The Cobb Board of Commissioners will be using some of its federal stimulus funding to reimburse county non-profits that have been providing emergency food to those in need.
By a 4-1 vote, the board on Tuesday approved a request made by the Cobb Community Foundation, which represents a number of agencies that have been distributing food in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.
The request was delayed last month after community leaders, including pastors and business organizations, said food shortages were severe since the outbreak in mid-March.
On Tuesday, Commissioners met and voted in a teleconference meeting with a public comment period that included speakers both for and against the measure, which would reimburse organizations that have been providing food back to April 1.
Mitch Rhoden, a former Cobb Chamber of Commerce president, supported the request, saying this was an extraordinary time.
Lance Lamberton of the Cobb Taxpayers Association was among those who disagreed, saying it’s not the purpose of government, and that elected officials shouldn’t be deciding which non-profits get funded and which don’t.
Commissioner Keli Gambrill, who expressed concerns about how to determine those needing food, voted against the memorandum of understanding, which will be administered by W. Frank Newton Inc., a consulting firm hired by the county to oversee how it spends the $132 million in CARES Act stimulus funding.
“We keep hearing a lot about non-profits,” East Cobb commissioner Bob Ott said. “This is about food and there are things in the memorandum of understanding that dictate it has to be about food.”
Commissioner Lisa Cupid had asked for the reimbursement period to go back to mid-March, but she couldn’t get a colleague to support her.
Commissioner JoAnn Birrell of Northeast Cobb said that “we’ve seen the community step up . . .. the need for food has probably tripled. I am in support of this.”
A measure that would have authorized temporary hazard pay for some county employees during the COVID-19 crisis was pulled from Tuesday’s meeting agenda.
Some “essential” workers would have been eligible for an extra $500 a month between April 6 through June 12, when the current Georgia public health emergency is due to expire.
But the amount of money being sought has not been specified.
Also on Tuesday, commissioners voted 5-0 to confirm the appointment of Randy Crider as Cobb Public Safety Director.
Crider has been the interim director since August 2019 after Mike Register suddenly retired after six months on the job, citing family reasons.
Crider, who has 38 years as a firefighter and administrator, has been Cobb’s fire chief since 2014. His appointment is effective immediately.
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