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 local code as a percentage; exact fee amounts referenced in the session ("756" and "567") were discussed but not finalized in the work session. Staff and council members agreed to add the ordinance to the regular meeting agenda for approval, subject to the city’s procedures for unanimous consent or waiver of a second reading where required by state law.

Public works updates included progress reports on Tower Road (signal pole concrete pour moved by a few days), the Bainberry Road sidewalk project (additional stormwater work discovered and being corrected) and a reminder that Gilbert Road is maintained by Cobb County, not the city. Mark Rice, speaking for public works, said the department applied for a $1,000,000 non-match grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to upgrade the city’s recycling program — including roll carts, a dedicated recycling truck and educational materials. Rice said grant awards are not expected before July and, if granted, staff would return to council with implementation plans.

Public-safety and social-service topics took significant time. The police chief reported the department hired 67 people in 2024 — 45 sworn officers and 22 civilian employees — and said crimes against persons fell about 1% while crimes against property fell about 23% in the same period. Council and staff described coordinated responses to visible homelessness and quality-of-life issues: county warming services (referred to as MUST) now focus overflow and vouchers through a central facility, and the city plans recurring enforcement details targeting corridor locations such as Bells Ferry Road, South Cobb Parkway and Delk Road. The police chief said specialized units and investigators will run those operations and asked councilors to forward location complaints to staff so responses can be prioritized.

City departments also highlighted technology and customer-service improvements. Staff described the city’s electronic permitting platform (SAGEUSgov / SAGESgov) that reduced permit review times from about 21 days to five, a preemption system on emergency vehicles that staff said saves roughly 10 seconds per intersection (about a minute across a typical response), and a new GeoHub and drone imagery program within GIS intended to aid planning and emergency response. IT and other departments said they are coordinating to ensure resilience and continuity for the expected winter storm.

Cultural and community updates included the introduction of Jessica Giancola as the new executive director of the Gone With the Wind Museum (which staff said includes historic Brumby Hall and related grounds). Giancola noted community partnerships and a public event planned for Saturday, Jan. 25, featuring the Atlanta Typewriter Club and restored typewriters to illustrate the museum’s historical collections. Parks staff also outlined upcoming work in Glover Park, including removal of a declining tree, drainage repairs and rewiring of pedestrian lights and stage electrical infrastructure; the city’s Martin Luther King Jr. parade route was described as a counterclockwise route through the Square starting near Lemon Street and returning on Lawrence Street.

What happened next: staff said the clarified ordinance language and other consent items will be presented at the regular 7 p.m. meeting for formal action, the election-qualifying ordinance will be added to that agenda so the city can meet county filing deadlines, and staff will return with implementation details should the EPA recycling grant be awarded.

Vote at a glance: the council approved the Dec. 11, 2024 minutes by voice/hand vote at the work session. Several items were placed on the consent agenda for the regular meeting; no final ordinance adoptions or roll-call votes on legislation were recorded in the work session record.

No formal votes on the recycling grant application or the election-qualifying ordinance were taken at the work session; those items require future formal action or are subject to county or state timelines.