Tumlin Urges Support of Arts

Downtown Marietta museums and theaters have been a hot topic lately, with the .

On Thursday during his annual State of the City speech, Mayor Steve Tumlin stressed the importance of Marietta and its citizens supporting downtown museums, theaters and cultural groups, the Marietta Daily Journal reports.

Revenues from property taxes, business licenses and permits are down about 12 percent, Tumlin noted Thursday, according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution and MDJ. However, Tumlin said the city does not expect to raise taxes or cut services.

Instead, the city plans to stay within budget by tightening spending with measures such as a hiring freeze for three years and starting an in-house recycling program, according to the AJC.

Tumlin also addressed changes in Marietta parks, including , through . Hickory Hills Park and will include soccer fields, tennis courts, a playground, walking trails, picnic pavilions and an underground filtration detention pond.

The park should open in the next few weeks, the MDJ reports.

Tumlin gave his speech at the monthly meeting of the Kiwanis Club at the Marietta Conference Center.