Lee to Deliver State of Cobb Address

The commission chairman will speak at a Cobb Chamber breakfast next Monday.

Cobb Commission Chairman Tim Lee will deliver the 2013 state of the county address before the Cobb Chamber of Commerce next week. The organization's First Monday breakfast starts Jan. 14 at 7:30 a.m. at the Cobb Galleria Centre, 2 Galleria Parkway. The online registration and refund deadline is this Wednesday, Jan. 9, at 12 p.m. Tickets are $25 a person for Cobb Chamber members online and $40 at the door; general admission tickets are $60 a person. Lee, a Republican from East Cobb, won a full-term as chairman last August after filling the final two years of former chairman Sam Olens' term. Lee was sworn in for his new term last month, as was District 2 commissioner Bob Ott, a Republican who serves East Cobb and the Smyrna-Vinings area. …

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Ott, Lee to Be Sworn In This Week

The District 2 commissioner and the Cobb Commission chairman will take the oath of office for their second terms on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

East Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott will be sworn in for a second term on Wednesday. Ott, a Republican who was re-elected without opposition this year, will take the oath of office Wednesday at 4 p.m. in the office of Cobb Superior Court Judge Adele Grubbs, 70 Haynes St., Marietta. His District 2 covers most of East Cobb below Roswell Road and the Smyrna-Vinings area. In an article published in The Marietta Daily Journal on Monday, Ott pointed to his role in a number of commercial redevelopment issues as his main accomplishments, especially in the the Johnson Ferry Road and Powers Ferry Road corridors. On Thursday, Cobb Commission Chairman Tim Lee will be sworn in. Lee is an East Cobb resident who defeated former chairman Bill Byrne in the …

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Cobb Employees to Get Pay Raise

East Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott voted against the measure, preferring a one-time bonus instead of the 3-percent boost.

Despite the opposition of several residents, the Cobb County Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 on Tuesday night to give the county's more than 4,000 employees a 3 percent across-the-board pay increase effective Dec. 9. These employees, Chairman Tim Lee said, are on the front line providing services to the county's residents. "We don't make widgets," Lee said. "We don't buy things. We don't sell things. We provide services." It's been five years since county employees have seen pay increases, and last year they were required to take five furlough days. But, because of higher than anticipated revenues and approximately $10 million in savings county-wide, Lee said it's possible to give the pay increases now. "We feel it is sustainable and do-…

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Cobb to Unveil Discount Drug Card

The Cobb Board of Commissioners is holding a press conference at 1 p.m. Tuesday.

The Cobb Board of Commissioners and representatives from Coast2Coast Rx Card will hold a press conference launch of a new prescription drug discount program at 1 p.m. Tuesday in the commission chambers at 100 Cherokee Street, Marietta. Once launched, the Coast2Coast Rx card will allow all county residents, regardless of income, age or health status, to participate in the program and save on their medications. Cobb is the 22nd county in Georgia to have the program and it has saved cardholders throughout the nation an average of 60 percent in 2012 on the cost of prescription drugs. Even veterinary services may be eligible for the program. The card includes savings up to 50 percent on dental needs for a family and 10-50 percent savings on a …

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Ott Town Hall Meeting is Tuesday

The District 2 Cobb commissioner will update constituents Tuesday at the new Sterling Estates senior complex on Lower Roswell Road.

District 2 Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott will hold a town hall meeting on Tuesday. The meeting, which begins at 7 p.m., takes place at the new Sterling Estates senior living complex at 4220 Lower Roswell Road, next to the East Cobb Government Center. His district covers portions of East Cobb and the Smyrna-Vinings area. Ott, who typically holds a quarterly town hall meeting, is participating once again in the annual Movember Worldwide initiative this month to help raise money and awareness for the Prostate Cancer Foundation. He has been among the more than a million men around the world growing mustaches during November as part of the campaign. Ott's father died of prostate cancer in 2008. Before the town hall meeting, Cobb Department of …

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Birrell to Hold Town Hall Meeting

The District 3 Cobb Commissioner will meet with constituents tonight at the Mountain View Community Center.

District 3 Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell will have a town hall meeting Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Mountain View Community Center, located on 3400 Sandy Plains Road. She will spotlight the Canton Road Redevelopment Foundation. Birrell has been working in recent months to revive economic development in the Canton Road Corridor, beginning with a request before the Development Authority of Cobb for seed money to fund a non-profit entity that would provide loans. She also created the redevelopment committee, made up of civic and business interests in the Canton Road and Northeast Cobb community.  For more information on the town hall meeting, call 770-528-3317 or visit cobbcounty.org/birrell.

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Cobb School Calendar Issue Resumes

Proposals by Superintendent Michael Hinojosa and board member David Banks will be discussed at Wednesday's work session.

Multiple school calendar proposals will be brought before the Cobb Board of Education on Wednesday, restarting a debate that embroiled the board for much of 2011. Superintendent Michael Hinojosa, who urged the board to create a committee to tackle calendar planning, will be offering a different calendar than conflicting recommendations by the panel. School board member David Banks, a central figure in the school calendar controversy when it first came up in early 2011, also will be submitting his own proposal. The discussion will take place at the board's monthly work session, which begins at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday in the board room of the Cobb County School District central office, 514 Glover Street, Marietta. The entire agenda is available …

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Birrell to Hold Town Hall Meeting

The District 3 Cobb Commissioner will update constituents on Oct. 17 at the Mountain View Community Center.

District 3 Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell will have a town hall meeting Oct. 17 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Mountain View Community Center, 3400 Sandy Plains Road. She will spotlight the Canton Road Redevelopment Foundation and will take general questions from citizens. Her district includes East Cobb north of Roswell Road. Birrell has been working in recent months to revive economic development in the Canton Road Corridor, beginning with a request before the Development Authority of Cobb for seed money to fund a non-profit entity that would provide loans. She also created the redevelopment committee, made up of civic and business interests in the Canton Road and Northeast Cobb community.  Earlier this week construction began on a car…

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Timber Ridge Bridge Plan on Agenda

Tuesday's Cobb commission meeting includes a recommendation to spend nearly $100,000 for engineering design for a sidewalk and pedestrian bridge over Timber Ridge Creek.

The Cobb Board of Commissioners will take up on Tuesday a recommendation to spend nearly $100,000 on engineering design for pedestrian improvements on Timber Ridge Road.  The business meeting begins at 9 a.m. at the Cobb BOC Board room located on the third floor of 100 Cherokee Street in downtown Marietta (full agenda PDF attached). The Cobb Department of Transportation is recommending that the commissioners spend $97,304 for the engineering work by Atlanta-based Reynolds, Smith and Hills, Inc., for the Timber Ridge Road Sidewalk and Timber Ridge Road Pedestrian Bridge projects, which are included on the 2011 Cobb SPLOST list. The plans call for a sidewalk on the north side of Timber Ridge Road, between Jackson Creek Bluff and Lower …

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Letter to the Editor

Underage Alcohol Sales: What Stores and Communities Can Do

In this letter to the editor, Cathy Finck of the Cobb Alcohol Taskforce responds to Kroger's 60-day suspension.

The recently reported illegal sale of alcohol to minors is a recurring issue at some Cobb County Kroger locations. It is important for Cobb Commissioners to take these illegal sales seriously and issue sanctions that are effective at deterring future violations. It remains to be seen whether a 60-day suspension of Kroger's alcohol license at its Powder Springs Road store will result in sustained compliance. Government and business practices proven to help prevent underage alcohol sales do exist and need to be utilized. Law enforcement use of compliance checks and government use of effective administrative sanctions have proven helpful. Business use of effective alcohol policies, hiring, training and management practices can also help. …

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