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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A year ago today, I pushed the “publish” button on the first post on this site, about the Skip Wells Memorial Ride at Sprayberry High School. Today, as the 1st anniversary of East Cobb News rolls around, I couldn’t be more grateful for the support from so many of you in this community.
The humble beginnings for this independent, local news site have guided me well through this first year. I try to keep this in mind every day as I aim to strengthen the foundation for East Cobb News, with this simple pledge: to meet the news and information needs of this dynamic community we all call home, and to promote local businesses who help make it better.
After nearly 700 posts, East Cobb News has covered the gamut of subjects—local government and schools, public safety, zoning and development, small business, community events and more—just like a newspaper, but all online.
While East Cobb is part of a larger county and an even larger metro Atlanta region, there are 200,000 people here, along with countless local businesses, who now have an all-local, daily news source.
When I tell citizens and local business owners what East Cobb News is all about, it is this. There’s nothing else like it. They have many options for getting local news, but none of them covers only this community, all the time.
Before publishing that first post, I had envisioned starting a site like this for quite a while. This is my home community, and I have previously been a reporter here during my newspaper days, as well as in an online capacity.
The Taste of East Cobb
In launching East Cobb News, among my objectives was to give back to a community that has profoundly shaped me in so many ways, and at a time when quality, professionally produced news and information at the community level is becoming harder and harder to come by.
Local news has been especially hard-hit by the fallout in the newspaper industry that employed me for many years. A full decade after I left, the losses are even more acute.
Recently imposed tariffs on Canadian newsprint have been devastating, and as The Marietta Daily Journal noted in a recent editorial, have added 30 percent to already-high costs for printing the news.
However, the value of local news is also is gaining notice in communities nationwide. The deadly shootings of five employees of the Capital-Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Md., brought together a community shattered by a tragic event.
The journalists killed weren’t the media stars and pundits of the national political press. They were workaday journalists, like me, who were invested in their communities, as citizens, taxpayers, homeowners, parents and volunteers.
East Cobb Senior Center’s 22nd Anniversary
The non-glamorous work they do, well out of the spotlight and at a fraction of the salaries, is critical to fostering stronger civic life and communities. In an age when many people distrust the press, restoring trust and credibility can, and must, happen at the local level.
As a member of LION Publishers (Local Independent Online News), I’m also part of a growing band of community-based publishers, editors and journalists committed to serving communities in this way.
At the core of our mission is to create and foster sustainable news businesses. It’s been a big leap for me to go from being a news reporter and editor to news entrepreneur, but this is how community newspapers evolved more than a century ago.
Northeast Cobb Community Egg Drop
Local businesess, like local readers, have plenty of options for promoting themselves in the community. As we begin year two, East Cobb News is reaching around 20,000 unique visitors a month—a healthy number for a young, locally focused publication—and we’re eager to help local businesses grow with us.
If you run a local business, please check out our advertising philosophy, which includes flexible rates and options for any kind of enterprise.
We’re also launching a business directory that’s ideal for new businesses, solopreneurs and mom-and-pop shops that includes a 25 percent discount for display advertising on East Cobb News.
I realize that readers and advertisers have other options. This a competitive market for news and advertising, but only East Cobb News is totally devoted to covering news and events every day, as they happen.
Atlanta Braves-Sandy Plains Baseball field dedication
If that’s important to you, I ask that you have a look around the site, if you’re not familiar already, and see for yourself.
I also encourage you to sign up for the East Cobb News Digest weekly e-mail newsletter, which comes out every Sunday. It contains all of the past week’s top headlines, plus calendar listings, a community guide and so much more.
It’s free and easy to sign up, all in one click below.
Thanks to all of you for visiting East Cobb News, subscribing to the newsletter and following us on social media.
It’s been a satisfying first year for East Cobb News, but we’re only getting started. As always, feel free to get in touch with feedback and questions: wendy@eastcobbnews.com.
Cobb commission chairman Mike Boyce wants a 1.7 mills property tax increase to cover a projected $30 million deficit. (East Cobb News file photo)
The details of the fiscal year 2019 Cobb budget proposal will be made at a Cobb Board of Commissioners work session on Monday, with a final town hall meeting Monday night in East Cobb.
Cobb commission chairman Mike Boyce has taken the outlines of his proposed $453 million budget around the county to the public in the last month. Monday’s work session starts at 1:30 p.m., followed by his final town hall meeting at 7 p.m. at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (2051 Lower Roswell Road).
The county has produced an interactive, Cobb’s Budget Journey, to detail the deficit, as well as spending and tax rate history over nearly three decades.
Boyce is proposing a general fund property tax increase of 1.7 mills, which would cover the $30 million gap.
Critics of the tax increase held a town hall meeting of their own Friday, and they included East Cobb resident Debbie Fisher, who put together a scathing critique of Boyce’s budget. Click here for the PDF: Town Hall Presentation -Revised.
Entitled “Truth or Fiction,” the PDF points out that Boyce hasn’t proposed any spending cuts and denounces what it calls the “homestead exemption blame game.”
It also suggests some “hard choices” that include cutting the 5-10 percent of low-performing county employees, outsource fleet management, human resources and the county attorney’s office and increase employee health care and pension contributions.
“We don’t have a revenue problem! We have a spending problem,” declares the presentation. “No more taxes until you cut spending.”
On Tuesday, commissioners will hold the first of three required public hearings on the budget, at 9 a.m. in their chambers on the 2nd floor of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.
The other public hearings are scheduled on July 17 at 6:30 p.m., and on July 25 at 7 p.m., in the same location. Commissioners are set to adopt the budget on July 25.
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The following East Cobb restaurant scores from June 8-July 3 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link below each listing to view details of the inspection.
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An East Cobb teenager was admitted to the intensive care unit at WellStar Kennestone Hospital after she fell out of a moving car on Johnson Ferry Road early Thursday morning.
Another teen was arrested and charged with DUI and other offenses stemming from the incident. Cobb Police said it took place shortly before 2 a.m. Thursday on Johnson Ferry, south of Sewell Mill Road.
Cobb Police spokeswoman Sarah O’Hara said a driver and two passengers were traveling in a silver 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe northbound on Johnson Ferry. One of the passengers, sitting in a rear seat, rolled down a window and began hanging out of it, “yelling and screaming,” according to police.
The passenger, identified by O’Hara as Alyssa Prindle, 18, of an East Cobb address, fell out of the window and hit the road, suffering serious injuries. She was taken to Kennestone, and the driver of the car, Abigail Cook, 17, of Wood Thrush Way in East Cobb, was arrested and booked in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, O’Hara said.
Cook is charged with underage DUI, reckless driving, serious injury by vehicle (a felony), underage possession of alcohol, possession of false identification and a violation of class D drivers license hour restrictions.
According to the Cobb Sheriff’s Office, Cook was released Thursday night on a $27,720 bond.
O’Hara said underage alcohol consumption is a contributing factor in the incident, which remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Cobb County Police Department’s STEP Unit at 770-499-3987.
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.
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A Cobb greenways and trails master plan that would include extensions of the existing Johnson Ferry Trail and Noonday Creek Trail in East Cobb was approved last week by the Cobb Board of Commissioners.
The master plan, developed by Cobb DOT after more than a year of open houses and public feedback sessions, is the first for the county, and features the following components:
increasing connectivity between existing trails;
having trails in all six Cobb cities;
having 92 percent of all existing county parks within a mile of a trail;
having 57 percent of Cobb’s total population also within a mile of a trail.
The master plan also calls for eight “priority trail” projects, including the Johnson Ferry and Noonday Creek trails.
The Noonday Creek extension would cover 3.6 miles almost to the Cherokee County line, at an estimated cost between $11.1 million and $12.2 million.
The approval of the Cobb greenways and trails master plan does not include any additional funding for any projects that may be developed. Those matters would be taken up separately.
The commissioners also were briefed last week about the recommendations for a new Cobb parks master plan for 2018-2028, but there wasn’t a vote taken.
The proposed “investment” over that 10-year period, by a design firm hired to do a master plan study, comes to $239.8 million. The majority of the recommended spending, around $158 million, would be for new facilities and green space development. Another $80 million would be for maintenance of existing facilities.
the creation of an administrative services division;
the creation of a park maintenance plan;
the adoption of a comprehensive revenue policy;
enhanced branding and marketing to help generate revenues;
establishing a rental system for pavilion use;
increasing user fees;
expanded programming for fee generation;
assessing a per-participant maintenance fee;
increase staffing of Cobb Police Park Ranger staff.
Approval of the master plan was put on hold due to questions from commissioners. Approval makes it a “working document” for the county, but funding and spending issues are done in a separate process.
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A group of Cobb citizens opposed to a proposed property tax increase is holding a town hall meeting Friday night in Marietta that’s called “Cobb Budget 101.”
The group includes East Cobb resident Debbie Fisher, and the town hall takes place from 6:30-8:30 Friday at the offices of the Cobb County Republican Party (799 Roswell St.).
It’s not an official Cobb GOP event. Here’s what Jan Barton, another East Cobber involved in efforts to thwart a tax increase, is sending out about the event:
A group of concerned Cobb citizens will present Cobb Budget 101, a different road map from the one presented by the Cobb County Chairman. We will make a case on what caused the purported $30M deficit, how we can remedy the shortfall without a tax increase and present the real history on the Millage Vs. the Tax Digest! There will be a Q&A with budget and finance experts on a panel to answer your questions.
They’ve been vocally opposed to Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce’s proposed 1.7-mills increase in the general fund to solve a projected $30 million budget. Boyce and county budget staff have produced a Cobb Budget Journey interactive that has been featured at a series of town hall meetings and posted on county government web pages.
The final town hall Boyce is having is in East Cobb on Monday, starting at 7 p.m. at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (2051 Lower Roswell Road.)
The first of three formal Cobb Board of Commissioners public hearings on the budget proposal required by law takes place on Tuesday.
Budget adoption is scheduled for July 25.
Here’s Boyce’s latest budget video, posted on Tuesday.
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The East Cobb Business Association networking breakfast, which takes place every Friday morning, has a new location.
It’s now at the Egg Harbor Cafe (4719 Lower Roswell Road, Stonewood Village Shopping Center), and it takes place from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 am. More here on the East Cobb Open Networking Facebook page.
There isn’t a featured speaker or program and no registration is required. You pay for your own meal and network with other East Cobb business owners and leaders.
The ECBA used to hold its Friday breakfast at the J. Christopher’s at the Pavilions at East Lake (2100 Roswell Road), which will be the venue for its next quarterly community breakfast. That date is Tuesday, July 31, from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.
The guest speaker is Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell and registration is recommended. The cost is $10 for ECBA members ($15 at the door), and $15 for guests ($20 at the door). Click here to sign up.
The July ECBA luncheon is Tuesday, July 17, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Olde Towne Athletic Club (4950 Olde Towne Parkway). The guest speaker is meteorologist Jen Carfagno of The Weather Channel. Click here for information and to register.
The next ECBA quarterly Lunch and Learn event is Tuesday, Aug. 7, at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (2051 Lower Roswell Road). The topic is identity theft protection strategies with Leilani Plendl and Adam Kazinec of Prudential. Details TBA, visit the ECBA website for more.
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There was no opposition Tuesday to a Powers Ferry Road corridor rezoning request for a major mixed-use development. But the Cobb Planning Commission put the application on hold for a month to sort out some issues some members had with the project.
The request by Chance Powers Ferry LLC would redevelop the aging Powers Ferry Woods office complex on Shadowood Parkway, near Powers Ferry Road and Windy Ridge Parkway, for an office building and 300 luxury apartment units (here’s the agenda item packet) totalling more than 578,000 square feet.
The 3.6-acre tract is currently zoned O & I; Chance Powers Ferry is seeking RRC (regional retail commercial) designation for the high-density project. The land is surrounded by multi-family housing, and Kevin Moore, an attorney for Chance Powers Ferry, calls the proposal suitable for “a true urban context. . . This is what it’s intended for.”
The site plan calls for the 30,000-square-foot office building to be in the front of the property (in orange below), with the apartment building (in pink) wrapped around a parking deck.
The office building would be three stories high, and the apartment building six stories high.
Among the concerns expressed by planning board members were about some of the variances, including a proposed reduction in front, side and rear setbacks from 50 to 15, 10 and 18 feet, respectively.
Another variance would reduce the number of proposed parking spaces from a required minimum of 631 to 515. Chance Powers Ferry also wants to reduce the landscaping buffer next to another apartment community from the minimum of 50 feet to 10 feet.
“I do like the project, I like the concept,” Planning Commission chairwoman Judy Williams said before suggesting that the request be delayed until August. A motion to hold passed 4-0, with commission member Thea Powell absent.
Not far away, another proposed RRC development was placed on hold by Cobb Zoning Office, which has recommended denial, and it’s been held up before. A request by Elevation Development Group LLC would rezone 12.7 acres on Water Place at Terrell Mill Road and across from Water Village Drive from its current O & I status.
The developer wants to build retail and office space and the Terrell Mill Park Apartments, and is seeking a reduction in required parking spaces from 579 to 468.
The project is in close proximity to the Dobbins Air Reserve Base, which is in opposition due to what it calls an “aviation hazard.” Zoning staff has said it’s concerned about noise and buffer requirements on adjacent properties.
A long-delayed Northeast Cobb zoning case was delayed again on Tuesday. The Cobb Zoning Office has continued a rezoning request for a 92-unit single-family subdivision on 96 acres on Wigley Road until August.
It had been held since May, when the Planning Commission heard a number of concerns about density, traffic, stormwater runoff and the land’s hilly topography.
Also continued was a request for a senior living facility on 35 acres on Bells Ferry Road and North Booth Road near I-575, to September. It’s currently undeveloped single-family residential land. The developer, Jim Chapman Communities, wants to build 178 units.
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We’ll be updating this list of East Cobb July 4 openings and closings as we receive information, but there are a couple of public facilities that you (and especially your kids) can enjoy on the holiday.
The pool at Sewell Park (2051 Lower Roswell Road) will be open from 1-5 on Wednesday. There’s a splash pad for kids that ought to add extra refreshment on what’s supposed to be a hot, humid day (and with the chance of thundershowers).
Admission fees for the pool are $3.50 for children ages 3-7; $4.50 for adults 18-54, and $3 for seniors 55 and older.
Sewell Park pool is open daily through the end of July: M-Th 1-7:30; F-Sun 1-5.
Starting July 29, the pool will be open Sat-Sun only from 1-5, through Labor Day, Sept. 3.
Most other Cobb County public facilities are close on July 4, including libraries. The Mountain View Aquatic Center and The Art Place also will be closed. East Cobb Park (3322 Roswell Road) will be open during its usual hours, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The Cobb Emergency Management Office’s regularly scheduled test, which takes place around noon on the first Wednesday of the month, also is being cancelled.
Some restaurants and businesses have announced their plans for Wednesday, and what we have is listed below. If you want to share your information with the community, e-mail us and we’ll add it here: editor@eastcobbnews.com.
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In less than a month the rebuilt campuses of Brumby Elementary School and East Cobb Middle School will be open for classes at their new adjacent locations on Terrell Mill Road.
We swung by there over the weekend and saw that the parking lot at East Cobb Middle is just about complete, and that some work remains to finish the Brumby lot.
Ground was broken nearly two years ago, in September 2016, for the twin campuses, which cost a total of $51 million (Brumby $22.7 million, ECMS $28.6 million).
They replace two of the older school buildings in East Cobb, and the Cobb County School District. Brumby opened in a round building on Powers Ferry Road in 1966, and has added a two-story classroom building and trailers to accommodate a student enrollment that has exceeded 1,000.
East Cobb Middle School opened on Holt Road in 1963 (followed by Wheeler High School across the street in 1965) and also has outgrown its campus.
The schools will also share a singular entrance, at Greenwood Trail, and a new traffic signal recently became operational.
Carpool and bus queues will be fully contained on the school property, which was a particular problem for Brumby, as parents lined up for drop off and pick up on busy Powers Ferry Road.
The former ECMS site will be the new home for Eastvalley Elementary School, which will be relocating from its longtime campus on Lower Roswell Road at Holt Road.
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Not long ago we shared information about Cobb fireworks safety from the Cobb Fire Department for the July 4 holiday.
CFD has issued an update, in regards to county noise ordinance that was passed a year ago. The revised ordinance bans fireworks after 9 p.m., with several exceptions, including the July 4 holiday.
Cobb Police have added some additional information this afternoon, saying that the allowable fireworks discharge periods are from 7 a.m. to midnight, Tuesday July 3, and Wednesday July 4.
Police say you cannot shoot firearms in the air (“celebratory gunfire”) at any time, even if no one is injured, and you’ll be subject to arrest for reckless conduct if you do. You’re also prohibited from discharging fireworks while traveling on any roads.
The usual 9 p.m. fireworks prohibition will resume on Thursday, July 5 and continues into the Labor Day holiday weekend.
CFD also issued this warning:
“Persons choosing to use fireworks should be cognizant of their responsibility to discharge them safely without endangering other persons or property. Please be advised that you have a legal duty to exercise reasonable care in using fireworks and are presumed to intend the natural and probable consequences of your acts. As a result, you may be subject to potential criminal and/or civil liability for any damage to persons or property resulting from your use of fireworks.”
If you’d prefer to take in the fireworks in public venues, there are celebrations starting at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Fifth Third Bank near the Kennesaw State University campus, and Glover Park on the Marietta Square around 9:30 p.m.
The Marietta celebrations go on all day, starting with a parade at 10 a.m. and concerts, arts and crafts, food, games and more.
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From Cobb County government, issued around 10 a.m. today:
WATER UPDATE – A large broken water main in the Quarles Water Treatment Plant on Lower Roswell Road is resulting in low water pressure across a wide swath of East Cobb. Crews are working on it.
County spokesman Ross Cavitt, around 11 a.m., added this update:
System has been repressurized after break at Quarles Treatment plant. Any customers who see discolored water should run their cold water until it is gone. Contractor working at the plant apparently caused the break, which is being repaired.
We’ll provide more updates as they become available.
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A sampling of what’s on display currently at the Sewell Mill Library art gallery, which is named after longtime Cobb library supporters Carol and Jim Ney.
The gallery is open during regular library hours: M-W 10-8; Th-F 11-6; Sat 1-6, and you literally cannot miss if it you’re headed into the main library area.
The rotation of artwork is curated by Roxane Thompson, who is the library’s cultural affairs art specialist.
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Starting Monday, Cobb advance voting for primary runoff races gets underway, and until July 20 you can do so only at the main Cobb Elections office in Marietta. There will be a week of advance voting that takes place July 16-20 at the East Cobb Government Service Center and other locations in the county.
On the ballot for East Cobb voters 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.
On the local level, the Cobb Board of Commissioners District 1 GOP runoff bears watching. Incumbent Bob Weatherford is being opposed by Keli Gambrill as commissioners are deliberating on budget matters.
The runoff date of July 24 would have coincided with the day commissioners were to adopt a fiscal year 2019 budget, but the budget meeting has been pushed back a day, to July 25.
Here’s more from Cobb Elections on advance voting information
If you voted a party ballot in the May Primary, you must vote the same party in the Runoff. If you did not vote in the Primary, you can still vote in the Runoff. Registered Cobb County voters can go to any advancedvoting location:
July 2–20 (Closed July 4) Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday, July 14 Location: Elections Office (West Park Government Center), 736 Whitlock Ave. NW, Marietta
For more information, call Cobb Elections at 770-528-2581. View your sample ballot at mvp.sos.ga.gov.
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What follows is a final rundown of what you can and can’t do with a mobile device in your vehicle, as the Georgia hands free law goes into effect Sunday, July 1.
We noted earlier that there wasn’t going to be a grace period for enforcement of HB 673, but Cobb Police are saying they’ll be issuing warnings for the first 30 days (unless you cause an accident), with official citations starting on Aug. 1.
A driver cannot have a phone in their hand or use any part of their body to support their phone. Drivers can only use their phones to make or receive phone calls by using speakerphone, earpiece, wireless headphone, phone is connected to vehicle or an electronic watch. GPS navigation devices are allowed;
Headsets and earpieces can only be worn for communication purposes and not for listening to music or other entertainment;
A driver may not send or read any text-based communication unless using voice-based communication that automatically converts message to a written text or is being used for navigation or GPS;
A driver may not write, send or read any text messages, e-mails, social media or internet data content;
A driver may not watch a video unless it is for navigation;
A driver may not record a video (continuously running dash cams are exempt);
Music streaming apps can be used provided the driver activates and programs them when they are parked. Drivers cannot touch their phones to do anything to their music apps when they are on the road. Music streaming apps that include video also are not allowed since drivers cannot watch videos when on the road. Drivers can listen to and program music streaming apps that are connected to and controlled through their vehicle’s radio.
Exceptions to the law are as follows:
Reporting a traffic crash, medical emergency, fire, criminal activity or hazardous road conditions;
An employee or contractor of a utility service provider acting within the scope of their employment while responding to a utility emergency;
A first responder (law enforcement, fire, EMS) during the performance of their official duties;
When in a lawfully parked vehicle—this DOES NOT include vehicles stopped for traffic signals and stop signs on the public roadway.
Commercial motor vehicle operators
Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators can only use one button to begin or end a phone call;
Cannot reach for a wireless telecommunications device or stand-alone electronic device that it no longer requires the driver to be a seated position or properly restrained by a safety belt.
School bus drivers
The driver of a school bus cannot use a wireless telecommunication device or two-way radio while loading or unloading passengers;
The driver can only use a wireless telecommunication device while the bus is in motion as a two-way radio to allow live communications between the driver and school and public safety officials.
Cobb police enforcement
Again, the law goes into effect July 1st, but in an effort to educate the public, the Cobb County Police Department will be providing verbal or written warning citations for the first 30 days. However, if the violation involves a traffic crash, a citation may be issued.
Effective August 1st, 2018, officers may begin writing real citations. Each jurisdiction may have their own policy for when they begin enforcement, so I would suggest that you begin adhering to the law on July 1st.
What would the fines/penalties be?
First conviction: $50, one point on a license;
Second conviction: $100, two points on a license;
Third and subsequent convictions: $150, three points on a license.
On Friday Cobb Police issued this PSA reminder that’s about a minute long:
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The countdown is underway for the closing of the Chick-fil-A Woodlawn Square, which is Friday, July 6.
As we noted previously, the location at 1201 Johnson Ferry Road is undergoing a major renovation that will have it shuttered until around November, but there’s not a specific reopening date.
The store’s got a remodeling countdown on its Facebook page that began on Wednesday, 10 days out.
A few days after that closure, and just a few feet away, is the grand opening of the East Cobb location of Board and Brush, a DIY wood sign workshop that will offer classes, supplies and more.
The grand opening is next Saturday, July 14, from 10-12. The store is 1205 Johnson Ferry, Suite 103. There’s not outside signage up yet, but the space is adjacent to the now-closed Muss & Turner’s restaurant.
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After donating more than $100,000 this week to help Cobb County acquire some of the Tritt property (previous East Cobb Newspost here), the Friends for the East Cobb Park is replenishing its endowment with a new fundraising campaign.
The contribution made by the non-profit citizens group helped Cobb take in nearly 30 acres of the adjacent Tritt land, and complete green space purchase around the county with $27 million of a 10-year-old parks bond referendum finally funded last year.
At Tuesday’s Cobb commission meeting, District 2 commissioner Bob Ott said he would be chipping in to help Friends begin its fund drive, and here’s what he sent us and is sharing with his constituents and the community today:
I, along with the rest of the Board of Commissioners, am especially grateful to Friends for the East Cobb Park. You may have read in the newspaper that this nonprofit group contributed to make up for a shortfall in County funds needed to close this purchase. The final figure isn’t available just yet but is expected to be over $100,000. You’ll recall that this is the group of community volunteers who raised over $1 million to purchase the original 13-acres of the East Cobb Park almost 20 years ago. This is a very unique public/private partnership that we are all very proud of. The Friends group once again stepped up to assist so that the east Cobb community’s much-loved park can literally double in size.
What wasn’t in the paper is that these funds came from an endowment fund established over 15 years ago from a generous grant matched by funds that the group raised. Interest from this endowment has been used over the years to make various improvements to the park. The Friends group, with the assistance of the Cobb Community Foundation where the fund is held, received permission to utilize some of the principal from the account to cover this shortfall, with a promise to launch a new fundraising campaign to raise money to replenish the fund.
The board of Friends for the East Cobb Park is planning to launch a new fundraising campaign, and you can soon learn more about it on their website www.eastcobbpark.org. It’s my hope that the east Cobb community will rise to the occasion and consider participating in the campaign. Remember that the community will one day have the opportunity to purchase the remaining acreage, and any funds raised over and above the amount needed to restore the endowment fund will be earmarked to assist with this potential purchase down the road. I have heard from many, many of you over the years regarding the Tritt property, and now the east Cobb community will have the opportunity to be a part of this exciting project. I have personally pledged $1,000 to the campaign, and challenge each of you to consider how you and your family can help. To make a tax-deductible contribution please make your check payable to “Friends for the East Cobb Park” and mail it to P.O. Box 6313 Marietta, Georgia 30065.
I’ll continue to provide updates in my newsletter and look forward to seeing a long list of supporters!
The Friends for the East Cobb Park has set up an online payment system via PayPal, and you can contribute directly at this link, in any amount that you like. You can make a one-time contribution or set up a monthly payment.
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The Cobb tax digest total for this year is better than initially projected.
Stephen White, the Cobb County Tax Assessor, has announced that it’s a record $36.7 billion for 2018, and was approved Thursday by the Board of Tax Assessors.
The tax digest is the taxable value of all commercial and residential property. White said this year’s digest is a nine percent increase over 2017, which was a record $33.6 billion.
“The increase in the tax digest sends a great message to all business owners and property owners,” White said in a statement issued by the county. “The message is that your investment is doing well. We are a desired county for real estate and this is a very strong real estate market we are in.”
Earlier this year tax digest growth of 7.5 percent was predicted, just as county officials were preparing to address a projected fiscal year 2019 budget deficit of at least $30 million.
That’s just a little bit more than this year’s value of the floating homestead exemption. That exemption freezes the taxable value of a home as it pertains to general fund portion of a tax bill.
The floating exemption total this year is $28.4 million, a savings for residential property owners, but as the county noted in a release this morning, “that exemption means the county’s general fund will not fully reap the benefits of the growth in the tax digest.”
In Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce”s proposed FY 2019 budget of $453 million, the homestead exemption total would rise to $35.6 million. He’s seeking a 1.7 mills increase in the general fund.
Boyce has been holding budget town hall meetings around the county, and they will conclude on July 9 at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center.
Budget adoption and setting of the millage rate is scheduled for July 25.
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The heavy rains and storms that began late Wednesday night and have continued today may not quite be over. Cobb County is included in a thunderstorm watch that is covering most of north and central Georgia until 8 p.m. tonight.
Officially the National Weather Service in Atlanta is calling this a severe thunderstorm watch, and the Cobb area has experienced some severe weather since last night.
Sporadic thunderstorm warnings have been issued in the watch area, but one has not been issued for Cobb.
In a watch situation, conditions are present for potential severe storms to emerge, including heavy rainfall, lightning, thunder and high winds.
Today’s high in the East Cobb area is expected to be near 90, with lows tonight in the low 70s. The chance of severe thunderstorms is expected to be reduced from 70 percent this afternoon to 40 percent tonight.
On Friday, the forecast calls for a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms with highs in the low 90s and lows in the low 70s.
Similar weather is on tap for the weekend and into Monday, with a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms Saturday and Sunday.
The stormy weather could be around into the July 4 holiday next Wednesday.
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