East Cobb Cityhood study declares financial feasibility

East Cobb candidates forum cityhood
State Rep. Matt Dollar is co-sponsoring another East Cobb Cityhood bill to be considered during the 2022 legislature.

The Committee for East Cobb Cityhood has released a feasibility study declaring financial viability without imposing new taxes.

The group’s press release can be found here; a link to the full report, which was compiled by researchers at Georgia State University, can be found here.

A major change in the focus of the report is the addition of police and fire services to the financial analysis.

Police and fire services were included in the initial 2019 Cityhood effort, although legislation filed for consideration in 2020 was abandoned.

The proposed city introduced this year would contain a population of 50,406, around half from the 2019 bill.

The new boundaries would include the Johnson Ferry Road corridor, running west to Old Canton Road and including most of the Walton High School attendance zone and some of the area around Pope High School (click here to view map).

Areas of East Cobb closer to the city of Marietta, comprising most of the Wheeler High School zone, were taken out.

The revived Cityhood effort, which was announced in March, included planning and zoning, code enforcement and parks and recreation services. Road maintenance was later added.

The Cityhood committee said Friday that police and fire were added back into the feasibility study based on public feedback and that parks and recreation were pushed back to the appendix to be considered on contingency, along with road maintenance.

Researchers from the GSU Center for State and Local Finance made comparisons to similar-sized cities—Brookhaven, Dunwoody, Johns Creek, Marietta and Smyrna—to help craft their report.

The study estimated annual revenues of $27.7 million and estimated annual expenses of $24.65 million for a budget surplus of $3 million annually (see chart below).

East Cobb Cityhood study financial analysis 2021

The single-largest revenue source would be existing property taxes ($15 million), and public safety services would be the largest expense ($14.3 million).

The existing property taxes would be the 2.86 mills that make up the current Cobb County Fire Fund, and that would be transferred to a new City of East Cobb.

Under the proposed city, that would become the primary revenue source, collecting around $12 million a year.

Other taxes include around $1 million in real property taxes, as well as utility and franchise fees and alcohol taxes.

The City of East Cobb would purchase two existing Cobb County Fire Department stations that are within the proposed city boundaries (they’re not identified in the report but they are No. 20 at the East Cobb Government Service Center on Lower Roswell Road, and No. 15 on Oak Lane near Johnson Ferry Road).

The study did not indicate how big a police force or fire department would be staffed, in terms of number of employees.

EC Cityhood 2021 study revenue estimates

EC Cityhood 2021 study expense estimates

The study estimated around 50 total employees would be on staff citywide, but the report didn’t detail a breakdown.

The Georgia State researchers estimated startup costs of $984,000, and their report indicated no expenses for facility leases.

In fact, there’s no mention of a a City of East Cobb government having a physical location, other than public safety services.

As we noted earlier this week, two other Cityhood efforts in Cobb County—for proposed cities of Vinings and Lost Mountain, in West Cobb, also have commissioned studies concluding that they would be financially viable.

The Lost Mountain proposal does not call for a city government facility to be owned or leased, but for existing community space to be rented for meetings and other public events.

But Lost Mountain and Vinings are not proposing public safety services.

The East Cobb Cityhood study was to have been released this coming Monday.

There will be an information session next Wednesday, Nov. 17, at 5:30 p.m. with state Rep. Matt Dollar, state Rep. Sharon Cooper, co-sponsors of the East Cobb Cityhood legislation to be considered in 2022, and the East Cobb Cityhood Committee.

To sign up: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5293479304166286864.

Their bill, if passed by the legislature, would establish a November 2022 referendum for voters in the proposed City of East Cobb to decide whether to incorporate.

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East Cobb Cityhood feasibility study to be released next week

East Cobb Park summer end
A proposed City of East Cobb would include parks and recreation in a “city lite” set of services.

A financial feasibility study for the proposed City of East Cobb was to have been completed by Nov. 1, and the group leading the incorporation effort said the report will be made public next week.

Cindy Cooperman, a spokeswoman for the Committee for East Cobb Cityhood, told East Cobb News that the study would be released next Monday, Nov. 15 and will be made available on the group’s website.

The study was commissioned in July by the committee and was conducted by the Center for State and Local Finance at Georgia State University.

GSU researchers also conducted a feasibility study for the first East Cobb cityhood effort, and in late 2018 concluded that it was financially viable.

The initial effort called for police, fire and community development services.

The revived effort, announced in March, drastically reduced the proposed city of East Cobb boundaries and proposed planning and zoning, code enforcement, parks and recreation and roads and transportation services.

State Rep. Matt Dollar, the East Cobb Republican who sponsored both cityhood bills (the 2019 legislation was eventually abandoned), said in an April virtual town hall meeting that the “hope here is to be revenue neutral,” meaning no millage rate would need to be established to provide those services.

That was the conclusion of a feasibility study released last week for the proposed city of Lost Mountain in West Cobb.

That report, prepared by researchers at the University of Georgia, concluded that that city would raise enough revenues from existing taxes and fees to generate a surplus and wouldn’t have to levy property taxes.

West Cobb legislators are sponsoring a Lost Mountain cityhood bill that would create a city of around 70,000.

Like the renewed East Cobb cityhood effort, Lost Mountain supporters are emphasizing planning and zoning and preserving the suburban nature of the community.

Lost Mountain also would provide parks and recreation and sanitation services.

Preservation interests prompted a cityhood effort in Vinings, where a UGA feasibility study released in October concluded that proposed city of 7,000 was financially viable.

Cityhood bills for those three proposed cities as well as a second cityhood bill for a proposed city of Mableton are expected to be taken up in the 2022 Georgia legislature.

If passed, those bills would call for incorporation referendums in November 2022.

Dollar, who is not seeking re-election next year, has a co-sponsor in State Rep. Sharon Cooper, also an East Cobb Republican.

Cityhood bills also require a Senate sponsor. State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, an East Cobb Republican, told East Cobb News recently she would wait to comment on the new cityhood effort until after the feasibility study is released.

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Cobb commissioners approve new NE Cobb police precinct

Cobb police precinct map
Current Cobb police patrol zones include Precinct 4, located on Lower Roswell Road in East Cobb.

UPDATED:

Commissioners approved the design/construction contract by a 5-0 vote, with District 3 representative JoAnn Birrell saying “this has been a long time coming.”

She said a groundbreaking will take place on Dec. 1 at 11 a.m.

ORIGINAL POST:

Initial design work for a new police station in Northeast Cobb is on the agenda for the Cobb Board of Commissioners Tuesday.

A contract for $723,980 with Batson-Cook Company is being presented to commissioners to design what would eventually become the Cobb Police Department’s Precinct 6.

It’s the first part of a two-phase project that’s been budgeted for $5 million in 2016 Cobb SPLOST funding.

You can read more by clicking here.

The Batson-Cook project work would include “design, project fee, and general conditions costs” for Precinct 6, according to the agenda item.

There was no other information available about the project, including the future precinct patrol area and location and how it would be staffed and funded.

Cobb government spokesman Ross Cavitt told East Cobb News in response to those questions that Precinct 6 would be located next to the Mountain View Aquatic Center (2650 Gordy Parkway).

Initially, the new facility will house the police department’s specialized units “and not have a patrol zone. That could change in the future, but that is the starting point.”

Most of the East Cobb area is currently included in Precinct 4, whose station is located on Lower Roswell Road.

That precinct runs from the Powers Ferry Road area to the east side of Canton Road.

Last month, the Cobb Police Department moved into its new headquarters on Fairground Street, in the former  LGE Community Credit Union building, a project that cost $13.5 million, also from the 2016 SPLOST.

The department had been operating out of overcrowded space on the North Marietta Parkway and Cherokee Street.

The full agenda for Tuesday’s commissioners meeting can be found here; it will start at 9 a.m. and take place in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta).

COVID-19 protocols are being followed, including mandatory masks and a limit on in-person attendance due to social-distancing.

The hearing 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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EDITOR’S NOTE: Love the Braves, hate the Cobb stadium deal

Cobb schools SPLOST vote World Series

The Atlanta Braves had not one, but two, parades on Friday, plus a special concert at Truist Park with rap luminaries Ludacris and Big Boi to celebrate their improbable World Series championship.

Tens of thousands of fans lined up in downtown Atlanta and along Cobb Parkway as the Braves’ caravan made its way to the ballpark.

For a moment, the exuberance almost got the best of Cobb County’s finest, as police surrounded a man whom they thought had wandered out from the crowd, but who was actually Braves’ relief pitcher Tyler Matzek.

It was hard not to get caught up in cheering on a team that was devastated by injuries, didn’t have a winning record until late in the season, then knocked off teams predicted to beat them, including last year’s champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in the playoffs.

As someone who grew up in metro Atlanta and whose family’s ties to the Braves go back to their days in Milwaukee, this last week truly has been special for me.

My first game as a fan was as an eight-year-old in 1969, when the Braves won their first pennant in town.

In 1995, when the Braves won the World Series at the same venue, I was a sportswriter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. I don’t remember much about that decisive Game 6 on a Saturday night at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, as I was coming back from somewhere after covering a college football game.

So it was a real treat to savor the first sports team I had ever followed beat back all the obstacles. This year’s Braves are a testament to determination, resilience, teamwork and optimism, qualities that take on special significance during these abnormal times of a pandemic.

The euphoria was bound to go overboard, of course, as these occasions sometimes do.

On Thursday, in a commentary published in our local daily newspaper, the headline referred to the late Tim Lee, the former county commission chairman who brokered the stadium deal that brought the Braves to Cobb, as the “angel in the outfield.”

Even more tellingly, the narrative glossed over the dubious process by which Lee, the Braves and local business insiders worked in secret for months, until they could keep their secret no more.

The above commentary asserted several times that “Tim did the right thing.” But the glaring lack of transparency, a bevy of investigations and ethics complaints and a rushed timeline without much of a chance to get meaningful feedback from the public are still gnawing.

This coming Thursday will mark the eighth anniversary that Lee announced a proposed 30-year memorandum of understanding with the Atlanta Braves to help construct a stadium in the Cumberland area.

In that agreement, Cobb would commit to a $300 million subsidy—taxpayer money—to help finance the ballpark, as well as to regular capital maintenance, public safety and other costs.

The four district members of the Cobb Board of Commissioners had exactly two weeks to digest a complicated long-term deal. The public had an even smaller window to ask questions of their elected officials at hastily arranged town hall meetings.

I covered these proceedings during my time at Patch, a hyperlocal network founded by AOL a little more than a decade ago.

Bob Ott, the former Cobb commissioner whose District 2 included the area along Windy Ridge Parkway and I-75 where the stadium would be built, was thrust into a sudden, and very glaring, spotlight.

Always accessible, Ott prided himself on holding informative town halls all over his Cumberland-East Cobb district.

But he made himself scarce for most of those two weeks, inundated with messages and calls from constituents and the media like no other issue in his then-two terms in office.

On the night before the vote, Ott held a town hall meeting not in his district, but in the commissioners’ meeting room off the Square in Marietta.

I found that odd, and asked him after it was over if he had made up his mind. He said he would do so when he pushed the button to vote.

Like the other town hall meetings I attended during that intense fortnight, I realized that the Braves stadium deal was a done deal.

Twenty-four hours later, in a cramped board room dominated by pro-stadium forces, the commissioners approved the MOU with a 4-1 vote, with Lisa Cupid, now the chairwoman, voting against.

Like many people who raised questions about the deal, Cupid wasn’t opposed to the Braves coming to Cobb County, or even having a partially publicly financed stadium built.

Like many of those same people, I also wondered about the rushed, secretive proceedings. Citizens groups as disparate as the Tea Party and Common Cause tried to get some answers, but community scrutiny wasn’t well organized.

Lee defended the timeline and process by asserting that if Cobb didn’t act, then the Braves would go elsewhere.

But as longtime Braves executive John Schuerholz admitted not long after the Cobb vote, the team didn’t have another venue in mind after wanting to leave the city of Atlanta after nearly 50 years.

In other words, the Braves played Cobb like Max Fried toyed with the Astros’ lineup on Tuesday, setting down the commissioners in almost perfect order.

The timing of all this is important to remember, as Cobb and much of the nation were starting to come out of the recession.

Commissioners JoAnn Birrell and Helen Goreham were doing verbal cartwheels from the moment the proposed stadium deal was announced, smitten by the catnip of economic development that has tempted elected officials everywhere.

You can love the Braves, as I have for most of my life, and still hate the way that stadium deal came down.

You can be excited about the dining and entertainment options at The Battery Atlanta, which the Braves have financed to the tune of nearly $400 million, and wonder why the franchise still needed the public’s “help” to build a ball park.

The process stunk to high heaven, lacked even a modicum of transparency, gave no thought to a referendum, and was followed by lame excuse-making.

Lee paid the ultimate political price when he was ousted in the 2016 Republican primary by Mike Boyce, and didn’t get to enjoy the ultimate payoff of his stadium efforts. He died two years ago of cancer at the age of 62.

After the stadium opened in 2017, the Cobb Chamber of Commerce commissioned an economic impact study proclaiming a nearly $19 million annual benefit to the county.

One of the more vocal critics of such claims, Kennesaw State University economics professor J.C. Bradbury, noted in an op-ed during the World Series that one can cheer for the Braves and not get caught up in such runaway economic development fever.

Not wanting to rain on a parade, but I feel the same way. The economic “home run” that was promised Cobb citizens still hasn’t been realized, and shouldn’t be conflated with success on the baseball field.

When a public official is hailed for doing something “right” without that individual being examined for how he/she conducted public business, that’s more than blind cheerleading.

The ends never justify the means, especially public officials spending tax dollars and not giving the citizens much of a say.

Holding elected officials—or the legacies of those who are no longer with us or who are out office—to account isn’t just about determining if what they did was the right (or wrong) thing to do.

It’s also scrutinizing how they do it that should matter.

 

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Cobb commissioners continue Mobility SPLOST town halls

We noted last week about an upcoming town hall meeting held by Cobb commissioner Jerica Richardson about the 2022 Cobb Mobility SPLOST.Cobb Mobility SPLOST town halls

That town hall was to have been held Tuesday at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center but has been postponed.

Richardson’s office announced this week that the new date is Tuesday, Nov. 30, at 6 p.m. at the Fullers Park Recreation Center (3499 Robinson Road).

It will be the last of the town halls that are being held in each of the four commission districts. The first was held earlier this week at the North Cobb Regional Library.

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.

Here’s more from the county about the process behind getting public feedback for the M-SPLOST, as it’s being called:

Because of recent changes in Georgia law, the county has the option to ask the public to approve one or two referenda for additional sales tax revenues. The public was asked to provide opinions on these two sales tax options and possible project combinations during the CobbForward Comprehensive Transportation Plan update (in progress). The Cobb County Board of Commissioners has asked for additional public input to help refine the policy direction and funding packages for each option.

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

Nov. 9 at 6 p.m.
Switzer Library
266 Roswell Street, NE, Marietta

Nov. 10 at 6:30 p.m.
Cobb County Public Safety Police Academy
2435 East-West Connector, Austell

Nov. 30 at 6 p.m.
Fullers Park Recreation Center
3499 Robinson Road

 

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Cobb seeks public input on federal ARPA relief funding

Submitted information:Cobb ARPA relief survey

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.

Take the survey here: 2021 ARPA Cobb County Community Needs Survey (deloitte.com)

 

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Cobb Law Library offers legal information to the public

Submitted information:Cobb Superior Court, Cobb judicial emergency

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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UPDATE: Cobb Mobility SPLOST Town Hall meeting cancelled

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:New 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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Cobb commissioners approve $350K for World Series security

The Battery Atlanta, World Series Security
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.

However, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred relocated the game to Denver because of Georgia’s new elections law.

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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How to Do Business With Cobb to hold virtual ‘Lunch-N-Learn’

Submitted information:Cobb County Government logo

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.

Event number: 2303 438 4635
Event password: COBB

Audio conference information

+1-415-655-0003 U.S. Toll
Global call-in numbers

Join from a video system or application

23034384635@cobbcounty.webex.com
You can also dial 173.243.2.68 and enter your meeting number.

Please note: this is a virtual event and not being held at a physical location.

Attend the Event via WebEx by clicking here.

Meeting ID: 2303 438 4635

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Sewell Mill Library to serve as disaster loan outreach center

Sewell Mill Library disaster loan outreach center

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.

SBA Loan Information for Disaster Relief

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Cobb COVID-19 emergency declaration continued to Nov. 16

Submitted information by Cobb County Government:Cobb paid leave county employees

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.

For more information and to download the renewal, please visit https://www.cobbcounty.org/communications/news/chairwoman-signs-2nd-extension-declaration-emergency

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

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Cobb commissioner to hold storm damage town hall Thursday

Cobb storm damage town hall
Denise Canteli showed commissioners photos of storm damage at her property at Terrell Mill Estates.

Following our story from earlier this week about a citizens’ group seeking help from last month’s storm damage:

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.

The attendance link can be found here: https://staff315236.typeform.com/to/uBdm8vrf

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 chairwoman, citizens wrangle over public comment

Lisa Cupid, Cobb commission chairwoman

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
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 MDJ without 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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Residents to press Cobb commissioners for storm relief

Cobb heavy rains flooding
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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Cobb 2040 Comprehensive Plan update on commission agenda

Cobb 2040 Comprehensive Plan update
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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Cobb commissioners approve additional rental assistance

From Cobb County government:Cobb County Government logo

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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Cobb commissioners to consider additional rental assistance

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. Cobb County Government logo

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.

More about what the new program will entail can be found here; the full meeting agenda can be found here.

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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Cobb Emergency office launches tool for Sept. 8 storm damage

Cobb heavy rains flooding

From Cobb County Government:

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.
Important things to remember:
  • 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 chairwoman extends emergency declaration to Oct. 17

Submitted by Cobb County government:Cobb County Government logo

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.”

To download the declaration, please visit https://www.cobbcounty.org/communications/news/chairwoman-extends-covid-declaration-emergency

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