Tonight! Board of Commissioners Meeting to finalize Millage Rate and annual budget
Join us tonight at the Board of Commissioners Meeting and July 27th for our Launch Party!
In case you missed it, July is a huge month for us here at A Better Cobb! We launched our Membership Program and highly encourage everyone to join for many reasons:
We will start sending out newsletters and information that is more relevant to you and the city you live in. Kennesaw residents will get Kennesaw information…Smyrna residents will get updates related to Smyrna.
You connect to an awesome community of other like-minded advocates who want to see a happier, healthier, friendlier Cobb County.
We’re going to continue working on benefits and perks for ABC members, including rewards for attending and participating in civic meetings.
We have big plans and it all kicks off with our Launch Party on July 27th. Register today to join in on the fun and celebration!
Kennesaw’s second of three public input meetings on ‘accessory dwelling units’ is this Wednesday
The City of Kennesaw continues to hold town hall discussions on a potential policy allowing accessory dwelling units, or ADUs. The first was July 9.
Subsequent meetings are set for:
July 23, 6:30 p.m. at the Ben Robertson Community Center, 2753 Watts Drive
Aug. 13, 6:30 p.m. at the Ben Robertson Community Center, 2753 Watts Drive
Per the city’s announcement of these meetings on Facebook: The City of Kennesaw invites residents to upcoming meetings to learn about a proposed ordinance allowing ADUs in residential zoning districts. Join us for an overview, live polling and your chance to ask questions. … Whether you own, rent, or are simply interested, your feedback matters! Questions? Contact Planning and Zoning at 770-590-8268 or zoningdept@kennesaw-ga.gov.
Refresher on ADUs. What is an ADU? The American Planning Association defines it as “a smaller, independent residential dwelling unit located on the same lot as a stand-alone (i.e., detached) single-family home.” It goes on to explain:
ADUs go by many different names throughout the U.S., including accessory apartments, secondary suites, and granny flats. ADUs can be converted portions of existing homes (i.e., internal ADUs), additions to new or existing homes (i.e., attached ADUs), or new stand-alone accessory structures or converted portions of existing stand-alone accessory structures (i.e., detached ADUs).
In Kennesaw, the city as part of its proposal governing ADUs is looking to restrict them to just a few zoning categories, cap them at 900 square feet and bar them from being rented, the MDJ previously reported.
And as previously shared, A Better Cobb’s Policy team sent an email to the Kennesaw City Council with these recommendations:
Increase or remove the overly restrictive setbacks
Remove unnecessary HOA or Design Committee approval
Remove the burdensome buffers between ADUs
Remove the yearly proof of owner-occupancy
We encourage Kennesaw residents to attend Wednesday’s meeting and/or subsequent meetings to learn more about the city’s intentions on ADUs and, if desired, weigh in with your thoughts.
Powder Springs holds Livable Centers Initiative Plan kickoff; feedback period continues through Sept. 12
The City of Powder Springs is updating its Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) Plan, last completed in 2016, and it hosted this Monday a kick-off open house.
The city continues to seek feedback on the LCI plan via an online survey, found here, and more information on the Livable Centers Initiative Study Update can be found at springsinmotionlci.com.
Tuesday, July 22nd Board of Commissioners Preview
On Tuesday, July 22nd, there will be the 7 p.m. Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting, and it is likely to run long due to the number of public hearings scheduled.
If you can, please attend this meeting, as we will be hosting a housing rally and will want to pack the room out with supporters for attainable housing policies.
Here’s a preview to Tuesday night’s Meeting:
Presentations (2 items)
Public Hearings (2 items)
The final public hearing on the 2025 proposed property tax increase as
defined by Georgia law. Although the Cobb Board of Commissioners is not proposing a change in the county’s M&O (Maintenance &
Operations, also known as County General Fund) millage rate for 2025, increased property values — both across existing property and newly added development — creates a corresponding increase in the county's
property tax digest equivalent to 0.091 mills in the County General Fund. State law requires that a "rollback" millage rate be computed — a hypothetical property tax rate that would produce the same total tax revenue on the current year's digest that last year's millage rate would have produced had no reassessments occurred. Since the county’s proposed millage rate is over the calculated "rollback" rate, it is considered a tax increase under state law and therefore the Board of Commissioners must hold three public hearings before voting on the property tax rate.
Public Comment Round 1 (10 speakers, up to 3 minutes each on any topic)
Consent Agenda (16 items)
Of note, a few transit items are included in the Consent Agenda:
Item 16: To adopt a resolution authorizing submission of a Transit Trust Fund Program application to the Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority for implementation of a CobbLinc Microtransit Pilot Project in the
Acworth/Kennesaw area.
Following last year’s implementation of a microtransit pilot program in South Cobb, Cobb DOT is seeking county commission approval to submit a Georgia Transit Trust Fund Program (TTFP) application tfor funding assistance for implementation of a similar pilot program to serve the Kennesaw/Acworth area. the ATL. The total estimated operating cost for this two-year pilot program is $6.4 million, and TTFP funding if granted would provide 80 percent of the estimated cost with the county providing a 20 percent local match to cover the remainder.
Regular Agenda (6 items)
Transportation tab, Item 24: To adopt a resolution authorizing submission of a FY26 Carbon Reduction Program Grant request to the Federal Transit Administration for transit capital projects, and authorize the acceptance of allocated Carbon Reduction Program Grant funding for the Cumberland Transit Center,
Public Comment Round 2 (10 speakers, up to 3 minutes each)
Appointments & Announcements (5 items)
That’s it for this edition of the ABC Newsletter! Don’t forget to sign up as an ABC Member to receive future newsletters!