Marietta council work session: ordinance wording clarified, election qualifying dates set for August, $1 million recycling grant applied for and public safety,公

Marietta city council members and staff used a work session to finalize language on a proposed ordinance, set candidate qualifying dates for the coming municipal election, report a pending $1,000,000 Environmental Protection Agency recycling grant application and review public-safety and infrastructure updates.

Councilors approved the Dec. 11, 2024, minutes and moved several items to the consent agenda, including the ordinance whose language was the subject of extended clarification during the session. Council members discussed a change in phrasing that condensed previously duplicated language about “acting” and “intent” into a single clause describing an act “with intent to substantially obstruct or interfere,” and asked clerical edits to make parallel references to “illegal” conduct consistent throughout the draft. City staff said those clarifications would be incorporated and the item will be handled on the consent agenda at the council’s regular meeting at 7 p.m.

The council also discussed a proposed ordinance to set qualifying dates for the city’s election; county election staff require cities to submit qualifying dates and candidate fee information by Feb. 1. Staff said qualifying must start Aug. 18 and historically the city has used a three-day qualifying window (Aug. 18–20). The discussion noted the fee is set by…