Mayor Kobe told the audience that the City of South Fulton has acquired more than 400 acres since incorporation and that the city now owns the building used for the event as well as land earmarked for specific municipal uses. "We have purchased the land for a permanent city hall," Kobe said, adding that the city will "begin a public conversation to get feedback from all of you about what that building should look like" next year.

The mayor quantified the land holdings as "over 57,000 acres" within the city limits and said the city has purchased "over 400 acres" in the past three years, listing several specific properties: a Frederick Administration Building and a City Hall annex the city now owns; about 51 acres for a fire safety training facility off Highway 92; and 9 acres for a police headquarters on Old National Highway. He said the city will be "the lenders and not the borrower" when pursuing the permanent city hall.

Mayor Kobe framed the purchases as part of an effort to bring municipal services and infrastructure into spaces the city controls rather than leasing. He said the building where the event took place had not belonged to the city for a long time but is now owned by South Fulton and that an overhaul of that facility will begin after the event ends.

What’s next: The mayor said the city will start public engagement next year to solicit resident preferences about the permanent city hall’s design and form. No council votes or formal council actions about these acquisitions were recorded in the speech; the mayor presented the purchases as completed transactions.