East Cobb Government Archives

Georgia residential design bill opposed by East Cobb commissioner

February 24, 2019 9:10 PMFebruary 24, 2019 6:08 PM by Wendy Parker

Commissioner Bob Ott of East Cobb is proposing a resolution at the board’s meeting on Tuesday opposing a residential design bill in the Georgia legislature that would bar local governments from imposing certain standards in zoning cases.

His resolution, which is being co-sponsored by new commissioner Keli Gambrill of North Cobb, is the latest proposal by a local government body in metro Atlanta in response to HB 302.

( Read the Cobb resolution here.)

That bill, co-sponsored by some of the most powerful members of the House Republican majority, would restrict the ability of local governments to determine building design elements for one- and two-family homes.

Among other things, the provisions of the bill would cover exterior building color, style and materials for roofs and porches, exterior architectural ornamentation, location and styling of windows and doors, types of flooring and the interior layout of rooms.

(Read HB 302 here.)

Ott said the bill would subvert local control of zoning and design standards at the city and county level, where quality-of-life decisions relating to housing need to be made.

*Local control of design standards “helps us keep Cobb the type of community most people move here for,” commissioner Bob Ott says.*

“People move to different communities because they like the look and feel of the area,” he said in a statement issued by the county Friday afternoon. “They want to protect their neighborhoods and often work with their local elected officials to do so.”

Most of the bill’s sponsors, which also include two Democrats, are from rural and small-town areas of Georgia; none are from metro Atlanta.

HB 302 narrowly passed the House Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee last week and is listed on the House floor calendar for Monday.

On Friday, a companion bill, SB 172, was introduced in the Georgia Senate and on Monday will likely receive a committee assignment.

Like the House version, SB 172 is sponsored by small-town and rural lawmakers, including President Pro Tem Sen. Butch Miller of Gainesville.

HB 302 has been drawing support from the home-building industry, those in favor of expanding affordable-housing options as well as some realtors. The Georgia Association of Realtors is claiming that the “American Dream of Home Ownership is under attack.”

HB 302, the realtors’ group claims, “brings the American dream of homeownership within reach of more citizens, not just the ones local officials think deserve to be homeowners.”

The Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association also supports HB 302, saying it’s important for the preservation of private property rights.

Local governments, the group said in statement, are unnecessarily adding thousands of dollars to the cost of new homes: “What used to be the purview of a Home Owners Association are now decisions made by city or county administrators with jurisdiction-wide application.”

Ott’s resolution says that “local governments can provide more affordable housing options without sacrificing unique character or threatening economic development.”

Opposition to the bill is coming from the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia and the Georgia Municipal Association.

Some local governments have already sprung into action against HB 302, including Forsyth County, which passed a resolution last week. Sandy Springs officials have expressed concern, and on Monday the Dunwoody City Council will consider a similar measure.

Ott said another concern he has over the legislation is how it might impact the ongoing development of a new master plan for the Johnson Ferry-Shallowford area.

“Commissioners consistently work with different citizens groups to ensure the quality of development in Cobb County,” he said.

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Cobb economic development incentives approved after testy debate

February 12, 2019 6:31 PMFebruary 12, 2019 3:47 PM by Wendy Parker

The Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved economic development incentives totaling nearly $500,000 for several corporate relocations and expansions, but not without an acrimonious discussion. Bob Ott, East Cobb Restaurant Row

Last month, commissioners delayed acting on the measures, since four of them are located in District 2, and commissioner Bob Ott was absent.

They include the in-county relocation of Floor & Decor and Bio IQ, a California-based healthcare IT firm, to new corporate offices on Windy Ridge Parkway.

At a lengthy meeting Tuesday morning, Ott (in photo) outlined detailed figures showing how the county would benefit from capping building permit and business license fees for those moves.

This time last year, commissioners implemented the Special Economic Impact Program, which reduces or waives certain fees for companies that meet specific criteria for moving to or expanding in Cobb.

The county incentives are separate from tax abatements and other incentives issued by the Development Authority of Cobb County.

Floor & Decor, now based in Smyrna, wants to to add 420 jobs in its new office space. Ott’s projections said the county would net $396,640 after the incentives, which total $38,750. Those include a one-time $5,000 cap on the building permit fee.

Another business license cap incentive totalling $90,798 for construction firm Brasfield & Gorrie drew the ire of South Cobb Commissioner Lisa Cupid. She didn’t like waiving the business license fees for the proposal, which Ott said would result in a benefit of $576,000 to the county.

Brasfield & Gorrie is planning a renovation of its headquarters near SunTrust Park, adding a projected 462 new jobs.

Her objection was part of larger concerns she expressed during the meeting in trying to explain the economic benefits of the incentives to constituents at a time when the county has been struggling to adopt a budget, including a millage rate increase last year.

“It’s important we start talking dollars and cents,” she said.

View the incentive packages

When Cupid tried to link those subjects together before the Brasfield & Gorrie vote, Chairman Mike Boyce called the question on a motion to approve that was on the table, saying her comments were “outside the scope of the issue.”

When Cupid insisted they were relevant, he called the question again.

“I’m still going to ask my question,” she said.

When Cupid said she would abstain from voting, Boyce responded that “you cannot hold this board hostage.”

He asked County Attorney Deborah Dance if an abstention was allowed, and Dance replied only “if there’s a conflict.”

Cupid said she had a conflict. The Brasfield & Gorrie incentive passed 3-1, with Cupid abstaining and new commissioner Keli Gambrill voting against.

Cupid later voted for incentives for Floor & Decor and Home Depot ($733,742 benefit after $213,000 in building permit incentives, with the promise of 700 new jobs), which is seeking to expand to office space on Interstate North Parkway.

She opposed the Bio IQ package ($288,350 benefit after $55.830 in building permit caps, a projected 500 new jobs).

Commissioners also approved building permit fee caps worth $125,000 for Edison Chastain, LLC, which wants to convert warehouse property on Chastain Meadows Road, near Bells Ferry Road, for a 152,000-square-foot office building. That would bring around 500 jobs via multiple tenants, according to the Cobb Community Development Agency.

Cupid voted for that measure, which passed 4-1 (Gambrill opposing), but added that “we need to understand our numbers going forward.”

Commissioner JoAnn Birrell said she’s received a lot of e-mail about Edison Chastain, both pro and con, but said she supported the incentives.

“We’re missing the whole point of what it’s going to bring in in the long run,” she said.

Near the end of the meeting, Cupid stressed that “it’s got to get back to how we’re providing services, how we’re serving citizens.”

Boyce said in reference to the incentives that “I think we did a good thing for the county.”

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Cobb budget and transit town hall meetings to begin in East Cobb

February 11, 2019 4:59 PMFebruary 4, 2019 10:13 AM by Wendy Parker

East Cobb Senior Town Hall

There’s not much public transit in East Cobb, but two locations in the community will be the venues for town hall meetings in March that will focus on transit issues.

They’ve been scheduled by Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce, similar to his budget town hall meetings last year (including above, at the East Cobb Senior Center), and will solicit public feedback about potential transit options in the county.

The upcoming town halls also will include his budget priorities for fiscal year 2020, including a pledge not to repeat last year’s property tax increase.

The meetings start Tuesday, March 5 at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (2051 Lower Roswell Road), and will be held at 3 and 7 p.m.

The following day, March 6, meetings also will take place at 3 and 7 p.m. at the East Cobb Senior Center (3332 Sandy Plains Road).

The subject of transit is due to the passage of state legislation last year, HB 930, that established a new metro Atlanta transit authority. The law also gives Cobb the option of creating a special transit tax district or levying a one-cent countywide sales tax for transit expansion, which would have to be approved by Cobb voters in a referendum.

A county transit survey that was released late last year indicated that a majority of Cobb voters would approve of such a tax. That includes East Cobb, where the only CobbLinc bus line runs down Powers Ferry Road.

(Here’s a link to the survey summary.)

There was another bus line, along Roswell Road, that was eliminated during the recession due to Cobb budget cuts.

The HB 930 language indicated that if Cobb chose to hold a referendum, it would have to do so by November of this year. But Boyce has indicated he wants to delay that possibility until 2021 or 2022.

A transit sales tax referendum is slated for Gwinnett in March.

The remainder of Boyce’s town hall schedule next month is as follows, with sessions at 3 and 7 p.m. each day:

Thursday, March 7 – Cobb Senior Services on Powder Springs Street
Monday, March 11 – Freeman Poole Senior Center, Smyrna
Wednesday, March 13 – South Cobb Community Center
Thursday, March 14 – North Cobb Senior Center
Tuesday, March 19 – West Cobb Senior Center

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Ebenezer Road park master plan public meeting scheduled

February 2, 2019 1:15 PMFebruary 2, 2019 9:33 AM by Wendy Parker

Ebenezer Road park master plan

In mid-February Cobb parks officials will be seeking public input as they develop masster plans for green space purchased with the 2008 Cobb Parks Bond referendum, including land on Ebenezer Road in Northeast Cobb.

The session for the Ebenezer Road land takes place Feb. 18 from 6:30-8 p.m. at Noonday Baptist Church (4121 Canton Road).

In October, Cobb commissioners approved spending $89,000 to develop master plans for the properties.

It’s the only land in East Cobb out of nearly 500 acres purchased that’s undergoing a master plan process. The county also purchased 22 acres of the Tritt property next to East Cobb Park.

That’s slated to remain as undeveloped green space for now, so there’s no master plan underway.

The 18 acres on Ebenezer Road is located just off Canton Road, and was owned in two parcels by the Strother family. Last summer, commissioner JoAnn Birrell held a public preview there.

The Ebenezer Park master plan contract is for $14,300.

The other input meetings will take place in February and March.

Mabry Park completion delayed by weather

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East Cobb cityhood lobbyist is experienced in municipal campaigns

February 2, 2019 1:28 PMJanuary 29, 2019 1:58 PM by Wendy Parker

The Committee for Cityhood in East Cobb, Inc. has retained a lobbyist who has worked on behalf of other groups in metro Atlanta in recent years that have sought incorporation, as well for as a contractor that has provided services to some of those cities.

John Garst registered on Monday as lobbyist for the East Cobb group, according to the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission. John Garst, East Cobb cityhood lobbyist

He runs Rosetta Stone Communications, an Atlanta-based political consulting and polling firm, and it is the official polling organization for WSB-TV.

His previous lobbying for cityhood efforts include the City of Brookhaven, the City of Stonecrest, the Eagles Landing Educational Research Committee and CH2M.

The latter, formerly known as CH2M Hill, was a Colorado-based engineering and operations firm with an office in Atlanta that has provided municipal services on contract for the cities of Sandy Springs, Milton and Johns Creek.

CH2M also has contracted with other newer municipalities, including Tucker and Chattahoochee Hills in South Fulton. In 2017, CH2M was sold to another Colorado engineering firm.

Phil Kent, a spokesman for the cityhood group, told East Cobb News that Garst, who specializes in a Republican clientele, will be paid “slightly in excess of $10,000 for this year. He will now begin educating and pitching various state lawmakers and the legislative leadership on the benefits of East Cobb cityhood, monitor future legislation, attend meetings, and perform other duties associated with the legislative process.”

Joe Gavalis, an Atlanta Country Club resident who is the chairman of the cityhood committee, wrote a column that was published Tuesday in The Marietta Daily Journal, making his case for “local control over local affairs.”

His column repeats arguments he has made previously, and including obtaining feedback from a group of citizens about a feasibility study for a proposed City of East Cobb:

“Conversations with numerous east Cobb citizens also include concerns over actions taken by a majority of Cobb County commissioners who don’t reside in our community. The recent vote on a property tax increase, for example, passed by a 3-2 vote. Our sole east Cobb commissioner was out-voted. Indeed, there is a perception that county funds are not being spent prudently, and that public safety services and road improvements are not top priorities. If this concerns you in east Cobb, there is a solution. The answer is self-determination through cityhood!”

The proposed map of the City of East Cobb (with a population of 96,000) does not include all of what is generally regarded as East Cobb. The northern boundaries match, nearly identically, the boundaries of Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott’s District 2.

East Cobb’s other commissioner, JoAnn Birrell, also voted against the tax increase.

In the column, Gavalis continued to decline to name other individuals in the cityhood organization, saying only that they are “a group of concerned east Cobb citizens.”

On the East Cobb Cityhood website, he said that besides commercial real estate business owner G. Owen Brown, other donors who paid for the feasibility study “for now, wish to be unidentified due to possible personal harassment or media attacks/smears from opponents.”

Gavalis also has declined to identify those in the citizens group (East Cobb News has contacted a few, including one who quit over what he called a lack of transparency), saying only that “many chose to remain anonymous since this Committee was merely exploring the concept of cityhood.”

He said the group has made the following recommendations:

Conduct community meetings to educate the public on the process;
Recruit volunteers for study panels;
Develop a communication plan;
Develop “frequently asked questions and answers” as well as “facts vs. myths” materials;
Develop a comparison of the GSU study data versus our study panel estimates and also comparing research with comparable cities;
Educate citizens living in adjacent properties about requesting annexation into the city after it is created. (Changing the proposed city boundaries now would require a new feasibility study).

Gavalis did not indicate in his column when cityhood backers would inform the broader public or seek to introduce legislation to establish a local referendum. The earliest citizens could vote on whether to create a City of East Cobb would be in 2020, but only if a bill is passed this year.

Kent reiterated “that the cityhood movement is still in its very early stage.”

He also said that “dates are currently being discussed for community meetings” and that they will be announced to the public when they are scheduled.

The feasibility study, for which the cityhood group paid $36,000, concluded that the City of East Cobb was financially viable without levying taxes higher than the current Cobb County general fund millage rate, and would even start with a budget surplus.

After a recent speaking engagement in East Cobb, Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce told East Cobb News that none of the six existing cities in Cobb have lower overall millage rates than the county.

“Unless you can show me there’s a big difference in the quality of services, you’re going to be paying extra to get those services” in a City of East Cobb, Boyce said.

Gavalis said the study committees would be involved in creating a charter, and he is seeking volunteers with expertise in taxes and finance, planning and zoning, public works and engineering, governance and administration and police and courts. Said Kent:

“A lot of feedback is already coming in via our website from east Cobbers and others with various areas of expertise who want to volunteer to be on study panels that are being established by the East Cobb cityhood committee.”

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Cobb schools and government closed Tuesday as winter storm approaches

January 28, 2019 9:08 PMJanuary 28, 2019 12:26 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb schools and government closed

The Cobb County School District and Cobb government both sent messages out around noon Monday that they will be closed Tuesday, due to a winter storm that’s headed to metro Atlanta and north Georgia.

Their decisions came after Gov. Brian Kemp and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms held a joint news conference, announcing that state government in the storm area, as well as Georgia’s largest city, would be closing on Tuesday.

Other metro Atlanta governments and school districts also have announced closures for Tuesday, including Marietta City Schools.

State government offices in 35 counties, including Cobb, will be closed on Tuesday, according to Kemp.

The area is bracing for cold, wet weather starting later Monday evening and lasting through Tuesday night.

On Sunday, the National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch that includes Cobb.

Monday afternoon, the NWS upgraded that status to a winter storm warning, including Cobb, from 3 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Travel could be hazardous due to snow and ice accumulations, including black ice.

Cobb schools spokeswoman Nan Kiel said the following in a statement:

“Knowing that it interrupts the school day and the education process, we did not make this decision lightly. However, given that our District serves more than 112,000 students and their families, as well as 18,000 staff members, and that the safety of our students and staff are paramount, we chose to act on the side of safety.

“The District will continue monitoring the situation, with an eye towards the condition of our roads, and we’ll be sure to update the community further by 5 pm Tuesday evening.”

All events and activities scheduled at schools also have been cancelled or postponed.

Cobb government spokesman Ross Cavitt said the county’s shutdown will begin at 6 a.m. Tuesday, and will reopen depending on when conditions improve. County Manager Rob Hosack said in a statement:

“With a great deal of uncertainty about the timing and amount of snow, we thought this proactive action would be best to ensure the safety of Cobb County workers.”

Cobb DOT crews will be on the job overnight and into Tuesday, Cavitt said, preparing equipment and pre-treating roads starting around sunrise.

Cavitt said the crews will work in 12-hour shifts until the weather event is over, using a salt-sand mixture to treat “known trouble-spots,” especially around curves and on bridges and overpasses.

Other closings

We’re compiling closings of other schools, businesses and organizations and any cancellations or postponements of events for Tuesday. E-mail us: editor@eastcobbnews.com with your information:

St. Catherine’s Episcopal preschool closed;
Catholic Church of St. Ann closed;
Transfiguration Catholic Church closed;
Wood Acres School closed;
Primrose School East Cobb closed;
Faith Lutheran School closed;
Mt. Bethel Christian Academy closed;
Orange Theory Fitness Sandy Plains and Marietta-East Cobb opening 3:30 p.m.;
Thrive Wellness Center closed;
Mt. Zion UMC closed;
Wesley Chapel UMC basketball cancelled;
Johnson Ferry Christian Academy closed;
Eastside Christian School closed;
The Walker School closed;
East Cobb Tutoring Center closed;
Mansouri Family Dental Care closed;
East Cobb and NE Cobb YMCA closing at 4 p.m. Tuesday, all group exercise programs before 4 are scheduled (subject to cancelletion), all paid programs are cancelled;
East Cobb Business Association Community Breakfast postponed;
MUST Ministries program centers in Marietta, Smyrna and Canton and main donation center closed;
All locations Marietta Eye Clinic closed, including Marietta Eye Surgery;
Dentistry at East Piedmont closing at 12 p.m.;
Olde Towne Athletic Club closed;

Weather forecast

The forecast calls for Cobb to get around an inch of snow, with temperatures reaching as high as the low 40s during the day on Tuesday, but dropping to around 20 degrees on Tuesday night.

Monday is the five-year anniversary of a winter storm that crippled metro Atlanta, stranding thousands of motorists and forcing some students, teachers and staff to shelter overnight in schools.

Monday is also the first full day of Super Bowl-related activities in the Atlanta area.

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Georgia teacher pay raise of $3K proposed by new Gov. Brian Kemp

January 17, 2019 2:59 PMJanuary 17, 2019 1:46 PM by Wendy Parker

In his first State of the State address, Gov. Brian Kemp said Thursday he wants to give Georgia teachers a pay raise of $3,000 a year, launch a number of school safety measures and create a statewide task force to crack down on criminal gangs. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Georgia teacher pay raise

Speaking in the Georgia Capitol after being sworn in earlier this week, Kemp said the teacher pay increase will cost $480 million annually, but represents “a large down payment” on his campaign pledge of funding a $5,000 year raise.

In his remarks, he noted that 44 percent of teachers in the state leave the profession in their first five years.

Kemp’s proposed fiscal year 2020 budget of $27.5 billion would also include a two percent pay raise for all state employees that would cost $120 million.

School safety measures also highlight Kemp’s first budget, following a special legislative study committee that toured the state last year.

The former Georgia Secretary of State, Kemp, a Republican, defeated Democrat Stacey Abrams in a close election in November. While Abrams, the former state House Minority Leader, won Cobb County, Kemp prevailed in most East Cobb precincts.

Kemp is proposing $69 million in one-time funds for school security grants, with all Georgia K-12 schools receiving $30,000 each. Those priorities would determined by their local school boards, administrators, teachers, parents, and students.

Kemp also wants to provide $8.4 million in additional funding for the Apex program, which addresses mental health in Georgia high schools. Georgia has been at the bottom nationally in providing funding to help students with mental health care needs.

He would spend $500,000 to form a gang task force within the Georgia Bureau of Investigation that would work with local prosecutors and law enforcement agencies.

The proposal would be to use the Criminal Gang and Criminal Alien Database, to be funded with existing resources from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, to track and arrest criminal gang leaders, including drug kingpins.

Kemp also said he will pursue a state Medicaid waiver and is earmarking $1 million in the Department of Community Health’s budget to pursue possible options to the current program “that increases choices, improves quality, encourages innovation and grows access to affordable healthcare across the state.”

You can read the entire proposed budget here.

We will be adding reaction from Cobb officials when we get it.

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Boyce repeats no tax increase pledge for Cobb 2020 budget

January 15, 2019 4:44 PMJanuary 15, 2019 3:38 PM by Wendy Parker

*Boyce offered a “State of the County” address to the East Cobb Business Association members at their January luncheon Tuesday. (ECN photo: Wendy Parker)*

In sharpening his fiscal year 2020 budget proposal he’ll take around the county starting this spring, Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce said Tuesday that he’s adamant he won’t be asking for a tax increase.

He also wants to give all county employees a pay raise, open all library branches on Sunday, begin drawing down the amount of money transferred from Cobb water system revenues and eliminate senior fees that were imposed during a contentious budget process in 2018.

And how to pay for all this without raising taxes?

“The county is on fire,” Boyce told East Cobb News Tuesday afternoon after addressing the East Cobb Business Association monthly luncheon at the Olde Towne Athletic Club.

That was a reference to a growing tax digest—2018 was a record year for that, at $36.7 billion—and what he said was the beginning of restoring some county services that had been cut back since the recession.

In order to do that, however, Boyce got an increase of 1.7 mills for the general fund, which pays for most county government expenses.

It was a grueling process, as he conducted a number of town hall meetings and got his $454 million general fund budget, but only by a 3-2 margin. His fellow East Cobb residents, commissioners Bob Ott and JoAnn Birrelll, voted against him.

But the additional funding closed what he said was a $30 million deficit and enabled the hiring of more police officers and road work crews, and the opening of regional libraries on Sunday.

His remarks were similar to those he made last week to the Cobb Chamber of Commerce. Boyce doesn’t have a formal budget proposal yet, and some details—such as how big an employee pay raise may be—also haven’t been included.

But he said he’s confident growth in the tax digest in 2019 would enable the county to continue adding services without a millage hike.

“I made a promise last year that I wouldn’t do it [in 2020],” he said, adding that the county is still finding other budget savings.

He received applause for that sentiment, as well as expanding library hours, additional nature trail acquisitions and the purchase of greenspace (including part of the Tritt property next to East Cobb Park).

Boyce also outlined for the ECBA audience of around 100 members and guests a number of business developments, including development around SunTrust Park, which will open its third season as the Atlanta Braves home venue in April.

The stadium, partly financed by the county—and with an annual general fund cost of $8.6 million—has been the magnet for so much more than that. The Battery Atlanta mixed-use project developed by the Braves has become a year-round hub of commercial, retail, restaurant and entertainment activity that’s attracting more business growth.

“Forget the stadium, it’s The Battery that’s driving development,” Boyce said. “It’s sparked a halo effect in the Cumberland CID area and beyond.”

He also predicted that the county would begin recouping that $8.6 million budget investment “sooner than I thought,” but didn’t offer a prediction of when that might be.

Looking ahead to 2019, Boyce said transit and transportation issues will loom larger. The county conducted a transit survey that was released in December that indicated that nearly 60 percent of respondents would support a sales tax for new projects.

(Read the Cobb DOT Transit Survey Summary here).

Before any transit options are decided, there will be town hall meetings and a likely referendum in 2021.

As for the next Cobb budget, Boyce said a total of 16 town halls coming in March and April—including two a day in some cases—will seek taxpayer feedback as was done last year.

“I just want you to enjoy your life,” Boyce said. “Cobb is in as good a place as it’s ever been.”

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AARP free tax preparation sessions coming to East Cobb library branches

January 9, 2019 10:34 AMJanuary 9, 2019 9:18 AM by Wendy Parker

Once again the AARP is offering free tax preparation services for low and moderate income earners in Cobb County, including three library branches in East Cobb. AARP free tax preparation sessions

The sessions begin on Feb. 1 and end on April 15. Here are the specific dates and times at East Cobb library branches:

Mondays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Gritters Library (880 Shaw Park Road)
Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., East Cobb Library (4880 Lower Roswell Road)
Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Mountain View Regional Library 3320 Sandy Plains Road)

No appointments are necessary, and you don’t have to be an AARP member. Services are free and confidential, and electronic filing also is available. Returns are prepared by IRS-certified tax counselors.

Bring your 2017 tax returns and 2018 tax forms, a social security card and identification and a valid check for any direct deposit refunds.

For information visit the AARP’s Tax Aide page.

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Cobb 2020 budget outline: No tax hike; employee pay raise; end senior fees

January 7, 2019 4:04 PM by Wendy Parker

As we posted yesterday, Cobb Commission chairman Mike Boyce is outlining his priorities for the county’s fiscal year 2020 budget.

At his State of the County remarks Monday morning at the Cobb Chamber of Commerce breakfast, Boyce offered his general priorities, but didn’t offer many specifics.

Among them is no tax increase, following last year’s hike of 1.7 mills in the current $454 million FY 2019 budget that runs through October.

He also wants to offer all county employees a pay raise and to reduce the amount of Cobb Water Department revenues transferred to the county general fund budget from 10 percent to nine percent.

Also on his wish list is expanding Sunday public library hours to all branches and eliminating membership and user fees for senior services that were imposed in 2018.

Last month, the leader of the county senior citizens council asked that those fees be reconsidered.

Another proposal will call for additional public health spending to address opioid addiction and neo-natal deaths.

In his remarks to the Chamber, which he previewed in this video presentation, Boyce explained what additional services county government provided in what he called a “restoration budget.” (His remarks about the budget come around the 15:20 mark).

Boyce didn’t indicate how much his priorities would cost, or how they would be paid for without another tax increase.

Town hall meetings about the budget will take place in June and July, with final adoption expected in late July.

“I’m very optimistic about the future of Cobb,” he said in the video. “Yes, we have challenges, but they’re ones that can be confidently addressed by our county staff and board of commissioners.”

Boyce will be speaking to the East Cobb Business Association on Jan. 15 and to the East Cobb Civic Association on Jan. 30.

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UPDATE: Johnson Ferry-Shallowford Master Plan meetings resume

January 7, 2019 4:12 PMJanuary 7, 2019 9:21 AM by Wendy Parker

Johnson Ferry-Shallowford community, Johnson Ferry-Shallowford Master Plan

We noted last month that another round of public meetings for the Johnson Ferry-Shallowford Master Plan were resuming in early 2019.

The first meeting next Tuesday, Jan. 15, at 7 p.m., at Chestnut Ridge Christian Church (2663 Johnson Ferry Road). Additional meetings are scheduled for Feb. 12 and March 12, at the same time and venue.

Representatives from the Cobb Community Development Department and other county government agencies will be on hand, and this first meeting will include a presentation to “re-familiarize” the public with the master plan scope and process, followed by breakout sessions.

Topics include land use, parks and recreation, transportation and stormwater management.

The master plan concept that is developed from the JOSH meetings will be incorporated into the Cobb 2040 Comprehensive Plan.

Citizens can offer feedback online, and view documents, maps and other information related to the study area, by visiting the Cobb government website with JOSH information.

The master plan process is similar to others done in the county at the behest of district commissioners. District 2 commissioner Bob Ott, whose constituency now includes the Johnson Ferry-Shallowford area, has had previous master plans conducted for the Powers Ferry and Johnson Ferry corridors and Vinings.

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Cobb State of the County address highlights Chamber breakfast

January 6, 2019 1:45 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb State of the County Address, Mike Boyce

Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce will give the annual “State of the County” address Monday at the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s Monday breakfast meeting.

The breakfast starts at 7:30 a.m. at the Cobb Galleria Centre (info and tickets here), and Boyce’s comments can be seen in their entirety at this link later Monday.

The State of the County is an annual tradition for the chairman. Boyce, an East Cobb resident, begins his third year in office after commissioners voted narrowly last year to approve a property tax increase.

Boyce has defended this as a “restoration budget” to add services that had been reduced since the recession. Those include hiring more police officers and equipping them with body camera, Sunday library hours and hiring road work crews.

His East Cobb colleagues, Bob Ott and JoAnn Birrell, voted against that tax hike, and starting this month they will be joined by a new commissioner, Keli Gambrill of North Cobb, who also campaigned against the increase.

She defeated Bob Weatherford, who cast the deciding vote for the tax increase and defended his vote after his election loss.

At a budget retreat last month, Boyce indicated he will not be seeking a millage increase for the fiscal year 2020 budget.

Boyce also will be speaking at the East Cobb Business Association breakfast on Jan. 15. Tickets and info can be found here.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

East Cobb mixed-use properties among future land use proposals

January 5, 2019 2:31 PM by Wendy Parker

Powers Ferry-Terrell Mill properties, MarketPlace Terrell Mill, East Cobb mixed-use developments

Two notable East Cobb mixed-used developments approved during the last two years are located on property that county commissioners will be considering this month as part of their annual Comprehensive Plan updates.

They include land zoned last year for the MarketPlace Terrell Mill project (above) at Terrell Mill and Powers Ferry roads, and for the Sandy Plains Marketplace on the former Mountain View Elementary School site on Sandy Plains Road that was rezoned in late 2017.

Commissioners don’t hear zoning cases in January, but they adopt amendments, including future land use changes, to the 2040 Cobb Comprehensive Plan.

The first of two public hearings on the proposed amendments is scheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m. by the Cobb Planning Commission. Cobb commissioners will hold a hearing and adopt any changes at 9 a.m. on Jan. 15.

Both meetings are in the second-floor board room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.

(Here’s a link to the complete agenda.)

Revising the future land use plan is fairly routine following zoning cases. But those East Cobb cases, along with other proposed future land use plan amendments up for consideration, reflect lingering issues over density in the area, and the county in general.

The MarketPlace Terrell Mill project—which is to include a Kroger superstore, nearly 300 apartment units, restaurants and retail space—was opposed by residents of a nearby condominium complex.

Others opposed the assemblage of 24 acres that included the former Brumby Elementary School site into the Regional Retail Commercial category, a rare one in Cobb County that is denser than most surrounding property in a busy commercial corridor.

The future land use designation for the land is Regional Activity Center with high-density residential.

The MarketPlace Terrell Mill Project is regarded as a linchpin of redevelopment in the Powers Ferry corridor.

In its analysis for the future land use plan amendments, however, Cobb community development staff noted that “considering the changing conditions on site and the intensity that the proposed development will generate, a more appropriate future use designation may be Regional Activity Center with a sub-category of high density residential (RAC/hdr).”

The “changing conditions” is a reference Kroger’s attempts to seek tax breaks from the Development Authority of Cobb that were invalidated by a Cobb judge last fall. The grocery chain has appealed as other parts of the $120 million project are underway.

Also under construction is the Sandy Plains Marketplace project. Ground-clearing has begun, and all that’s left of the old Mountain View school is the sign at the entrance.

Sandy Plains Marketplace

That project will include a Publix GreenWise Market as its anchor, and other tenants have been announced.

The current future land-use designation is public institutional, since it was a school site. The proposed amendment would change it to the Community Activity Center category that matches the rezoning change.

Some residents of an adjoining neighborhood expressed concerns about some aspects of the project, including a three-story self-storage facility that would be constructed near their property lines.

Another high-density East Cobb rezoning is on the proposed amendment list. That’s four acres on Olde Towne Parkway that were converted from Community Activitity Center to High Density Residential.

Commissioners approved rezoning to RM-12 for four-story townhomes that nearby residents said were too high and too intense for the area.

Cobb commissioners have proposed several future land use plan amendments. Bob Ott of District 2 in East Cobb is proposing changing 370 acres in the Powers Ferry-Terrell Mill-Delk Road area to a mixture of designations.

Currently the land (map below), which houses a number of commercial and multi-family developments, is designated for Community Activity Center, High Density Residential and Park/Recreation/Conservation (PRC). CP-2-1, Cobb future land use plan amendments

He wants that property to be reclassified to the following categories: Regional Activity Center/retail service, Regional Activity Center/high density residential, and Regional Activity Center/open space and recreation.

The area includes some of the planned Windy Hill-Terrell Mill Connector project and a proposed extension of the Bob Callahan Trail network along Rottenwood Creek.

Other proposed Comprehensive Plan amendments would designate land purchased by commissioners last year for future green space to PRC. They include properties on Ebenezer Road and part of the Tritt property next to East Cobb Park.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Land acquisition for new Cobb Fire Station 12 site on commissioners’ agenda

January 4, 2019 7:33 PMJanuary 4, 2019 12:13 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb Fire Station 12

The purchase of three parcels of land on Canton Road for a new Cobb Fire Station 12 is on the Cobb Board of Commissioners agenda next Tuesday.

The current station, located at 810 Brackett Road in the Shaw Park area, is 55 years old. It’s one of four stations in the Northeast Cobb area but the only one serving the Canton Road corridor.

On the agenda is a request to purchase property located at 3852, 3592, and 3686 Canton Road owned by Chastain, LLC, and to be assembled with a parcel at 3587 Centerview Drive, which also is on the agenda.

According to the agenda item, the total purchase price for the three Canton Road properties is $1.1 million. They are located on the east side of Canton Road, between Kensington Drive and Chastain Corners Road.

The purchase price for the Centerview Drive property, currently owned by the Cochran Family Trust, is $263,000.

The cost to construct a new facility is estimated to be $4.1 million.

Also on Tuesday’s meeting agenda is a request from Cobb DOT to condemn four parcels of land for the planned Windy Hill-Terrell Mill Connector. DOT says that while negotiations continue with property owners, condemnation is needed for right of way acquisition if talks fall through.

The four parcels are 1.4 acres at 1557 Terrell Mill Road (Forest Ridge at Terrell Mill Apartments), and 1,206 square feet each at three townhomes located at 1631 Turnberry Lane, 1617 Turnberry Lane and 1613 Turnberry Lane.

The land is located near the northern portion of the road project, close to its intersection with Terrell Mill Road.

It would be the second such condemnation of property in the path of the Connector, an 0.8-mile stretch. Commissioners voted in November to condemn portions of apartment complexes near Windy Hill Road.

Tuesday’s meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the second floor board room at the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta. The full meeting agenda can be found here.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Revised East Cobb cityhood study adds $1.4M in annual ad valorem revenues

February 2, 2019 1:28 PMJanuary 2, 2019 4:16 PM by Wendy Parker

A week after a group touting East Cobb cityhood released a rosy financial feasibility study, the report was revised with a projection of additional annual revenue.

The report, prepared by Georgia State University researchers and made public Dec. 11, initially included no revenue from the state title ad valorem tax (TATV), explaining that the proposed city of East Cobb has no car dealerships.

But the revised report, which was dated Dec. 18 and made public today, acknowledges that the TAVT calculation is based on where motor vehicles are registered.

The revenue based on vehicles in the proposed city of East Cobb, according to the revised report, would come to nearly $1.4 million a year.

Here’s a link to the revised study, which explains the calculation in detail on Page 8. The estimated revenue table on Page 22 and shown in the chart above includes that line item, which was absent from the initial study (PDF here).

The estimated annual revenue for the City of East Cobb would rise from $48.4 million to $49.8 million. The estimated annual expenses are unchanged, at around $46 million a year.

The expenses would include police, fire and emergency services, planning and zoning and for general administration.

The updated report still concludes that East Cobb cityhood is financially feasible. The Committee for East Cobb Cityhood, Inc. paid $36,000 to commission the report by GSU’s Center for State and Local Finance.

It’s one of two entities, along with the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia, that conducts required feasibility reports for those seeking cityhood.

The two-year process includes state legislation that would call for a referendum to be voted on by residents of a proposed municipality. New cities must provide a minimum of three services.

The revision of the 22-page East Cobb cityhood study noted the addition of the ad valorem revenue and said “no other material changes were made.”

In an e-mail response to a request by East Cobb News, Phil Kent, the public relations consultant for the cityhood group, said the revised study also “answered critics with additional references to the base year 2017 for its property tax analysis.”

We’ve followed up for a further explanation and will update when we get it.

The proposed city of East Cobb includes unincorporated areas of Cobb Commission District 2 that are east of I-75 and outside the Cumberland Community Improvement District.

The population of that area comes to around 96,000.

The initial GSU study was circulated to a select group of community influencers in East Cobb right before Christmas, and some of them had concerns about the numbers and methodology.

One of those citizens, Joe O’Connor, resigned in protest, accusing the cityhood group of a lack of transparency.

Little is known about who is behind the cityhood drive other than its president, Atlanta Country Club resident Joe Gavalis, and G. Owen Brown, founder of the East Cobb-based Retail Planning Corp.

Thea Powell, a former Cobb commissioner who also is part of the ad hoc citizens advisory board, said she found information about East Cobb businesses outdated, going back to 2012, during the aftermath of the recession.

The East Cobb cityhood group has not indicated what its next steps may be or when the public may be informed of its plans.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb commissioner Birrell sworn in for third term; named vice-chair

December 21, 2018 4:36 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell has been sworn in for her third term in office.

Birrell, a Republican who represents District 3, took the oath on Wednesday at the Northeast Cobb Business Association luncheon at Piedmont Church. Cobb commissioner Birrell sworn in

She narrowly defeated Democrat Caroline Holko in the November elections, receiving a little more than 51 percent of the vote. Birrell, who was first elected in 2010, thanked her constituents and supporters in her weekly newsletter on Friday:

“Together, we have brought new businesses to the district, connected neighbors through various homeowner associations, worked to ensure we are fiscally responsible stewards of your tax dollars, added parks/green space, and supported our public safety team who is second to none. There are not enough words to express my gratitude to you for being so engaged, passionate, and supportive of our community.”

Birrell also has been appointed to serve as vice chair of the Cobb Board of Commissioners in 2019. That appointment was made by chairman Mike Boyce.

The only other commission election this year was in District 1 in North Cobb, where incumbent Bob Weatherford was defeated by Keli Gambrill. She also was sworn in this week.

The new terms for Birrell and Gambrill officially begin in January.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb government closed Monday and Tuesday for Christmas holidays

December 21, 2018 11:43 AMDecember 21, 2018 8:40 AM by Wendy Parker

Just a reminder that Cobb government services will be closed on Monday and Tuesday due to the Christmas holidays.

That also includes public libraries, which will reopen at their regular hours on Wednesday, Dec. 26.

East Cobb cityhood steering committee member resigns, citing lack of transparency

February 2, 2019 1:29 PMDecember 19, 2018 12:47 PM by Wendy Parker

A member of an informal citizens steering committee examining a possible East Cobb cityhood initiative has resigned, saying he and other committee members weren’t being told who funded a $36,000 feasibility study released last week.

Joe O’Connor, a resident of the King’s Cove neighborhood and a longtime community activist, told East Cobb News that he insisted that Joe Gavalis, president of the Committee for East Cobb Cityhood, Inc., offer more clarity about who’s pushing for a portion of East Cobb to become a city.

“I told Joe, ‘you’ve got to be transparent about this,” O’Connor said, recalling his conversation late last week. “His exact words to me were, ‘It’s none of anyone’s business.’ “

In response to questions from East Cobb News, Gavalis on Wednesday did not address O’Connor’s issues with who paid for the feasibility study or his other transparency concerns.

Instead, Gavalis said those who had been invited to serve on an ad hoc citizens group were being made the subject of “some misinformation” by “an attendee who is not for cityhood [and who] chose to share the names of people in the group knowing there were individuals who asked to remain anonymous and who had not made up their minds.”

He said the group is still gathering basic information about possible cityhood. “Many East Cobbers who attended are simply asking questions just like everyone in the aftermath of the Georgia State cityhood feasibility release,” Gavalis said.

East Cobb News contacted some of those individuals. One was upset her name had been given to a reporter and did not want to be interviewed. Some others have not returned messages seeking comment or were unavailable.

O’Connor said he has been friends with Gavalis, a resident of the Atlanta Country Club area, for many years, as they both have served on the Cobb Neighborhood Safety Commission and the Cobb Elder Abuse Task Force.

O’Connor also said he had problems with some of the data and information included in the study compiled by the Georgia State University Center for State and Local Finance. (Read it here, and view a proposed city map here.

City of East Cobb

In a response to written questions from East Cobb News over the weekend, Gavalis declined to say who funded the study or to name the individuals serving on the citizens committee.

He said the cityhood group, the Commitee for East Cobb Cityhood, Inc., has received donations from around the community to fund the study but he provided no specifics.

Among those on the citizens committee is former Cobb commissioner Thea Powell. She told East Cobb News that she thinks the cityhood idea is worthy of consideration, but “the process should have started sooner, of going out into the community.”

Powell—who said she hasn’t formed an opinion about whether East Cobb should be a city—referenced recommendations from the Georgia Municipal Association that strongly encourage cityhood advocates to get community input early on.

O’Connor said his first meeting about the cityhood idea was held in the office of G. Owen Brown, founder of the Retail Planning Corp., a commercial real estate firm located at Paper Mill Village. Brown is listed on the cityhood committee’s state filing documents as its incorporator. Gavalis is the only other individual who has been named.

O’Connor said after he first began reading through the study last week, he “immediately saw problems.”

Some of the statistical data was outdated and inaccurate, he said, and he was troubled by the low number of businesses in the proposed East Cobb city (around 3,300), far fewer than those in Alpharetta, Johns Creek and similar cities that were compared (bottom line in the chart below).

The residential-to-commercial split in the proposed city of East Cobb would be 85 to 15 percent.

“That’s a concern,” O’Connor said. “The other cities have a good combination.” In East Cobb, he said, “we’re so much more residential.”

Powell also noted that those business number stats are from 2012. “We’re working on really old figures when the economy wasn’t doing very well,” she said.

In his response to that issue over the weekend by East Cobb News, Gavalis said that the city of Milton, also in North Fulton, has a similar breakdown of its tax base, and there hasn’t been millage rate increase there since 2006.

Gavalis said he was asked to lead a possible cityhood effort after some citizens complained they didn’t think they were getting their money’s worth in county property taxes. He has not said who any of those people are.

Among the service priorities Gavalis indicated for a possible city of East Cobb were police and fire and community development, including planning and zoning.

A cityhood effort is a two-year process, requiring state legislation calling for a referendum that must be approved by voters living within the proposed city area. Cityhood advocates must also provide a feasibility study.

Gavalis told East Cobb News the community will be informed but did not indicate when that might be. Here’s more of what he told us Wednesday:

“We are in the beginning stages of our planning process and are seeking answers to some legitimate and sincere questions at this time. The Committee is not trying to be evasive but instead we have honored requests from participants who did not want their names disclosed since this group is still informal. We want to be transparent but we are compiling answers to questions about the study and formalizing our strategy on the expertise levels that will be needed to provide insight and professional advice.

“When we complete our strategic plan we will finalize who will be formally asked to join us and then we will announce who has accepted.”

With the possibility of legislation coming in the new year, Powell thinks the larger community should have been told more by now.

“Public input is of utmost importance,” she said. “Ultimately it doesn’t matter what I think. They will have the final say.”

O’Connor has been supportive about a city of East Cobb, writing a letter to the editor of The Marietta Daily Journal and commenting on East Cobb News to that effect.

But, he said, that support is based on solid “facts and numbers” and a willingness to make a good-faith effort to inform the public. He doesn’t think that is happening.

“I’ve always said that if you’re hiding something, then you’ve got something to hide,” O’Connor said.

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