Saturday, May 4, 2013
Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott, Cobb Public Safety Director Jack Forsythe and 911 Director Ann Flynn recently participated in firefighter exercises.
A group of Cobb County government officials got to experience what it's like to be a firefighter. Cobb District 2 Commissioner Bob Ott, Cobb Public Safety Director Jack Forsythe and 911 Director Ann Flynn took part in firefighter training exercises last week at the Public Safety Training Center in Marietta. The experience included a ladder climb as well as interior smoke and fire simulations. More than 650 sworn firefighters and 32 civilian employees make up the team at Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services. The department covers 305 square miles of the unincorporated areas of Cobb as well as three incorporated cities, including Kennesaw, Acworth and Powder Springs. The team responded to more than 48,000 calls last year.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Cobb Commissioners are thinking about ways to keep tax dollars out of the hands of illegal immigrants.
After a 3-2 vote last month against the IMAGE Certification Program, the Cobb County Board of Commissioners is now considering ways to stop county funds from going to illegal immigrants. Discussion led by District 1 Commissioner Helen Goreham on forming a committee to study illegal immigrants is expected to be on the agenda for the next board meeting. County Chairman Tim Lee told The Marietta Daily Journal that Goreham's proposal is "in response to the proposed IMAGE code amendment" to make sure the county is doing the right thing and being "effective and efficient" when it comes to this matter. Last month, the board voted 3-2 to reject the IMAGE Certification Program, a proposed code change that supporters say would ensure jobs paid for …
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
"I would much rather have a couple of chickens in my neighborhood than a couple of my neighbors," Maxine Saless of Marietta said.
If you live on a lot less than two acres in size and you want chickens in your backyard, Cobb County will at least consider your request now. With Chairman Tim Lee and and District 3 Commissioner JoAnn Birrell opposed, the Board of Commissioners Tuesday night voted 3-2 in favor of a code amendment that allows Cobb residents to apply to the Board of Zoning Appeals for backyard poultry on lots of that size. The final vote didn't sit well with several East Cobb residents who urged commissioners earlier in the evening to oppose the amendment. "I know first-hand what backyard chickens can do," Melanie Skinner said. "I had a neighbor who illegally was raising them on ¾ of an acre. When you have poultry in your backyard, it's going to bring the …
33.95396
-84.549019
Cobb County Government
100 Cherokee St, Marietta, GA
/articles/backyard-chickens-prevail-in-cobb
1113085
/locations/8958026
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
The vote was 3-2 against the proposal.
Contractors who want to do business with Cobb County will not be required to apply for certification through a federal program intended to stop undocumented workers from obtaining employment through fraudulent means. It was standing-room only at the Cobb County administration building Tuesday night. And despite passionate arguments from speaker after speaker in favor of the proposed code change, county commissioners decided that the federal IMAGE program was not the best way to solve unemployment or the issue of illegal workers in Cobb. "That objective can be obtained through quite a few different ways," Chairman Tim Lee said before the board voted 3-2 against the ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Mutual Agreement between …
33.95396
-84.549019
Cobb County Government
100 Cherokee St, Marietta, GA
/articles/cobb-boc-passes-rejects-image-certification-program
1113085
/locations/8896805
They will meet at 7 p.m. tonight.
Cobb commissioners tonight are expected to vote on a proposed code change that supporters say will ensure jobs paid for with taxpayer dollars go to legal U.S. citizens. Under the proposal, contractors who do business with Cobb County would be required to apply for certification through the ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers program, commonly referred to as IMAGE. It's all part of an effort to ensure that employers comply with federal immigration and employment guidelines. Cobb experienced a public relations nightmare during the construction of the new Cobb courthouse after information surfaced that a contractor on the project had not verified the status of his employees. Despite…
33.95396
-84.549019
Cobb County Government
100 Cherokee St, Marietta, GA
/articles/cobb-commissioners-to-vote-on-immigration-policy
1113085
/locations/8889112
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Residents will have six opportunities to get updates from elected officials.
The first in a series of town hall meetings intended for Cobb residents to hear directly from their district representatives will begin Monday. Cobb County Commission Chairman Tim Lee will host the first one, which begins at 7 p.m. Feb. 11 at the Smyrna Community Center, 200 Village Green Circle. Residents will have five more opportunities to get updates from their elected officials. Here's the schedule for the remaining town halls:
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Fernando Wise was removed after refusing to give his name during a public hearing.
A Cobb County man was released after being escorted from the Board of Commissioner's meeting Tuesday night in handcuffs when he refused to give his name during a public hearing. "There is nothing in the first amendment requiring me to give my name to speak," Fernando Wise said. Chairman Tim Lee, who asked Cobb County police officers to remove Wise from the meeting room, said there are processes and procedures in place that must be followed. "I apologize it has to come to this, but we must be consistent," he said. Members of the standing room only crowd yelled, "Let him go!" as Wise was escorted from the room. In the foyer, residents in favor of allowing backyard poultry in Cobb County - of which Wise's father, Lamar, is a member - gathered…
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
The county is in strong financial standing, Chairman Tim Lee said.
In a time when Cobb County Commission Chairman Tim Lee said governments are close to filing for bankruptcy, Cobb County is thriving. The county, which recieved on unqualified or clean opinion on its Comprehensive Annual Plan audit, has the lowest millage rate in the metro Atlanta area, added 3 percent to the general fund reserve and 5 percent to its fire district fund reserve. And, in most areas, the county's revenues for fiscal year 2012 not only exceeded expenditures but also exceeded what county officials originally had budgeted. For example, in the General Fund, revenues came in at $327.5 million, up from the $325.8 million originally budgeted. And, expenditures came in at $313.3 million, $17.3 million less than what county officials …
Friday, December 21, 2012
The two projects are included in the annual update to the airport's Capital Improvement Plan for 2013.
A Smyrna apartment complex will be able to rebuild any unit that sustains more than 75 percent damage. The Cobb County Board of Commissioners voted on Thursday night with one condition placed on the Belmont Crossing apartment complex on Atlanta Road on Tuesday night which would have prohibited the complex from rebuilding an unit with such damage. That condition was inadvertently included by the planning commission, county officials said. The "clean up" zoning request was required to go before the BOC in its zoning meeting to make sure that everything is in compliance now that it is bank-owned after going into foreclosure. "They can't really sell it and have a clear title (without this)," District 4 Commissioner Bob Ott said. The board also…
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
The revocation comes after an employee with an expired permit sold alcohol to a minor.
A Marietta convenience store has lost its beer, wine and Sunday sales licenses after an employee was caught selling alcohol to a minor. The Cobb County Board of Commissioners voted on Tuesday to follow the recommendation from the License Review Board and revoke the licenses for the Roswell Road Food Mart located at 3782 Roswell Road following an almost two-and-a-half hour hearing, during which the cashier, Kazi Hossain, admitted to overriding the cash register's safety measures to make the sale without entering a birth date. "It is my belief that the License Review Board's recommendations are warranted," said Commissioner Bob Ott, who represents the area where the convenience store is located. Sgt. Amie Herd with the Cobb County Sheriff's …
Rodney Thrash
4:45 pm on Wednesday, March 6, 2013
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