The Cobb County Board of Commissioners held its regular meeting on September 9, 2025, chaired by the Chairwoman. The meeting included proclamations, approval of consent and regular agenda items, commissioner public addresses, and a quasi-judicial hearing for an alcohol license application. Key themes included honoring community milestones, addressing opioid litigation, and debating a distance waiver for a convenience store's beer and wine sales.
Yes, thank you. Good morning, everyone. We'll go ahead and get started. Welcome to today's Cobb County Board of Commissioners regular meeting this September 9th, 2025. I'm pleased today that we have Rabbi Dorch of Congregation at Chime. He will be providing our invocation, which will be followed by the pledge, which we brought by Officer Rihanna Banks. For those of you who are willing and able, please stand for both our invocation and our pledge. Friends, as we gather in this chamber today on the Jewish calendar, we are in the concluding weeks of the Hebrew month of Elul. Elul is a time in our tradition for self-reflection, accountability, and spiritual preparation, and it's going to culminate in the Jewish High Holidays in just a week or so from now. Mark your calendars. Elul calls on all of us to look inward. It calls on us to examine our actions and the intentions in our hearts. And it's a month during which we're reminded that before we go out and seek change in the world, we have to first go out and seek inward peace and change within ourselves. However, Ewl is also a reminder that we seek to understand the people around us and in our community. Our sages of blessed memory teach that this Hebrew month of Elul is actually an acronym. It stands for the well-known verse from the biblical book Song of Songs. And so Elul is a reminder that we are not isolated in the work of our lives, but we are linked through shared responsibility, through the trust that our neighbors place in us, and by the promise that even amidst our differences, we should always work together to find common ground with each other. And it's in this spirit that I ask all of us to pause for a moment and to pray. God's source of all blessing that unites people of all faiths. May you bless us all, devoted public servants and concerned citizens alike with the lessons of Elul. Amen. Good morning, everyone. It's an honor to present this to some of the board members, the director, manager, um of the strand. Ninety years we have had the strand right here on the square Marietta. So with that, whereas the Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theater has served as a cultural and architectural landmark on the historic Marietta Square since opening its doors on September 24th, 1935. And whereas originally designed as a premier art deco movie palace, seating more than 1,000 guests, the theater brought the magic of modern film to Cobb County, and over the decades became a cherished gathering place and an essential part of the community's artistic and social fabric. And whereas through the dedication of friends of the strand and the generosity of supporters, the theater was restored and reopened in 2009, ensuring its preservation as a hub for live performances, films, and special events. And whereas now celebrating its 90th anniversary, the strand continues to enrich the lives of residents and visitors alike, serving as a vital performing arts venue, educational resource, and economic driver for downtown Marietta. Now, therefore, we the Cobb County Board of Commissioners do hereby honor the 90th anniversary of the Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theater, commend its leadership, staff, volunteers, patrons, and supporters, and encourage both the celebration of this milestone and the sustaining of the theater's legacy for generations to come. This is the ninth day of September 2025. So Andy, tell us a few, give us a few words here. Tell us about an important event coming up tomorrow at the Strand. And introduce your friends and volunteers and more. Absolutely. Hi everyone. Thank you for being here and thank you all so much for the proclamation and honors. We are honored to be here today celebrating 90 years young. We always say it takes a village to raise a strand, and that comes from the very top with our board. This is our board chair, Holly Tuchman. We've got Stan Wise and Terry Guthrie, Kim Gresh, Linda Beggs. We are so very thankful because we have a board that gives us leadership. We have a staff that works very hard, and we have wonderful loyal patrons that come to all the wonderful things that we do throughout the year. Tomorrow night we're celebrating something very special because not only is it the Strand's 90th birthday month, but tomorrow, Miss Bonner, who is chair of the Cobb in WCP is turning 90 years old, and we will be kicking off our celebratory month with her at the Strand Theater. So we would love to have you out for that also. And then throughout this entire month, join us at seven. Thank you very much, Kim. And throughout this entire month, we will be showing uh concerts and comedy and plays and musicals uh to celebrate the 90th year with a new logo and with all the festivities, and we hope to see you at them. Oh, I'm so sorry, Jackie. You are also on our board, and we are so thankful for everything that you do. I apologize.