Welcome

We are truly in peak Georgia summer, and for many, this is a time for vacations, camps, and time at the pool. For the unhoused, however, this is an incredibly difficult time of year to make it through the day. Cobb’s MUST Ministries in Marietta has announced: “MUST Hope House Cooling Center will be open Thursday, July 11, through Thursday, July 18, in anticipation of the elevated temperatures. Clients will receive lunch and dinner.” If you know anyone who could use this assistance, please share. MUST Ministries also relies on volunteers - you can find more details here to sign up.

What’s Happening in the District 

Taste of Truist Park & The Battery Atlanta

I recently spent an entertaining evening with my wife and some friends at The Battery and was reminded about their Food Tour event on Thursdays when no game is in town. The next event is this coming Thursday, July 18th, from 12:30pm - 2:30pm.

From The Battery’s website, “The Atlanta Braves and The Battery Atlanta are thrilled to offer the Taste of Truist Park & The Battery Atlanta Food Tours. The tours will be offered on Thursdays when the Atlanta Braves are on the road starting at 12:30 p.m. ET and will last approximately 2 hours.

Guided tours will share a toast in the press box followed by a visit to the dugout to sample some specialty baseball-themed food items. The tour will then head into the Battery Atlanta with food and drink stops at ASW Distillery, Mac McGee’s Irish Pub and El Super Pan – ending with a classic southern treat at River Street Sweets.

Guests will learn unique facts about Truist Park, The Battery Atlanta and immerse themselves in a culinary field of dreams by our award-winning chefs. Restaurant teams from each venue will discuss the tour’s menu items and provide insight on their unique line-up of offerings.”

The Big Story 

The winner of this month’s news cycle is activism. With the announcement of the shelving of the Cobb County School District’s $50M Event Center and the indefinite tabling of the Cobb County Water System’s Stormwater fee, it’s not hard to miss how community organizing made an impact.

Several prominent, locally impactful decisions are coming up in Cobb around MSPLOST, the new budget cycle’s millage rates, and the Unified Development Code. Each issue will create an outcome that will be felt by all of Cobb’s citizens and stakeholders. The community's input makes a difference, and the two recent stories mentioned at the top prove this point.

An informed electorate is a powerful one. I am going to be working on an FAQ page (thank you for the inspiration, Zack) on my website to help inform our readers about these critical issues that are coming up. What would you like to know more about? Reach out to me here and let me know what you think should be included.

BOC Meeting Recap 

The Cobb County Board of Commissioners held their latest Regular Meeting on July 9, 2024, at 9:00 AM. The meeting began with a public hearing on the 2024 proposed State-defined property tax increase and the FY 2025 proposed budget. The public hearings allow residents to voice their opinions and request transparency about the county’s fiscal plans.

The consent agenda saw numerous approvals and authorizations. Notable items included a final change order for the Laceola Woods Water Main Replacement project, an agreement for consulting services on the South Cobb Water Reclamation Facility expansion, and various transportation-related authorizations such as public hearing advertisements for road closures and the establishment of new traffic and parking controls. The Board also approved grants and funding for several county programs, including the library system, economic development initiatives, and youth employment services through CobbWorks.

On the regular agenda, significant actions were taken, including the approval of a consultant services agreement for the Allatoona Creek Greenway Trail Scoping Study and the procurement of traffic signal controllers and new transit buses for CobbLinc. The Board ratified emergency drainage repairs and approved contracts for additional drainage system repairs. Sole source agreements were approved for web portal projects and residential data valuation services. Additionally, the Board reappointed members to the Cobb Workforce Development Board and scheduled community development hearings for health spa license appeals.

Important Dates

July 16th: Board of Commissioners Zoning Hearing

July 16th: Board of Commissioners Special Called Meeting

July 23rd: Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting