Issue #14: Last Commissioners' Meeting of the Year Recap

Bike lane removal, transit planning funding, and a lengthy discussion of AI software being used by law enforcement.

2022 is a wrap!

Well at least when it comes to Commissioners’ meetings.

I just attended this morning’s meeting and it was mixed. Here’s the 5 hour long video recording (don’t worry, I’ve timestamped the links below…)

Here’s the timestamped link for Public Comment, 24 minutes in.

• Board approved an agreement with Clearview AI for facial recognition services with an unanimous 5-0 vote

  • Most of the public comments were focused on this issue, specifically the privacy concerns and potential lack of public oversight. One commenter showed headlines about how the technology has been banned or is being sued in other places.

  • A lengthy discussion between commissioners was held with questions about the benefits of the service, privacy concerns, and abuse of the technology. The police chief was there to answer questions but I did find some of his answers lacking.

  • At the end of the day, the commissioners were swayed by the benefits for law enforcement and voted to approve with a 5-0 vote

• An update to the planning of the Lower Roswell Road project was approved 3-2 with Commissioners Gambrill and Birrell opposed. This update included removal of bike lanes and widening the multi-use trail “where possible”.

  • It appears that our DOT and Commissioners caved to the public responses of people who think “bike lanes are communism”.

  • One of the public commenters called the multi-use part of this project into question asking where it was in the design plans and implying they didn’t want it because they want their single family homes.

  • No discussion between Commissioners took place before the vote and the two commissioners who voted against it likely did it due to cost concerns and not to support bike lanes.

    

• Funding for transit planning to prepare for a 2024 mobility referendum passed 3-2 with Commissioners Gambrill and Birrell opposed.

  • This vote was to approve $400k in funding to support planning, stakeholder coordination, and public feedback to prepare for a future referendum.

  • Again, no discussion took place prior to the vote and there were no public comments related to this.

  • The bipartisan, unanimous support we enjoyed from the last meeting ended once funding was required to make it happen.

  • Reminds me of this evergreen quote from urbanist Brent Toderian.

    

• Funding for bus stops along Powers Ferry Road and other projects was approved 5-0

  • District 2’s Commissioner Jerica Richardson put forward $1 million in projects related to libraries, parks, and transportation. The transportation budget included a pocket park along Lower Roswell Road and bus stops along Powers Ferry Road. Small improvements but still improvement nonetheless.

• The annexation drama continues between Cobb and Marietta regarding the property along Bells Ferry Road where hundreds of homes are being proposed in one of the largest tracts of developable greenspace left in the county.

  • Marietta is delaying their zoning decisions until an arbitration board determines the outcome of annexation.

  • Public Commenter Carol Brown of Canton Road Neighbors suggested that the county look at this delay as an opportunity and purchase some of the land for greenspace or parks.

That pretty much covers the meeting.

Did You Complete The Surveys?

So last week’s issue had 125 people view it as of this writing. In it, I highlighted 3 surveys everyone should take to provide public feedback on the future of the county.

Of those, here is the data for the number of people who clicked on each survey:

• Transit Center survey : 8 clicks

• Unified Development Code survey : 6 clicks

• Cobb Strategic Plan survey : 5 clicks

If you care about the direction of our county, please, please, please, take a few minutes to complete each of the surveys above!

My hope is that the survey results show the county that we want better transit, more housing options, and a diverse, sustainable county in the future.

These surveys are the easiest way to tell your commissioners and county staff what you want to see in our county’s future.

Upcoming Events

• Final Strategic Plan Meeting

  • District 2: Thursday Dec 15th @ 530PM at Boy Scouts Area Council

• Saturday, January 14th at 4PM: Create Austell Launch Party (This is our first city-focused group! Would love for you to join! Free beer!)

• January Commissioners Meetings

  • Tuesday, January 10th at 9AM

  • Tuesday, January 24th at 7PM

One More Issue This Year…

Unless something crazy happens, I will write one final issue to wrap up the year and will highlight some goals for next year.

To help me write this issue…you have one homework assignment (other than completing the surveys!)

Fill in the blank: In 2023, I would love to see Cobb County _____________.

Answer this by leaving a comment below or responding to the conversation on our Facebook Group.

That’s it for this issue. Hope you’re staying warm and enjoying the holiday season!