As he spends his last few months in office, Cobb commissioner Bob Ott is getting invited to speak about his 12-year tenure.
Ott addressed the East Cobb Area Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce last week, reviewing business and economic development, zoning and land use issues, infrastructure, health care, libraries, parks and more.
(You can watch his full presentation at this link).
“Indeed it has been a ride,” said Ott, who announced in January he would not be seeking a fourth term.
Ott is a former president of the East Cobb Civic Association and served on the Cobb Planning Commission. In 2008, he defeated commissioner Joe Thompson, who had appointed him to that board.
The Republican who lives in the Powers Ferry-Terrell Mill area has represented District 2, which includes most of East Cobb as well as the Cumberland-Smyrna-Vinings area.
Ott said the biggest economic driver was the construction of the Atlanta Braves stadium, now called Truist Park, that he said has generated 22,000 jobs in the district.
“We didn’t just get a stadium” he said, referencing the adjacent The Battery Atlanta development and the 22-story Thyssen-Krupp tower that’s opening soon.
Another major development that he steered is the MarketPlace Terrell mixed-use project that’s underway at Powers Ferry and Terrell Mill.
It’s the centerpiece of the Powers Ferry corridor that was the subject of the first of four master plans that have been developed in District 2.
“If we get certain things to go, everything else will follow,” he said, referring to nearby businesses that have upgraded, including a BP station across the road.
A Wendy’s restaurant has opened at the MarketPlace Terrell Mill, with other restaurants and eateries coming on line soon, as well as an apartment complex. The anchor will be a Kroger superstore.
Ott said that in his time in office, 5,000 apartments have been built in District 2, with around 3,500 of them in the Cumberland/Battery area, “where they should be.”
The other master plans included Vinings, design guidelines for the Johnson Ferry corridor and last week, when commissioners approved one for the Johnson Ferry-Shallowford area.
He said those plans include 60 percent of land in District 2, and give developers a solid guideline for developers.
For the most part, Ott said, “if they develop according to the master plan, the community is going to support it.”
In November, District 2 voters will choose his successor. Republican Fitz Johnson, a Vinings resident who serves on the board of the WellStar Health System, will face Democrat Jerica Richardson, a first-time candidate who lives in the Delk Road area.
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Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott announced Tuesday he would be retiring at the end of the year. Last night, he distributed the text of his prepared statement that he made during the commission business meeting:
It’s hard to believe this is the 12th year I have had the honor and privilege to serve the people of District Two. As I reflect on those years during the holidays, I am so thankful for all of the people who help me every day. None of this would be possible without the support of my best friend; my wife Judy. She along with Katie and Chris continue to accept the late nights and weekend phone calls that come with this job. I also need to recognize all the volunteers and appointees who have accepted appointments to the numerous commissions and boards. Without them, Kim and I wouldn’t be able to serve the citizens of District Two. Many of them are now the chairs of their respective groups. Together, we were able to accomplish so much for our citizens. The challenges started early, and the group showed it was ready and willing to jump right in. In 2009, we had the great flood. Less than nine months after starting as the commissioner, the county experienced what the experts say was a 750-year flood event. Parts of the district were under over 20-feet of water. The Chattahoochee River crested at 29-feet above flood stage. The citizens of the district, especially those along Columns Drive and in Vinings needed help. County staff literally came to their rescue. There couldn’t have been a worse time, as the county was feeling the effect of the Great Recession. Budget numbers went south, the county instituted furloughs, much to my disappointment. To many county employees it was a wake-up call that even Cobb County wasn’t immune to the devastating impact of the recession. But out of all the down times, we got the commissioners to agree to the creation of a Citizens’ Oversight Committee. They were tasked to look at all aspects of the county operations and recommend where things could be done a better way. Thank you to all the members of that committee. Although it took some time for all the proposals to work their way into the system, eventually, the county started to pull out of the recession. Along with the recovery, there was a new SPLOST proposal, that for the first time was not the usual six years of questionable spending. With the help of Commissioner Powell, we cut the SPLOST to a four-year list of projects saving over $200 million. The Braves will begin their fourth season at the new ballpark, soon to be renamed, Truist. As the new season begins, ThyssenKrupp’s new tower is beginning to rise, and the final phase of The Battery is nearing completion. These successes will bring more opportunity to the district. I look forward to what the future will bring to the county and the district. So, today, I am officially announcing that I will not be running for re-election in November and will be retiring from the commission at the end of the year. I want to thank all of the citizens of District Two for allowing me the honor and the privilege of serving as your commissioner.
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Bob Ott, the longest-serving member of the Cobb Board of Commissioners, won’t be seeking a fourth term. (ECN file)
Cobb commissioner Bob Ott, who has represented part of East Cobb since 2009, announced Tuesday he won’t be seeking re-election to a fourth term.
Ott, a Republican who is the longest-serving member of the commission, made his announcement at the end of the board’s business meeting on Tuesday.
He rattled off a long list of developments and accomplishments in District 2—which includes part of East Cobb and the Cumberland-Vinings area—during his tenure, reading from prepared remarks.
His announcement appeared to have caught his colleagues by surprise.
“Wow,” said commissioner JoAnn Birrell, who represents Northeast Cobb.
Chairman Mike Boyce said “I for one will miss you, and I say that with all genuineness. . . . I’m sure there will be time for accolades later,” but Boyce said he looked forward to working with Ott through the end of the year.
Speaking later to East Cobb News, Ott said he decided a couple months ago he wouldn’t be running again.
“It just seemed like the right time,” said Ott, a Delta Air Lines pilot who turns 63 this year and must retire by the age of 65.
Ott, who travels on long haul routes to San Juan, Hawaii and Rome, said he wanted to enjoy the rest of his flying days as much as anything.
Ott said he told outgoing County Manager Rob Hosack and a few other people of his decision, but not his commission colleagues before Tuesday’s announcement.
Ott got involved in civic affairs in East Cobb through the East Cobb Civic Association, which he served as president, was a member of the Cobb Board of Zoning Appeals and was appointed to the Cobb Planning Commission by former commissioner Joe Lee Thompson.
Ott challenged Thompson in the 2008 Republican primary and defeated the incumbent. He didn’t have any opposition in seeking a second term in 2012. In 2016, Ott was opposed by attorney Jonathan Page, but prevailed in the Republican primary and did not have a Democratic foe.
Ott said his main reason for seeking a third term was to “see through” the opening of the new Atlanta Braves stadium in 2017.
This fall, Ott declined to indicate his future plans, saying he would make an announcement after the first of the year.
He’s occasionally been regarded as a possible candidate for chairman, including for the upcoming 2020 election, and sparred regularly with Boyce and previous chairman Tim Lee.
He said he thought “a little bit” about running for chairman this year but decided against it. Boyce and South Cobb Commissioner Lisa Cupid have announced they’re running for chairman.
Larry Savage, an East Cobb resident who ran for chairman as a Republican in 2012 and 2016, is running for chairman for a third time.
Ott said he understands why some have thought he’s harbored larger political ambitions, but cited a quote from Ronald Reagan, about what can be accomplished without caring who gets the credit.
“This has never been about me,” Ott said. “It’s been about serving the people of this district.”
“I’m not surprised that he’s looking for some downtime after three pretty intense terms as commissioner,” said Linda Carver, outgoing chairwoman of the East Cobb Civic Association. “We appreciate the positive things he’s done for District 2 and the county.”
In recent months, Ott also has deflected speculation that he might be interested in running for mayor in a possible City of East Cobb (in what’s now a stalled cityhood effort).
Former 6th District U.S. Rep. Karen Handel, who’s close to Ott, called him “one of the finest public servants I have ever known. He leads with integrity and great care, always putting the interests of the people he serves first.”
During his remarks, Ott recalled entering office just as major flooding hit Cobb County, along with the recession that forced budget cuts and prompted staffing furloughs he says he opposed.
He pointed to the creation of the Cobb Citizens Oversight Committee to recommend budgeting and spending priorities in the wake of the recession, and touted the creation of the first citizen-led master plans in the county, including the Powers Ferry, Johnson Ferry and Shallowford-Johnson Ferry corridors.
Addressing growth and revitalization in those and other areas and improving communications with constituents are among what Ott said are his most satisfying accomplishments.
He’s held many town hall meetings, launched a newsletter and has hosted a TV show on Cobb’s public government access channel and a podcast on the county website.
Ott said he doesn’t have any future civic activities lined up for now, but that “you don’t just walk away. I don’t plan on moving.”
Ott said another reason for stepping aside now is that he feels that “you want to leave with things better than when you got it. Some things are a lot better than when we got them.”
Among the lingering challenges for the commission is grappling with public safety staffing shortages and county employee pension obligations.
Declared candidates for the District 2 seat include Democrat Jerica Richardson, who announced in July and who has not run for office before, and Lloyd “Shane” Deyo of East Cobb, who did not indicate a party affiliation.
An Ott appointee said Tuesday he’ll be seeking to replace him.
Republican Andy Smith of East Cobb, named to the Cobb Planning Commission in 2018, has not formally declared his candidacy.
The owner of a commercial interior construction company in East Cobb, Smith said he’s previously told Ott—with whom he attended high school in New Jersey—of his desire to run for commissioner at some point.
Smith, who’s been involved in community service work through Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church, said he doesn’t have a specific set of priorities for his campaign for now.
“I have the desire, and I think I have the time,” Smith said. “I see this as an opportunity to give back to the community.”
Smith also has served on the Cobb Neighborhood Safety Commission.
Candidates for office in Cobb must qualify in early March, and Smith would have to resign from the planning board upon filing his paperwork.
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The purchase of three parcels of land on Canton Road for a new Cobb Fire Station 12 is on the Cobb Board of Commissioners agenda next Tuesday.
The current station, located at 810 Brackett Road in the Shaw Park area, is 55 years old. It’s one of four stations in the Northeast Cobb area but the only one serving the Canton Road corridor.
On the agenda is a request to purchase property located at 3852, 3592, and 3686 Canton Road owned by Chastain, LLC, and to be assembled with a parcel at 3587 Centerview Drive, which also is on the agenda.
According to the agenda item, the total purchase price for the three Canton Road properties is $1.1 million. They are located on the east side of Canton Road, between Kensington Drive and Chastain Corners Road.
The purchase price for the Centerview Drive property, currently owned by the Cochran Family Trust, is $263,000.
The cost to construct a new facility is estimated to be $4.1 million.
Also on Tuesday’s meeting agenda is a request from Cobb DOT to condemn four parcels of land for the planned Windy Hill-Terrell Mill Connector. DOT says that while negotiations continue with property owners, condemnation is needed for right of way acquisition if talks fall through.
The four parcels are 1.4 acres at 1557 Terrell Mill Road (Forest Ridge at Terrell Mill Apartments), and 1,206 square feet each at three townhomes located at 1631 Turnberry Lane, 1617 Turnberry Lane and 1613 Turnberry Lane.
The land is located near the northern portion of the road project, close to its intersection with Terrell Mill Road.
It would be the second such condemnation of property in the path of the Connector, an 0.8-mile stretch. Commissioners voted in November to condemn portions of apartment complexes near Windy Hill Road.
Tuesday’s meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the second floor board room at the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta. The full meeting agenda can be found here.
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Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell has been sworn in for her third term in office.
Birrell, a Republican who represents District 3, took the oath on Wednesday at the Northeast Cobb Business Association luncheon at Piedmont Church.
She narrowly defeated Democrat Caroline Holko in the November elections, receiving a little more than 51 percent of the vote. Birrell, who was first elected in 2010, thanked her constituents and supporters in her weekly newsletter on Friday:
“Together, we have brought new businesses to the district, connected neighbors through various homeowner associations, worked to ensure we are fiscally responsible stewards of your tax dollars, added parks/green space, and supported our public safety team who is second to none. There are not enough words to express my gratitude to you for being so engaged, passionate, and supportive of our community.”
Birrell also has been appointed to serve as vice chair of the Cobb Board of Commissioners in 2019. That appointment was made by chairman Mike Boyce.
The only other commission election this year was in District 1 in North Cobb, where incumbent Bob Weatherford was defeated by Keli Gambrill. She also was sworn in this week.
The new terms for Birrell and Gambrill officially begin in January.
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From the office of Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell, who recognized the East Cobb Lions Club at Tuesday’s meeting:
The East Cobb Lions Club has a legacy of service that spans 60 years! They received their charter July 14, 1958 from the Lions Clubs International to serve the eastern portions of Cobb County. The East Cobb Lions have conducted fundraisers of every kind and have worked tirelessly to benefit the citizens of East Cobb and Cobb County.
Their efforts over the past 60 years helped lead the expansion of the Cobb County Library System and they have been vigilant in providing eye exams and glasses for countless children and adults.
The East Cobb Lions’ work is not limited to services in Georgia for they have provided training and dog guides which restore independence and mobility through Leader Dogs for the Blind in Rochester Hills, MI and Southeastern Guide Dogs in Palmetto, FL.
As part of their greater mission they support Lions Clubs International Foundation which provides disaster relief both within our state and internationally and works to eradicate measles and preventable causes of blindness throughout the world.
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A Bells Ferry Road senior living development was approved Tuesday by the Cobb Board of Commissioners, on a chunk of green space that’s been eyed for a variety of uses over the years.
They voted to rezone 35.8 acres of low-density residential land on Bells Ferry Road and North Booth Road at I-575 for 155 single-family, detached homes for seniors 55 and older. Here’s the agenda item packet.
The vote was 4-0, with commissioner Bob Ott absent.
It was one of two major zoning cases on Tuesday’s agenda that asked for the Residential Senior Living (RSL) category, which is becoming a more frequent request from developers in Cobb.
There was no formal opposition to the application by Jim Chapman Communities Inc., which had initially proposed 178 units. The homes will range between 1,600 and 2,400 square feet and will have an attached two-car garage. The request was supported by the Bells Ferry Civic Association.
District 3 commissioner JoAnn Birrell of Northeast Cobb wanted to have the case heard due to some e-mails she had received.
Before making a motion to approve the request, she noted that the land had drawn the interest of developers for other types of development, including commercial, which she opposed to due nearby residential communities.
The land is located across North Booth Road from Chalker Elementary School. She also said the property had been nominated to be purchased as county parkland, but that use was rejected.
“The applicant asked for what we wanted,” Birrell said of the Jim Chapman proposal. “RSL is the best fit for this area.”
Among the stipulations as part of the rezoning include a right turn lane to be built from Bells Ferry Road southbound onto North Booth Road, and for sidewalks to be constructed along the frontage for both roads.
Before that case, commissioners approved a similar rezoning near Powder Springs, for 123 senior homes on 53 acres on Old Lost Mountain Road, that drew opposition from nearby residents for traffic and density reasons.
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Renovations to a concession stand building and some dugouts at Sewell Park are being proposed at Tuesday night’s Cobb Board of Commissioners meeting.
The Cobb Parks and Recreation Department says the upgrades have been earmarked in the 2011 SPLOST at a combined cost of $45,191, based on low bids received.
Needed enovations to the main concession stand building include restroom and storage space upgrades, as well as a new paint job and replacing windows. It overlooks Field 3, the main tournament field for the East Marietta National Little League.
Another agenda item would replace the dugout roofs at fields 5A and 5B, which are used for younger age-level games. Those dugouts currently have fabric tarp roofs that require maintenance and replacement. The proposed new roofs are metal.
It’s considered the centerpiece of the park, and the Mabry Park Master Plan calls for a farm theme for the playground to conform to the surroundings that were once park of the Mabry family farm.
On the consent agenda is an item for the commissioners to approve a new Cobb parks master plan for 2018-2028, an action that was delayed from earlier this summer.
One other item that’s sports-and-rec related: At the start of the meeting commissioners will recognize the Sandy Plains Prowlers 12-under baseball team, which recently had a standout tournament in Cooperstown, N.Y., that we wrote about earlier.
Tuesday’s meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the 2nd floor board room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St. in downtown Marietta.
The agenda is long and hefty, since a previous business meeting scheduled for this month was cancelled. You can read all that’s on tap here, and we’ll be reporting on some of those actions.
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East Cobb citizens had their say at several budget town hall meetings this summer, including at the Sewell Mill Library on July 9, shortly before commissioners voted to raise property taxes. (East Cobb News file photo)
Whenever the subject of a Cobb tax increase comes up, those who say “no” the loudest and most often quite often have prevailed.
Especially after I returned to the county in 1990, the “nos” have frequently had the ear of elected officials.
They have done almost anything to heed those citizens who urge them to: Cut wasteful spending. Impose a hiring freeze. Take care of needs instead of wants. Live within your means, just like we do.
These have been the bedrock principles of low-tax conservatism for as long as I can remember growing up in Cobb County.
Cobb became a magnet for new residents and businesses in large part because of low taxes. That’s still a big attraction, but so are good government services and schools. As a result, Cobb’s explosive growth, especially in the last 30 years, has generated another constituency.
These citizens, coming from all across the county, and representing many demographic and socioeconomic classes and interest levels, effectively countered the “no” forces during the budget deliberations that concluded this week with a general fund property tax rate increase of 1.7 mills.
Those citizens have been extremely vocal over the past few months about supporting the services they feared were being imperiled as a $30 million deficit loomed.
As draft lists were made public about potential “savings” in library and park services, the UGA Cobb Extension service and other small-bore line items, these citizens formed their own groups. Some started on Facebook, then fanned out to attend budget town hall meetings and public hearings and urged their members to tell commissioners what they valued.
They were every bit as active and organized as those who opposed a tax increase. At this point, the naysayers may wish to point out that citizens were whipped up into a frenzy by Commission Chairman Mike Boyce, who cited the need for a millage rate increase to keep Cobb “a five-star county.”
I wrote previously that there was some emotional blackmail involved as these lists were made public. I also wrote that a tax increase was likely. For far too long, Cobb elected officials have been fearful of getting an earful from those who always say “no.”
The problem with always saying no is that the provision of services wasn’t keeping up with the demand. Even as Cobb’s population grew from 450,000 in 1990 to more than 750,000 today, commissioners were gradually reducing the millage rate.
A post-recession situation emerged in which library hours hadn’t been restored, Cobb DOT maintenance crews hadn’t been replenished and the county had to hire dozens of new police officers.
Members of the Cobb Master Gardeners spoke in favor of preserving the UGA Cobb Extension Service.
As I listened to those who were saying “yes,” I heard the voices of Cobb citizens adamantly insisting that the services they valued were worth a few extra dollars a month on their tax bill.
Among those standing up were members of the Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County. I’ve been hearing from them all summer. They work with the UGA Cobb Extension Office, which runs the local 4-H program and gets equal funding from the county and the state.
Also saying “yes” were some citizens who identified themselves as fiscal conservatives. These weren’t garden variety Berkeley radicals but suburban gardeners. They were also library and arts patrons and everyday people not prone to political activism.
None of those saying “yes” that I heard this summer are wild about a tax increase. I’m certainly not, but Cobb leaders have been dodging this bullet for too many years. After playing ball with the Atlanta Braves, they cut the millage rate in 2016, right before SunTrust Park became operational.
To me, that was the height of fiscal irresponsibility. Yet many proud fiscal conservatives have ignored that this summer, or belatedly sprung to action. The local newspaper fulminated in a thunderclap editorial that Boyce went against his promises of no new taxes, and fretted that “conservatism has fallen out of fashion” yet again.
(I’d argue that real, principled conservatism went out of fashion when the four members of the commission who are Republicans voted to subsidize a baseball stadium, an action the daily printed edition uncritically approved. The lone Democrat, occasionally slammed by the same publication, cast the only vote against it.)
Earlier this month, citizens against a tax increase lobbied for a hiring freeze, even as DOT, public safety and other positions have been frozen for several years.
The day before the budget vote, the Cobb GOP passed a resolution against a tax increase with plenty of boilerplate language, but no tangible suggestions to balance the budget.
Commissioner Bob Ott
JoAnn Birrell and Bob Ott, East Cobb’s commissioners, were on the short end of the 3-2 vote. Birrell wanted a smaller increase, Ott wanted to see more proposed spending cuts.
The decisive vote was cast by Bob Weatherford, drubbed the day before in a runoff against a tax increase opponent, but who said it was time for the county to invest its future.
Though his support for a tax increase may have cost him his political future, Weatherford’s rationale was certainly different than what we’re accustomed to in Cobb. So is Boyce’s, whether he runs for re-election in two years or not. Both are Republicans.
What looms ahead remains uncertain. I wonder if 1.7 mills will be enough of an increase to avoid another rough budget process next year. There are efficiencies that have to be considered that Boyce ignored in this budget.
Ott offered some sound spending proposals that deserve attention. Foremost is reforming the county’s existing defined benefit pension plan, which is a ticking time bomb for many governments. SPLOST reform also must be addressed.
More than anything, I hope citizens who participated in the budget battle this summer, both in favor of a tax hike or against, continue to stay active. Their voices and diligence and willingness to question how their money is being spent are needed.
No matter your views on a tax increase, it was encouraging to see such vigorous civic involvement, especially from those who don’t normally speak out.
Before Wednesday’s vote, former Gov. Roy Barnes, who holds a 4-H gala at his Marietta home every fall, said to the commissioners that local government is “government in the raw.”
We may be about to find out what that truly means, even after this grueling summer.
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Cobb commission chairman Mike Boyce took his call for a property increase to citizens for several months, including town hall meetings this summer. (East Cobb News file photo)
After more than three hours of public speakers and comments from commissioners, a Cobb tax increase was approved Wednesday night.
The Cobb Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 to approve a property tax hike of 1.7 mills and a fiscal year budget of $454 million for the general fund.
Chairman Mike Boyce, who said he was staking his political future on the outcome, got everything he wanted.
In addition to getting the vote of South Cobb commissioner Lisa Cupid, the only Democrat on the five-member board, he also got the vote of Republican Bob Weatherford, who as it turned out may have sacrificed his political future in the process.
Bob Ott and JoAnn Birrell, who represent East Cobb in Districts 2 and 3, respectively, voted against the budget and the millage rate increase.
While Ott said he wouldn’t support an increase without spending cuts that weren’t presented, Birrell said she would have been in favor of a hike of 1.2 or 1.3 mills but nothing more.
Weatherford, defeated in his re-election bid Tuesday night in a Republican runoff in North Cobb’s District 1 by an anti-tax increase opponent, proved to be the swing vote.
He said after reflecting on his big loss (59-41 percent to Keli Gambrill) that he naturally wondered what had gone wrong.
“It’s what I did right that people didn’t like,” said Weatherford, who will have served only one term. “I made the hard choices and did what I said I would do.”
He said that he’s been threatened and even challenged to a fistfight for his calls for a lesser tax increase than what passed.
“The only thing I’m running for now is the hills, but I do not want to leave the county worse than than when I got here,” he said.
“So I completely support this.”
With that, loud applause broke out in the commissioners’ meeting chambers.
But plenty of citizens spoke against a tax increase, saying the county had a spending problem and wasn’t looking for efficiencies.
The 1.7 mills would push the general fund rate to 8.46 mills, generate around $47 million in additional revenue, and go beyond solving what Boyce has said is a projected $30 million deficit for FY 2019. The extra funds include $15 million more for public safety and the restoration of some Sunday library hours.
East Cobb residents Debbie Fisher and Jan Barton, vigorously opposed to a tax hike, continued to dispute the severity of the deficit.
Pamela Reardon, an East Cobb realtor and 1st vice chair of the Cobb Republican Party, which passed a resolution Tuesday against a tax increase, said the county must “learn to live within its means,” especially with a record county tax digest in 2018.
Another East Cobb resident, retiree Frank Maleski, recited a long list of taxes he pays and said “I can’t afford to pay for any more government.”
Other East Cobb residents were adamant in support of a tax hike.
One of them is attorney Lance LoRusso, who represents Cobb public safety personnel. The budget will fund 23 more police officer positions as well as vehicles and body cameras.
Commissioner Bob Ott of East Cobb and District 2.
He worried that failing to provide resources to police officers and sheriff’s deputies would prompt existing personnel to look elsewhere for better opportunities.
Another is JoEllen Smith, who ran as Republican for a legislative seat in East Cobb in 2013. She said she estimated her tax bill would go up by around $200 a year, or $16 a month. The weekly boost of around $4, she told commissioners, amounted to a cup of coffee.
“I’d give up a Starbucks so police can have whatever the hell they want,” said Smith, who apologized for her language.
In lengthy prepared remarks, Ott outlined many reasons for voting for any tax increase at all, including the fact that many of the services that were listed as possible cost savings—including parks, libraries and the Cobb animal services program—were not included in Boyce’s budget.
He likened this budget to the 2016 Cobb government SPLOST, which he said had a lot of “wants” but not much in the way of “needs.”
He also advocated that the county consider a regional library concept to consolidate branches that are little-used.
While “nothing on my list is absolute,” Ott said the county has to grapple with growing concerns like employee pensions and pay increases, especially when “the tax digest is the highest it’s ever been.”
Boyce, a Republican from East Cobb who’s been vilified in the Marietta paper in the days leading up to the vote, said “I didn’t have to do the town halls. But I believe in the people in this county. This is how I govern. I talk to you. I want you to tell us what’s on your mind.”
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East Cobb commissioners Bob Ott (L) and JoAnn Birrell at a budget retreat in June. (East Cobb News file photo)
While voters are going to the polls in today’s election runoffs, county elected officials are preparing to vote on a Cobb budget proposal on Wednesday that’s been months in the making, and hashing out.
Starting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, citizens will have their final say in required public hearings for the fiscal year 2019 budget and 2018 property tax millage rate held by the Cobb Board of Commissioners.
The commissioners will vote on both at the same meeting. It takes place in the 2nd floor board room of the Cobb government building at 100 Cherokee St. in downtown Marietta.
Commissioners heard plenty from citizens on both sides of a proposed tax increase of 1.7 mills last week, and the vote will probably be a very close one.
The budget and millage rate votes are being delayed a day due to the Tuesday runoffs.
Commission chairman Mike Boyce is proposing a $453 million general fund budget that includes the hiring of police officers and partial restoration of Sunday library hours cut during the recession.
While supporters of the tax increase include library and UGA Cobb Extension advocates, critics said Boyce didn’t look hard enough for cuts to reduce a projected $30 million deficit.
Citizen groups were urging their supporters early this week to make final contact with commissioners about the vote.
Rachel Slomovitz of East Cobb, who created the Save Cobb Libraries group and who supports a tax increase, posted on Facebook Sunday that “starting tomorrow until Wednesday night we need your voice. We need you to email or call your Commissioner, and tell them you want the libraries to remain open, in business and don’t want to see them on the chopping block.”
Members of the Cobb chapter of Americans for Prosperity, which opposes a tax hike, were knocking on doors Monday in District 3 in Northeast Cobb. That’s represented by commissioner JoAnn Birrell, who said the vote is “very close right now” and that she is considering every letter and call from constituents.
AFP also canvassed over the weekend in District 1 in North Cobb. That’s where commissioner Bob Weatherford is in a Republican runoff today against Keli Gambrill, who’s against a tax increase.
“We will have green shirts and signs [at Wednesday’s meeting] to let our commissioners know that we adamantly oppose the property tax hike and that our citizens are calling for fiscal viability as the baseline for our county’s governance,” AFP said in an e-mail communication to supporters.
Birrell is leery of a 1.7 millage rate increase, although she said the budget can’t be balanced on cuts alone. She said a compromise might be the best solution, and Weatherford said a likely figure the commission might settle on is a hike between 1.1 and 1.7 mills.
Boyce, of East Cobb, and Lisa Cupid of South Cobb’s District 4 support the increase, although Cupid thinks it should be higher.
Commissioner Bob Ott, of District 2 in East Cobb, has said he would not vote for the proposed budget without seeing more spending cuts.
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Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce holds his first budget town hall meeting Monday at the East Cobb Senior Center. (East Cobb News file photo)
A revised Cobb budget for fiscal year 2019 would keep open libraries and parks that had been put on draft lifts as options for closures because of the county’s projected $30 million deficit.
The revised budget, which Boyce explained in his weekly video (see bottom of this post), comes to $453 million for the general fund. The current budget for the general fund is $405 million.
In addition, the proposed budget would would add police officer positions and purchase body cameras for law enforcement and have Sunday opening hours at regional libraries (including the Mountain View branch in East Cobb).
It also would keep open the UGA Cobb Extension Service and the county animal services department. Those agencies also have been mentioned for possible elimination.
The millage rate increase he is seeking is 1.7 mills, above the 1.1-mill hike he had initially sought. While the 1.1 mills could cover the $30 million gap, Boyce said additional funds are necessary to restore county services to what they were before the recession.
He said based on feedback from Cobb citizens, especially in regards to libraries and parks facilities, the message is clear.
“We’re not closing anything,” Boyce said. “From what I’ve heard and seen, people like these amenities and want us to keep them. But I have to find a way to pay for them.”
Boyce, who begins a series of budget town hall meetings on Monday at the East Cobb Senior Center, also laid out how much a 1.7-mill increase would cost property owners (see chart below), with annual jumps ranging from $170 to $1,700, based the the taxable value of their homes.
After a testy Cobb budget retreat this week, Boyce got no “clear direction” from other commissioners about what proposal to take to the public. East Cobb commissioner Bob Ott has maintained that he wants to see more spending cuts before he would support any kind of increase.
Northeast Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell has said “everything is on the table” but that she didn’t favor shutting down parks facilities.
East Cobb facilities that have appeared on draft lists prepared by department heads and made public include the East Cobb Library, Fullers Park and Fullers Recreation Center, the Mountain View Aquatic Center, Mountain View Community Center and The Art Place.
Other budget details include restoring eliminated Cobb DOT maintenance positions and increasing right-of-way mowing contracts. Proposed cuts include $2 million in local grant matches and information services contracts.
Boyce said he’s gotten many e-mails from citizens complaining about unmowed grass along county roads and potholes.
On Wednesday, Cobb government asked in a social media posting for the public’s patience in handling a long backlog of transportation maintenance calls. It said Cobb DOT received 300 requests for service in a seven-day period and that the backlog includes 1,800 work orders.
“At current staffing levels, DOT is completing about 20 work orders per day,” according to the message.
“Do we want to have a county with a high quality of life serviced by the best staff in Georgia?” Boyce said in his video. “Or do we want to live in a mediocre county staffed and funded by a sub-par budget?”
He also said that “these town halls make a difference.”
Monday’s town hall meeting at the East Cobb Senior Center (3332 Sandy Plains Road) starts at 7 p.m. The town halls continue through July 9 at the Sewell Mill Library, followed by three public budget hearings that are required by law.
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It’s been nearly five years since the Johnson Ferry Design Guidelines were unveiled and revised following numerous public hearings.
As part of the Johnson Ferry Urban Design project from 2009-11, the guidelines were to meant to foster greater aesthetic unity along one of East Cobb’s busiest commercial corridors, ranging from standards for streetlights and sidewalks to landscaping, park benches and other public amenities.
However, those guidelines have never been acted upon by the Cobb Board of Commissioners. That may change at Tuesday’s commission meeting, which includes an agenda item to adopt the guidelines. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the second floor meeting room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.
UPDATED: The guidelines, which were part of the consent agenda, were passed by a 5-0 vote Tuesday night.
Here’s a brief description of why this is coming up now:
“Recently, discussions between the District Commissioner, staff, and members of the community have occurred to bring the Design Guidelines forward for formal consideration by the Board of Commissioners. If approved by the Board of Commissioners, staff will use the guidelines as recommendations to work with property owners when zoning applications, variance applications, and site plans are submitted for review and/or consideration.”
As was the case when the guidelines were made public in 2013, they would apply to commercial property owners who go through the rezoning process and variance applications, as noted above. The design evolution could take many years.
The corridor area is along Johnson Ferry between Roswell Road and the Chattahoochee River (see below streetscape map from the final urban design guidelines).
What’s on Tuesday’s agenda doesn’t look substantially different from where the issue was left in 2013. According to the introduction, the guidelines are “intended to assist architects, engineers, planners, developers and community members to make more informed design decisions based on community preference.”
They also had the support of the East Cobb Civic Association. The design study was prompted by East Cobb commissioner Bob Ott, who also commissioned corridor studies for the Powers Ferry area and, currently, in the Johnson Ferry-Shallowford communitythat is now part of his District 2.
Ott said after the vote that the guidelines were held up because “some folks had issues” back in 2013 but said he wanted to get them adopted with upcoming rezonings and variances to consider.
The guidelines will be incorporated into the design plan’s developmental standards.
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The Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday authorized county budget officials to begin the process of taking out short-term tax-anticipation notes (TANs) that would be repaid later this year.
By a 5-0 vote the commission approved a measure that would obtain $90 million in TANs, which are short-term loans used to plug county finances and spending between budget years. The current fiscal year 2018 (with a general fund budget of $405 million) ends at the end of the September.
Since the Cobb tax digest is revealed and millage rate is set in July, the county doesn’t begin collecting property taxes until a new fiscal year is underway. Those bills are mailed out in October. The county tax assessor’s office began mailing out assessment values to residential and commercial property owners last month.
According to a background sheet from Tuesday’s meeting agenda, Cobb has been issuing TANs since the late 1980s, a practice that “provides the needed liquidity at attractive borrowing rates to the County.”
(The Cobb County School District also occasionally seeks out TANs, and recently obtained $40 million in short-term loans for construction purposes.)
The TANs are general obligation bonds and interest is usually tax-exempt. Last year Cobb borrowed $60 million in TANs, but the amount has gone up because of a projected fiscal year 2019 deficit of at least $30 million.
The county budget office will begin a competitive bidding process for the TANs in May and present a low bid to the commissioners for approval before any loans would be obtained.
The TANS would have to be repaid by the end of November.
Andy Smith, the newest member of the Cobb Planning Commission.
Also Tuesday, East Cobb resident Andy Smith was formally announced as the newest member of the Cobb Planning Commission, which advises the commissioners on zoning issues.
He is the appointee of District 2 commissioner Bob Ott and will serve at his first meeting in May.
Smith succeeds Mike Terry, who retired after last week’s planning commission meeting. Terry was appointed when Ott first took office in 2009. Ott, a former member of the planning commission, said Terry did “a yeoman’s job” during his long tenure.
Terry was also the board’s chairman. Judy Williams of Northeast Cobb, appointed by District 3 commissioner JoAnn Birrell, will assume duties as the new chairwoman next month.
In other business Tuesday, the commissioners formalized the spending of $47,000 for emergency repairs for a sinkhole on Woodlawn Drive (previous East Cobb Newspost here) and approved a change-order for a $332,781 savings in its final contract with C.W. Matthews for a roundabout project in front of Pope High School.
The final cost for the project, which was completed right before the start of the school year, comes to $3,053 million.
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Seniors packed the East Cobb Senior Center earlier this month for a town hall meeting about fee increases that drew sharp opposition. (East Cobb News file photo).
UPDATED, Jan. 24, 12:23 p.m.:
On Tuesday, the Cobb Board of Commissioners approved a $60 annual membership fee, with a $5 monthly option, to go into effect Feb. 1. Scheduled increases in room rates and classes will be put on hold as a citizens committee will take up the issue.
That committee, which is to be selected to a special assistant to commission chairman Mike Boyce, will be examining fee structures and is expected to make recommendations by June.
ORIGINAL REPORT, 6:22 p.m., Jan. 22:
Increases for some Cobb senior services fees, particularly for room rentals and classes, may be put on hold after seniors protested during recent town hall meetings earlier this month, including one at the East Cobb Senior Center (previous East Cobb Newspost here).
The new fees were set to go into effect on Feb. 1, but Cobb commission chairman Mike Boyce wants to create a citizens committee to come up with alternatives to the staff proposals that upset seniors during those town hall meetings.
Cobb commissioners will be considering that measure at Tuesday’s regular meeting that starts at 7 p.m. on the 2nd floor of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.
Boyce is recommending that an annual membership fee of $60 for Cobb residents go into effect on Feb. 1, as commissioners had approved in October, but by charging $5 a month instead of the yearly amount in advance.
The commissioners discussed feedback from the town hall meetings at a work session on Monday.
As he did at the East Cobb meeting, Boyce apologized for how the county handled the proposed fee increases, which angered seniors as much as the steep costs for some services.
“We could have done this better,” Boyce said.
At the East Cobb town hall, major objections were made to room rental rates that in some cases were increases of more than 200 or even 300 percent. One group that meets there frequently, the Golden K Kiwanis, said the new rates would cost nearly as much money as the organization raises for its charitable programs.
Some class fees would more than double or even triple, especially for painting classes, which in some cases would have been raised from $48 to $160.
“I get their point,” Boyce said of the protests to those particular fees. “They would like to be part of the discussion. What we don’t want to do is freeze out the seniors.”
If the commissioners approve on Tuesday, existing room rates and class fees will continue until the committee makes its recommendations.
Another suggestion Boyce mentioned to his colleagues is using senior centers as community centers, and permitting programs for those under 55.
Northeast Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell also suggested a special fee structure for groups that use the senior centers after hours, since the county incurs additional costs for having staff working during evenings.
Boyce said he would be asking Michael Murphy, his staff assistant for special projects, to form the committee.
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The Noonday Creek Trail Head at Bells Ferry, which opened in 2014. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
On Monday afternoon the Cobb Board of Commissioners will hear a number of presentations, including an update from Chairman Mike Boyce on the Cobb budget process, at a regularly scheduled work session.
The work session begins at 1:30 p.m. in the second floor boardroom of the Cobb BOC Building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.
Cobb commissioners have been holding initial discussions on what’s become a projected $30 million budget hole for fiscal year 2019.
The Cobb government fiscal year runs Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, but Boyce has said he wants to get an early start on tackling that deficit. He has said he will be holding town hall meetings around the county in early 2018 to solicit public feedback.
Boyce has had a rocky first year in office, in terms of budgeting and taxes. His proposal to raise the millage rate to fund the 2008 Cobb parks referendum was rejected by commissioners, especially after a heated town hall meeting at the East Cobb Senior Center.
In passing Boyce’s $402 million FY budget in September, commissioners used nearly $20 million in contingency money and temporarily delayed funding county non-profit agencies and the new Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center.
Cobb DOT commissioned an Atlanta engineering, architectural and design firm to conduct public meetings around the county, including the East Cobb Library and Covenant Presbyterian Church, to find ways to connect assorted bike and pedestrian paths and other multi-use trails (see previous East Cobb Newspost here).
The DOT was expected to report back near the end of the year with results from “stakeholder” and citizen surveys and recommendations.
On Tuesday, the commissioners will hold a business meeting, also at 7 p.m. in the same room. The top items on the agenda include a proposal to charge for Saturday parking at the county-run decks in downtown Marietta.
Cobb government charges a flat $5 rate Monday-Friday to use the lots at 115 Waddell Street and 191 Lawrence Street. The proposal would charge the same $5 rate for Saturday parking, but Sunday parking would remain free. The changes would go into effect Jan. 8, 2018.
The recognitions at Tuesday’s meeting include the Dickerson Middle School Percussion Ensemble, which has been selected to perform in the Music For All National Percussion Festival in Indianapolis in March 2018.
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The long-delayed development of a passive park in Northeast Cobb could formally come to fruition Tuesday night. On the Cobb Board of Commissioners regular meeting agenda is an item that would provide funding for a Mabry Park construction contract.
The meeting starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the 2nd floor boardroom of the Cobb BOC building, 100 Cherokee, St., in downtown Marietta.
Alow-bid proposal of $2.85 million was submitted by Integrated Construction and Nobility, Inc., of Whitesburg, Ga., to develop the 26.5-acre tract of land at 4470 Wesley Chapel Road designated for Mabry Park.
The county purchased the Mabry Park land with funding from the 2006 Cobb Parks Bond Program, but has nothing further due to the recession.
In August, bids for the construction project went out, and the Friends of Mabry Park citizens group was ecstatic. The group has tempered its enthusiasm somewhat because of longer-term funding issues.
A message on the Friends of Mabry Park Facebook page urged supporters to turn out for Tuesday’s meeting because “we need to let the Board know how important Mabry Park is to our area!!” Here’s more:
“We’re not home free yet… While the park was voted on and approved by the residents of Cobb, funded in the SPLOST and is required to be built, there are rumors that it could be delayed while funding for future maintenance is resolved.
“It’s been 11 years since the County purchased the land. We’ve waited long enough…”
The Mabry Park construction contract item comes on the heels of the commission’s delayed vote earlier this month to fund additional staffing for the new Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center.
Commissioners adopted a fiscal year 2018 budget in September that includes contingency funding to close a $21 million shortfall. This came not long after they declined to increase the property tax millage rate.
While Cobb voters have approved new facilities in the SPLOST, annual funding of operations comes from the county budget, and commissioners have hotly debated how to resolve the issue.
In a related item on Tuesday’s agenda, the board will vote on choosing a contractor for sidewalk improvements that include servicing Mabry Park once it’s developed. A low bid of $783,000 for the 0.4-mile project was submitted by Excellere Construction of East Cobb.
The sidewalk will be built on the east side of Wesley Chapel Road from Garrison Mill Elementary School to Sandy Plains Road, connecting pedestrians to nearby subdivisions as well as Mabry Park.
Henry Holley’s recent 90th birthday didn’t go unnoticed by the Cobb Board of Commissioners, who honored the longtime East Cobb resident with an official recognition before their Friday meeting.
Holley, who’s lived in Indian Hills for 45 years, is retired director of international crusades for the Billy Graham ministries, a job he held after a long career in the U.S. Marine Corps that included service World War II and the Korean War. He’s also a member of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, where he was ordained in the gospel ministry in 1995.
His wife Bettie died last year at the age of 91. They were married for 67 years, after meeting in 1948 on a blind date.
Cobb commissioners also declared Friday to be “Henry Holley Day” in the county as he gave the invocation at the meeting. Holley served under Graham in several capacities for 48 years and organized the evangelist’s largest crusades. More below the photo from the official recognition read out at Friday’s meeting:
Cobb commission chairman Mike Boyce and commissioner JoAnn Birrell recognizing Rev. Henry Holley. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)
“Holley organized the historic Korean 1973 Crusade in Seoul in which never before had so many come to one place to hear a preacher proclaim the Gospel. On the final day, there were 1.3 million people in attendance. Across the five-day Crusade, there were over 3.2 million people that heard Dr. Graham face to face.
“In 1974, Holley was Crusade Director for another precedent shattering Crusade, The Greater Rio de Janeiro Billy Graham Crusade in Brazil held at the famous Maracana stadium-the world’s largest. More people attended this meeting than any other crusade ever held in North or South America; over 250,000 attended on closing day.
“He served as Director of Development for the International Conference for Itinerant Evangelists in Amsterdam (1983) in which he was responsible for raising much of the budget.
“After his duties in Amsterdam, Holley prepared for Dr. Graham’s participation in the 100th Anniversary of the Korean Church Crusade held in Seoul (1984). For the second time, over one million attended the service when Dr. Graham preached at Yoido Plaza with an estimated ten million more across Korea viewing via television. In 1985-86, he was Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Amsterdam ’86 International Conference for Itinerant Evangelists (ICIE) meeting. He prepared many special meetings for Dr. Billy Graham and conducted investigation meetings for possible future crusades all over the world.
“In 1990, Holley directed the Hong Kong Crusade, which had the largest attendance ever for an evangelistic meeting in Hong Kong. In addition, the Crusade message was extended by satellite television to 30 countries in Asia in 45 different languages. Over 100 million people were reached with the Gospel in this effort.
“Holley has been to North Korea (DPRK) seventeen times. In 1992 Holley was responsible for the diplomatic and administrative preparation work for a most historic and extraordinary visit by Dr. Billy Graham to North Korea. Holley directed the small team that accompanied Dr. Graham to the capital city of Pyongyang. The significant mission to Pyongyang was highlighted by Dr. Graham preaching the Gospel in the two churches in North Korea. In addition, he lectured at Kim Il-Sung University — the first American to have this privilege. Dr. Graham and Rev. Holley also had a personal meeting with President Kim Il-Sung where he brought private messages from President George Bush and Pope John Paul II.
“Holley directed the Tokyo Crusade in January 1994 at the world famous Tokyo Dome. Audiences averaged 32,000 at each meeting with over 3,000 decisions for Christ. Thousands more attended at the 60 satellite locations around the country. In a country where less than 1% identified as Christians, this was an extraordinary response. Church leaders credited this and previous Billy Graham Crusades with the growth of the Christian church in Japan.
“These highlights in Holley’s career came after a variety of assignments in the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association during his 48 years with the organization. Holley directed Billy Graham Crusades in Taipei, Taiwan (1975); Hong Kong (1975 and 1990); Manila (1977); Singapore (1978); Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Okinawa (1980). He also gave supervision and direction to the Paris Crusade and Helsinki Crusade (1986). He assisted in Crusade preparations in London (1966); Tokyo (1967); Sydney (1968 & 1979); Melbourne; Auckland; Honolulu; New York; and other USA cities. He also organized Christian participation in the Washington, DC “Honor America Day” celebration in 1970 and 1979.
“For each major foreign crusade, Holley spent over a year in preparation, organization, and in joint venture with the local invitational committee to mobilize the entire city for these meetings.
“This required great skill in reaching across many different cultures and languages in order to be successful. For years, he traveled an average of 150,000 miles and 200 days overseas each year and accumulated over 13 million air miles. At 85 years of age, he was still employed by BGEA and actively engaged in ministry.
“He was responsible for the cultivation and development of ministry, government, and church leaders in China. He organized and executed meetings for Rev. Franklin Graham in many cities in China, beginning in 2006.
“In addition to regular international Crusade responsibilities of cultivating and directing, Holley served as Special Assistant to Dr. Billy Graham on many projects and missions and in the cultivation and development of potential crusade opportunities for Rev. Franklin Graham. In 2005, he was honored to bring the opening prayer in the U. S. House of Representatives and in 2007 was honored, again, to offer the opening prayer in the U. S. Senate.”
A native of Texas, Holley attended the University of Houston and studied administration, law, management and leadership while in the military. He and his wife had three children, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
After a lengthy public hearing and discussion and the possibility of not approving a budget today, the Cobb fiscal year 2018 budget was adopted by the Board of Commissioners.
The $403.4 million budget is based on the millage rate of 6.76 set by commission in July, and using $19.7 million in contingency funding—”one-time monies” in budget parlance—to balance the budget. More than $1 million for Cobb community charities was not included in the budget, and representatives of many of those organizations were vocal about keeping their funding.
The new budget includes funding for the East Cobb Library, which commissioner JoAnn Birrell had proposed closing, but does not include funding for the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center, which will replace the East Marietta Library and is slated to open this winter.
Like the funding for the charities, funding for the new library is expected to be taken up by the commissioners in the new fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.
What follows is a live-blog format of the public comment period, both from the public and the commissioners, that was updated as the budget proceedings took place.
We’ll have other matters from today’s commission meeting, including the approval of the Cobb 2040 Comprehensive Plan, posted separately.
We’ll also link to the final budget document once it’s made available online. Here’s the original.
1:41 PM: The budget passes 3-2, with Boyce, Birrell and Bob Weatherford voting yes, Ott and Cupid voting no.
1:28 PM: Chairman Mike Boyce is the last member of the board to speak, saying “budgets are never easy.” Regarding the non-profits, he said many provide services that government should be doing, but they do it better. “This isn’t black and white. The bottom line is we can’t give you what we don’t have . . . money because of the millage rate.”
Carving out a budget based on a 6.76 millage rate includes figuring out how “to provide services this county has come to expect.” He said “we’re a five-star county” and that he hopes conversations over the next few months will result in some kind of consensus from the board in the future.
Boyce makes motion to approve budget, with Birrell seconding.
1:15 PM: South Cobb commissioner Lisa Cupid said the budget situation today is “the direct result of the millage rate vote [from earlier this summer] that I did not support.” She also said that the situation is “not only mind-boggling but somewhat shameful,” and cited cuts in assistance to community non-profits, the continued limited hours for libraries and more.
“This is a not a good situation that we’re in today, to not pass a budget” that will “put us in a worse situation. There are real people with real needs that are attached to” what is tied into the budget.
She also referenced how the needs of the Braves are being accommodated, but not those who benefit from community charities. “I’m just troubled by this whole ordeal.” Cupid said she cannot support the budget proposal.
1:08 PM: The public hearing is closed, and the commissioners are making some opening comments during their discussion period. Northeast Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell said: “Is this a perfect budget? No. But is pretty much a flat budget” and she supports it.
East Cobb commissioner Bob Ott said he would like to see some details on how to deal with the one-time money, but “I don’t see it there.”
1:01 PM: Michael Paris of East Cobb, head of the Council for Quality Growth, spoke in support of the proposed budget. “Go forward and make sure we continue to make this county great,” he said.
12:29 PM: Ray Thomas, a South Cobb resident, expressed concern that the budget proposal includes contingency funding despite an improving economy and rising Cobb tax digest. “What happens when things really get tough? . . . This is very disconcerting.” He said the county has two choices: cut back services or find more revenue, and he cited a rise in the millage rate.
12:23 PM: Dan Daniel, a longtime East Cobb resident and volunteer at the East Cobb Library, pleaded with the commissioners to keep that branch open. If it closes, he said, nearby residents would have to go a great distance to patronize the library system.
12:01 PM: The public hearing on the budget is continuing, but we’re taking a break. This very well may be an all-day meeting, given what else is on the agenda, and what looks to be a commission impasse on the budget. Some very impassioned speakers already, and there are more to come.
11:22 AM: The directors of a number of community service organizations, including MUST Ministries, Family Promise of Cobb County and the Cobb Schools Foundation, are speaking on behalf of continuing the county funding they receive. The proposed budget does not include charities funding.
A retired citizen, John Morgan, asks the commissioners to consider “what will your legacy be?” especially as it pertains to Cobb’s homeless, and cites several Bible passages. The crowd applauded as he concluded.
11:05 AM: The first speaker is East Cobb resident Abby Shiffman, the chairwoman of the Cobb library board of trustees, and she’s urging the commission not pass a budget today, especially as it pertains to the library budget. “How can you pass a budget without specifics?” she asked, noting that the library system has suffered “cut after cut after cut” with no increase in funding, including expansion of library hours, since the recession. The notion of closing a library branch (Birrell has proposed closing the East Cobb Library) “without a true hearing is something I cannot understand.”
BTW: Tonight is the Cobb Library Foundation’s gala dinner, “Booked for the Evening,” featuring East Cobb author Jonathan W. Jordan, that’s one of the year’s biggest fundraising events for outside money to support the library system.
A postponed meeting from last week that was to include the Cobb 2018 budget adoption and the Cobb 2040 Comprehensive Plan will take place Friday.
District 2 commissioner Bob Ott.
The Cobb Board of Commissioners will meet starting at 10 a.m. in the 2nd floor room of the Cobb BOC building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.
The meeting was rescheduled because county government was shut down due to Tropical Storm Irma. Before commissioners vote on the fiscal year 2018 budget, a final public hearing on the budget will take place.
Cobb commission chairman Mike Boyce has proposed an $890 million budget (PDF here), with $405 million for the general fund, and without a millage rate increase. After losing a battle in July to boost the millage rate to fully fund the 2008 Cobb parks bond referendum, Boyce is proposing to use $21.5 million in contingency funding to balance the budget.
East Cobb commissioner Bob Ott has gone on the record stating he does not support a millage rate increase and called for a budget review to find cost savings (East Cobb News post here).
The East Cobb Library opened at Parkaire Landing Shopping Center in 2010.
He’s also been feuding with his fellow East Cobb commissioner, JoAnn Birrell, who has proposed closing the East Cobb Library to help balance the budget. At an August town hall meeting at that same library branch—the second-busiest in the Cobb public library system—Ott said he would propose closing an “underperforming” branch elsewhere in his district but has not publicly elaborated since then (East Cobb News post here).
Addoption of the Cobb 2040 Comprehensive Plan is on Friday’s agenda, which reflects “Cobb’s vision, policies and goals based on the existing plan and community involvement,” according to documents explaining the plan update process.
Hearings, revisions and other work going into the 2040 plan have been ongoing since 2015. The final draft was completed on Sept. 5, with final revisions explained here.
Several East Cobb citizen activists have been critical of the proposed Cobb 2040 report, concerned about the influx of high-density development in the East Cobb area.
The county is required by the state to adopt a plan and submit it for review by the Atlanta Regional Commission.
Also on Friday’s agenda are the following East Cobb-related items:
A change order to approve $194,700 in funding to resurface Dickerson Road, located off Lower Roswell Road, where a new subdivision, Crossvine, is being built by Lynwood Development;
An appeal by the owner of a proposed bar in northeast Cobb whose application for a liquor license was denied. Naseeb Rana of Kasbah Corp. wants to open an establishment in the Sandy Plains Village shopping center called Paprik’a which would have outdoor seating close to residential homes. Citizens from the Chatsworth and other subdivisions have strongly protested the application, saying the noise and late hours are incompatible with the community. They also said other establishments in the area serving alcohol are all-indoors and that Rana has not been responsive to community concerns;
East Cobb resident Ross Cavitt is expected to be appointed Cobb communications director, after more than 20 years as a reporter at WSB-TV (East Cobb News post here.)
