom of speech.

“Every encroachment on our freedom is starting to add up. People are waking up,” she added, alluding to protests in Europe, Australia and elsewhere over COVID-19 restrictions.

“We don’t trust you now and maybe that’s what you don’t want us talking about.”

To change the public comment policy, four of the five commissioners would have to approve it. But commissioner JoAnn Birrell of Nottheast Cobb was absent from Tuesday’s meeting.

In her weekly newsletter, District 2 commissioner Jerica Richardson said the following:

“I wanted to let everyone know your voice was heard regarding the proposed policy change for public comment. The agenda item was pulled off the list and will go back into review. As I shared in my meeting preview, the intent of the change was for streamlined meetings and identifying consistency with other counties. It was initiated several months ago with that goal in mind. The changes proposed, however, do not get us to that place. Let us know your thoughts as public comment is a great avenue for those to be heard, but we did find a disconnect in individuals speaking and then leaving without any resolution to their issues as we cannot respond to public comment. Many areas are under review in the policy, and I am sure many of you have thoughts on those as well. So, please keep sharing as we all work to come up with policy that best represents and addresses the needs of the community.”

The public comment proposal will likely be taken up at the commissioners’ next voting meeting on Aug. 24.

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Cobb commissioners to consider limiting public comment time

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Cobb commissioners public comments

There’s an item on Tuesday’s agenda of the Cobb Board of Commissioners that’s already promising to generate some public comment.

The item is asking the board to consider changes that would reduce the time for public comments in half.

Currently the board policy is to have up to 12 public speakers who are given a maximum of five minutes, for a limit of 60 minutes.

Up to six speakers are given time at the start of meetings, with the rest commenting near the end.

But the proposed revisions would cut back the allotted slots to 10 speakers who would be given no more than three minutes to offer comments, for a maximum of 30 minutes.

In addition, all of the public comment period would come at the end of meetings.

The agenda item is here; and further details are here.

Those changes have sparked some heated reaction from citizens who got in touch with East Cobb News over the weekend.

One of them is Christine Rozman of East Cobb, who has been an occasional public speaker, and who said in an e-mail that “this is not sitting well with ALL citizens.”

She most recently addressed commissioners last month about the county budget, imploring them to “rein in” spending (comments are around the 40-minute mark).

Another resident, Michael Ashton, noted that by pushing the public comments to the end of meetings, “there would be no public comments on any of the current agenda items until after the items had either been approved or denied.”

East Cobb resident Jan Barton, who has been a frequent public commenter over the years, especially on county finances, taxes and spending, said that “it is outrageous that they plan to limit our free speech.”

The agenda item said that the current public comment period has been in effect since 1991, “before the advent of many means of communication we take for granted today including, email, newsletters, and social media. This agenda item will update the county’s Rules of Procedure involving public comment to include revising the time per speaker to three minutes to match the allotted time per speaker in public hearings, consolidating all public speakers into one agenda position, limit the overall time allowed, and eliminate certain prohibitions for those allowed to speak before the Board.”

The proposal stressed that “there is no limitation on the number of times an individual may speak throughout the year nor a limitation on the number of times a person may address any given subject matter,” policies that also date back to the 1990s.

The proposed changes come shortly after the Cobb Board of Education changed its public comment procedures, including a requirement that speakers sign up online and in advance.

Unlike other votes needing a simple three-vote majority, revising this policy will require approval of four of the five commissioners.

The agenda item will come up near the end of the meeting, before the second public comment period.

The full agenda for Tuesday’s commission meeting can be found here, and it includes an appointment by District 2 Commissioner Jerica Richardson of East Cobb resident David Anderson to the Cobb Planning Commission; previous post here.

Tuesday’s meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta, and 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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Richardson to appoint new member of Cobb Planning Commission

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Richardson Cobb Planning Commission appointment

Cobb Commissioner Jerica Richardson is set to announce a new appointment to the Cobb Planning Commission next week, days after her holdover representative steered through a vote on a major rezoning case in East Cobb.

According to Tuesday’s meeting agenda, Richardson will appoint East Cobb resident David Anderson to succeed Tony Waybright.

Waybright had been appointed in March 2020 by former District 2 commissioner Bob Ott, whose time in office ended last December. Planning commissioners, who serve as an advisory board on planning and zoning cases, serve terms running concurrently with the commissioners who appoint them.

According to an agenda item, Anderson would serve through the end of 2024, when Richardson’s term expires.

Anderson is a real estate executive and entrepreneur with a background in commercial real estate investment and development, urban planning and data analytics.  

He has been a project manager with the New York City Economic Development Corporation and according to a biographical profile sent by Richardson’s office, “his goals as Planning Commissioner include enhancing the transparency of, engagement with, and usefulness of planning guidelines and data for all stakeholders.”David Anderson, Cobb Planning Commission

Anderson earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard University and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. East Cobb News has contacted Richardson seeking more details. 

Anderson would be the fourth person on the five-member Planning Commission to be appointed this year.

They include Deborah Dance, a former Cobb County Attorney who was appointed by Northeast Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell after longtime board member Judy Williams died of COVID-19 in January.

Dance assumed her position just as the Sprayberry Crossing rezoning case went before the Planning Commission. After a third hearing, the board passed her motion in June not to make a recommendation, although county commissioners approved that mixed-use proposal.

Waybright, a civic and school activist in the Smyrna/Vinings area, stayed on when Richardson began her term in January, and as the rezoning application of North Point Ministries at Johnson Ferry and Shallowford roads continued.

They held a virtual town hall meeting in February in which Waybright offered some conceptual changes to the North Point Ministries application for a mixed-use proposal for East Cobb Church, high-density residential, retail space and a community park and multi-use trail.

After full Planning Commission hearings in May, June and July ended with votes to delay, the Planning Commission voted on Tuesday to recommend approval. Cobb commissioners will take action on Aug. 17.

The North Point Ministries rezoning is the first major East Cobb case for Richardson, whose district stretches from the “JOSH” corridor through the Smyrna/Vinings/Cumberland area.

Nearly 60 people turned out in support of the rezoning at Tuesday’s Planning Commission hearing and nearly 30 came in opposition.

In his motion to recommend approval, Waybright made numerous changes, including capping the number of units and density.

Also on Tuesday, commissioners will consider a proposal to make changes to the public comment portion of their meetings. The agenda item is here; and further details are here.

The meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta, and 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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Cobb temporary COVID-19 call center closing after four months

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Submitted information:

Cobb County’s temporary call center to help residents make vaccination appointments and deal with rental assistance questions will end its four-month run on Friday.  The center, funded with a Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act allocation, took more than 1400 calls and was expanded to help link people to the county’s Emergency Rental Assistance program.

“We proposed the call center at a time when people were desperate to make an appointment to get the COVID-19 vaccine and supplies of the vaccine were low,” Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said.  “When the volume of calls dropped, we transitioned the call center to help with rental assistance.  Even though it is closing, we have the infrastructure in place to reopen it if the situation with the latest COVID surge starts overwhelming our resources once again.”

After an initial surge of calls, the call volume dropped precipitously after cases of COVID declined and the supply of the vaccine increased.  The contract with the vendor also includes software that could form the basis of a future 311 information center should the county decide to move in that direction.

Residents seeking a COVID test, vaccination, or information should visit www.cobbanddouglaspublichealth.com.

Residents who might need rental assistance should visit www.cobbcounty.org/ERA.

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Cobb commissioners approve fiscal year 2022 budget

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Lisa Cupid, Cobb adopts fiscal year 2022 budget
“Nothing in the budget I see is frivolous,” Cobb commission chairwoman Lisa Cupid said.

By a unanimous 4-0 vote, the Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved a fiscal year 2022 operating budget of $496.6 million that includes pay raises for county employees and continues implementing a tiered salary increase plan for public safety personnel.

The board kept the general-fund millage rate at 8.46 mills, but technically the spending package constitutes a property tax increase under state law.

That’s because the adopted budget is an increase of nearly 5 percent from the adopted fiscal year 2021 budget of $473.8 million.

The county tax digest is expected to grow about 5.5 percent in 2021, and commissioners did not rollback the millage rate to offset that additional revenue.

Because of state law, the county had to advertise the budget proposal as a tax increase and conduct public hearings, and some citizens spoke out against that.

The budget includes a 3-percent merit increase for county employees, replenishes capital maintenance budgets and creates an officer for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Other additional spending will go for increased costs for county court operations and the county elections offices.

Budget documents and information can be found here.

In making remarks before the vote, the four present commissioners all said that the budget before them provides only basic services, contains no luxuries.

“I don’t want to see my taxes increased either,” chairwoman Lisa Cupid said. “But nothing in the budget I see is frivolous.”

She said county cannot continue “to fall behind on the basic things.”

County employees have not frequently seen raises in recent years, and the turnover and attrition due to them leaving results in “reduced quality of services” for citizens, she said.

Cupid said as for capital maintenance, “there are many years we did not do that” and that now the county is restoring that funding “to where it should have been” some years before.

Last year, with uncertainty over the financial impact of COVID-19 closures, commissioners approved $2.1 million in capital maintenance. This year, that figure will be $10.2 million, a boost of 377 percent.

She also defended the creation of a cabinet-level diversity officer, which was stipulated in the FY 2021 budget but wasn’t funded.

Commissioner JoAnn Birrell, who represents the Northeast Cobb area, said she was in support of the budget because of the increasing commitment to implementing a step-and-grade salary program for public safety employees.

She also said the 3-percent raise for other county employees is “well-deserved.”

The budget does not include a decrease in the percentage of water system revenues to the general-fund budget, as commissioners had pledged two years ago.

Until then, the county took 10 percent of water system revenues to help fund the operating budget. Commissioners embarked on a plan to reduce that by one percent a year, or about $2.4 million annually.

That figure is now at 8 percent, and while Birrell said she’s disappointed that figure will be holding this year, the extra money is needed for step-and-grade and other purposes.

“I support the budget,” Birrell said.

Commissioner Jerica Richardson, who represents part of East Cobb, echoed some of Birrell’s sentiments, and before casting her first budget vote said “this budget is not a fix” for continuing service issues for county government.

“It’s a bare minimum, frankly,” she said.

Cupid who was a South Cobb commissioner for eight years before being elected chairwoman in November, said that “this is not a perfect budget,” but she applauded her colleagues for being willing to address issues she said have been ignored in the past.

She is leading a Democratic-majority government that includes Richardson, who succeeded Republican former commissioner Bob Ott in January.

Commissioner Keli Gambrill of North Cobb, who with Birrell forms the Republican minority on the board, was absent from the meeting.

The FY 2022 budget goes into effect on Oct. 1.

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Cobb FY 2022 budget adoption, millage rate slated for Tuesday

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Cobb FY 22 budget

Reminder about the final hearings for the fiscal year 2022 Cobb County government budget and millage rate, and adoption of both, on Tuesday.

The Cobb Board of Commissioners will meet at 7 p.m. (the full agenda is here), with the budget and millage rate items near the start of the agenda. 

A property tax increase for the general fund (now at 8.46 mills) is not included in the proposed $496.6 million spending package, which is an increase of nearly 5 percent from the adopted fiscal year 2021 budget of $473.8 million.

But the county is required under state law to advertise that there will be a tax increase. That’s because Cobb will be collecting more tax revenue in 2022 due to a 5.5 percent growth in the tax digest, and because there’s not a corresponding rollback in the millage rate in the proposed budget.

The budget proposal includes the continuation of STEP increases for Cobb public safety personnel (police, fire, 911, Sheriff’s Office) and a 3 percent merit raise for other employees.

Four new full-time positions are being recommended, including a diversity, equity and inclusion officer who will report to the County Manager and three others in elections.

More budget documents and information can be found here.

The meeting takes place in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta.

They will be live-streamed on the county’s website, cable TV channel (Channel 24 on Comcast) and Youtube page. Visit cobbcounty.org/CobbTV to find your favorite streaming outlet.

The FY 22 budget takes effect Oct. 1.

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East Cobb Tokyo Valentino store ordered closed by judge

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East Cobb Tokyo Valentino ordered closed

A Cobb Superior Court judge has issued an order enjoining the Tokyo Valentino adult retail store in East Cobb from doing business after ruling it was operating without proper licenses.

In an order issued late Friday, Judge LaTain Kell ordered Tokyo Valentino closed after determining that the store, located at 1290 Johnson Ferry Road, did not have a business license for 2021, nor did it have a special license required for sexually oriented businesses.

(You can read the full ruling by clicking here.)

The ruling also declared that Tokyo Valentino was improperly operating within 750 feet of a residential area and within 1,500 feet of a medical facility as well as operating in a zoning category not allowed for an adult business.

The ruling also said that Tokyo Valentino was staying open past its closing time of midnight. Sexually oriented businesses in Cobb must be closed between midnight and 6 a.m.

Kell’s ruling took effect at 11:59 p.m. Friday, and Tokyo Valentino was ordered to address all of those issues before the store would be allowed to reopen.East Cobb Tokyo Valentino ordered closed

The ruling, which came after a hearing in Kell’s chambers last Tuesday, does not permanently close the store.

The county’s efforts to formally revoke its business license remains pending in Cobb Superior Court.

When we went by the store around 2 p.m. Monday, the doors were locked. An Amazon Prime truck was attempting to make a delivery and eventually drove away.

Signs located on the doors said the closure was “temporary” and referred customers to nearby Tokyo Valentino locations in Marietta and Sandy Springs.

“The Cobb County Superior Court heard evidence and argument on the County’s request for an order prohibiting Tokyo Valentino from operating without a County business license, and from violating the County’s sexually oriented business licensing and location rules, while the County’s case against the business proceeds,” Cobb County Attorney William Rowling said in a statement Monday afternoon.

“The County will continue to defend and enforce its ordinances enacted for the health, safety, and welfare of Cobb County residents.”

East Cobb News has left a message with Cary Wiggins, an attorney for Tokyo Valentino, seeking comment.

The Cobb Board of Commissioners voted last fall 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 for a clothing store, then featured an inventory mostly of sex toys after opening in June.

After the store opened, Cobb commissioners overhauled the county code governing adult businesses.

Those provisions include some of the violations cited by the county in its motion for an injunction, including the distance and zoning requirements.

Tokyo Valentino owner Michael Morrison, who has been in lengthy litigation over his adult businesses with several other metro Atlanta jurisdictions, also filed a federal lawsuit against Cobb earlier this year, but that was dismissed in May.

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Proposed Cobb FY 2022 budget includes no millage rate increase

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Cobb FY 22 budget

The Cobb Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on Tuesday for the proposed fiscal year 2022 budget that was presented this week.

The Cobb Finance Office is proposing a general-fund spending package of $496.6 million, an increase of nearly 5 percent from the adopted fiscal year 2021 budget of $473.8 million.

The overall FY ’22 budget that includes fire and 911 services, debt service, and other tax categories comes to $767.4 million.

In his budget presentation Tuesday (you can watch it here), Cobb finance director Bill Volckmann said no general-fund millage rate increase is anticipated (here’s the presentation for that).

The current millage rate for the general fund is 8.46 mills, but because of 5.5 percent growth in the Cobb tax digest, the county has had to advertise and hold hearings for a tax increase.

That’s required by state law when there isn’t a corresponding millage rate rollback.

Volckmann told commissioners on Tuesday that the estimated taxable tax digest for 2021 is $1.8 billion, an increase from $34 million in 2020.

The budget includes the continuation of STEP increases for Cobb public safety personnel (police, fire, 911, Sheriff’s Office) and a 3 percent merit raise for other employees.

Four new full-time positions are being recommended, including a diversity, equity and inclusion officer who will report to the County Manager and three others in elections.

More budget documents and information can be found here.

Tuesday’s hearings for the budget and millage rate will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta.

That’s also the venue for budget and millage adoption on July 27 at 7 p.m.

The meetings are live-streamed on the county’s website, cable TV channel (Channel 24 on Comcast) and Youtube page. Visit cobbcounty.org/CobbTV to find your favorite streaming outlet.

The FY 22 budget takes effect Oct. 1.

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Public hearings, Cobb County budget presentation scheduled

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Lisa Cupid, Cobb Commission Chair candidate
Cobb Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Lisa Cupid

The Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday will be presented with a proposed fiscal year 2022 budget and will conduct its first public hearing on the county millage rate.

They will take place starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday. This will be the first budget process under Chairwoman Lisa Cupid, and here’s a summary of the budget presentation, which does not include dollar figures.

The public hearing will take place beforehand and will include information about the Cobb tax digest for 2021.

Earlier indications showed tax digest growth of around 5.5 percent; at Thursday’s Cobb Board of Education tax digest public hearing, school district finance officer Brad Johnson said that estimate is now at 5.7 percent.

A property tax millage rate increase is not is being planned for FY 2022 for Cobb government. But additional tax revenues that aren’t offset by a corresponding rollback in the millage rate constitute a tax increase, and state law requires three public hearings.

Cobb’s adopted FY 2021 budget of $473 million kept the general fund millage rate at 8.66 mills. The Cobb Finance Office is saying that tax digest growth this year is equivalent to 0.430 mills (more information can be found on the county finance page).

The other hearings are July 20 at 6:30 p.m. and July 27 at 7 p.m., with a final vote on budget adoption and setting the millage rate on July 27.

The Cobb County government fiscal year begins on Oct. 1.

A full agenda of Tuesday’s meeting can be found here; the meeting takes place in the 2nd floor board room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.

You also can watch on the county’s website, Facebook Live and YouTube channels and on Cobb TV 23 on Comcast Cable.

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Cobb Commissioner Richardson to hold July town hall meeting

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Submitted information:Jerica Richardson swearing-in

On July 15, at 6 PM, Commissioner Jerica Richardson will be hosting her Quarter 2 Town Hall where she will update the community about ongoing projects and events and present Cobb County District 2’s Second Quarterly Report.

The event will have an in-person and virtual option. For those who would like to attend in-person, the event will be held at Boy Scouts of America Atlanta Area Council [1800 Circle 75 Pkwy]. For those who would like to attend virtually, the event will be livestreamed on Cobb County’s Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/CobbCountyGovernment) and Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/user/CobbCountyGovt).

We would love for you to join us, whether it be in-person or virtually! To register for the Town Hall, visit this link: https://staff315236.typeform.com/to/hoKItRGG

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East Cobb Cityhood group commissions feasibility study

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East Cobb Cityhood feasibility study
The East Cobb Cityhood group has added road maintenance and construction as a proposed service, along with zoning and planning, code enforcement and parks.

The group that revived the East Cobb Cityhood effort earlier this year announced Monday it has commissioned a new financial feasibility study to be conducted by Georgia State University.

The group also said it is proposing a fourth service, road and construction maintenance, to be evaluated during the study.

GSU’s Center for State and Local Finance is to conduct the study, which is expected to be completed by Nov. 1, according to information released by the Cityhood group Monday.

The Cityhood group said $10,000 has been paid upfront to initiate the study and it is raising funds for the remaining $10,000 that will be due upon completion.

When asked by East Cobb News about who’s footed the bill thus far, the Cityhood group responded via e-mail that those funds “are being raised by supporters here in the East Cobb Community.” According to a donation page, less than $8,000 of a goal of $25,000 has been pledged.

State representatives Matt Dollar and Sharon Cooper, both East Cobb Republicans, submitted cityhood legislation near the end of the 2021 session, that, if passed by the legislature next year, would call for a November 2022 referendum by voters living in the proposed new municipality.

The proposed services that were mentioned in the bill are planning and zoning, code enforcement and parks and recreation.

Citing a state law regarding ownership and control of county right of way, the Cityhood group explained the addition of road projects by saying that “unless the municipality and the county agree otherwise by joint resolution, new cities forming in Georgia are required to assume these services.”

In Georgia, new cities must provide at least three services, and cityhood legislation requires proponents to conduct a financial feasibility study.

Dollar’s also sponsored a City of East Cobb bill in 2019 that would have included police, fire and community development services.

But the Cityhood group abandoned that effort after a series of town hall meetings in late 2019, after community opposition surfaced.

The initial proposed City of East Cobb would have had a population of more than 100,000.

The new boundaries are much smaller, comprising most of the Johnson Ferry Road corridor west to Old Canton Road, with an estimated population of 55,000.

While some parties in the initial Cityhood group are still on board, the revamped effort features some new leadership that conducted virtual town hall meetings this spring.

The East Cobb group said it will likely hold another virtual information session in August.

Three other Cityhood bills have been filed by Cobb County lawmakers, including new efforts in Vinings and in West Cobb for a proposed City of Lost Mountain.

Another bill for Mableton Cityhood also was filed this year, just as in 2019.

In 2018-19, only a handful of individuals identified themselves as being part of the East Cobb Cityhood effort, and declined to reveal how an initial financial feasibility study conducted by GSU was paid for, at a cost of nearly $30,000.

That study, released in late 2018, declared that the proposed City of East Cobb, with the proposed public safety and community development services, was financially viable.

An independent group of local finance experts gathered by the Cityhood group conducted a separate review, and in mid-2019 recommended that police services not be part of the city to start.

The initial Cityhood group also spent tens of thousands of dollars on high-powered legislative lobbyists, but didn’t provide the funding sources.

The East Cobb Educational Research Committee, Inc., which was formed in early 2019, is the non-profit that is continuing as the sponsoring group of the Cityhood effort.

According to the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, Craig Chapin is the CEO, Sarah Haas is the Secretary and Scott Hausman is the Chief Financial Officer.

Their profiles and related information can be found here.

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Lower Roswell traffic concept plan OK’d by Cobb commissioners

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Following up on our weekend post about the upcoming Lower Roswell traffic improvements project: Cobb commissioners on Tuesday voted unanimously to approve the concept plan.

There was no discussion as commissioners quickly went through several individual votes on transportation items.

As we noted in our Saturday post, approval of the concept plan means that Cobb DOT can go ahead with property acquisitions that could take into early next year, with a targeted date of May 2022 to put the project up for competitive bidding.

Once that’s done, Cobb DOT estimates two years will be needed to complete the nearly $9 million construction work, covering 0.6-mile stretch of Lower Roswell from Woodlawn Drive to Davidson Road.

Also Tuesday, Cobb commissioners voted 4-1 to provide $1.5 million in new federal funds for emergency food distribution through county non-profit agencies.

Commissioner Keli Gambrill was opposed, saying the criteria favor larger non-profits, such as the Cobb Community Foundation, and penalize smaller organizations, including faith-based groups.

Gambrill also was the only vote against the creation of four new positions in the county cybersecurity department after a recent phishing attack. The county will spend just under $50,000 in the remaining fiscal year 2021.

Cobb commissioner Jerica Richardson, whose District 2 includes part of East Cobb, announced Tuesday that she will be holding a virtual economic town hall Saturday from 12-1 p.m.

The guest is Bobby Staten, a member of her “Community Cabinet,” who will discusssuch issues as the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, the state of the job market, and more.

Citizens can ask questions and attendance is free; registration information can be found here.

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Switzer Library reopens in Marietta after renovations project

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Switzer library reopens

Submitted information from Cobb County government:

During the pandemic, many have realized how much we miss gathering in physical places, including our libraries. This week, we were elated to celebrate the reopening of Switzer Library in downtown Marietta after major renovations to improve indoor and outdoor areas and its administrative and support services spaces. To watch a short video about the history of Cobb’s flagship library and get an inside look at some of the new features, click here.

New features include a family computing space on the main floor, the Accessibility Services Room for patrons with disabilities, sensory processing disorders or in need of a calmer environment, a new children’s programming room and two makerspaces, for both teens and adults. An enclosed outdoor plaza with seating and a garden area is accessible through the Hattie Gaines Wilson Youth Services area. The Georgia Room — the Cobb library special historic and genealogical collection — also now has a dedicated conference room and additional space. This project was mainly funded by the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax and also a grant from the Georgia Public Library Service.

Located at 266 Roswell St., Switzer Library is one-half mile from the Marietta Square. For more information, visit cobbcounty.org/library.

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Cobb County issues COVID scam alert for federal relief funds

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Submitted information:

Scam artists are always looking to take advantage of a situation to steal from you. They’ve been using the COVID-19 pandemic and federal relief monies as tools to gain personal information from unsuspecting victims.Cobb County Government logo

If you receive an email about pandemic relief, no matter how “official-looking,” REMEMBER:

Cobb County will not reach out to you directly about receiving federal assistance money.

Do NOT give out personal ID information to any of these sites.

All official assistance information can be found at www.cobbcounty.org/ERA

Any questions or concerns? Call us at 770-528-1000 or email us at information@cobbcounty.org

FOR MORE on these “phishing” emails, check out these sites:

More COVID-related information from Cobb County government can be found by clicking here.

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‘Sense of pride’ emphasized at East Cobb Cityhood town hall

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East Cobb Cityhood town hall

The group advocating for East Cobb Cityhood held another virtual town hall meeting last Thursday with Milton Mayor Joe Lockwood as the featured guest.

During the hour-long session, which included pre-screened questions from the public, Lockwood emphasized the “local control” message that East Cobb Cityhood proponents have been pressing.

You can watch a replay of the town hall by clicking here.

Milton became a city in North Fulton in 2006 and has 39,000 residents. Lockwood said that like some of the sentiment in East Cobb, there was vocal opposition to cityhood at the time.

“A lot of people just didn’t want [a new] government,” he said. “It was ‘leave us alone.’ But once we started making improvements, it was interesting to see people starting to expect more.”

Lockwood is serving his third consecutive term as mayor and is in his final term in that capacity due to term limits.

He said what he’s most proud of in Milton is “a sense of belonging and community” that has developed since cityhood.

“There’s a sense of pride, of more people getting involved” in civic affairs and community life,” Lockwood said.

Milton provides more services than the proposed city of East Cobb, including police and fire that were part of the initial East Cobb cityhood effort in 2019.

Lockwood said when it comes to zoning and planning, “people want things to be the same.” He said Milton has effectively limited density to maintain a suburban and in some cases rural feel to an affluent community that’s similar to East Cobb.

Density and urban-style development are growing issues in Cobb County, especially with East Cobb redevelopment projects at Sprayberry Crossing and in the Johnson Ferry-Shallowford area that have drawn community support and opposition.

The JOSH redevelopment involving East Cobb Church would fall within the city limits of East Cobb, which includes less than half of the 2019 map and would have a population around 55,000.

The revived East Cobb Cityhood effort is focused on planning and zoning [along with code enforcement and parks and recreation] in the wake those and other development issues in the county.

Craig Chapin, the cityhood group’s head, said during the town hall that some of the pushback agains denser development “isn’t about how things were in Cobb County. You’re looking at a community and wondering what the future will look like.”

During the town hall, the cityhood group showed results of recent polling on cityhood issues reflected in the slides below. More details can be found on the cityhood website.

EC cityhood town hall 5.20.21

EC cityhood town hall 5.20.21

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Cobb Commissioner Birrell recognized for 10 years of service

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Commissioner Birrell recognized

At the end of the Cobb Board of Commissioners meeting on May 11 the elder stateswoman of the all-female body got a surprise recognition.

JoAnn Birrell, who is in her third term representing District 3 that includes most of northeast Cobb, was recognized in remarks by board chairwoman Lisa Cupid.

Cupid said she could “no longer keep the cat out of the bag” when Birrell’s husband David was spotted in attendance in the socially-distanced audience, and he later joined her at the front of the board meeting room.

This year Birrell is marking her 10th anniversary as a member of the board, and in showing a photo montage Cupid said she is “a tireless advocate in representing her constituents in District 3.

“She’s just been a friend and advocate to so many of us here.”

Birrell (full bio here) was first elected in 2010 to succeed then-chairman Tim Lee, and was re-elected in 2014 and 2018.

She moved to the top of the board’s seniority list when former commissioner Bob Ott of East Cobb retired in December, after serving three terms.

Among Birrell’s key priorities as commissioner includes advocating for public safety, Keep Cobb Beautiful, the Keep It In Cobb program for doing business with the county.

She also supports Superior Pets for Patriotic Vets, in which military veterans adopt animals at the Cobb Animal Services Shelter, with the fees paid by Superior Plumbing.

“I can’t thank you enough for surprising me,” Birrell said.

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East Cobb Cityhood group to hold town hall with Milton mayor

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Milton Mayor Joe Lockwood, East Cobb Cityhood town hall
Milton Mayor Joe Lockwood

The East Cobb Cityhood Committee is holding its second virtual town hall meeting next week, with Milton Mayor Joe Lockwood as the featured guest.

The town hall is next Thursday, May 20, starting at 6 p.m., and you can register by clicking here. You can read more about Lockwood by clicking here.

The event will focus on the proposed services for the proposed city of East Cobb—planning and zoning, code enforcement and parks and recreation.

There will be a Q and A session and participants can submit questions when they sign up.

The City of Milton was formed out of part of unincorporated North Fulton in 2006 and has 39,000 residents.

During 2019, East Cobb Cityhood leaders often referred to Milton as a model for what it was proposing at the time—primarily police and fire services—in a community with similar levels of affluence and demographics.

Milton also provides public works, community development (zoning and code enforcement), and parks and recreation.

The previous East Cobb Cityhood effort also pointed to Milton for its steady millage rate, which has been slightly lowered in each of the last two years.

The revived East Cobb group this week posted a “case study” about Milton’s tax surplus and financial status, as well as its provision of services (and another for Peachtree Corners, which became a city in Gwinnett County in 2017 and has a zero millage rate).

Lockwood was re-elected in 2020 to his fourth and final two-year term as Mayor of Milton.

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