President Donald Trump sparked bipartisan criticism from members of Congress on Monday for his comments at a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
At a joint press conference in Helsinki, Trump defended Putin against claims of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, and said the U.S. was equally to blame as Russia for poor relations between the two countries.
A number of prominent Republican lawmakers in Washington denounced Trump’s comments. U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona said the summit was “one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory.”
U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, an East Cobb resident who is Georgia’s senior senator, sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee and issued the following statement late Monday afternoon:
I support the assessment of the intel community & the bipartisan Senate Intel Committee findings that Russia interfered in the 2016 election – just as it has done for decades. Russia does not deserve our trust or special treatment, and my view remains unchanged after today's mtg.
U.S. Rep. Karen Handel, a Roswell Republican who represents East Cobb in Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District, is a member of the House Intelligence Committee. She released this statement on late Monday afternoon:
Georgia’s other senator, Republican David Perdue, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has not commented publicly on the matter.
Trump finished a week-long trip to Europe that included a visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels as well as Britain.
Even some long-standing supporters of Trump were concerned about the president’s comments. Former House Speaker and 6th District Congressman Newt Gingrich said Trump “must clarify his statements in Helsinki on our intelligence system and Putin. It is the most serious mistake of his presidency and must be corrected—immediately.”
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The Cobb tax digest has grown by more than originally anticipated in 2018. As a result, superintendent Chris Ragsdale is proposing Cobb school employee pay raises that are larger than what was adopted for the fiscal year 2019 period that began July 1
Instead of a 1.1-percent across-the-board increase that was approved last month, the Cobb Board of Education is being asked to amend that pay raise upward, to 2.6 percent, at its July meeting on Thursday.
The proposal for the extra raise came after the county tax digest grew by 9.1 percent for this year. Cobb schools budget staffers projected a six percent increase.
The school board in May approved only a 1.1 percent one-time bonus, to go into effect in December. But the end of state education austerity cuts in May prompted Ragsdale to propose a 1.1 percent raise for some employees, mostly at the school level, on top of the bonus.
School board member David Morgan of South Cobb said that wasn’t enough. So did Connie Jackson of the Cobb County Association of Educators, who pleaded for a 2.6-percent raise to help Cobb move up from near the bottom in starting teacher salary levels for school districts in metro Atlanta.
She suggested raising the millage rate from 18.9 to the maximum 20 mills to do that, but the rest of the board wasn’t in a tax-raising mood.
“I am sure the over 15,000 school employees will be happy to hear this good news and teachers will receive a much needed raise,” school board member David Banks, who represents the Lassiter and Pope districts, said in his weekly newsletter over the weekend. “It is critical that Cobb be in a position to retain our teachers and valued support employees.”
He said he also wished the raise could be higher.
Also on Thursday, the school board will hold the final of its required public hearings on the school tax millage rate, followed by the adoption of the millage rate. The hearings are at 12 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., in the board room at the CCSD Central Office, 514 Glover St., in Marietta.
Nobody spoke at the first millage rate hearing last week.
The board will have a work session at 1:30 p.m., followed by an executive session, and will reconvene at 7 p.m. for the business meeting.
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The third week of each month means local business groups in East Cobb are holding their monthly luncheons.
It’s not too late to register for them, including the East Cobb Business Association luncheon that’s Tuesday from 11-1 at the Olde Towne Athletic Club (4950 Olde Towne Parkway).
The guest speaker is Jen Carfagno, meteorologist and host of AMHQ program at The Weather Channel.
This year the ECBA expanded its luncheon hours to include more networking (for the first half hour), and there’s an additional networking session built into the program.
The cost is $20 in advance for members, $25 in advance for visitors. The cost at the door is $30 for everyone. Click here to register.
The ECBA is also looking for volunteers later this week to help with one of its ongoing community initiatives. They’ll be assembling sandwiches for MUST Ministries’ summer lunch program for needy kids.
The lunch-packing takes place from 10-noon Friday at the Foothills Community Room (1407 Cobb Parkway North). Parking is behind the building, and you’ll enter at the blue and gold door marked for visitors and volunteers.
And don’t forget ECBA’s Friday East Cobb Open Networking breakfast at Egg Harbor Cafe. It’s a new location, but the same informal setting to meet and greet fellow local business professionals.
NCBA Luncheon Wednesday
At Wednesday’s Northeast Cobb Business Association luncheon the guest speaker is Mark Butler, the Georgia Commissioner of Labor.
The luncheon is from 11:30-1at the Piedmont Church, 570 Piedmont Road. The cost is $15 for members and $25 for non-members.
Coming up in August
The next East Cobb Women in Business luncheon is Aug. 16 from 11:30-1 at the Paradise Grille (3605 Sandy Plains Road). No need to register; just pay for your lunch and bring plenty of business cards for networking. Visit their Facebook page for more.
The next East Cobb Area Council quarterly breakfast of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce is the annual East Cobb Pigskin Preview. It’s from 7:30-9 on Aug. 9 at the Indian Hills Country Club (4001 Clubland Drive), and features the six head coaches from Kell, Lassiter, Pope, Sprayberry, Walton and Wheeler football teams and selected players.
The cost is $20 for Chamber members and $30 for guests and you can register here.
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The all-volunteer organization then interviews candidates in the fall before training classes take place from January through early April of 2019.
Here’s more about what applicants, and selected trainees, can expect:
The training is designed to meet the needs of the home gardener. Class topics include vegetable and fruit gardening, plant disease identification, insect control, ornamental shrubs, tree care, turfgrass management, annuals, perennials, pest identification, pest control, and Xeriscaping.
After completion of the training, fifty hours of volunteer service are required within the first year (thirty answering the horticulture hot-line at the extension office and twenty hours working in community garden projects). In subsequent years, twenty-five volunteer hours are required to remain an active Master Gardener.
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The final week of Cobb advance voting for the July 24 runoffs will include more locations in the coming week, including the East Cobb Government Service Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road).
Voting hours are Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
On the ballot for East Cobb voters in particular is the 6th Congressional District Democratic runoff between Lucy McBath and Kevin Abel. The winner advances to face Republican U.S. Rep. Karen Handel in November.
The top two statewide races also are up for runoff on the Republican side. For governor, it’s between current Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and sitting Secretary of State Brian Kemp.
Lieutentant governor candidates are Geoff Duncan and David Shafer. The GOP Secretary of State runoff features David Belle Isle and Brad Raffensperger.
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Calling all seniors (ages 55 and up): The East Cobb Senior Center (3332 Sandy Plains Road) is marking its 23rd anniversary next month, and the celebration will be themed along the “23 Arabian Nights.”
The event is Aug. 10 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., but you’ve got only a little more than a week to register. The deadline is July 16, and the cost is $15 for Cobb residents and $18 for non-residents.
Participants are encouraged to dress in their best genie outfits if they so desire.
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The Cobb Sheriff’s Office said Pruitt has been captured and arrested.
The sheriff’s office and Cobb Police responded to a suspicious person call at a residence at 1631 Wildwood Road, located between Roswell Road and the North Marietta Parkway.
Pruitt was identified by both law enforcement agencies and was taken to the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, where he had been incarcerated since May for a probation violation, the Cobb Sheriff’s Office said.
ORIGINAL REPORT, POSTED 4:24 P.M.:
Cobb Sheriff Neil Warren said a county jail inmate escaped a work detail at Fullers Park today.
He said Christopher Shane Pruitt walked away from a cleanup at Fullers Park on Robinson Road in East Cobb around 11 a.m.
Pruitt is incarcerated for a probation violation after an original charge of theft by taking of a motor vehicle.
Warren said Pruitt is a white male, 47 years old, about 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds.
Pruitt was last seen in a white shirt and pants with a blue stripe on his pants leg. The back of the shirt says “COBB COUNTY PRISONER.”
Warren said he’s not considered an immediate danger to the public, but if you see him do not approach him. Instead, call the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office at 770-499-4639.
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If it’s mid-July, it’s time for the Marietta Campmeeting. The 181st edition of the summertime revival begins its week-long run on Friday, starting off a celebratory slate of East Cobb weekend events.
The Marietta Campground (2300 Roswell Road) is the venue for the Marietta Campmeeting, with has a long tradition in the Methodist church, starting in 1837, but now features a non-denominational schedule of speakers and music.
The Friday opening picnic starts at 6 p.m., and you’re asked to bring a covered dish to share, followed by the opening service at 7:30 p.m. The guest speaker is Rev. Ike Reighard of the Piedmont Church.
Morning services start daily at 11 a.m. on Saturday through the finale next Sunday, July 22. Evening services continue at 7:30 p.m. through next Saturday, July 21.
But there’s so much more going at the Marietta Campmeeting (full schedule here), including a children’s church, a watermelon-cutting and an old-fashioned ice cream social.
All events are free and open to the public, and extra parking is available across the street at East Cobb United Methodist Church (2325 Roswell Road).
From one of East Cobb’s oldest events to a new one: The first Sewell Mill Library Summer Concert Series show is Friday at the outdoor amphitheater at the library (2051 Lower Roswell Road), and it features the rock trio of Kienan Dietrich from Sarah & the Safe Word, the Wildfire Orchestra, Chasing Lovely, and The Good Graces.
The show is free and you’re invited to bring picnic fare, blankets or even your own lawn chairs. The amphitheater opens at 6:30 and the music starts at 7;
Saturday morning is the grand opening of the East Cobb location of Board and Brush, a DIY home decor spot with workshops and supplies, in the Woodlawn Square Shopping Center (1205 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 103). The festivities take place from 10-12;
The Good Mews Animal Foundation is holding a Kitty Shower on Saturday from 10-4 at the shelter (3805 Robinson Road), as it continues to celebrate its 30th anniversary with special prices on adoptions for kittens and adult cats. You’re asked to donate litter, paper towels, canned food and other supplies from a “kitty registry” list, and you’ll get raffle ticket in return for a chance at door prizes;
On Saturday afternoon is the latest showing of the Murderino Movie Series at the Sewell Mill Library, and it’s the 2002 film “Chicago,” starring Catherine Zeta Jones, Richard Gere and Renée Zellweger. The lights in the black box theater dim at 3 p.m., and you’re free to bring your own food and drink.
Did we miss anything? Do you have a calendar item you’d like to share with the community? Send it to us, and we’ll spread the word! E-mail: calendar@eastcobbnews.com, and you can include a photo or flyer if you like.
Whatever you’re doing this weekend, make it a great one! Enjoy!
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Mike and Mary Lutzenkirchen, the parents of Philip Lutzenkirchen, at the 2017 Lutzie 43 Road Race at Lassiter High School (East Cobb News file photo).
The Lutzie 43 Foundation is once again holding the Lutzie 43 Road Race at Lassiter High School (here’s last year’sEast Cobb News coverage).
The event honors the memory of Philip Lutzenkirchen, the former Lassiter and Auburn football star who died at the age of 23 in a 2014 drunken driving crash.
Both he and the driver of a truck that crashed near LaGrange on June 30, 2014 were intoxicated.
The foundation, headed by his father Mike Lutzenkirchen, raises funds and awareness to help young people with character development and making good decisions. He speaks often to youth groups around the South, including college athletic teams.
The Lutzie 43 Road Race is presented by Jim Ellis Kia of Kennesaw, and here’s what the foundation wants you to know about the event. The race proceeds benefit the foundation and the East Cobb Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter:
Our race features a 5K race and one-mile kids’ fun run. The race starts and finishes at Lassiter High School’s Lutzie Field in Marietta, GA.
This race is for everyone! Bring your whole family, friends, dogs, and anyone who wants to have fun! Every runner gets an official race t-shirt!
Prices: July 5-August 4 Students – $30 Adults – $43
Here’s more about how to sign up for the Lutzie 43 Road Race that includes a “virtual race” option for those who can’t make it in person, and a link to a t-shirt sale that’s raising funds for the foundation.
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A partial summary of the proposed fiscal year Cobb government budget presented on Tuesday (continues below).
Just hours after a feisty town hall meeting in East Cobb, citizens continued to sound off Tuesday as Cobb tax millage rate public hearings got underway this week.
On Tuesday morning, several East Cobb citizens were among those urging the Cobb Board of Commissioners to raise the general fund property tax rate to preserve and enhance libraries in particular, as well as parks and other public services.
One of them was Abby Shiffman, chairwoman of the Cobb Library Board of Trustees. She was at the Monday town hall at the Sewell Mill Library, and in reference to opponents of a tax increase, said “do not believe what you’re reading by misinformed people on social media” about commission chairman Mike Boyce’s proposed 1.7-mills increase.
On Wednesday morning, the Cobb Board of Education also held a public hearing as it officially sets its millage rate this month.
No citizens showed up for that, and the hearing ended after only 20 minutes, following a brief presentation by Cobb County School District finance chief Brad Johnson.
While the school board isn’t proposing a millage rate increase—it’s holding the line at 18.9 mills—additional property tax revenue for the school system means it’s required to hold three public hearings (FY 2019 Cobb schools budget info here).
Two more will take place next Thursday at noon and at 6:30 p.m., followed by millage rate adoption at the board’s business meeting the same day at 7 p.m.
Cobb commissioners also will have two more scheduled public hearings, July 17 at 6:30 p.m., and on July 25 at 7 p.m. Commissioners are set to adopt the budget on July 25.
To be precise, commissioners are holding two separate hearings—one for the millage rate, and one for the budget, since both have yet to be adopted.
The Cobb government budget would grow by 9.7 percent from the current fiscal year 2018 (continued from the top).
Georgia law requires the public hearings if either the millage rate or property tax revenue (or both) increases from the previous year. Millage rates also have to be formally adopted for local governments and school districts to receive tax revenues.
Here’s a detailed PDF of the proposed Cobb FY 2019 budgetthat includes departmental and other breakdowns and forecasts into fiscal year 2020.
While most of the speakers at Tuesday’s commission public hearings were in favor of the millage rate increase (which would add $50 million to the general fund), some were opposed, or expressed concern about the size of the proposed tax increase.
Ron Sifen of the Cumberland/Vinings area said “that’s a big increase. You’re really hitting the reset button on spending” by boosting general fund expenditures from $403 million to $454 million.
Alicia Adams of Americans for Prosperity also asked commissioners to reject a tax hike. “Cobb homeowners have been taxed enough,” she said.
The supporters included those supporting the UGA Cobb Extension and Cobb parks as well as Save Cobb Libraries.
Mike Smith, an East Cobb citizen, said the proposed increase is “a fair price to pay” for public services. He lives in District 2, where commissioner Bob Ott has been skeptical of a tax increase. Ott was absent from Tuesday’s meeting, as he represented the county at a technology conference.
“Somebody needs on the commission needs to get to Mr. Ott,” Smith said. “I wish he were here today.”
Shiffman, who was appointed a library trustee by Ott, told the other four commissioners to “do what your constituents want, not what you feel you may want.”
She feared that “if this increase does not pass, there will be cuts.”
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The Sewell Mill Summer Concert series begins Friday with a pop performance by Kienan Dietrich from Sarah & the Safe Word, the Wildfire Orchestra, Chasing Lovely, and The Good Graces
It’s the first of three free monthly concerts presented by the Cobb Library Foundation in the outdoor amphitheater of the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (2051 Lower Roswell Road). You can bring a picnic, blankets or set up lawn chairs. Doors open at 6 p.m, and the music starts at 7.
Here’s more about what you’ll be hearing, and at the bottom of the post there’s more about future concerts:
Kienan Dietrich (from Sarah & the Safe Word) featuring the Wildfire Orchestra “Baby, I’m the best kind of wrong,” croons vocalist Sarah Rose on Sarah and the Safe Word’s latest album, Strange Doings in the Night. Exploring sounds reminiscent of cabaret, vaudeville, southern gothicism, swing, and – of course – rock and roll, the band urges enthusiastic victi- er, listeners – to step inside, get strapped in, and prepare for one very, very, peculiar evening.
Chasing Lovely: Folk-pop duo Chasing Lovely combine haunting harmonies, powerful melodies, and insightful lyrics to create a truly captivating acoustic performance. Chasing Lovely’s mission is to provoke thought, promote understanding, and capture both glimmers of light and darkness as they share the deeply moving human experience through song.
The Good Graces: the Good Graces is an indie-folk/Americana collective fronted by singer-songwriter Kim Ware and based in Atlanta, GA. In 2015, Kim’s song “Cold in California” caught the attention of the Indigo Girls, and the band was invited by the renowned duo to support some midwest and southeast shows during their summer tour.
The concert series continues on Aug. 17 with the jazz sounds of Will Scruggs and Masterpeace, and concludes on Sept. 21 with a classical show featuring the Wheeler Quartet and a quartet from the Georgia Symphony Orchestra.
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This year the show, which takes place next Sunday, July 22, will benefit the Orphan Annie Animal Rescue organization, and the event has been expanded.
Here’s more about Orphan Annie, and below is the message Bradley’s is getting out about the show, including a sign-up link if you’d like to have your car registered.
We will have all of the excitement of last year plus much more! Join us July 22 from 3 PM to 7 PM for live music, outdoor food specials and entertainment, frozen treats, games, prizes and of course, lots of awesome automobiles! See you there!
Registration Info: All makes, models and types of automobile are welcome! To register, participants must FIRST purchase a Vehicle Registration ticket on Eventbrite. SECOND, participants must register their vehicle information at BradleysBarandGrill.com. A Vehicle Registration ticket is admission for one vehicle and 2 participants. General Admission tickets are sold separately! A portion of proceeds will be donated to Orphan Annie Animal Rescue to support our local pets in need!
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Cobb Police said today they have arrested Clint Vance, 32, of Kennesaw, on three charges of vandalism to a place of worship. Those are felony offenses, and police said investigators expect more charges to be filed in Cobb and Cherokee counties.
Vance was booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center shortly after midnight Wednesday, according to the Cobb Sheriff’s Office, which said Vance’s bail has been set at $8,470.
East Cobb News does not publish photographs of crime suspects before their cases have gone through the legal system, and then only if they are convicted or plead guilty and are sentenced.
ORIGINAL REPORT, POSTED July 10, 7:08 p.m.
Cobb Police on Tuesday said they’re expanding their investigation into a series of recent church vandalisms that includes Noonday Baptist Church in Northeast Cobb.
Police announced on June 18 they were looking for a lone male suspect, between the ages of 35 and 50, and believed he was driving a Hyundai Elantra.
In a release issued late Tuesday afternoon by Cobb Police, Public Information Officer Sarah O’Hara said police are also investigating that a Honda Accord “or [a] like-styled four-door sedan” may be the suspect vehicle.
A photo at Noonday was taken by a church surveillance camera on May 8, shortly after 3 a.m., and shows a male standing on a sidewalk near the church entrance and next to a vehicle with the driver door open.
However, O’Hara said, police have been unable to identify the color of the car because of the black and white footage.
Cobb Police said last month that a male suspect they believed to be working along spray-painted “vulgar” and offensive messages on churches, including satanic messages and “what can best be described as sacrilegious symbols to include crosses with circles around them and lines striking through them.”
O’Hara said police believe the vandalisms took place from April 29 to June 1, and said that the Church of Christ at North Cobb, on Shiloh Road in Kennesaw, has been vandalized three times. She said “satanic messages and offensive language” were spray painted there, and that a private residence also is included in the investigation.
Police said the suspect is partially balding with brown hair, and weighing between 230 to 280 pounds. He is approximately between 5-foot-10 and 6-foot-2 and has a “distinctive gait” that was spotted on the security footage.
O’Hara said anyone with information about the vandalisms is asked to call the Criminal Investigation Unit of Cobb Police Precinct 1 at 770-590-5769.
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Your November election ballot will include a Cobb brunch bill referendum that would expand Sunday alcoholic beverage service at restaurants and hotels.
The Cobb Board of Commissioners voted 4-0 on Tuesday on its consent agenda to put the referendum on the ballot. The question, if approved by voters, would allow service from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sundays (here’s resolution information).
Here’s the language that will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot.
Currently restaurants and hotels in Georgia cannot serve alcohol before 12:30 p.m. on Sundays. Cobb has allowed Sunday restaurant and hotel alcohol sales since 1982.
The Georgia legislature this year approved SB 17, the so-called “brunch bill,” that was signed by Gov. Nathan Deal (here’s the legislation). It allows local governments to hold referendums to give the final say to voters on whether restaurants, hotels and wineries can serve alcohol on premises as early as 11 a.m. on Sundays.
Eligible restaurants must derive at least 50 percent of their annual gross sales from food, and hotels must generate at least 50 percent of their annual gross income from room rentals for overnight lodging.
The brunch bill does not apply to retail sales, such as package stores, convenience stores and supermarkets.
At Tuesday’s commissioners meeting, Karen Bremer, executive director of the Georgia Restaurant Association, said the brunch bill “levels the playing field” for restaurants. She said venues under state government auspices, such as the former Georgia Dome and Lake Lanier Islands, have had the latitude to set their own Sunday pouring hours.
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We’ve been in touch to get more information, but what follows is how the East Cobb Board and Brush grand opening event is shaping up for Saturday.
It’s from 10 a.m. to noon and it’s located at Woodlawn Square (1205 Johnson Ferry Road), Suite 103.
That’s directly next to the now-closed Muss & Turner’s restaurant. There’s not an overhead sign yet, but some preliminary DIY wood decor craft classes have been in progress:
Enjoy snacks, treats, giveaways and a fun morning out with friends and family. Explore our studio and find the project you want to create in an upcoming class!
The first 50 people will receive a free gift bag and $10 off coupon!
6 Random Gift Bags will include a $20 Off Coupon! 4 Random Gift Bags will include a $30 Off Coupon! 2 Random Gift Bags will include a $65 Off Coupon!
All guests have the chance to win…
* * * A PRIVATE VIP PARTY FOR 6 GUESTS (A $390 VALUE) * * * To enter: take a selfie in our studio during the Grand Opening & post it on Facebook by July 15 and TAG us @ Board & Brush East Cobb.
Reopenings and remodelings
The McDonald’s on Lower Roswell Road near Johnson Ferry Road has reopened after a remodeling.
Further up on Johnson Ferry, the Wendy’s at the intersection of East Cobb Drive (1312 Johnson Ferry) is also going to be undergoing a remodeling. The operator of the location, Hoover Foods, Inc., is seeking a variance request to reduce the minimum required front setback from 50 to 48 feet.
The request comes up Wednesday before the Cobb Board of Zoning Appeals. The meeting begins at 1 p.m. in the second floor meeting room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.
Here’s the agenda item packet for the Wendy’s variance request, which includes a proposed site plan and other details.
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Cobb water bills will rise by an average of about $5 a month for residential customers after Cobb commissioners approved a rate increase on Tuesday.
The vote was 3-1, and the new rates will take effect on Sept. 1.
The bill for a homeowner consuming around 4,700 gallons a month will rise from $48.33 a month to $53.13 a month, according to calculations made by the Cobb County Water System (agenda item here).
Steven McCullers, the county water system director, said Cobb hasn’t had a rate increase since 2012. Since then, water purchase costs have risen by around 25 percent, and other operating costs also have gone up.
Water system revenues for the present year are around $220 million, but expenses are $239 million.
At a commissioners budget retreat in June, McCullers told commissioners that Cobb’s current rate structure is “not competitive,” and that the current level of service is “not sustainable” with the present rate structure.
County officials have said Cobb still has one of the lowest water rates in metro Atlanta even with the increase.
But Northeast Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell, the only vote against raising water rates, said she could not support an increase as long as Cobb continues to transfer 10 percent of water system revenues into the general fund.
Around $22 million in water revenues were transferred for county operations for the current fiscal year.
East Cobb commissioner Bob Ott was not present at Tuesday’s meeting. He was out of town representing the county at a technology conference.
The commission’s vote also includes changes in how water system development fees are calculated.
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Mike Boyce he wants Cobb to return to a more stabilized millage rate that existed before the recession: “Let’s just get to one number and leave it alone.” East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker
In his final town hall meeting, Mike Boyce told East Cobb citizens Monday night that his proposed Cobb tax increase of 1.7 mills is necessary because it “keeps everything open that’s open now” and would restore some popular and necessary services to their pre-recession levels.
In a packed black box studio at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center, the Cobb commission chairman received a mixed response for his call to return Cobb to “the golden days” of a stable millage rate before the recession and provide the level of services worthy of what he has called a “five-star county.”
He wants to use the 1.7 mills not only to cover a projected $30 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2019, but to add another $20 million for resumption of services that have been affected by budget cuts for several years.
“What is it that you want pay for, what you used to have and that you want again?” he asked the crowd, drawing some applause.
The Cobb Board of Commissioners will hold the first of three required public hearings on the tax increase proposal Tuesday at 9 a.m. It’s on the second floor of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.
Monday’s meeting was the seventh budget town hall Boyce has held around the county over the last month, and like the others he asked citizens to let their commissioners know their budget priorities.
His proposed $454 million FY 2019 budget is a 12 percent increase over the current $405 million budget, and would raise the general fund millage rate from 6.76 to 8.46 mills.
Boyce wants to spend an additional $15 million for public safety, including the hiring of 23 police officers and providing officers with body cameras.
He would expand library hours to Sunday at select locations and restore hours to what they were before the recession.
He also wants to restore maintenance positions in Cobb DOT, including the hiring of mowers for rights-of-way on county roads. Currently those are positions that are contracted out for six months, but bringing them under county auspices would allow for year-round work.
In the run-up to the town halls, staff department head lists of potential cuts for commissioners to consider were made public, and quickly galvanized supporters of the county library and parks systems.
Those items included Fullers Park, the home of East Side Baseball, and the Fullers Recreation Center, where East Marietta Basketball is based.
Members of the Cobb Master Gardeners have been vocal in asking to preserve the UGA Cobb Extension Service.
Richard Benson, a coach, volunteer and board member of East Side Baseball, brought several members of the East Side Chargers team with him, and wearing their same jersey, told Boyce that “I can’t fathom the thought that they might not have a place to play baseball.”
Boyce said the list was only a “working product,” and that “I know of no commissioner who wanted to close a park at anytime.”
Not only are current parks facilities all preserved in Boyce’s budget, he told the audience, to applause, that “we don’t have enough parks.”
Also in attendance, wearing light green shirts, were members of the Cobb Master Gardeners, who work closely with the UGA Cobb Extension Service, which had been initially targeted for possible closure but is funded in Boyce’s budget proposal.
Tax increase opponents also were out in force, and some demanded that Boyce point to spending cuts to help alleviate the deficit. Only one slide presented savings thus far, a combined $1.7 million.
Boyce said his budget staff is continuing to do that. “We’re not done finding efficiencies,” he said.
East Cobb citizen Debbie Fisher, a strong opponent of a tax increase.
Commissioner Bob Ott of East Cobb, who was not at Monday’s town hall in his District 2, has said he wants to see significant budget cuts before he would agree to any kind of tax increase.
He did attend a public meeting held Friday by opponents, including Debbie Fisher and Jan Barton of East Cobb. They handed out flyers on Monday from the Georgia Taxpayers Association, a petition to “cut wasteful spending and property taxes.”
Fisher inquired about what she claimed was $106 million in excess funding from the 2005 and 2011 Cobb SPLOSTs, but Boyce told her “there’s nothing left.” It got a little heated when she asked why she couldn’t find any related documents online. Boyce said she was welcome to come to county offices anytime.
In a post-town hall letter, Barton, who previously tried to raise the same point with Boyce but was passed over, wrote the following:
“We felt that citizens with dissenting questions/opinions against the tax hike were not allowed to ask questions in Town Halls and wanted to give everyone a forum where the other side of the story could be explained. A Town Hall is supposed to be for all citizens/taxpayers.”
After the town hall, Benson said he felt better about what he heard from Boyce about the parks, and that he’s been communicating with commissioners about keeping them open.
East Cobb resident Rachel Slomovitz, who created the Save Cobb Libraries group and started a petition to raise taxes that she said has received more than 2,100 signatures, said after the town hall that “there’s still so much uncertainty in the air.”
While she supports Boyce’s budget and commissioner Lisa Cupid’s call for restoring services, she’s still “strongly encouraging” the three other commissioners as well.
“We’re asking for books and baseball,” she said, pointing toward the East Side Chargers players. “The basics.”
Commissioners will hold public hearings on July 17 and 25, with budget adoption also scheduled for July 25.
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Georgia 6th Congressional candidate Lucy McBath has been endorsed by the Congressional Black Caucus Political Action Committee before her July 24 Democratic runoff against Kevin Abel.
Here’s the endorsement message that McBath’s campaign is sending out today:
Congressman Gregory Meeks (NY-5), Chairman of the CBCPAC stated, “Lucy McBath’s story is an inspiration that resonates throughout this country. After tragically losing her son to gun violence in 2012, Lucy stood up and worked hard to protect other children from suffering the same fate, understanding firsthand how important it is that we enact sensible gun safety legislation.”
“Furthermore, as a two-time breast cancer survivor, Lucy understands the importance of having quality and affordable healthcare.” Meeks continued, “Lucy is a fighter, and now more than ever we need more fighters like her in Washington.”
“The Congressional Black Caucus PAC is on the frontlines of the battle to protect the values we hold dear as Americans,” said Lucy McBath. “As the daughter of a former regional NAACP branch president, I understand the stakes could not be higher right now as many in Washington seek to turn back the clock and limit the rights that we have fought so hard for as Americans. I look forward to working with the CBCPAC and other representatives in Washington to fight for a more inclusive and prosperous future for all Americans.”
Abel, a Sandy Springs technology entrepreneur, has been endorsed by a number of Atlanta-area business and public officials and religious leaders.
He also has been critical of McBath for accepting what he calls “outside dark money” in campaign spending, in particular financial support from an organization called End Citizens United.
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All classes are free, but registration is required and can be done at the library’s adult information desk or by calling 770-509-2730.
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The first of three Cobb schools tax digest public hearings takes place this Wednesday.
The hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. at the Cobb County School District Central Office (514 Glover St., Marietta) in the Board of Education meeting room.
The other hearings take place next Thursday, July 19, at 12 p.m. and at 6:30 p.m., in the same location.
Here’s how the CCSD explains what it’s obligated to do, under the Property Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights law which has been in effect since 2000:
The Cobb County Board of Tax Assessors assesses all county property in compliance with state law. If property is reassessed upward, then the Cobb County School District will see an increase in tax revenue. The additional revenue will be applied toward the higher cost of student instruction due to enrollment growth, and to ease budget constraints caused by reductions in state revenue.
To collect the same revenue as last year and avoid an increase in taxes of 7.48%, the millage rate would have to be decreased to 17.584 mills, defined as the “roll-back” rate described in the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.
Here are links to Cobb schools budget documents. Most school district employees are receiving a 1.1 percent raise, due to a $10.2 million contribution from the state of Georgia following the end of education austerity cuts.
School board member David Morgan wanted a higher millage rate, as did the Cobb County Association of Educators, to provide a bigger raise.
East Cobb board members David Chastain, David Banks and Scott Sweeney opposed a millage rate increase.
Formal adoption of the millage rate is scheduled at the board’s July 19 business meeting which starts at 7 p.m. and follows the final public hearing.
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