East Cobb Government Archives

Residents to press Cobb commissioners for storm relief

October 11, 2021 4:58 PM by Wendy Parker

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.”

Cobb 2040 Comprehensive Plan update on commission agenda

October 11, 2021 10:31 AM by Wendy Parker

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.

Cobb commissioners approve additional rental assistance

September 29, 2021 2:05 PMSeptember 29, 2021 11:01 AM by Wendy Parker

From Cobb County government:

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.

Cobb commissioners to consider additional rental assistance

September 27, 2021 3:27 PM by Wendy Parker

The Cobb Board of Commissioners will be asked on Tuesday to consider spending nearly $6.5 million in federal funding earmarked for rental assistance related to those impacted by COVID-19 shutdowns.

The item is to come up on the board’s regular agenda during its business meeting that starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

According to the agenda item (you can read it here) five local non-profits would get $1.15 million each in American Rescue Plan funding, plus $115,000 each for administrative costs.

Those groups are STAR-C, HomeFree, Sweetwater Mission, MUST Ministries, and the Center for Family Resources, which have previously disbursed federal rental assistance in cobb under the CARES Act.

The second Emergency Rental Assistance plan (ERA2) would provide up to 18 months of rental, utilities and home heating costs for those adversely effected by COVID-related actions, including job losses.

Those qualifying for the program include people who’ve been eligible for unemployment and have had a reduction in income due to the COVID restrictions, those who are at risk for homelessness and have a household income at or below 80 percent of the area median.

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.

Cobb Emergency office launches tool for Sept. 8 storm damage

September 21, 2021 9:34 AM by Wendy Parker

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.

Use this link to access the form: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/df351313bcb549ccac57f15cfc4a6808?portalUrl=https://CobbCountyGA.maps.arcgis.com

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.

Cobb chairwoman extends emergency declaration to Oct. 17

September 18, 2021 11:35 AMSeptember 18, 2021 9:51 AM by Wendy Parker

Submitted by Cobb County government:

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

For Lease sign goes up at East Cobb Tokyo Valentino store

September 17, 2021 1:48 PMSeptember 17, 2021 12:38 PM by Wendy Parker

Tokyo Valentino for lease sign

A couple months after being temporarily shut down by a Cobb County judge, the Tokyo Valentino adult retail store on Johnson Ferry Road in East Cobb appears to be closed for good.

A For Lease sign has been posted in a front window, and East Cobb News has left a message with Tokyo Valentino’s attorney seeking further information and comment.

On July 19, Cobb Superior Court judge LaTain Kell ordered the store closed after a hearing in a legal dispute between Tokyo Valentino owner Michael Morrison and the county.

Cobb commissioners voted late last year to revoke the store’s business license, saying it misrepresented what kind of business would be going there when it received a business license in March 2020.

The county charged that Tokyo Valentino falsely applied to open a clothing store—calling itself the 1290 Clothing Co.—then featured an inventory mostly of sex toys after opening in June 2020 as Tokyo Valentino.

It was the fifth Tokyo Valentino location opened by Morrison, who has been embroiled with other jurisdictions in metro Atlanta over his various adult businesses.

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

Tokyo Valentino filed a federal lawsuit against the county, but that was dismissed in May.

Kell’s order was to enjoin Tokyo Valentino from doing business while the legal wrangling continued, and was not a permanent closure.

In August, Tokyo Valentino attorney Cary Wiggins made an emergency appeal for Kell to stay that injunction, but the judge declined.

Cobb officials said during the hearing before Kell that Tokyo Valentino had not applied for a general business license for 2021 or for an adult oriented business license, something that’s now required under the revised ordinance.

The new ordinance also permits adult businesses only in office-industrial zoning categories. The Tokyo Valentino store, which was formerly a mattress store, has been in a standalone building zoned for general commercial use and didn’t need to get county approval before opening.

Cobb government spokesman Ross Cavitt told East Cobb News that Tokyo Valentino’s appeal of the county’s attempt to permanently revoke its business license “is still underway.”

Cobb Police said that last fall, the Tokyo Valentino store was robbed by a burglar whom they allege stole more than $21,000 of lingerie, sex enhancement pills, CBD products, sex toys and gift cards.

A suspect was arrested in June and is facing numerous burglary and related charges for what police said was an extensive crime spree in Cobb from last September to March of this year.

Cityhood news: Buckhead financial feasibility study released

September 15, 2021 12:22 PM by Wendy Parker

*For a larger version of the proposed Buckhead city map, **click here**.*

While a financial feasibility study for a proposed City of East Cobb is expected to be finished in November, a similar study conducted for a group pushing for cityhood in Buckhead was released on Tuesday.

That study, conducted by Valdosta State University, shows a budget surplus of $113 million, even with police and fire services.

The overall budget would be $203 million, according to the study, which is summarized here and can be read in full here.

Those behind the Buckhead breakaway have cited rising crime and pressure on public safety services in the City of Atlanta, and the proposed city would have more patrol officers than what are currently staffed in the Buckhead area.

The proposed City of Buckhead would have a population of just over 100,000 and cover what’s now Atlanta to roughly the I-75/I-85 split.

The other proposed services are public works, parks and recreation and community development.

From the Buckhead.com site is an analysis of the study, and there are a few things about the Buckhead effort worth noting.

First, none of the legislators who have co-sponsored the bill are from the proposed city area, which is required under state law. They’re North Fulton and Gwinnett Republicans, and thus far no Atlanta lawmakers have signed on.

Secondly, the study was done at a small-town South Georgia university that normally limits is work to that part of the state, certainly not a big city.

The Buckhead cityhood group approached the University of Georgia, which declined to do the study. Georgia State University is conducting the East Cobb feasibility study, as it did for the previous East Cobb cityhood effort in 2018.

The website for the pro-cityhood Buckhead City Committee can be found here; a group against cityhood is the Committee for a United Atlanta.

Like the four cityhood efforts in Cobb County, Buckhead legislation filed this year would call for a November 2022 referendum, if that bill is passed by the Georgia legislature next year.

In addition to the renewed East Cobb effort, some Mableton citizens have revived their cityhood ambitions under the South Cobb Alliance. Their impetus has been community redevelopment.

New organizations have been formed to create a City of Vinings and a City of Lost Mountain in West Cobb, which, like the new East Cobb effort, are focused on zoning and development issues.

Feasibility studies for those three proposed Cobb cities also are still underway.

Cobb extends paid leave for vaccinated county employees

September 15, 2021 12:29 PMSeptember 14, 2021 11:33 AM by Wendy Parker

Cobb extends paid leave vaccinated employees — *“We are giving people a choice,” Cobb commission chairwoman Lisa Cupid said.*

The Cobb Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to extend paid leave hours for county employees who are out due to COVID-related reasons through the end of the year.

The measure revising the county’s emergency paid leave provision would use $750,000 of federal American Rescue Plan funding allotted to Cobb County, and employees could get up to 80 hours of paid leave.

But that’s only for county employees who have been vaccinated against the virus. The board’s vote was 4-1, opposed by Keli Gambrill of North Cobb, who said the policy is discriminatory and would hurt the county’s ability to hire and retain employees.

“Using COVID as a red herring and justification to take away personal choice—it begs the question: Why would an employee want to continue working for Cobb County?” Gambrill said in reading prepared remarks.

“It is no wonder our turnover rate is so high and we are unable to attract new employees when we fail to appreciate their service in exchange for political posturing.”

She got no support from her colleagues, including her fellow Republican JoAnn Birrell of Northeast Cobb, who said that “I see this as a benefit, not a penalty.”

Democrat Monique Sheffield of South Cobb said the policy is “simply an effort to stop the spread” of COVID-19. She said the public “elected us to do the responsible thing, and this agenda item reflects that.”

Tony Hagler, head of the Cobb government human resources office, requested the change due to “the significant increase in COVID-19 cases associated with the more contagious Delta variant within Cobb County. In addition, this Emergency Paid Administrative Leave will help alleviate the stress on staff when faced with the decision of staying home to quarantine and/or caring for family member(s).”

The new policy would pay workers who are out due to COVID-19 symptoms or quarantine their full salary, and two-thirds of their pay if they’re tending to a relative who’s got the virus.

Cobb workers now get between 13-25 days of paid sick leave annually, based on their years of employment.

Cobb’s latest 14-day average of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people has fallen under 800, but still remains extremely high, Cobb and Douglas Public Health director Dr. Janet Memark told commissioners earlier in Tuesday’s meeting.

Commission chairwoman Lisa Cupid disputed a suggestion by Gambrill that the policy change is politically motivated, calling it an “apolitical agenda item.”

She also said employees do have a choice, and that COVID-related absences are draining county resources, noting that the county is spending heavily in overtime pay to cover for COVID-related absences.

“It is a choice,” Cupid said. “You may not like the choice, but not liking the choice doesn’t mean you don’t have one.”

Commissioner Jerica Richardson, who represents part of East Cobb, voted for the policy change but did not offer any comments beforehand.

Water bills to go up

Commissioners also voted 4-1 to approve a request by the Cobb County Water System to raise rates starting in January.

The agenda item states that rates for a typical residential customer will go up by $5.43 a month.

Birrell was the only vote against, saying she couldn’t support a rate increase as long as commissioners continue to transfer revenues from the water system to fund the county budget.

The last increase was in mid-2018; here’s a detailed list of the new charges.

Elections Office renovation funds approved

Gambrill and Birrell voted against spending $3.8 million from the county’s fund balance to complete renovations of the new Cobb Board of Elections and Registrations office on Roswell Street in Marietta.

They said that the project was eligible for American Rescue Plan funding, which was noted in the agenda item but scratched out.

But the three Democrats on the board voted to use reserve county funding. Cobb government received nearly $75 million in ARP money.

Cobb Chamber to hold Transportation and Mobility Summit

September 13, 2021 7:37 AM by Wendy Parker

Submitted information:

The Cobb Chamber will host the 2021 Transportation & Mobility Summit on Tuesday, October 12 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. The luncheon will cover local, state and federal transportation initiatives impacting Cobb County and the surrounding region.

Through in-depth sessions, transportation experts and regional leaders will guide conversation addressing the transportation needs of our community, connectivity within the metro region, trends in technology, and proposed projects that have regional impact and address traffic congestion in Cobb County.

A number of speakers will be present at the luncheon summit, including:

Jannine Miller, State Planning Director, Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT)

Cain Williamson, Chief Planning Officer, Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority (The ATL)

Lisa Cupid, Chairwoman, Cobb County Board of Commissioners

Kim Menefee, Executive Director, Cumberland CID

Tracy Rathbone Styf, Executive Director, Town Center CID

Caroline Whaley, Executive Director, Gateway Marietta CID

Registration is now open at www.cobbchamber.org/events. Tickets are $60 for Cobb Chamber members and $100 for non-members. The Transportation & Mobility Summit is presented by Presenting Sponsor, Mold Boss; Lunch Sponsor, Comcast; Gold Sponsors, Cobb EMC, Croy Engineering, Cumberland Community Improvement District, Cushman & Wakefield, C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. Inc., Development Authority of Cobb County, Georgia Power, HNTB, Town Center Community Improvement District, and W&A Engineering; and Silver Sponsors, ARCADIS, Council for Quality Growth, Deloitte, Gateway Marietta Community Improvement District, Genuine Parts Company, KCI Technologies Inc., McCarthy Building Companies, and Lumin8 Transportation Technologies.

For more information about the Transportation & Mobility Summit, contact Stephanie Cox at scox@cobbchamber.org or 770-859-2337.

East Cobb Cityhood town hall: ‘Government is a difficult business’

September 1, 2021 12:39 PM by Wendy Parker

Peachtree Corners city manager Brian Johnson runs the daily operations of one of Georgia’s newest cities. Brian Johnson, Peachtree Corners city manager

The municipality in Gwinnett County of 43,000 came into existence in 2012, and he arrived five years ago.

He’s also a veteran of local government and has been involved in other cityhood movements in Georgia.

During a virtual town hall meeting of the East Cobb Cityhood Committee last week, he repeatedly touted the local control benefits of incorporation, noting that Peachtree Corners is similar to East Cobb—a portion of a sprawling, growing county.

Like Cobb, Gwinnett has a five-member county commission, with four district commissioners representing roughly 250,000 people.

That’s more than Cobb, where commissioners’ district include a little less than 200,000 people, a major driving point for the East Cobb Cityhood effort.

“No one individual can represent that many people,” he said at the East Cobb group’s third virtual town hall in recent months.

He noted that even when Peachtree Corners citizens don’t agree with decisions made by their city government, “they feel more comfortable that it was made at the local level.”

The Peachtree Corners City Council is non-partisan with seven elected members. East Cobb Cityhood legislation calls for six non-partisan council members, with one of them chosen by colleagues every two years to serve as mayor.

“Potholes could care less what party you’re affiliated with,” Johnson said. “Local government, city government, is the purest form of service delivery that exists because of that very reason.”

Peachtree Corners is similar to East Cobb in other respects, with an affluent, educated population. The city also provides similar services to what the East Cobb group is proposing—code enforcement planning and zoning.

And like the current East Cobb legislation that’s pending before the 2022 Georgia legislature, Peachtree Corners does not have public safety services. Gwinnett County police and fire continue to serve that municipality.

But Johnson also spelled out the challenges that new cities face. Peachtree Corners opted to provide trash pick-up with one vendor, which he said has led to complaints by some citizens who wanted a choice.

And he also said there are some people who opposed cityhood and other citizens who at times speak out when there are problems, often vocally.

“We’re not perfect, and we hear that every day,” Johnson said. “Government is a difficult business, and we’re invariably going to miss the mark.”

Before Johnson spoke, East Cobb Cityhood Committee member Sarah Haas stressed in a slide that a city of East Cobb would “not be another layer of government” but would be in charge of services transferred from the county.

In addition to code enforcement and planning and zoning, the proposed services are parks and recreation and road maintenance.

You can watch the entire video by clicking here.

Where to get help in Cobb as CDC evictions moratorium ends

August 30, 2021 1:01 PMAugust 30, 2021 8:54 AM by Wendy Parker

Submitted information from Cobb County Government:

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling has ended the moratorium on evictions currently in place. Cobb’s Chief Magistrate says evictions proceedings will resume, but still not at full capacity due to COVID health restrictions. Click here to read his full FAQ on the situation.

Nonprofits partnering with Cobb County to get federal rental and utility assistance to those impacted by the pandemic have distributed 60 percent of the allocation. Help is still available and if you face eviction or are behind in utility payments seek help! To learn how to get help visit www.cobbcounty.org/ERA.

During a recent briefing, the Sheriff’s Office explained the evictions process and its role in it. For details watch the video at https://youtu.be/bpSvqm5b-XY.

Cobb Library System promoting Library Card Sign-Up Month

August 26, 2021 1:24 PM by Wendy Parker

Library Card Sign-Up Month

Submitted information:

Marley Dias, author, executive producer, and founder of #1000BlackGirlBooks, is this year’s honorary chair of Library Card Sign-Up Month. This September, Dias will join the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries nationwide in promoting the power of a library card.

As honorary chair, Dias reminds us that signing up for a library card provides access to technology, multimedia content, and educational programming that transforms lives and strengthens communities. “A library card is the ticket you need to travel across the globe. It allows you to experience stories that can connect you to diverse and empowering experiences,” said Dias.

Free library cards are available to Cobb residents, business and property owners as well as to those who work for Cobb County Government or teach in Cobb. Those who live outside Cobb may purchase a library card for a small fee. Find registration requirements at cobbcat.org/librarycard.

Students in Cobb County School District and Marietta City Schools have access to free library resources through Library PASS, an agreement between Cobb County Public Library and the school systems. More information about this program can be found at cobbcat.org/librarypass.

Join us this September, and sign up for a library card!

For more information, visit cobbcounty.org/library.

New Gritters Library project moves ahead with $1.9M state grant

August 25, 2021 1:37 PMAugust 25, 2021 10:20 AM by Wendy Parker

Gritters Library reopening

The Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday accepted a $1.9 million grant from the Georgia Public Library Service to help fund the reconstruction of Gritters Library.

Commissioner JoAnn Birrell made the motion “with pleasure and with gratitude” toward the Cobb legislative delegation, which helped secure the funding.

GPLS, part of the Georgia Board of Regents, provides state bond funds to local library systems for renovations of public libraries.

The Gritters branch opened at its current location in Shaw Park in 1973 and will be completely rebuilt, with construction expected to begin in December.

The $6.8 million project is part of the 2016 Cobb SPLOST and was originally earmarked for $2.9 million. Initially plans called for a renovation, but the new branch will be built near the existing structure.

An estimated completion time for the new building has not been announced.

Gritters is the last of the library projects remaining in the 2016 SPLOST. That collection period funded the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center that replaced the East Marietta Library.

East Cobb Cityhood group to hold virtual town hall Wednesday

August 24, 2021 1:38 PMAugust 24, 2021 10:15 AM by Wendy Parker

Submitted information:

The East Cobb Cityhood Committee is hosting our third virtual town hall to provide information to the residents of East Cobb. People who live within the boundary of the proposed new city are invited to attend.

This will be a live session with Brian Johnson, City Manager of Peachtree Corners, hosted by the East Cobb Cityhood Committee. Brian L. Johnson became the City Manager of Peachtree Corners, Georgia on November 21, 2016. As City Manager, he is the Chief Executive Officer of the City and is responsible to the Mayor and City Council for the management of all city departments and of all city affairs.

Please, register in advance to reserve a spot in the virtual town hall. You can submit questions about cityhood during the registration process. There will also be an opportunity to submit questions during the live session.

Date: August 25, 2021

Time: 6:30pm ET

Location: REGISTER HERE

If you are not available at this date and time, you will be able to view the recording of this webinar. It will be posted shortly after the live session on the website.

Those previous town halls featured Milton Mayor Joe Lockwood and State Reps. Matt Dollar and Sharon Cooper, East Cobb Republicans who are co-sponsors of the cityhood bill to be taken up in the 2022 session of the Georgia legislature.

That bill, if approved, would call for a November 2022 referendum to establish a City of East Cobb of 55K along mainly the Johnson Ferry Road corridor.

In late June the East Cobb Cityhood group said it wanted to add transportation to the proposed services, along with zoning and planning, code enforcement and parks and recreation.

A financial feasibility study is expected to be completed by Nov. 1.

State grant for Gritters Library project on Cobb commission agenda

August 23, 2021 5:41 PM by Wendy Parker

Gritters Library reopening

A capital outlay grant from the Georgia Public Library Service for nearly $2 million to help fund the reconstruction of the Gritters Library branch in Northeast Cobb will be considered Tuesday by the Cobb Board of Commissioners.

The agency is a part of the Georgia Board of Regents and provides state bond funding for the construction and renovation of public libraries. According to an agenda item, a state grant of $1.9 million has been awarded for the $6.8 million Gritters replacement project.

That’s a project included in the Cobb 2016 SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax). Initially, plans called for $2.9 million in renovations to upgrade technology and to enhance programs and serves and add community meeting rooms at Gritters, which opened at its current location in Shaw Park in 1973.

Tuesday’s agenda item notes that construction on the Gritters project “must begin within 180 days following the grant award, and at least 5 percent of the total cost of the grant must be spent within six months.”

There’s not a timetable for construction that’s indicated on the agenda item; more on the Gritters grant from GPLS can be found here.

Gritters is the last of the library projects remaining in the 2016 SPLOST. That collection period funded the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center that replaced the East Marietta Library, the consolidation of Acworth and Kennesaw branches to form the new North Cobb Regional Library and major renovations to the Switzer, South Cobb Regional and Sibley branches.

The full agenda for Tuesday’s commission meeting can be found here.

The meeting begins at 7 p.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.

Cupid issues 30-day COVID-19 emergency declaration for Cobb

August 19, 2021 8:22 PMAugust 19, 2021 6:14 PM by Wendy Parker

Lisa Cupid, Cobb adopts fiscal year 2022 budget

Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid has signed a 30-day emergency declaration in the county due to a sharp surge in COVID-19 cases, citing a “critically low” shortage of hospital beds.

In a release issued by Cobb spokesman Ross Cavitt, Cupid also cited high test positivity rates and low vaccination rates.

She urged those who have not been vaccinated to do so, and encouraged businesses and other non-government entities in Cobb to mandate indoor mask use “for the protection of employees and customers.”

As of Thursday, Cobb has a 14-day average of 670 cases per 100,000 people. The “high community spread” threshold is 100 cases, and that figure has risen sharply in the last month.

But while Cobb is imposing a mask mandate for county buildings starting Friday, Cupid cannot broaden that mandate.

That’s because Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp earlier Thursday issued an order preventing local governments from imposing mask mandates and other restrictions on private businesses.

Kemp said on social media that his order “will make sure businesses across our state can’t be punished by local governments for trying to make a living, pay their employees, and save their livelihoods. Georgia is open for business!”

Cobb did not have a mask mandate beyond county buildings last year under former chairman Mike Boyce. Some cities in Georgia, including Atlanta and Savannah, have imposed mandates on non-government entities.

“Public health officials are urging us to do whatever we can to encourage people to get the COVID vaccine and wear masks while near other people,” Cupid said in Cavitt’s release.

“This declaration will open the doors to provide assistance to others in the county who need it and highlight the critical stress this surge has put on our local healthcare facilities.”

Her declaration also activates the county’s Emergency Operations Plan for resources to be funneled to hospitals, state agencies or others with a critical need for equipment and supplies.

You can read the full Cobb emergency declaration by clicking here.

On Thursday, executives from hospitals in Georgia, including Wellstar, discussed how the COVID-19 surge is affecting their operations. You can watch it below.

Cobb imposes mask mandate at county government buildings

August 17, 2021 6:53 PMAugust 17, 2021 4:38 PM by Wendy Parker

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.

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

August 13, 2021 12:53 PMAugust 13, 2021 8:51 AM by Wendy Parker

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:

Image

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.

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

August 12, 2021 4:53 PM by Wendy Parker

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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