Staff briefed council on an annexation and rezoning request for roughly 10.9 acres on Powder Springs Road originally proposed for 60 detached homes and noted Cobb County has agreed to stay arbitration while negotiations continue. Speaker 15 said revised school‑impact numbers were provided and an email from Parks Huff (applicant representative) described a willingness to negotiate density in good faith.

Multiple council members and staff discussed a potential reduction to "4 units per acre." Speaker 17 (staff) said, "Within that classification, 4 units per acre is the density that is unobjectionable by the county," and staff described the project as being inside an area where the intergovernmental agreement anticipates non‑objection at that density. Legal and planning staff cautioned council on procedure: revising an application versus accepting a stipulation letter have different strategic and evidentiary consequences for pending arbitration and for how the council frames a binding offer.

Council also discussed contiguity and emergency response: planning staff explained contiguity issues (roads and county properties that separate municipal boundaries), and the chief (Speaker 18) and the fire/police representatives described that auto‑aid agreements mean city public safety units would respond to calls in closely situated county pockets; staff emphasized the city retains final discretion to annex and zone prior to a final council vote.

Council debated making a formal binding offer contingent on the county agreeing to withdraw the arbitration, revising the application itself to state the lower density, or accepting a stipulation letter to be provided by the applicant before Wednesday. No final vote on annexation or rezoning occurred during the work session; staff identified next steps: applicant to provide an official stipulation letter or a revised application, and council to consider the matter at the Wednesday meeting subject to arbitration timelines.