East Cobb Government

Public hearings, vote set for Cobb stormwater fee proposal

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Cobb residential and commercial water and sewer customers would be assessed an additional fee for stormwater management under a code amendment proposal to go before the Cobb Board of Commissioners this month.

Cobb Water System director Judy Jones.

The proposed code amendment would change a dedicated fee based on the amount of impervious surface of a property. Cobb currently doesn’t charge for that, but has funded stormwater maintenance through water and sewer revenues.

The county has admitted it lacks staffing and resources to adequately handle demands on the system, which include older and failing pipes and maintenance of several hundred detention ponds.

Those concerns were accelerated following floods in East Cobb and elsewhere in the county in 2021, and prompted commissioners to explore the possibility of stormwater fees.

The first hearing on the proposed stormwater fee is Tuesday at 9 a.m., with a second hearing and a scheduled vote on March 26 at 7 p.m.

Commissioner JoAnn Birrell of District 3 in East Cobb is holding a public meeting next Thursday, March 14, at the Tim D. Lee Senior Center (3332 Sandy Plains Road) from 6-7:30 p.m., along with Cobb Water and Sewer director Judy Jones.

The proposed code amendment (you can read it here) doesn’t specify a rate structure for the stormwater fees, which would be collected from what’s referred to as an “enterprise fund.”

Last November, commissioners were presented with a set of options of stormwater fees ranging from $2.12 to $5 a month.

The Cobb water system currently spends $8.4 million a year on stormwater costs, including capital improvement projects. In November, Jones presented nine options for expanded services that would increase that total to $19 million annually if they were all approved, by collecting $5.01 a month in stormwater fees from individual customers.

Birrell has previously expressed opposition to the stormwater fee, which she considers a tax.

The proposal has been criticized by East Cobb resident Larry Savage, a former candidate for Cobb Commission Chairmain, who makes the same argument.

In an e-mailed message to media and others sent out last week, Savage said while the intent of moving stormwater costs to the water department was to free up the county’s general fund, the current proposal is a tax that that is unlawful because all taxation in Georgia is under the legislature.

“The idea now is to turn stormwater into a cash cow by charging EVERY PROPERTY OWNER a tax based on the area of land covered by impervious surface,” Savage wrote. “Note that I referred to it as a tax. Under the leadership of Chairwoman Cupid, the BoC agreed to call this a ‘fee’ instead of a ‘tax.’  Anyone who would do this clearly believes the people of Cobb County are stupid.”

The full agenda for Tuesday’s meeting can be viewed by clicking here; the meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta).

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

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AARP Tax-Aide providing assistance at Cobb library branches

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Submitted information:AARP Tax-Aide providing assistance at Cobb library branches

AARP Foundation Tax-Aide volunteers will provide free tax preparation assistance at three Cobb County Public Libraries. Service is provided by appointment only.

For the do-it-yourself tax preparer, Cobb County libraries are making available federal 2023 1040 tax forms and instruction booklets to area residents while supplies last. Libraries also will offer free printing of federal and state forms, up to 10 pages. This service does not include instruction books.

The locations include Mondays and Thursdays at 10 a.m. at the Mountain View Regional Library and Tuesdays at 10:15 a.m. at East Cobb Library.

For more details, click here.

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Cobb seeks grants to preserve African-American cemeteries

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Cobb seeks grants to preserve African-American cemeteries
 The Old Ebenezer Cemetery is located in a wooded area near Shaw Park.

Submitted information:

Cobb County has submitted a grant application to the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund for assistance with four of Cobb’s historic African American cemeteries.

In 2023, the Cobb County Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) worked to identify and research historic African American Cemeteries in Cobb. The four African American cemeteries included in the grant proposal are Sardis Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery, Old Ebenezer Cemetery, Noonday Extension Cemetery, and Little Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery.

Bev Jackson, Chairwoman of Cobb’s Historic Preservation Commission, says the county’s African American cemeteries’ needs are immediate and long-term. They need assistance with maintenance, boundary delineation, identification of unknown graves, recognition, etc.

“We see this as just the beginning of our plan to address the needs and concerns of our historic African American cemeteries in Cobb,” Jackson said. 

The grant would pay for a consultant to perform archaeology surveys for the four cemeteries and to write a maintenance manual for African American cemeteries in Cobb. The surveys will help define the cemetery boundaries and identify locations of unknown graves. The maintenance manual will be provided to property owners, cemetery preservation specialists, and volunteers to provide specific directions on restoring and maintaining our historic African American cemeteries properly.

Volunteers are always needed to assist with the maintenance of Cobb County Cemeteries; to get involved to help restore and maintain our historic African American cemeteries, contact the Cobb County Historic Preservation Planner, Mandy Elliott, at mandy.elliott@cobbcounty.org.

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Cobb DOT seeks condemnations for Lower Roswell Road project

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Cobb DOT seeks condemnations for Lower Roswell Road project
Cobb DOT is seeking condemnations for portions of commercial property on Lower Roswell Road near Johnson Ferry Road.

Efforts by Cobb DOT to acquire right-of-way to begin long-planned improvements along Lower Roswell Road have hit a snag with some commercial property owners.

The department said it’s still negotiating, but will ask the Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday to approve condemnation proceedings for six parcels of land at Parkaire Landing Shopping Center and across the road near the intersection of Johnson Ferry Road.

Those include properties housing a Bank of America branch, a McDonald’s, a medical building and a small strip retail building, as well as a Taco Bell.

In an agenda item (you can read it here), Cobb DOT said the condemnations are needed “to ensure project deadlines are met,” but didn’t indicate when those deadlines might be. The condemnations would be enacted “in the event negotiations are unsuccessful.”

The condemnations would include property for permanent rights-of-way as well as temporary construction easements.

It’s been more than a decade since Cobb DOT proposed traffic improvements at a busy intersection it says has a high number of vehicle crashes.

The project, with an estimated cost of $9 million from the Cobb 2011 SPLOST, would add turn lanes, install a multi-use trail and make other improvements along Lower Roswell between Woodlawn Drive and Davidson Road.

The agenda item states that there is funding available for permanent right-of-way acquisitions for the six parcels, but doesn’t indicate a cost.

Until a few years ago, there wasn’t much public skepticism of the plan, although the county has been talking with business owners concerned about a proposed raised median affecting their businesses.

Cobb DOT maintains that the proposed raised median—which would prevent left turns out of Parkaire Landing onto Lower Roswell Road—would substantially reduce crashes (from a 2021 project fact sheet that hasn’t been publicly updated).

After some residents expressed opposition in 2022, Cobb DOT held a town hall meeting about the project at the East Cobb Library. Many of the objections were over the creation of bike and pedestrian lanes.

Additional public feedback prompted Cobb DOT to announce in late 2022 it would redesign the project, including removal of a planned bike path and expanding a multi-use trail to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists.

That redesign hasn’t been unveiled.

The specific parcels being sought for condemnation resolutions Tuesday include the following:

  • Parcel 22 (4811 Lower Roswell Road; Papa John’s Pizza, My Emergency Dental, 101 Bagel Café) 5,097 square feet of right-of-way
  • Parcel 24 (4819 Lower Roswell Road, McDonald’s): 4,924 square feet of right-of-way
  • Parcel 25 (4851 Lower Roswell Road, Bank of America): 4,578 square feet of right-of-way
  • Parcel 27 (4880 Lower Roswell Road, Parkaire Landing): 5,205 square feet of right-of-way
  • Parcel 27T (4880 Lower Roswell Road, Taco Bell): 2,332 square feet of right-of-way
  • Parcel 28 (4939 Lower Roswell Road, Parkaire Medical Center): 1,226 square feet of right-of-way

The commission meeting begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta), and the full agenda can be found by clicking here.

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

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Former Cobb County Manager David Hankerson dies at 77

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Submitted by Cobb County Government:Former Cobb County Manager David Hankerson dies

After his retirement, David Hankerson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “I never hated to come to work for Cobb; I couldn’t wait. I was always here early, always here late.”

Those who worked with and for him know that is almost an understatement.

Hankerson came to work for Cobb in 1984 and was named County Manager in early 1993. He held that position for 24 years and shepherded county government as it moved from a mixed suburban/rural area to a rapidly growing metropolitan county.

David Hankerson died Thursday after a long illness. He was 77.

Current County Manager Dr. Jackie McMorris says Hankerson brought her to Cobb County in 2013.  

“But for Mr. Hankerson, I would not be where I am today,” Dr. McMorris said. “I believe the core values he has instilled in Cobb still resonate to this day, which include integrity, honesty, work hard, show up, and be ready when you show up. He was a giant in Cobb, and his legacy will live on in all of us.”

Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said Hankerson provided needed guidance when she became a district commissioner.

“David was a giant in our county and unmatched in his leadership and service to commissioners, employees, and civic and business leaders,” Chairwoman Cupid said. “I could not have accomplished all I did as a District Commissioner without his support. My prayers go out to David’s family and the Cobb Community during this very difficult time.”

“Today, we lost a gentle giant and exemplary leader of this county,” said District 3 Commissioner JoAnn K. Birrell. “David Hankerson will be remembered fondly for his management style, integrity, and leadership. He was a great mentor, husband, father, son, and friend. Thoughts and prayers are with his family. RIP Mr. H.”

David Hankerson acquired a Bachelor of Science in Agronomy from Fort Valley State College and a Juris Doctorate from the Woodrow Wilson College of Law. He served in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1970 in the Signal Corps, headquartered in Seoul, Korea. Upon his return to Georgia, he was a District Conservationist for the United States Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service.

He came to Cobb County Government in 1984 and served as manager of the Community Development Department. He was appointed Cobb County Manager on February 1, 1993. 

His last appearance before the Board of Commissioners came in September 2022 to celebrate the county’s 25th year of receiving a triple AAA rating. Hankerson said that had become a priority when he became county manager, and the county achieved that goal just a few years later.

“Triple AAA is about financing, but it’s more than just financing,” Hankerson said. “It’s about leadership, about community relations, and business relationships. We were very proud of that triple AAA rating.”

Hankerson was a Leadership Cobb Alumnus, a graduate of the Regional Leadership Institute, a member of the Association County Commissioners of Georgia General Government and Natural Resources and Environmental Policy Committees, a graduate of the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership Class, National Security Forum Alumni and a member of the Marietta Kiwanis Club. 

He served on numerous civic and professional boards. In 2006, Governor Perdue appointed him to the Environmental Advisory Council. In 2008, he became a member of the ICMA Client Advisory Forum, and in 2009, he was invited to serve on The Walker School Board of Directors and The Strand Board of Directors. 

He received numerous awards, including one of five distinguished Georgians to receive an Excellence in Public Service Award for 2004, and in 2005, the Blacks United for Youth/Cobb presented him with the Justice Robert Benham Award for outstanding leadership, service, and total commitment for the equality of all citizens. In 2008, the Senior Citizen Council of Cobb County presented Hankerson with the Community Leader of the Year award. In May 2009, he received the Delta Upsilon Boule Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity Founder’s Day Excellence in Government Award. 

In July 2009, the Board of Commissioners named the Safety Village Education Building in his honor. 2010 awards include the Marietta Daily Journal Citizen of the Year, 100 Black Men of North Metro Image Award, and the Cobb NAACP Hugh Grogan Political Action Award.

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Cobb Library System named Georgia’s ‘Library of the Year’

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East Cobb Library, Cobb budget crisis

Submitted by Cobb County Government:

Cobb County Public Library (CCPL) has been recognized as Library of the Year for its commitment to serving its community by partnering with numerous organizations within its county and statewide, and for efforts to expand access to materials and essential services to its community.

The library serves a population of over 750,000 across 15 branches and is dedicated to being a resource center in the community by providing equal access to information, materials, and services.

“The Cobb County Public Library prides itself with providing excellent, responsive service to enrich people’s lives, support lifelong learning, build and enhance our communities,” said Georgia State Senator Michael Rhett. “The library meets the needs of patrons across school systems, the county, and beyond by providing high quality services for early and adult learning literacy, hotspot and internet access, digital skills training, continuing education, health and wellness offerings, and cultural awareness in 15 branch locations.”

Cobb County Public Library received nomination letters from local elected officials, partnering organizations, school systems, and patrons who highlighted the library’s efforts across the community.

“This library has always been a safe haven and refuge from some of the confusing things about growing up,” said Jesse Quinton, Cobb County Public Library patron of over 15 years. “The library, staff, and other patrons have always been very respectful and helpful of my desire to learn, and I’ve grown here in ways that I might not have been able to if I wasn’t provided this resource.”

“We have a diverse, creative, knowledgeable, innovative, and experienced team that goes above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of the people we serve,” said Helen Poyer, director of Cobb County Public Library. “Staff are resilient and adapt well to the changing technologies, information needs, and community dynamics. They are public servants who are committed to and passionate about the role they play in promoting literacy at all levels and to all people. It is a joy, a privilege, and an honor to work with such an amazing team.”

The Cobb County Public Library has developed programs and services that enhance its role as a community hub and resource center, partnering with organizations that contribute to its goals.

A few of the library’s many unique local initiatives include:

  • Books By Mail: A free service that provides library materials to Cobb County residents who are unable to visit the library because of a physical disability, long-term illness, or lack of transportation. Items are delivered through the U.S. Postal Service, and the library provides pre-paid return postage at no cost to patrons.

“Books By Mail is a critical solution for not only our elderly patrons, but also chronically ill and physically challenged residents,” said Rachel Gray, Cobb County Public Library board trustee. “Cobb Library, in so many ways, can truly say it serves all residents, and that is possible because of our talented staff and their dedication to services like this.”

The Cobb County Board of Commissioners approved the service in February 2023, and the program is supported by the county’s federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) fund.

  • Falls Prevention Awareness Initiative: The library partners with a wide range of organizations to provide senior wellness programs, health screenings, and education for the community about the effects of injuries caused by falls.

Cobb County Public Library launched the Falls Prevention Awareness Initiative in 2015. A few of the library’s earliest collaborators include the Georgia Department of Public Health Injury Prevention Program, Cobb Senior Services, and the Shepherd Center, one of the country’s top hospitals for rehabilitation.

Staff have been trained to offer evidence-based fall prevention programs that bring people together while learning how to prevent injuries and illnesses. Year-round senior class offerings include tai chi, yoga, chair yoga, and hula hoop.

“Our falls prevention programming shows how libraries are effective in intervening to address significant community issues,” said Poyer. “These classes are about increasing knowledge and confidence and improving quality of life. The library is a place for lifelong learning; we can help you learn what you need, when you need it.”

For the initiative, Cobb County Public Library received the Award for Outstanding Service presented by the Injury Prevention Research Center at Emory (IPRCE) in 2023.

  • Vision To Learn Partnership: The library’s partnership with the nonprofit organization Vision To Learn has provided more than 2,100 eye exams and 1,400 pairs of glasses to Cobb County children for free through on-site mobile vision clinics at library branches.

This partnership helps children who have uncorrected vision needs, which means they are more likely to struggle in learning how to read. Vision To Learn visits are part of the library’s collaboration with Learn4Life, Metro Atlanta Regional Education Partnership.

“Although we have provided service at libraries across the country, Cobb County Public Library was a pioneering partner and has continued to set the standard for using libraries as a critical resource in the community, not just for literacy, but for health and wellness,” said Peter Silberman, chief growth officer at Vision To Learn.

  • Accessibility Services: Cobb County Public Library has made meeting the needs of the underserved in their community a priority. The library offers patrons a place to use assistive technology such as screen readers and magnifiers, listen to talking books, or find disability resources.

Cobb County Public Library began its focus on special needs populations in 2014, when the Windy Hill Therapeutic Center Library opened within the Cobb County PARKS Therapeutic Center. The center provides adult day care for those 18 and over who have a disability and need recreational, social, and skill-building activities. In 2019, the library expanded its programs to also serve the general public.

“We recognized that accessibility needed to become a priority for our library. Disability doesn’t have an age limit,” said Renaté Elliott, accessibility services supervisor at Cobb County Public Library. “We needed to provide services beyond those who attend adult day care. We also needed to include kids, as well as young adults who graduated from high school but are not quite ready for college or a job. We wanted to prioritize inclusion across the board.”

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  • Public Library Access for Student Success: Students who attend a Marietta City School or a Cobb County Public School can use their student ID number, commonly referred to as a lunch number, to check out library materials and access digital resources.

The library is also known for providing career advancement opportunities through educational programming, workshops, partnerships, and more.

“The Cobb County Public Library has been instrumental in organizing educational workshops, offering technological access, and hosting a wide range of programs that cater to people of all ages,” said Sonya Grant, president and chief executive officer of CobbWorks. “Their unwavering commitment to serving the community is apparent in the resources and support they provide, enabling individuals to enhance their skill sets and improve their employment prospects.”

The library also partnered with Georgia Educational Resources, Inc., a sponsor of Georgia’s Summer Food Service Program, to provide over 141,500 meals to more than 11,000 children at branches in response to the pandemic’s impact on families’ ability to afford food and the program has continued since.

“The dedication and hard work that Cobb County Public Library has invested in supporting the Summer Food Service Program over the past four years are nothing short of outstanding,” said Tammie Johnson, director at Georgia Educational Resources, Inc. “Because of the library, many children received nutritious meals who may not have otherwise.”

Cobb government offices, courts, libraries closed Tuesday

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Not long after the Cobb County School District announced Tuesday postponements of all classes and other activities, Cobb County government did the same early Monday evening, as all government offices, courts and libraries will be closed Tuesday, due to ” the potential for hazardous travel conditions.”

Among those activities being postponed is a Cobb Board of Commissioners public hearing on the Cobb Comprehensive Plan.

The winter weather advisory begins at 4 a.m. Tuesday and continues until noon, but icy road conditions may be in effect all day. High temperatures aren’t expected to get out of the 20s.

Cobb government said in a statement Monday evening that “Cobb DOT crews will monitor road conditions early in the morning and treat bridges, overpasses, and known trouble spots.”

More details here from the National Weather Service in Atlanta.

 

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Cobb commissioners approve 2024 transit sales tax referendum

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Cobb commissioners approve 2024 transit sales tax referendum
“I can’t support a 30-year tax, but it will be up to voters to decide,” commissioner JoAnn Birrell said.

In a partisan vote, the Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved adding a referendum to the November 2024 general election ballot on whether to collect a 30-year sales tax for a major development of the county’s transit system.

Commissioners also approved a project list for the referendum that in East Cobb would include the reinstatements of bus routes running along Roswell Road and connecting to the Dunwoody MARTA station, and a new transit station in the Roswell-Johnson Ferry area.

The Cobb Mobility Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax, if approved by voters, would collect a one-percent tax for an estimated $10.8 billion, financing the creation of several high-occupancy bus routes, the construction of transit centers and expanding microtransit, paratransit and other transit options around the county.

Cobb collects a SPLOST for overall county projects, and the Cobb County School District also has its own SPLOST for school construction, maintenance and technology projects.

But Cobb DOT officials have been planning for a possible transit referendum for several years, with Atlanta Regional Commission projections that the county’s population will near a million people by 2050.

The board’s three Democrats voted in favor of having the referendum, while Republican commissioners were opposed.

The items on the project list would add 106 miles of bus and transit routes to the existing CobbLinc service, which has only one route in the East Cobb area, along Powers Ferry Road.

Commissioner JoAnn Birrell of District 3 in East Cobb said the length of the proposed tax is far too long, and consists only of transit projects.

“In the past I’ve always supported our county SPLOST going to a referendum, but the maximum they were was six years,” she said. “But they had not only transportation, but libraries, parks, public safety and other departments.

“I can’t support a 30-year tax but it will be up to voters to decide and that’s the bottom line.”

Commissioner Monique Sheffield of South Cobb, who grew up in Brooklyn, said she might not have had the educational opportunities she had without being able to ride the subway in New York City, and that many young Cobb citizens are facing similar obstacles.

“The generations are getting younger, things are changing,” she said. “I look forward to see how this plays out in the community.”

Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said that “we have moment of transformation before us today.”

She compared the chance to vastly expand transit options to the 2013 vote by commissioners to enter into a 30-year memorandum of understanding with the Atlanta Braves to build a baseball stadium, and the county’s buildout of sewer systems in the 1980s.

“I’m sure there were reasonable voices of concern about those times, but there are reasonable considerations of why now,” said Cupid, who was the only commissioner to vote against the Braves stadium deal.

“This is a board of action, this is a board that wants to get this done,” she said. “I’ve seen moments of opportunity come and go.”

Cobb voters rejected a referendum in 1971 to join the then-now Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. In 1989 the county created Cobb Community Transit (now called CobbLinc) to provide a limited amount of transit services, including express buses serving commuters in downtown Atlanta.

She said Cobb has had “consideration of a robust investment in transit for almost 50 years now. . . . and we’re at a key time to offer commensurate options for our community.”

Commissioners voted along the same 3-2 split to approve spending $187,000 for an education campaign to take place in 2024 ahead of the referendum.

That effort, which includes a combined donation of $100,000 from the Town Center and Cumberland Community Improvement Districts, will include town hall meetings and other information presented to citizens.

After the vote, citizens spoke on the issue in public comment sessions.

Kevin Cutliff of East Cobb, a 21-year-old who supports the transit tax, said many in his generation are struggling to afford cars to get around.

He uses a combination of an electric bike and CobbLinc, but said he doesn’t feel safe with the former and feels “disconnected” with the latter, saying the current system has very limited access to the rest of metro Atlanta.

“This transit referendum hopefully will change that going forward,” Cutcliff said. “When voters use transit, this affects all of us, when all of it is connected.”

But Cobb resident Tracy Stevenson said the overall cost of the Mobility SPLOST—nearly $11 billion—”is a buttload of money.

“Do we need to overhaul the system? Probably? Do we need to have compassion for people? Absolutely. Are there are better ways to do it that use a 30-year technology to move forward. We put rosy new names on things, but it’s still a bus system.

“If we can manage the system better than we have now then why don’t we?”

[ays_poll id=5]

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Cobb commissioners presented with stormwater fee options

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More than half of all current Cobb residential customers would fall into a stormwater fee tier charging between $2.12 and $2.17 a month.

A number of options to collect stormwater fees from Cobb homeowners, businesses and institutions was presented to the Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday.

Cobb doesn’t collect a stormwater fee, but for more than a year, the Cobb County Water System has been researching potential options to maintain and upgrade a stormwater system that officials say is under severe strain.

During a work session Tuesday, water system director Judy Jones presented a detailed set of options that include imposing an average monthly fee ranging between $2.12 to $5, based on the amount of impervious surface on a property.

That would amount to a smaller fee for homeowners and a larger bill for commercial and institutional properties.

Cobb water and sewer customers are currently billed according to usage, ranging from $2.14 for 5,000 gallons or less a month for residences to $7.06 for heavy commercial users (15,000 gallons or more) for combined services.

That proposal is less than what nearby jurisdictions charge for stormwater fees, including some of Cobb’s cities.

Basing a fee on impervious surface, Jones said, would “create dedicated funding” for stormwater repairs.

Since 1994, Cobb has funded stormwater maintenance from water and sewer fees, and it’s been nearly two decades since a consultant recommended the county impose a stormwater fee.

The county has admitted it lacks staffing and resources to adequately handle demands on the system, which include older and failing pipes and maintenance of several hundred detention ponds.

Those concerns were accelerated following floods in East Cobb and elsewhere in the county in 2021, and prompted commissioners to explore the possibility of stormwater fees.

The Cobb water system currently spends $8.4 million a year on stormwater costs, including capital improvement projects. Jones presented nine options for expanded services that would increase that total to $19 million annually if they were all approved, by collecting $5.01 a month in stormwater fees from individual customers.

That would include hiring several positions to conduct repairs, provide engineering and inspection services and update the system’s map of detention ponds it maintains.

Jones said her staff is still trying to determine how many detention ponds the county is responsible for, including mowing and landscaping, but the best estimate is around 300.

When Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said “that’s not sustainable,” from a time as well as financial context, Jones said that “we’re not maintaining them the way they need to be.”

Jones presented slides showing such things as a sample bill including a stormwater fee, with the charge for a Tier 2 residence (around 2,000 gallons a month) going up by only 3 cents, from $71.10 to $71.13, using the impervious surface formula.

Cobb Water System director Judy Jones said county water customers “still have the lowest rates” in metro Atlanta.

However, the monthly bill for a “big box” commercial customer would go up by more than $217, from $1,777 to $1,808.

Jones said special lower formulas could be worked out for non-commercial institutions, such as schools and churches, which have a lot of impervious surfaces.

The two Republicans on the commission have said previously they oppose a stormwater fee, calling it a tax.

GOP Commissioner JoAnn Birrell of District 3 in East Cobb asked Tuesday if there there would be town halls or public meetings ahead of any vote on whether to charge a stormwater fee.

She has been opposed as long as a portion of Cobb Water System revenues are transferred every year to the county’s general fund budget.

This year that figure is 6 percent, after commissioners voted along party lines to raise water rates by nearly 8 percent.

County attorney Bill Rowling said public hearings would be required for any changes to the county code regarding stormwater fees.

Cupid added that “anything you can do to educate the public would be generous,” and she referenced recent meetings about the proposed Cobb Mobility SPLOST.

“I think we can err on the side of being generous,” she said.

Jones said she would make her presentation available on the county website. Commissioners didn’t discuss a timetable for any possible action, but hearings and public feedback are expected to continue into the middle of 2024.

A few other related slides from Jones’ presentation Tuesday are included below, along with a replay of the work session. It lasts an hour and 17 minutes.

 

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Cobb public safety asking for $1.5M for 2025 All-Star Game

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Cobb schools SPLOST vote World Series

The event won’t take place until the middle of 2025, but the Cobb Public Safety Department will ask Cobb commissioners this week for $1.589 million for law enforcement and security services for the 2025 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Truist Park.

That request is an agenda item (you can read it here) for Tuesday night’s meeting, and the funding would come from the fiscal year 2025 general fund contingency budget.

Earlier this month Major League Baseball announced the game would be coming to Truist Park, after depriving the Braves as host status for the 2021 event due to a Georgia election law.

Roughly half of the funding for public safety services would be used for security and supplies, and the other half would be used for overtime for personnel from a number of agencies, including police, Sheriff’s Office, fire, emergency services, transportation and Cobb Parks, according to the agenda item.

The All-Star Game festivities will take place over two days in mid-July 2025 at the ballpark at The Battery and the Cumberland area.

By comparison, in 2021, when Truist played host to three World Series games, Cobb commissioners approved roughly $500,000 in overtime, additional security and other measures, including a watch party at the park when the Braves clinched the championship in Houston.

The agenda item for Tuesday’s meeting states that the All-Star game is considered a “heightened awareness status” event by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The agenda item also states that there could be a “significant economic boom” from having the All-Star Game in Cobb County, and cited data from the Baseball Almanac that the event in other cities has generated between $37 million and $190 million.

The commission meeting begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta), and the full agenda can be found by clicking here.

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

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Cobb Landmarks renews effort to save Power-Jackson Cabin

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Power-Jackson Cabin preservation effort

Cobb Landmarks and Historical Society, a Marietta-based historic preservation non-profit, has begun a fundraising drive to collect an estimated $65,000 in donations to relocate an 184os log cabin on Post Oak Tritt Road to the county-run Hyde Farm in East Cobb.

The organization believes the Power-Jackson Cabin may be the oldest existing structure in Cobb County.

But a recent rezoning case involving the land where the cabin sits has triggered a new effort to save it, as well as an evaluation by a log cabin expert, Vic Hood.

In May attorneys for Kenneth B. Clary withdrew a rezoning request for a proposed subdivision on 13 acres of undeveloped land on Post Oak Tritt Road near McPherson Road after opposition surfaced for historical and stormwater issues.

That’s where the cabin, which initially belonged to William Power before it was given to his daughter, Martha Jane, still sits, in badly deteriorating shape.

At a zoning hearing, cemetery preservationists also noted that a young mother—likely Power’s daughter—and two infants are buried on the site, further complicating development efforts.

In a message that the organization sent out Tuesday, Cobb Landmarks is asking for donations to disassemble, tag and relocate the logs to Hyde Farm. Clary’s family has agreed to allow Cobb Landmarks to remove the cabin.

“The purpose of Hood’s visit was to determine if the cabin could be saved and the scope of work a restoration project might entail,” Cobb Landmarks said in its Tuesday update. “Hood determined the cabin is still salvageable, but that time is running out.”

Hyde Farm is where another Power family cabin exists, as part of a working 1840s farm that was in family hands until the 1990s.

Cobb PARKS oversees that property off Lower Roswell Road, and the Cobb Landmarks message noted that the department has been discussing the possibility of using 2016 Cobb SPLOST funds to restore the cabin.

“Having the Power-Jackson Cabin join her sibling cabins at Hyde Farm creates a unique opportunity for the public to view three pioneer log cabins that, at one time, all belonged to members of the same family,” the Cobb Landmarks message said.

“Commissioner Jerica Richardson believes this to be a worthwhile investment to the community. With approval of restoration, Cobb PARKS would be responsible for maintaining the cabin in perpetuity.”

East Cobb News has left a message with Richardson’s office seeking comment.

SPLOST funds have been used to preserve other structures at Hyde Farm, which was turned over to the county in 1999 by the Trust for Public Land. Cobb Landmarks maintains the cabin and conducts tours of the property.

“This partnership between Cobb Landmarks and Cobb County PARKS represents a meaningful and significant investment in the preservation of local history and offers a path for the rescue and protection of the Power-Jackson Cabin,” Cobb Landmarks said in its update.

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Cobb government offices closed Friday for Veterans Day

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Cobb tag offices reopening

Submitted information:

In honor of Veterans Day, Cobb County Government offices will be closed Friday, Nov. 10. This will give our employees, veterans and non-veterans alike, a chance to spend time with their families for the extended holiday weekend. Veterans Day, Nov. 11, celebrates all those who have served in the United States armed forces.

Starting today, Nov. 6, Cobb County is illuminating its buildings green as part of Operation Green Light. We encourage individuals and businesses to join us by changing one light bulb in the entryway of your house or business to a green bulb. By shining a green light, we intend to let veterans know that they are seen and supported.

Click here to see Veterans Day events happening this week.

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Cobb to distribute $4.5M in ARPA funding to child care centers

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Cobb to distribute $4.5M in ARPA funding to child care centers
The Primrose School at Paper Mill Village is one of several ‘learning child care centers’ in East Cobb to receive an ARPA grant of $28,875.

Cobb County government and the Cobb Chamber of Commerce announced Monday that $4.5 million of the county’s funding from the American Rescue Plan Act will be distributed to a number of child care centers.

The county and the Chamber sent out releases Monday saying that 197 child care centers—chosen by Select Cobb, the Chamber’s economic development unit—will be receiving the funding.

The collaboration includes the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning Childhood and CobbWorks.

The recipients were chosen based on a number of criteria, including having dedicated “learning” components as designated by the Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning program.

The selection process took place this spring and summer, and the grants ranged from $10,000 to $28,275.

Several of those child care centers are in East Cobb, and a number of them received a maximum grant of $28,275 (each) to be used to help working families:

  • Bells Ferry Learning Center; Crème de la Crème; Etz Chaim Preschool; East Cobb Prep; East Cobb UMC Preschool; The Goddard School of East Cobb; Parker Chase Preschool Sprayberry; Primrose School of East Cobb at Paper Mill; Primrose School at Eastlake; Primrose School at Lassiter.

There will be an official ceremony Wednesday at Chamber offices on Circle 75 Parkway in the Cumberland area to formally present the grants.

The Cobb Board of Commissioners is in the process of allocating $147 million in ARPA grants in a number of areas to address the effects of closures and restrictions stemming from COVID-19.

Those five areas include community health, support services, economic development, public safety, and county infrastructure. Cobb County government said in a release Monday that the child care center funding is earmarked under economic development.

Here’s how the money will be used, according to the Chamber/SelectCobb release:

“The grants will be directly provided to the early childhood education and day care industry, with an additional 10% of this amount to fund program management. The purpose of the grant program is to help offset the cost of retaining and recruiting workers in this difficult labor market for a specific segment of the economy that has a profound impact on families. The Child Care Grant Program is intended to help offset some of the impacts of higher wages, retention bonuses, and training to allow childcare centers to access or upskill the talent needed to care for the youngest children in Cobb County.”

The county release quoted Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid as saying that “This investment helps ensure Cobb’s working families have a place that will educate and nurture their children, who are our future. This support would not have been possible without the American Rescue Plan Act, which provides help for Cobb citizens, businesses, and infrastructure.”

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Cobb Drug Treatment Court observes 20th anniversary

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Cobb Drug Treatment Court observes 20th anniversary

Submitted information and photo:

For 20 years, Cobb’s Drug Treatment Court has led people out of the criminal justice system and into long-term recovery. To celebrate this milestone, on Thursday, October 26, 2023, Cobb Superior Court Judge Kimberly A. Childs led a large gathering of judges, court employees, community stakeholders, and many other supporters in celebration of two decades of changing lives through the County’s Drug Treatment Court program.

At the celebration, Judge Childs, who currently presides over the program, presented a special award to Senior Judge George H. Kreeger, the first Drug Court judge, for his many years of service to the program and the county.

“Today, we celebrate 20 years of creating paths to wellness. Drug Courts are saving lives, reuniting families, reducing crime, and saving money,” said Porsha Middlebrook, Program Coordinator. “Drug Courts work!”

Speakers at the event included Chief Assistant District Attorney John Pursley, who served as the prosecutor on the Drug Court team for several years, and Grady Moore, who served as a prosecutor and later as defense counsel for the Drug Court program for nearly 20 years.

Former DTC graduate Daniel Spinney spoke about his experience before and after participating in the program. Since then, he has been an integral part of the recovery community in Cobb County, including serving as the long-time Director of Program Services at The Zone in Marietta. “Drug Court is a major part of the person I am today. It gave me the tools to be a better son, father, and grandfather. I would not be where I am today without the Drug Court program,” Spinney said.

Judge Childs also awarded DTC community partner and certified sober living facility Four Winds Recovery for their continued partnership and services to the program and participants. The availability of quality sober living housing opportunities has been a mainstay of the DTC, enabling otherwise homeless individuals into the program by offering a stable residence in Cobb County.

Sherrod Jones, the Career and Training Coordinator with CobbWorks, was also recognized for his service as a team member in all the Cobb accountability courts for over eight years. Mr. Jones provides comprehensive services to DTC participants for employment and education. These services are pivotal to ensuring participants obtain stable jobs and achieve independence and sustainability during and after the program.

Hope the Comfort Dog also received recognition for her devotion to the participants of the Cobb DTC and for always providing a calming influence on participants each week in the court hearings. Hope comes to court for every accountability court session. Marietta’s Faith Lutheran Church and School sponsor the Lutheran Charities K-9 Comfort Dogs, and Judge Childs thanked the Church for supporting Cobb’s accountability court participants.

For more information about Cobb Drug Treatment Court, please contact Porsha Middlebrook, Program Coordinator, at 770-528-1933 or email CobbDTC@cobbcounty.org.

 

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Cobb commissioners drop pro-Israel resolution after objections

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Cobb commissioners drop pro-Israel resolution after objections
Cobb resident Ghada Elnajjar holds up a photo of a cousin she says was killed in Gaza by Israeli reprisals against Hamas.

Members of Cobb County’s Muslim and Palestinian communities spoke out against a proposed resolution before the Cobb Board of Commissioners Tuesday to condemn attacks on Israeli citizens by Hamas.

The day after commissioners agreed to drop the resolution—sponsored by East Cobb District 3 member JoAnn Birrell—they formally voted to reject it in order to collect more community input.

During a regular meeting public comment session Tuesday night, several citizens spoke out strongly against Birrell’s motion, which calls for “unwavering support” of Israel following Hamas attacks on Oct. 7 that killed more than 1,400 Israeli citizens and in which others were taken hostage.

Ghada Elnajjar, the daughter of Palestinian refugees whose family has lived in Georgia for 37 years, told commissioners she’s lost members of her extended family, “too many to count,” in Israel’s immediate response.

“You see Israel as a friend and an ally. I get it,” she said, getting emotional. “As a good friend, it is your responsibility to tell them they are wrong.”

Elnajjar said more than 6,000 Palestinians have been killed, nearly half of them children.

“A resolution declaring unwavering support of Israel is essentially saying you support the killing of innocent Palestinian civilians, like my cousin.”

JoAnn Birrell
Commissioner JoAnn Birrell said she’s “open and willing” to meet with different groups but wants to take a strong stand “against a terrorist group.”

She held up a photo of a young man she said was killed in Israeli reprisals in Gaza. “He had dreams and he had aspirations. They were cut short.”

Elnajjar said a revised resolution must mention the Palestinian people “by name” and must call for a cease-fire and restoration of water and electricity to Gaza, as well as acknowledging “the pain and suffering of my community,” in Cobb County, Georgia, and the U.S.

After the initial group of speakers, Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said that her office had received many more e-mails after a Monday work session at which the resolution was first discussed.

She and Commissioner Keli Gambrill said that a revised statement be brought back to reflect the views of the broader Cobb community.

“We have a lot to learn by listening to each other,” Cupid said, adding that she’s having a meeting this week with local religious leaders.

Birrell repeated her stance from Monday, saying her resolution was meant only to denounce Hamas and was recommended to her by “several individuals who said that “we should make a stand.

“It makes no derogatory mention of any Palestinians,” Birrell said, “except Hamas, which is a terrorist group.”

She said she has ancestors from Lebanon, and “I’m supporting Israel against the attacks by Hamas.”

Birrell agreed to work to revise the resolution after hearing from her colleagues.

Commissioner Monique Sheffield said that “I want to be mindful of the entire community because that’s who we serve.”

Commissioner Jerica Richardson of District 2 in East Cobb said she wants a 5-0 vote on any resolution.

“There’s no equivocation on my part in denouncing Hamas,” she said. “They’re a U.S.-declared terrorist group and that needs to be made clear.”

While the acts against Israeli citizens “were heinous,” Richardson said “there are complexities” and the resolution needs to reflect the entire community.

She said later that she’s received “hundreds of letters from multiple perspectives” on how to proceed, and that it’s important for the measure to come up at the commission’s next meeting Nov. 14.

After the vote, more speakers during public comment implored the board against what they said was a one-sided resolution.

That would “undermine the Palestinian people,” Zakir Said said, adding that Hamas’ “horrific action deserves condemnation.” But retaliatory measures “have been unprecedented. No two wrongs make it right.”

Richardson and Birrell offered extended remarks at the end of the meeting, which you can view below starting around the 3:48:00 mark.

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Cobb commissioners withdraw resolution supporting Israel

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A resolution submitted by East Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell pledging support for Israel will not be considered at Tuesday’s business meeting.

Cobb Republican commissioners leave meeting
Commissioner JoAnn Birrell

That’s because the proposed resolution was pulled after an agenda work session on Monday.

Birrell’s resolution referenced “brutally inhumane” attacks on Israeli citizens by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 that killed more than 1,000 civilians, and that states that “the Cobb County Board of Commissioners offers full and unwavering support of Israel’s self-defense and offer our condolences to those families that have lost loved ones in this horrific war.”

(You can read the resolution by clicking here).

But Chairwoman Lisa Cupid read an e-mail from a Cobb Muslim leader noting the fate of several thousand Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip who have been killed and injured in Israeli airstrikes in response, as well as a decades-long conflict with Israel, which was formed in 1948.

The Israeli government urged an estimated 2 million Gaza citizens to evacuate the northern part of the strip prior to its reprisals.

Amjad Taufique, the head of the West Cobb Islamic Center, said in an e-mail to Cupid that the county should consider a resolution acknowledging the “basic human rights and self-determination” of the Palestinian people.

Birrell said her resolution was specifically a response to Hamas, which she called a “terrorist organization.” But Commissioner Jerica Richardson of District 2 in East Cobb wanted a resolution to include more inclusive language reflecting other ethnicities and religions.

Chabad of Cobb, one of three East Cobb synagogues, held a special service two days after the Hamas attack.

Richardson noted a recent rise in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents in Cobb. After an anti-Semitic protest in front of Chabad in June, she was among the speakers at a special interfaith service at East Cobb United Methodist Church.

On Oct. 12, Cupid issued a standalone statement saying that “what is going on in Israel is utterly heinous”–in particular acts against children—and that “as a political leader, I would ask for the division overseas not to further entrench ours. Tragedy that brings us together as a county or country need not begin on our own soil.”

The resolution, which was to have been included on Tuesday’s consent agenda, is expected to be revised and brought back before the board.

The Cobb Muslim community also lashed out last week at the Cobb County School District for sending an alert message about an “international threat” from Hamas, saying the e-mail was needlessly fear-mongering. Some parents said they and their children were harassed and bullied as a result.

A parent told Cobb school board members on Thursday that the message reflects “the rampant ignorance prevalent with Americans equating Hamas with Muslims.”

Superintendent Chris Ragsdale denounced the mistreatment but defended sending the alert as a security measure.

Commissioners on Tuesday will hold their final public hearing on proposed code amendments as well as a proposal by Birrell to spend $1 million in discretionary capital contingency funding for the proposed Cobb Veterans Memorial.

Commissioners also will be asked to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the Cobb school district to complete a pedestrian bridge between the Walton High School campus and a new sports complex.

The commission meeting begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta), and the full agenda can be found by clicking here.

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

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Keep Cobb Beautiful reopens recycling drop-off center

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Submitted information:

“You can recycle more materials in Cobb now that a drop-off location has been renovated and reopened. On Friday, a group of county leaders, Keep Cobb Beautiful stakeholders and residents cut the ribbon on the newly renovated recycling drop-off center on County Services Parkway. Cobb’s Board of Commissioners approved the $737,000 renovation of the recycling drop-off center earlier this year after residents complained of the old center’s poor condition and limited options.Keep Cobb Beautiful reopens recycling drop-off center

“We can take a lot more items here at this drop-off than residents can leave for curbside for their regular recycling drop-off,” Keep Cobb Beautiful Director Kimberly White said. “Here, we can take things like glass, textiles, and hard-to-recycle plastics like the Hefty Renew material. And if you live in multi-family homes or complexes where you don’t have the option to recycle these materials, you can bring them here to drop off.”

“There is no charge for the service. The 1775 County Services Parkway, Marietta, facility will be open for extended hours Monday through Saturday and closed on Sundays.

“There is no charge for the service. The 1775 County Services Parkway, Marietta, facility will be open for extended hours Monday through Saturday and closed on Sundays.”

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Cobb Commission Chairwoman issues statement on Israel

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Submitted information from Cobb County Government:Cupid re-election campaign kickoff fundraiser

What is going on in Israel is utterly heinous. The tactics are simply to cause irrepressible anguish, pain and fear. It reminds me of the early part of the Book of Matthew, “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”  The children were slaughtered simply because of their age.

To slaughter children and babies in the terrible fashion reported by the news is a horror of biblical proportions. War is a terrible thing, but such a war, who can make sense of it? And how could it end after such provocation?

My heart hurts for mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers. It hurts for my friends connected to this region and connected to the conflict of faiths. I can only imagine the pain and frustration.

As a political leader, I would ask for the division overseas not to further entrench ours. Tragedy that brings us together as a county or country need not begin on our own soil.

May leaders among us end any stirring up of conflict that would limit our ability to be of help to ourselves and others.

And if it is in you to pray, let us pray.

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Cobb County Manager gets raise, 3-year contract extension

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Cobb County Manager Jackie McMorris will serve another three years after the Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved a contract extension.

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

During a business meeting, commissioners signed off on a contract recommended by Chairwoman Lisa Cupid that will pay McMorris a base salary of $350,000, effective Jan. 1, 2024 through Dec. 31, 2026.

McMorris, a former Cobb public services director and deputy county manager, was hired in February 2020 at a salary of $292,000.

Cupid, who voted against the appointment at the time because she said she wanted a more thorough vetting process, said in her agenda item for Tuesday’s meeting that “Dr. McMorris has done an excellent job during her tenure as County Manager. Her performance warrants her continued service in that role.”

The item was passed 5-0.

The County Manager is the top executive position in Cobb County government, and who oversees daily operations. Department heads report to her, and she in turn reports to commissioners.

McMorris’ contract (you can read it here) includes participation in the county’s deferred compensation plan, up to 80 hours of annual leave, county medical, life, disability and dental insurance and reimbursements for county-related travel expenses.

Before coming to Cobb in 2013, she served in executive positions with Cherokee County government and the Fulton District Attorney’s office.

McMorris holds a doctorate degree in education and taught English before entering government service.

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New Cobb Elections director hired; will start in December

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The Cobb Board of Elections and Registration on Monday voted to hire a new elections director.New Cobb Elections director hired

Her name is Tate Fall, and for the last year she has been the deputy elections director in Arlington County, Va.

A release issued Tuesday by Cobb County Government said that she will start Dec. 4, after municipal elections in several Cobb cities.

Fall will succeed Janine Eveler, who retired in April after serving in the role for 12 years.

Since July, the Cobb Elections office has been led on an interim basis by Gerry Miller, an assistant Cobb elections director in 2021 who also had retired from the department.

The search was extended because a lack of qualified candidates in the initial search.

In Tuesday’s release, Cobb Elections Board chairwoman Tori Silas said that “it was difficult to find someone with the level of experience needed along with the zeal for this job. We believe we have found the right person at the right time.”

Fall is a graduate of Auburn University and holds a master’s degree in public administration and a graduate certificate in election administration.

She also has worked for the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, an independent agency of the U.S. government. According to its website, its “mission is to help election officials improve the administration of elections and help Americans participate in the voting process.”

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