Cobb County officials will be asking commissioners Tuesday to set what they’re calling a “Guaranteed Maximum Price” to complete the building of the new Cobb Police Precinct 6 in Northeast Cobb.
According to an agenda item, the new station to be located next to the Mountain View Aquatic Center was earmarked with $5 million in funding from the 2016 Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax.
But the estimated price tag for the facility has grown to more than $5.5 million, according to the agenda item, which is recommending a build-out in stages.
“Due to currently elevated construction costs, budgeted funding is insufficient to complete build-out of the entire facility as designed,” states the agenda item.
The initial phase would include the construction of the exterior, front office spaces and a community room area, and provide space for on-site equipment access.
“When additional funding is identified, continuation of the project will be revisited at that time,” according to the budget item.
County officials are requesting $536,973 from county reserve funding to complete the project.
The new precinct initially will not have a patrol zone and instead will house police specialty units. Groundbreaking was held last November, after commissioners approved a two-phase contract with the Batson-Cook Company.
The first phase costs are $723,980 for design and other work. In the agenda item for Tuesday, the proposed Maximum Guaranteed Price for construction is $4,736,378, bringing the overall costs to $5,460,358.
Most of the East Cobb area is currently covered by Cobb Police Precinct 4, located on Lower Roswell Road.
That precinct runs from the Powers Ferry Road area to the east side of Canton Road.
Commissioners also will be asked on Tuesday to formally accept $73,824,239, the second of two lump sums from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Those funds are designated for state, local and other governments as part of the continuing response to COVID-19 and can be used for infrastructure upgrades, rental and small business assistance and support for essential workers.
There also will be a public hearing at the start of the meeting for the initial draft of Cobb County’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan 5-Year Update.
The meeting starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta).
The full agenda can be found here; there are two public comment sessions at the start and near the end of the meeting.
The meeting also will be live-streamed on the county’s website, cable TV channel (Channel 24 on Comcast) and Youtube page. Visit cobbcounty.org/CobbTV for other streaming options.
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A 17-year-old riding a motorcycle was killed Friday after a crash with a car on Piedmont Road.
Cobb Police said Gabriel McLachlan of Kennesaw was pronounced dead on the scene. The crash closed traffic in both directions on Piedmont Road.
Sgt. Wayne Delk said in a release that McLachlan was driving gray a 2022 Kawasaki EX400 motorcycle eastbound on Piedmont Road at 11:26 a.m. Friday as it approached Bob Bettis Road.
Police said a black 2016 Volkswagen Jetta, driven by 25-year-old Graham Dobbs of Rockmart, was heading north on Bob Bettis and preparing to make a left turn onto Piedmont.
As Dobbs made the turn, he entered the path of the motorcycle, which struck the front of the Volkwagen, according to police.
Police said McLachlan was thrown from his bike and landed on the westbound lanes of Piedmont Road. He was pronounced dead on the scene by the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office and his next of kin was notified, police said.
Dobbs was not injured, according to police, who said the crash remains under investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to call 770-499-3987.
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A Woodstock man was killed Saturday when his motorcycle crashed with another vehicle at an intersection in Northeast Cobb.
Cobb Police Sgt. Wayne Delk identified the victim as Jason Williams, 51.
Delk said that a white and red 2004 Sprinter 2500 van driven by Steve Folds, 75, of Woodstock, was in an eastbound lane of Alabama Road (Highway 92) around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, ready to turn left at the intersection of Old Mountain Park Road.
As the van made the left turn, it was hit on the right side by a blue 2016 Yamaha FJR motorcycle driven by Williams, according to police.
Delk said Williams was ejected from the bike and was pronounced dead on the scene, and his next of kin was notified.
(A reader who passed by the scene took the above and other photos as police arrived.)
Folds was not injured, according to police, who said the crash investigation is continuing.
Anyone with information is asked to call Cobb Police at 770-499-3987.
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The Cobb County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that a female inmate who had been on suicide watch at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center died of an apparent suicide.
Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Jeremy Blake said in a release that Nicole Smith of Atlanta was pronounced dead at 7:54 a.m. Thursday, after being taken to a hospital.
It’s the third death of a Cobb jail detainee this month, and is the second involving possible mental health issues.
Blake said Smith had been on active suicide watch and had tried to take her own life during mandatory welfare checks conducted by Sheriff’s Office personnel around the clock every 15 minutes.
He said that staffers began life-saving procedures when Smith was discovered Thursday, but he didn’t elaborate.
Blake said Smith had been receiving professional mental health support as part of a suicide prevention program at the jail.
The Sheriff’s Office is conducting an internal investigation and has asked for assistance from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Blake said.
On May 12, Eva Kanja of Smyrna, who had been booked in late April for misdemeanor battery, died at the jail while undergoing a mental health evaluation.
On May 3, Joshua Capes of Kennesaw died at a hospital after being found unresponsive in his cell at the jail.
The causes of those death have not been revealed.
Cobb Sheriff Craig Owens began a detainee mental health program last fall. There were three jail inmate deaths in 2021, Owens’ first year in office, and he asked the GBI to conduct external probes of detainee deaths.
The first of those, in April 2021, was a man who died after attempting suicide.
“Unfortunately, our detention center—and thousands of detention centers across the country—have become de facto mental health hospitals,” Owens said in the release. “I will be convening local leaders, including those who just toured the facility, to help identify solutions and hopefully find treatment options outside of incarceration.”
The Cobb Sheriff’s Office had come under fire previously for a number of jail inmate deaths, prompting former Cobb District Attorney Joyette Holmes to call for an independent probe.
Among those were Kevil Wingo, who begged for medical help from jail staff and died in custody in September 2019.
The Wingo family filed a federal lawsuit against Wellstar Health system, six nurses and three sheriff’s deputies.
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Cobb Police said a Smyrna man died Tuesday night after he was thrown from his motorcycle in a crash on Terrell Mill Road and the express lanes at Interstate 75.
Sgt. Wayne Delk said in a release that Harry A. Edwards, 42, was pronounced dead at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital.
Delk said the crash took place at 8:32 p.m. when Edwards, riding a dark gray 2003 Honda CBR motorcycle heading westbound on Terrell Mill Road, was approaching the north express lanes.
Police said a white 2020 Honda CR-V, driven by Robin J. Tawzer, 58, of Canton, was traveling east on Terrell Mill, in a left turn lane to get on the north express lanes.
As the Honda made the turn, police said the motorcycle crashed into the right side of the vehicle, and Edwards was ejected.
Police said he landed on the road, and was taken to the hospital.
Police said Tawzer was not injured and a passenger in the Honda, Randall R. Tawzer, 52, also of Canton, complained of injuries but refused treatment at the scene.
This crash remains under investigation police said anyone with information is asked to contact the Cobb County Police Department’s STEP unit at 770-499-3987.
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Cobb Police have arrested a man they say committed a home burglary in an affluent neighborhood in East Cobb last week, and as they and Marietta Police continue to investigate similar incidents.
Armando Casa-Rojas, of Argentina, has been charged with first-degree burglary following a burglary at a home off Old Canton Road near Roswell Road last Friday, according to an arrest warrant.
The warrant states that last Friday, May 6, around 9:30 p.m., Casa-Rojas broke into a home by breaking a window in the back, then locating and breaking open a safe.
The warrant also said that the suspect had four pry bars, a flashlight, a head lamp, a window punch and a pair of gloves inside a back pack.
Police were called to the scene and Casa-Rojas tried to get away, but he was apprehended by the police, according to the warrant.
He also has been charged with felony possession of tools for the commission of a crime and willful obstruction of a law enforcement officer.
According to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records, Casa-Rojas was booked in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center and remains there without bond.
Police have said they are investigating seven other similar burglaries, where homes are broken into at night and with no one home, targeting expensive homes and seeking items in safes, cash, jewelry and weapons.
They’ve said an organized, sophisticated burglary crew or crews have been operating in metro Atlanta in recent months. No other arrests have been made.
The arrest warrant for Casa-Rojas doesn’t state what items were taken from the home in East Cobb.
Cobb Police are encouraging homeowners to observe the following safety tips:
Lock your doors, including the one from the garage into the home.
Keep garage doors closed.
Use motion-sensor-activated exterior lighting.
Use surveillance cameras (they can be registered with the Cobb Police camera registry.
Turn on your audible alarm system if you have one.
Report suspicious persons and vehicles in your neighborhood.
Precinct 4 in East Cobb has a criminal investigations unit that investigates thefts and burglaries. For information call 770-499-4184.
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When he was hired as a Cobb Police officer in 1990, Stuart VanHoozer said he never thought he would move up the ranks to chief.
It wasn’t something a young man without a military or higher education background ever thought about, living in a basement in Mableton as he took on his first assignment as an officer on a beat, making $5.25 an hour.
“From there I fell in love with this job,” VanHoozer said Tuesday as he was introduced as the new Cobb Police Chief.
After a varied 32-year career in which he served as a patrol officer, heading up narcotics and internal affairs units, a commander at three precincts and most recently, as a deputy chief and interim co-chief, VanHoozer’s appointment was approved in a 5-0 vote of the Cobb Board of Commissioners.
He succeeds Tim Cox, who retired at the end of 2021.
“I came from pretty much nothing,” VanHoozer said in a press conference after the meeting. “All you have to do is be willing to do something great for your community.”
VanHoozer was one of four candidates formally interviewed from an initial applicant pool of 50, and his name was on a final list of three submitted to Cobb commissioners.
County Manager Jackie McMorris recommended him as the sole finalist.
VanHoozer said he was “humbled, but burdened” by his new role, and pledged that “nobody will work harder.”
VanHoozer and his fellow deputy chief Scott Hamilton have been juggling co-interim chief duties since January.
Since 2018, VanHoozer has been a deputy chief, in charge of implementing technology such as facial recognition and license-plate readers.
But intangible qualities were referenced by county leaders who spoke at the introduction.
“One of the things that captivated us was just his general empathy for everyone,” said Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid, who referenced her relationship with him when she represented District 4 in South Cobb.
“He cares about those he serves with and the badge that he wears.”
During heartfelt remarks after his introduction, VanHoozer talked about regular visits he would make to a child care center in South Cobb during his time as the Precinct 2 commander.
The child care center, located across the street from a shopping center known for criminal activity, especially drug-dealing, had been struck by stray bullets.
VanHoozer said he would hug some of the students and look at the bullet holes.
“All I could think about [when] I was commander of that precinct was that nothing can happen to those children while I am here,” he said.
VanHoozer touted his officers, who do what they do “without a whole lot of recognition in most areas,” noting activities behind the scenes, such as buying bicycles for kids and presenting Christmas gifts to children in need.
He also commended community leaders, including some from Austell who recognized police and law enforcement officers earlier in Tuesday’s meeting.
“We need help,” VanHoozer said, referring to open positions for officers. “We want people who are willing to bring their brains and minds together to make Cobb County safer, and to make Cobb County better.”
You can watch the full introductory press conference below.
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Cobb Fire Station 20 has operated on Sewell Mill Road since 1984.
The Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved spending $975,000 to purchase around 3.5 acres of land on Sewell Mill Road at East Piedmont Road for the relocation of Fire Station 20.
The measure was passed on the commission’s consent agenda.
According to an agenda item, the Cobb Fire Department eventually wants to replace the current station at 1298 Hilton Drive—on Sewell Mill Road between East Piedmont and Old Canton Road—that was built in 1984.
That’s eight-tenths of a mile to the west of the property for the potential new site that has owned by the McCleskey Family-East Cobb YMCA.
“To meet response needs and Fire Department’s strategic goals, this station will need to be relocated,” the agenda item states. “While the station construction will not begin immediately, this parcel of land at Sewell Mill Road and East Piedmont intersection is an ideal location for the future station.”
The item also states that the funding for the property acquisition will come from the Cobb Fire Fund, and construction of the new station would commence “in a future budget cycle.”
Last year commissioners rejected a rezoning request for those parcels to become a residential senior living development.
Fire Station 20 has been mentioned in the current East Cobb Cityhood referendum campaign.
Although located in what would remain unincorporated Cobb, Station 20’s current service area includes neighborhoods that are included in the proposed City of East Cobb.
The proposed city would have two fire stations—currently Cobb 15 and 21.
Cobb Fire officials have said at county-sponsored cityhood town halls that slower response times are likely in the City of East Cobb, but a financial feasibility study didn’t provide enough details.
Last week, Cobb government launched a “World Class” web page to tout the Cobb Fire Department on its 50th anniversary.
The East Cobb cityhood group protested, sending out a letter last week alleging the county is actively campaigning against cityhood and demanding those activities stop.
The letter included a reference to an “audacious” sign posted in front of Fire Station 21, which is part of the East Cobb Government Service Center.
That’s where early voting is taking place through May 20.
“Because the Cityhood referendum is on the ballot in that very building, the sign is an illegal piece of campaign material that must be removed at once,” stated the letter to Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid. “It is no coincidence that the only fire station with such a sign as of May 4, 2022 is the one where early voting is occurring.”
When East Cobb News drove by Station 20 on Friday to take the above photo for this story, the same sign had been placed there.
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Stuart VanHoozer, a 32-year veteran of the Cobb Police Department who is currently one of two interim police chiefs, is being recommended as the new Cobb Police Chief.
His appointment is scheduled for a vote Tuesday by the Cobb Board of Commissioners, which is having a regular meeting starting at 9 a.m.
VanHoozer would succeed Tim Cox, who retired at the end of last year.
VanHoozer and Scott Hamilton, another Cobb Police veteran, have been serving as interim co-chiefs since then.
In his time with Cobb Police, VanHoozer has served as a patrol officer, a field training officer, a narcotics officer, an internal affairs officer, a commander of three precincts and as an executive officer to the Director of the Cobb Department of Public Safety.
Since 2018, VanHoozer has served as a deputy chief.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and public services from Kennesaw State University.
A message from Cobb government Monday morning said that there will be a press conference regarding the police chief appointment after the meeting.
Also on Tuesday’s agenda (you can read it here) will be an update on Truist Park and The Battery.
Cobb commissioners also will be asked to consider spending $975,000 to purchase around 3.5 acres of land on Sewell Mill Road at East Piedmont Road for the relocation of Fire Station 20.
The Cobb Fire Department wants to replace the current station at 1298 Hilton Drive—on Sewell Mill Road between East Piedmont and Old Canton Road—that was built in 1984.
The property for the potential new site is owned by the McCleskey Family-East Cobb YMCA.
Last year commissioners rejected a rezoning request for those parcels to become a residential senior living development.
The meeting starts at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta).
The hearing also will be live-streamed on the county’s website, cable TV channel (Channel 24 on Comcast) and Youtube page. Visit cobbcounty.org/CobbTV for other streaming options.
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A driver who slammed into another vehicle near Mountain View Elementary School more than two years ago, killing an elderly man, was sentenced to five years in prison this week.
John James Hamm, now 45, also will serve 10 years on probation when he is released, according to filings in Cobb Superior Court.
He pleaded guilty on Monday to one charge vehicular homicide, after three other similar charges were merged into one. The sentence was handed down by Judge Lark Ingram.
According to his indictment, Hamm was driving an Infiniti on Sandy Plains Road near Davis Road on Feb. 23, 2020, when it struck a Mazda truck driven by John Spadafora, 91.
Cobb Police said at the time that Spadafora died after being taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital.
The indictment stated that as Spadafora was heading south on Sandy Plains, attempting to make a left turn onto Davis Road, he was hit by Hamm’s vehicle, heading north, that was weaving and traveling 20 miles over the posted speed limit of 45 mph,
Hamm also did not apply the brakes before the crash, according to the indictment, also states that Hamm was well over the legal alcohol limit. He was taken to Kennestone but had no life-threatening injuries.
Cobb Sheriff’s Office records indicate that Hamm was taken into custody Monday at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.
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A 2015 Pierce Arrow XT engine at Cobb Fire Station 21, one of two stations in the proposed City of East Cobb.
As voters in the proposed City of East Cobb vote on a referendum that would create a city with public safety services, Cobb County Government is tooting its own horn about its fire department.
The county has launched a special portal called “World Class Cobb Fire,” which explains how the Cobb Fire and Emergency Services Department is organized, including details of each major piece of equipment, a map of all stations and testimonials from personnel.
The portal’s homepage includes videos of firefighters and emergency staffers on the job, including a “day in the life” profile of a recruit coming off his first shift.
The reason for the splash page: the Cobb Fire Department is observing its 50th anniversary this year, and recently was reaccredited through 2027 by Commission on Fire Accreditation International.
Cobb also has has a top rating of 1 from the Insurance Services Office.
The ISO-1 designation is a rare one, and has been the subject of discussion in the run-up to the East Cobb Cityhood referendum on May 24.
East Cobb is the only of four proposed cities that would be providing police, fire and 911 services. Leaders of the cityhood effort said that although they weren’t proposed in legislation introduced last year, public safety services “continued to come up in various ways” when they began meeting with the public.
Cityhood opponents have claimed insurance rates would rise, saying a new city fire department would be unlikely to get an ISO-1 rating.
And county fire officials have said in town hall meetings that response times would likely increase inside a proposed City of East Cobb, which would be covered by current Cobb stations 21 (4400 Lower Roswell Road) and 15 (3892 Oak Lane).
While Cobb officials have said fire services in the proposed City of East Cobb would cost $12 million a year, a financial feasibility study conducted for the Commitee for East Cobb Cityhood estimates the annual expenses would come to $5.7 million.
Cobb has ignored those calls, saying its Cityhood Resource Center is an objective response to public questions about the referendums.
The East Cobb Cityhood group has responded to some the Cobb Fire claims, saying residents of the proposed city are charged two to three times more for fire services than elsewhere in the county.
The cityhood supporters also said that in looking through Cobb Fire’s Strategic Plan, no capital improvements are included for stations 15 and 21. “Under funded and overcharged,” the cityhood group said. “Time for things to change.”
The World Class Cobb Fire portal indicates that Station 21 has a 2015 Pierce Arrow XT engine, a 2016 Pierce ladder truck, and a 2020 Ford F-450 Freedom Fire rescue truck.
Station 15 is equipped with a 2020 Pierce Enforcer engine.
In a flyer aimed at senior citizens, the cityhood group also says that “the city will have the ability to make targeted fire station improvements, which as of now Cobb County has no plans to improve. These benefits are extremely important for the safety and well-being of our seniors.”
The flyer also says a City of East Cobb would provide “improved ambulance transport times,” but doesn’t elaborate.
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A summer session of the Cobb Department of Public Safety’s Citizens Public Safety Academy will start in June.
The 13-week program gives citizens an inside look at how the county’s public safety agencies operate, including police, fire, emergency 911 and animal services.
Some of the planned activities include tours of public safety agencies, demonstrations on firearms safety and defensive tactics, and taking part in the Cobb Fire Department’s special operations classes (Hazardous Materials, Heavy Rescue Squad, etc).
The first day of the session is June 8 at the Cobb Public Safety Police Academy (2435 East West Connector, Austell).
Participants must be at least 21 years old and either live in Cobb County or work for Cobb County government or the Cobb County School District.
Those applying must fill out a firm and undergo a background check. You can get an application in-person at the academy or receive it via e-mail by contacting Sgt. Verola at Victor.Verola@cobbcounty.org.
Completed applications must be delivered in-person at the Cobb Police Internal Affairs Department (545 S. Fairground St., Marietta). Applicants myst bring their driver’s license.
The deadline to apply is June 1.
For questions about Cobb County Citizens Public Safety Academy, contact the Police Academy at 770-499-4100.
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Cobb Police said a woman and her dog were killed after they were struck by a pickup truck as they were crossing Sandy Plains Road near Sprayberry High School Monday night.
Police said the woman was walking her dog around 9:13 p.m. at the intersection of Sandy Plains Road and Whitlock Road when she crossed into the path of a Ford Ranger heading south on Sandy Plains.
The woman and dog were both killed on impact, according to police, who have not released her name pending notification of kin.
Police said the driver of the Ford Ranger, Robert Liebmann, 53, of Marietta, was not injured.
Police are asking anyone with information about the crash to call 770-499-3987.
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Firefighters from Cobb Fire Station 3 at the 2021 first responders luncheon.
First responders and military veterans will be treated to lunch next Wednesday, March 30, by East Cobb realtor Janice Overbeck.
She’s holding an appreciation luncheon from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team offices (2249 Roswell Road).
Police officers, firefighters, EMTs, active and retired military personnel are included in those invited to the luncheon. A food truck sponsored by Capital City Home Loans will serve burgers and hotdogs, along with food from other local business partners.
Attendees can have lunch on the back patio or take it to go. They’re asked to RSVP at 404-585-8881 or email janiceoverbeck@janiceoverbeck.com.
Cobb County Animal Services also will be holding an adoption event. For information click here.
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“The last thing we want to do is remove services for residents of unincorporated Cobb,” Cobb Fire Chief Bill Johnson said.
Public safety services for the proposed City of East Cobb generated much of the discussion at a town hall meeting held Wednesday night by Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid.
It’s the first of several town halls county officials will be holding in the coming weeks as voters in East Cobb, Lost Mountain and Vinings will decide cityhood referendums on May 24. A Mableton cityhood bill is still being considered in the Georgia legislature.
County leaders said they cannot take official positions on cityhood, but said their sessions are meant to be informational.
Questions were submitted by citizens in advance and read on index cards by Cobb public information officer Ross Cavitt.
(You can watch a replay of Wednesday’s town hall, which lasted around an hour, by clicking here. Dates and locations for future town halls are to be determined.)
At a Cobb Board of Commissioners work session in February, county finance head Bill Volckmann said the impact to the county budget would be $41.4 million annually if all four cities are created. (The county has created a cityhood page that is being updated.)
Of that, they estimate $23 million would come out of East Cobb alone (East Cobb cityhood leaders have taken issue with those financials, saying they’re misleading).
That’s because only East Cobb is proposing to have its own police and fire departments and an E911 service.
The leaders of those agencies for Cobb County government said at the town hall they’re still learning about the details of those services in East Cobb.
But they all said it’s likely that response time for those services will rise for citizens in a new City of East Cobb.
East Cobb would have two fire stations—current Cobb Station No. 21 on Lower Roswell Road and current Cobb Station No. 15 on Oak Lane.
Cobb Fire Chief Bill Johnson said those two stations would have to expand their current footprints by 13 percent to serve a City of East Cobb with nearly 60,000 residents and covering 25 square miles.
The problem, he said, is that citizens on the western edge of the city are currently served by Station No. 20 on Sewell Mill Road, No. 3 on Terrell Mill Road, No. 19 on Powers Ferry Road and No. 3 next to the Mountain View Regional Library, all of which would remain in unincorporated Cobb.
“They absolutely will see an increase in their response time,” Johnson said.
Should a City of East Cobb be formed, mutual aid agreements would be negotiated with Cobb Police and Cobb Fire, which have similar agreements with the existing six cities in the county, to provide backup.
Cobb Fire officials said citizens in the red shaded areas in the proposed East Cobb city and currently serviced by fire stations in unincorporated Cobb would have higher response times.
An East Cobb Police Department would be stationed at current Cobb Precinct 4 headquarters, with an estimated 71 officers, according to a financial feasibility study prepared for the Committee for East Cobb Cityhood.
Interim Cobb Police Chief Scott Hamilton echoed Johnson, and said that “if anybody needs help, we’ll come. At the end of the day, we’re a family and we all take care of each other. But response times are going to get longer.”
Cobb public safety leaders said they haven’t had any contact with East Cobb Cityhood proponents, but some meetings are slated to begin next week.
Cobb E911 director Melissa Altiero said she’s unclear if East Cobb would be handling its own emergency calls or have them answered by Cobb.
She said Cobb answers calls inside the City of Marietta, which has its own police and fire services, “and it’s a seamless response.”
Transferring calls from one call center to another, she said, takes an average of 40 seconds.
Altiero also said she would be concerned about misrouted calls further delaying response time in a City of East Cobb, and said there’s nothing in the East Cobb financial study about what kind of radio system it would have.
That study proposes transferring the 2.86 mills in the Cobb Fire Fund to provide the main revenue source for a city with an estimated $27.7 million annual budget (and that also provide planning and zoning, code enforcement and possibly parks and recreation services).
Johnson said that would amount to $14 million in lost revenue for the Cobb Fire Department, out of annual budget of $110 million.
What that would mean for the county fire department is uncertain, financially or in affecting its service levels.
“The last thing we want to do is remove services to unincorporated Cobb,” Johnson said. “The citizens have come to expect a high level of service and we want to continue to provide that service.”
Before those remarks, Cavitt read a citizen question to Cupid about whether the county would increase taxes to offset the loss of revenue due to new cities being formed, but she deflected it.
“It depends,” Cupid said. “But I am not aware of a new city that has been formed that has not raised taxes.
“If somebody can show me a new city that has not raised taxes, then no, your taxes won’t be raised. Will they be raised immediately, if this moves forward on the May ballot? The answer is no.
“In the short run, no would be a qualified answer. But in the long run, I have yet to be pointed to a new city that has not been formed where they have not had some increases in taxes.”
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When the cityhood effort was revived in 2021, the Committee for East Cobb Cityhood said it had considered public feedback in proposing what’s called a “city light” set of services—planning and zoning, code enforcement and parks and recreation.
New concerns had been raised since the initial cityhood effort began three years before, especially high-density zoning cases. An adult retail store opened on Johnson Ferry Road in June 2020, after skirting code issues to get a business license.
For most of last year, as they conducted virtual information sessions with the public and commissioned the feasibility study, cityhood proponents didn’t mention public safety.
Eligible voters in the proposed City of East Cobb will decide on May 24 on whether to form a new city, made up of around 60,000 people and centered along the Johnson Ferry Road corridor.
Three other proposed new cities in Cobb—Lost Mountain, Vinings and Mableton—are sticking with “city light” services designed to preserve those communities or enhance desired redevelopment.
Police and fire services were included in the initial East Cobb cityhood campaign that was abandoned at the end of 2019.
But as the East Cobb cityhood group met with community members last year, public safety “continued to come up in various ways,” said spokeswoman Cindy Cooperman.
A Cobb fire department map of the proposed city of East Cobb area (in blue) served by two fire stations.
They’ve also held information meetings with neighborhood, civic and business groups over the past year, and she said that public safety “continues to be a consistent theme.”
During a special Feb. 16 Cobb Board of Commissioners work session, county public safety officials said the information provided thus far about proposed police and fire services in East Cobb isn’t sufficient.
They said they’re concerned about increased response times and are uncertain about what they may be asked to do in support (see map at right).
When asked about concerns over the expenses involved in having public safety, Cooperman said “I get that. But the [feasibility] study looks at comparable cities . . . that have done it over the long haul.”
Specifically, those include Milton and Johns Creek in North Fulton, which both have police and fire services.
“It’s not that risky,” Cooperman said, and referred to a recent interview with the East Cobb cityhood study researcher about how the feasibility process works.
While a feasibility study isn’t a budget, the East Cobb study doesn’t detail public safety salary and benefit costs, nor continuing training and equipment expenses.
The East Cobb group explains how mutual aid agreements would be worked out over the two-year transition period, and that the new city would contract with the county for police and fire services in the interim.
But that page doesn’t indicate how an East Cobb fire department would be structured. There’s been speculation that East Cobb may follow the City of Roswell, which has many rank-and-file firefighters serving in moonlighting roles from other departments.
Mindy Seger of the anti-city East Cobb Alliance, who debated cityhood leaders in 2019, said too many changes were made to legislation this year for the May 24 referendum.
Cooperman said while she’s heard those rumors, the transition period would provide the time for “experts in the field” to work through those details.
It’s a process, she said, “that isn’t something new.”
The late changes to the proposed city services and governing structure have prompted complaints by an opposition group, the East Cobb Alliance.
The East Cobb cityhood bill sponsored by former State Rep. Matt Dollar was changed three times in the legislature, including moving the referendum from November to May, and having the mayor elected citywide after the initial bill called for council members to choose a mayor among themselves.
East Cobb Alliance leader Mindy Seger also testified before the Georgia legislature that having the vote six months earlier than originally planned won’t give voters time to “thoroughly vet the proposal and the impact it will have on our community.
“Why the rush?” she said when contacted by East Cobb News after the bill had been approved, and after Dollar stepped down from his seat.
“It’s been 4 years, 3 maps, 2 feasibility studies, 2 House bills and one untimely resignation of the legislative sponsor,” said Seger.
“The simple referendum language doesn’t begin to encompass the full weight and responsibility of incorporation and the lasting impact to our community..”
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A woman who was walking on Lower Roswell Road Thursday night died after being struck by a car.
Cobb Police said Elizabeth Hightower, 55, of Marietta, was pronounced dead at the scene.
In a release, Sgt. Wayne Delk said she was walking westbound on Lower Roswell at 6:52 p.m. when she was hit by a blue 2017 Nissan Altima, also heading westbound on Lower Roswell.
Police said the crash occurred near the intersection of Sunset Trail, east of Davidson Road.
Delk said Hightower was not walking within the crosswalk when she was struck. The 22-year-old driver of the Altima had minor injuries and refused medical treatment at the scene, Delk said.
Police said Hightower’s next of kin have been notified and that the crash is still being investigated. Anyone with information is asked to call 770-499-3987.
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Cobb Fire officials said areas in red would be in the new City of East Cobb (otherwise in blue) but are serviced by county stations. The area in yellow would remain in Cobb but is serviced by what would be a city station.
The leaders of Cobb County government’s public safety agencies said Tuesday that police and fire services for the proposed City of East Cobb are lacking many financial and service details.
During a special called work session of the Cobb Board of Commissioners, the heads of the county’s police, fire and 911 services showed slides highlighting what they’re providing, but said a financial feasibility study for East Cobb raises more questions than answers about what a new city may be able to deliver.
“We’re not here to advocate, but to educate,” Cobb public safety director Randy Crider said during the virtual work session, which included no discussion among commissioners. “But I’ve been asked a lot of questions I don’t have answers for.”
Legislation calling for a May 24 referendum to determine East Cobb Cityhood is awaiting Gov. Brian Kemp’s signature into law. Three other cityhood bills—for Lost Mountain, Mableton and Vinings—also are expected to receive passage, with referendums also in May.
Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid told legislators in January that cityhood votes in all four proposed areas were being rushed, and that the county hadn’t had time to examine the financial and service impacts.
Those presentations were made Tuesday at the work session by Cobb public safety, parks and community development officials.
The county has created a cityhood page that claims an estimated $45 million will be lost annually of all four new Cobb cities are created.
Nearly half of that—around $23 million—would come out of East Cobb, and most of the work session was devoted to East Cobb services, specifically police and fire. The other three cities are proposing “city light” services centered on controlling growth and development.
That was also the centerpiece of the original East Cobb legislation filed in March 2021 by former State Rep. Matt Dollar. Public safety was added last fall, as researchers from Georgia State University were conducting a financial feasibility study.
That study, released in November, concluded a City of East Cobb of around 60,000 people was financially feasible, even with public safety services estimated at costing $14 million a year.
The East Cobb bill also calls for planning and zoning, code enforcement and parks and recreation services.
More than half of the proposed city’s estimated $27 million in annual revenues would come from the 2.86 mills transferred from the Cobb Fire Fund.
At Tuesday’s work session, Crider repeated concerns he expressed to legislators that the East Cobb study is “just general” about public safety issues, including staffing, equipment, response time and training.
“We need to know what’s expected of us,” he said, referring to what may be included in intergovernmental and mutual aid agreements, similar to what the county provides in backup roles with Cobb’s six existing cities.
Crider said there aren’t enough details in the East Cobb study about exactly what specialty units a new city’s police department may have, such as SWAT units.
The East Cobb study also calls for a city fire department to consist of two stations—21 on Lower Roswell Road, at the East Cobb Government Service Center, and 15 on Oak Lane.
In showing commissioners a map of the proposed city, Cobb Fire Chief Bill Johnson said he has concerns about response time.
That’s because some parts of the proposed city (in red on the map) are served by stations that would remain in unincorporated Cobb. An area that would be located just outside of the city (in yellow) is now serviced by Station 15, which would be in the new city.
He also said he didn’t know how the East Cobb fire department would be staffed. The City of Roswell, for example, has many firefighters who work part-time shifts when off-duty from full-time jobs in other fire departments.
Stuart VanHoozer, the interim Cobb Fire Chief, and Cobb 911 Director Melissa Altiero also said they were unclear how their departments may be asked to provide support to a proposed City of East Cobb.
But Cindy Cooperman, a spokeswoman for the Committee for East Cobb Cityhood, called the county’s response “disappointing,” saying the county “has not properly briefed their staff on the well-established process in Georgia to form a city.”
Should a City of East Cobb referendum be approved, elections for a mayor and six city council members would take place in November, with a two-year transition period starting in January 2023.
She said the newly elected officials would work with a transition committee appointed by the governor to formalize processes and details for transferring services to be provided by the new city.
“This is not something new,” she said, referring to similar processes that have taken place in recent years in Milton, Johns Creek and Peachtree Corners. “These cities are thriving and have happy residents as a result.”
Cooperman also said that the “internal analysis of county staff is not credible when it suggests that the cost offset to $45M in revenue will only be approximately $450K.
“The county’s rushed attempt at an analysis was not thorough enough because many vital details on actual costs still need to be disclosed by the county.
“They had a year to analyze this properly and failed to do so,” Cooperman said.
The only direct meeting between East Cobb Cityhood forces and the county was in April of 2021 between Dollar and Cupid.
Cooperman said the cityhood group reached out to Cupid for a meeting in November with the addition of police and fire services, but has not yet heard back.
He provided a statement from Cupid referencing the Dollar meeting and saying that “I met other proponents about the effort approximately 2-3 weeks ago during a legislative meeting. They said they wanted to meet again and we will work on making that happen.”
Cooperman said the cityhood group is planning an in-person town hall after the Cobb County School District winter break next week, but a specific date has not been set.
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The GBI said a Hyundai Elantra spotted on Johnson Ferry Road Monday afternoon belonged to a south Georgia woman who was found dead in her home.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Tuesday that a vehicle stolen from a woman found dead in her South Georgia home on Monday has been spotted in the East Cobb area.
A GBI release Tuesday said a 2006 Black Hyundai Elantra was seen Monday afternoon along Johnson Ferry Road.
The Hyundai was seen near 313 Johnson Ferry Road at 12:22 p.m. Monday, according to the GBI.
That’s located near the intersection of Johnson Ferry and Powers Road, below Lower Roswell Road.
The GBI said the car, which has a temporary Georgia tag of C0521643, belonged to a woman who was found dead in her home in Dawson, Ga., on Monday.
The GBI said after 2 p.m. Monday, Dawson Police responded to a call of an unresponsive person at a home. When police arrived, according to the GBI, they found Annie Josie Chappell, 59, who was dead.
The GBI didn’t indicate how the woman died, nor did it provide any further information about the incident.
Dawson is located in Terrell County, near Albany.
The GBI is asking anyone with information to call the Dawson Police Department at 229-995-4414 or the GBI’s regional investigate office in Sylvester at 229-777-2080.
Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
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An employee at Blackwell Elementary School in Northeast Cobb has been charged with eavesdropping and cruelty to children after Cobb Police said a student saw a surveillance camera in a boys bathroom this week and reported it to a teacher.
A warrant taken out on Friday against Justin Julian, 37, of Acworth, shows that he has been charged with three counts of unlawful surveillance and one count of first degree child cruelty—all felonies—after separate alleged incidents at the Canton Road school on Wednesday.
He was taken into custody on Friday and was released from the Cobb County Adult Detention Center Saturday on a $15,000 bond, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records.
The warrant alleges that Julian placed a camera in a boys bathroom and on Wednesday afternoon observed a 10-year-old boy using the urinal. According to the warrant, the boy saw the camera “and was distraught and notified a school teacher.”
The warrant also alleges that Julian watched an 8-year-old boy and another 10-year-old boy use the urinal via a bathroom camera during the same time period.
Neither the warrant nor a message that went out to the Blackwell community specified Julian’s job at the school.
The Blackwell message said that school officials reported the allegations “to the local authorities and worked closely with them throughout the investigation.”
The staff member, the Blackwell message said, “is no longer allowed in our school building.”
The warrant states that Julian was required to wear an ankle monitor before he was released and he is not allowed to have contract with children 16 or under, or linger anywhere children of that age range are present.
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