Good evening, everyone.

It's good to see you here today.

Welcome to our border commissioners meeting this February 24th, 20 and 26.

I don't believe I see our pastor here for our invitation.

So in lieu of that, we will have a moment of silence, which will be followed by the pledge, which will be brought by Boy Scout Troop 312, chartered by Turnal Chapber Chapel and May Church.

For those of you who are willing and able, please join me for both our moment of silence and for our pledge.

For our troop, you can join us up front here and then lead us in our pledge.

The flag is this way.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Appreciate you.

You may now be seated.

Please give our scouts a round of applause.

All right.

We are now at the presentation portion of our meeting.

And our first presentation is to recognize three Eagle Scouts for their accomplishment.

For those Eagle Scouts who will be recognized this evening, I ask that you please join me up here front for any of your scout masters.

We'd like for you to join them.

And once we're done with the recognition, we will call up parents and the rest of the troop.

So my project, as I said, was speech in a bag.

So at a young age, I learned from my mama telling me that I had speech issues as well.

I took lessons at children's health care, which she told me that I did great and I excelled at it.

And then when I became an Eagle Scout and I had to do a project, she told me that I should do by paying you for it and should be able to bring it back to the school I grew up with.

So I took it back to the elementary, um, got permission from the teachers there, new principal as well.

And I was able to help with all the other kids, and my project is still being used to the day to help all of the schools in Cotth County as well today.

Thank you.

Congratulations.

It's amazing to see someone use their challenge and overcoming it to help others overcome theirs.

It's wonderful.

Our next certificate is for Mr.

Robert Brown.

If you may join me over here.

Thank you.

Yes, thank you.

We also commend you for your leadership and dedication to supporting children in our community.

Your Eagle Scout project, Wellness and Wonder Kits, provided 150 kits to help lift the spirits of children facing challenging circumstances.

You assemble kits with activities to engage and comfort the recipients during difficult times.

And through your dedication, you have earned the prestigious Eagle Rank, reflecting your strong character, perseverance, and commitment to service.

And we thank you for your meaningful difference that you are making across the families and in the lives of families across Cobb County.

This the 24th day of February 2026.

All right.

So my project was called Loneliness and Wonder Kits.

These are activity kits that were made for the patients of Children's Health Care of Atlanta.

And I want to pursue a nursing, uh, specifically trauma ER.

So I chose the ER shift a lot.

And in the ER, I saw the mood of everybody, and I saw the people, and they were just they were just there.

And um it really struck me because they were waiting for family, and sometimes their family couldn't even visit them, or they were just uh sleep and just waiting to eat, to drink.

So I thought of a way that there could be a way for the patients to get their mind off the pain and focus more on a happy healing than a miserable healing.

So that was one thing that really struck me.

And um, it's a blessing that I could get this uh accomplished.

Thank everybody who helped me, and um thank you all.

Thank you for your heart towards those that you were called to help with something medical, but you helped them with something beyond that.

And I think that's gonna cure you a long way in your profession.

Last but not least, we have Mr.

Brandon Alexander King.

If you can join me over here.

Again, Cobb County commends you for your leadership and dedication to serving our community.

Your Eagle Scout project, Food for All, provided food donations and ready to use boxes to support families in need through local pantries and resource centers.

Through your dedication, you have earned the prestigious Eagle Rank, which again demonstrates your strong character, your perseverance, and your commitment to service.

We thank you for the meaningful difference you have made in the lives of students and families across our county.

This the 24th day of February 2026.

Congratulations.

So my Eagle Project, Food for All, was a food drive over the course of September and October, and I raised food for the Center for Family Resources, which is a local food pantry in Marietta.

And I went to my school and talked to the counselors and got permission to set up uh donation bins and flyers around the school and provide service hours for the students.

And I got um 700 items from the school.

And uh I also set up online carts for to send out to family and friends, and I got a thousand items from them.

So my original goal was 20 boxes, but I doubled the goal and donated 40 boxes.

And I donated the last 500 items to the Marcus Mission House, which is my uh chartering organization, Turner Chapel AME Church's food pantry.

Congratulations.

Thank you, and I know many of you can remember the challenges we had federally with providing food services, so that was at a great time.

You helped a number of families.

So yes, I see the scout masters already, so let me just line on up.

I already I already know what to do.

I don't need to tell you.

All right, one, two, three.

Thank you.

You can stay here, we can get your families to come up here and take a photo with you.

And any of the other scouts that are here as part of the troop, please come join your fellow scouts.

Have a couple of lines tall in the back, less tall up front.

All right.

No, nobody, no short people here.

Just ready.

Sorry.

All right, thank you so much.

Appreciate you all being here.

Thank you.

Next up for our second presentation, we will recognize the good works of Ayana Bovo Nicolescu and also Judy Biler for your extraordinary compassion.

If you are here, please join us up front.

Anyone else who's here as a part of that presentation as well, you may please feel free to join up front as I see our dear friend Jenny here today.

Come on down.

Anyone else?

Hey, how are you?

Good, it's good to see you.

Okay, the Cobb County Board of Commissioners recognizes Giving Gardens director and Director Julie Biler for her efforts to provide emotional support for one of her tenants in Mapleton, who was going through a personal hardship in December.

Without being asked, she offered crucial encouragement and demonstrated loyal friendship when it was needed the most.

Her dedication, compassion, and empathy made a difference in the life of this resident.

Her actions during this crisis represented represents the highest ideals of our community.

This the 24th day of February 2026.

Okay.

And the Cobb County Board of Commissioners has a certificate of recognition presented to Iwana Bova Nicolescu and Senior Services Director.

The Cobb County Board of Commissioners recognizes Senior Services Director for her extraordinary compassion in supporting a Mapleton resident through personal hardship last December.

Acting acting on her own initiative, she reached out and offered crucial encouragement and kindness when it was needed the most.

Her dedication, compassion, and empathy made a difference in the life of this resident and shows that she represents the highest ideals of our community.

This the 24th day of February 2026.

Thank you.

A lot of grief.

And it started, it started before Thanksgiving.

And Judy, who's been my landlord for seven years and my friend for seven, um started reaching out.

She had no idea what was going on.

And she reached out on Christmas Eve.

And it was my plan to take my life on Christmas Day.

And Judy saved my life.

Literally.

She did not know what was going on, but she knew.

It was almost like she was omniscient.

I mean, it's like she knew.

And Ms.

Awana has been there all along.

And she always, even this morning, she just sent me a word of encouragement.

And I just want to encourage everybody.

If you think something nice, say it because you never know.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good job.

We're glad you're here, Judy.

Yes.

Got good support.

Thank you for going above and beyond both you, Judy, and Ayana, as I know that far extends beyond your job responsibilities and duties as assigned to care about others as you care about yourself.

Thank you.

And thank you, Commissioner Sheffield.

It was very nice to recognize that in this forum.

With that, that takes us to our first public comment.

And I'll turn things over to Debbie Blair.

Good evening.

As the board provides the podium for public comment, it's appropriate to review the related meeting rules.

Please state your name and if you are speaking on behalf of an organization, all comments should be made to the commission as a body and addressed through the chair.

Public comment is not a dialogue with the board, but an opportunity for speakers to provide their comments to the board.

Comments should not be slanderous.

The board encourages, regardless of the topic, for the audience to be respectful and courteous to all speakers.

Everyone attending this meeting should give others the right to both listen and be heard by treating each other with civility.

Statement made door statements made during public comment do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the board or the administration of Cobb County government.

And a timer is on the podium to track your three minutes.

The first speaker tonight is Taylor Arnold.

Hello, um, want to make sure I'm not sick.

I just talk a lot and I have lost my voice, but as you'll hear, timing matters, so I want to make sure that I still speak today.

Um, my name is Taylor, and I spoke here last month to discuss my concern regarding the county's partnership with Flock Safety.

But I first really do want to thank Chairman Lisa Cupid for opening up a space to allow me to speak with Chief Farrell.

Um it helps me try to remain confident that you all do not want to intentionally share this data out.

Um, but I do want to continue to speak on the record on why you have been sold a lie.

Well, the community continues to be told this is just a licensed plate reader, the contract paints a different story.

This contract includes video feeds, not just plate numbers, AI analytics, and the ability to add cameras and devices over time.

This is not a fixed tool, this is infrastructure that is designed to grow.

We are told that the data is deleted after 30 days, but as of a couple weeks ago, Flock Safety updated their terms and conditions that state the customer, which is again Cobb County um police department, grants Flock a perpetual irrevocable worldwide license to use customer data to provide services to improve its products.

Perpetual for the record means forever, and irrevocable means it cannot be withdrawn.

This license does not expire when the contract ends.

So while COP PD may not may only have access to that data for 30 days, Flock retains the right to use that data indefinitely.

Every second that these cameras operate, rem um more data is generated under that license.

And I think we can even see that with the Guthrie case, where she was not she didn't purchase the ring part uh subscription to have her data stored, and yet they were able to still pull that data.

It's a little concerning.

Um, and this really matters when you look at the future of this company.

Flock safety holds a patent describing the ability to search video using characteristics such as gender, clothing, body type, gait, and race and ethnicity.

Whether those features are deployed today or not, the platform is built to evolve.

This isn't about stolen cars or some ends of solving crimes.

I'm not questioning, you know, if the tool works.

My question is: are we comfortable giving permanent data rights to a private company who is funded by Peter Teal, works and integrates with Palantir, and calls concerned citizens like myself domestic terrorists.

Um, or even when uh city counselors have been able to cancel these contracts, Flock Safety has been known many times to add those cameras back without city approval.

So again, I'm asking the question are we comfortable giving permanent data rights to a private company before we have fully evaluated those term long-term consequences?

I urge you to please reconsider whether these terms reflect the caution of our community, deserves um, especially in a political climate like we are in today.

Um, I know I probably have a few more seconds left.

You know, I'm a product manager, I work with data all the time, and I'm constantly in trainings of how we should be thinking about how we give our data, and um the data that we're really talking about is everyone in this room, including you all.

Um, the political climate we're in is really terrifying, and I don't know if we should really be partnering with a company.

Your time has run.

Thank you.

The next speaker is Gerald Rose.

Good evening, Commissioners.

How are you doing, Miss Cupid?

You're not a stranger.

I just want to say that I am still here.

I'm sorry once again.

My name is Gerald Rules, President of New Order National Human Rights Organization.

We are currently in 19 cities right now organizations, so we are elevating and growing.

But this is our headquarters here in Atlanta, Georgia.

I just want to say that I'm still concerned about the young man that was fell hung over Fair Oaks Park.

I had a visual over there today to kind of do my own investigation.

And it's still clothing over there, which I'm thinking that if you do an investigation, the police should have took the clothing up and took that to the police department and did a forensic.

That's one issue I have a concern with.

And also I seen the tree that we suppose have killed itself as a very, very thin tree.

And it seemed like it would be unfortunate for a body to be that heavy to be on that tree.

So uh I am gonna set up a meeting with Chief Um Pharrell to let him know that I'm watching you.

You under alert right now.

We want to make sure that this case do not get swept under the rug.

We lost the ancestor.

That's a brilliant young man.

He was smart.

They did say he had mental issues, but I don't see it.

He was from Africa.

That's their nature.

They do go out in the woods.

So that's not that's common, you know.

So they said it was cameras around and seeing him walking through there when I see it.

When I seen it, I didn't see no kind of cameras they were looking at.

You know, I didn't see maybe I overlooked it.

So I'm just letting you all know.

I know y'all can't make a decision as the commissioners, but as a national human rights organization, you know, I did uh I have been in contact with the family, the dad say, and the mom says no way that this young man killed himself.

So something ain't right.

Something is not right.

And when God told me to move, I move on something.

Things might not happen overnight, but I guarantee if I continue to put this man first, he's gonna get the real justice.

It's gonna come out.

This is Cobb County.

I've been living here for a while.

There's issues in this county.

A lot of issues in this county.

When I first moved here, they said, Mr.

Rose, don't drive, don't drive down South Calcar Parkway.

The police is gonna mess with you.

I say that's where I want to be at.

My very first case in Kyle County where teacher used the N-word on two students.

This is the birth park of Dr.

King, and I cannot live in vain and not do his work because we are the next generation.

So we're not going nowhere.

This organization is, and I'm glad that I do have my advisor behind me, gonna have them say a couple words.

And right now, we're just saying that Cobb County is actually on alert.

And we're gonna make sure to continue to fight justice for this family.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Sir, before sir, before you speak, I just want to make sure we follow protocol.

Just give me one moment.

It's one of them.

Okay.

Mr.

King.

Yes.

Yes.

My name is King.

Okay.

We can hold on.

Let's just reset the clock.

So there's a timer up there for three minutes.

We're gonna reset.

It's gonna be right on the dais.

Look down, sir.

Look down, it's gonna be right.

Okay, gotcha.

Thank you.

All right.

Good evening.

Good evening.

Board of Commissioners.

My name is King.

I'm with New Order National Human Rights Organization.

I want to begin with expressing my deepest sympathy to the family and the loved ones of Calinga.

No family should have to endure such a loss.

And my heart goes out to them during this difficult time.

We formally asked the board to support and request an independent review of the Kyle Basinga case by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation or by the external forensic and investigative experts.

And conducted regardless of the autopsy that is going on and received.

The board can then provide the community with the clear, transparent information about the procedures followed and the updates that can be publicly shared.

Many residents are concerned about the circumstances surrounding this case and the limited information currently available to the public.

While we respect that investigations must follow legal procedures, the community is still seeking answers.

New order asked.

If you guys can, the community gives community support, please.

If you have any information that could support this case, please contact New Order at 1800-346-5138.

The number again is 1800-346-5138.

The email is in 1992 order at Yahoo.com.

The email again is in one 992 order at Yahoo.com.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

My name is Stephen.

I am a senior at Kennesaw State University.

And I'm here because what happened to Kyle on February 14th demands far more than quiet condolences.

It demands action, scrutiny, and a community that refuses to be dismissed.

Again, on February 14th, Kyle, a 21-year-old Georgia State University student went missing after entering the wooded area around Fair Oaks Park.

Four days later, he was found hanging from a tree near the park entrance.

This is a horrifying and deeply painful loss, and it deserves the highest level of seriousness from every institution involved.

And we cannot separate this moment from the historical context that shapes it.

For generations, even in this county, black communities have lived with the reality that when we go missing, when we are harmed, or when we die under suspicious circumstances, police departments have too often responded with dismissal.

From the era of Jim Crow to present day, law enforcement has not earned the trust of black neighborhoods.

And that history is not distant.

It is alive in the way families experience these tragedies and in the way communities interpret official statements today.

We know the pattern.

We know the names.

Trey Reed, Leon Haynes, Rayner Johnson, Travante Schubert Helton, and others whose deaths were ruled suicides with no clear answers and no trust from the communities most affected.

Let me be clear, no one here is claiming to know exactly what happened to Kyle.

What we are saying is that the people of Cobb County will not accept a narrative handed to us without evidence, without transparency, and without accountability.

A press release is not the truth.

And a community's grief cannot be managed with vague statements and closed door decision making.

In this moment, our community is stepping up.

In this family's time of grief, it is our duty to do so.

We will stand up and demand a transparent and full investigation, and we have every right in solidarity with our neighbors to insist that this process meets the needs of Kyle's family, not the convenience of county officials.

Thank you.

The next speaker is Grace Bloomberg.

Hello, my name is Grace Blumberg.

I'm with the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

And like so many people here tonight, I'm also here to talk about Kyle Basinga.

Today at Fair Oaks Park, a vigil was held for Kyle Basinga.

Kyle was a young black man and a student at GSU, and on Wednesday, February 18th, he was found dead near the entrance of the park hanging from a tree.

Cobb County police hastily said they were investigating the case as a suicide and claimed there was no foul play.

Deciding to label this as a suicide before there is even a chance for investigation shows the carelessness with which Cobb County is handling this and their urge to silence the reasonable skepticism of the community.

This investigation must be independent.

At the vigil earlier today, we saw the area where Kyle was found hanging.

If you had not heard what happened there just days before, you would never know the area was a crime scene.

The area that Kyle is found in was not taped off or secured in any way.

You could walk straight in.

One community member who lived in the neighborhood earlier today said that in fact the crime scene tape had been taken down the following day after Kyle was found.

Another community member said that they received a police report of the incident that was blank.

We all live in the South.

We all live in this country, and we know the history of this country.

We know the legacy of collaboration between the police, judges, and far-right racist terror groups like the KKK.

We know the legacy of racist terror and violence against the black community today, in the modern day, in the form of lynchings in the South.

Like Stefan said before, Trey Reed, Leon Haynes, Raynard Johnson, Travante, Schubert Helton, and many others, these are all the names of people who have suffered similar fates in recent years with police investigations, unanimously concluding that these hangings are suicides with no answers as to why this trend of lynchings persists.

We are just expected to believe that these are all coincidences, all separate cases, and not something to do with our system.

The fact that this investigation is not being conducted with the utmost seriousness and the utmost concern, the utmost transparency is an insult to the intelligence of the people and an insult to the intelligence of a grieving family who has said they do not believe their son took their his own life.

The least that Cobb County can do is provide answers and accountability for our community.

Bloomberg has run.

Your time has run.

Thank you.

Monica DeLancey, District 4, we thrive on Riverside Rental Association.

First, I would like to bring um sharing highlights for the Mabel community.

Um, before the winter holiday, Cynthia Elementary School hosted their career day.

Thirty guest speakers shared their careers with our young scholars.

I want to make sure we acknowledge Mr.

Taron Oliver, the school guidance counselor who organized Career Day.

Last week, during winter break holiday, youth participated in Thrive Youth Leadership Day last Thursday at the South Cobb Recreation Center, where teens attend a workshop hosted by Cobb Public Health Department about vaping awareness, and the younger youth helped make greeting cards for our public safety heroes.

This was in partnership with We Thrive on Riverside Rental Association and the School Break.

Black History Month is being celebrated, and many schools are doing Black History Month celebrations.

I want to acknowledge Pebble Brook High School for their award-winning Black History Month program, which took place on Friday, February 13th.

I would like to send prayers for the community as we're praying for the family of Kyle Basinga.

We need to also pray for the families who are in that horrible fire that took place at Concord Crossing Apartments in the Smyrna, where three people lost their lives, two children.

And we're also going to pray for the family of a staff member who passed away today at Maplet Elementary School.

We Thrive on Riverside Rental Association.

Top five priorities.

I'd like to pass it out, please.

Focusing on housing stability, safe and decent housing, family engagement, routes to home ownership, livable wages, and resources.

We will host our rental's rights summit on March 15th, that's Sunday, March 15th, at Antioch Love and Spirit Church, located 6280, Brit Row in Mapleton from 2 to 5 p.m.

We're expecting over a hundred people to attend this event because we have acknowledged 40 apartment complexes.

Um representatives will be sent to attend this event.

And also, I want to acknowledge Black History mom and leave you with this quote.

If there's no struggle, there's no progress.

Thank you very much.

The next speaker is Ross Cavot.

Good evening, Commissioners, County Manager.

Ross Cabot, longtime East Cobb resident, first time public comment.

Thank you.

First of all, I'd like to thank everybody who uh attended or gave a shout out during my uh um farewell tour tour a couple weeks ago.

Everybody was very generous and kind, uh, especially my department, who was especially generous and kind, and some of what happened during my farewell.

Uh, what happens on the first floor will stay on the uh first floor, but appreciate everybody.

I've come back tonight because I've heard of a uh troubling log jam and the appointment of county leadership positions, along with what appears to be an effort to circumvent or at least modify long-standing hiring practices in the county.

Much like the delay in hiring a police chief last year, there's been little public explanation about the chairwoman's decision to delay those appointments aside from vague concerns about the process.

For those who may not be familiar, Cobb County operates under a commission county manager form of government.

This board sets the policy, and the county manager implements that a policy and administers county departments, including the hiring of personnel.

What we're seeing now feels like an attempt to solve a problem that simply does not exist.

Cobb County has consistently attracted outstanding leaders.

We struck a healthy balance between promoting from within and recruiting externally.

And over the years, county departments have been recognized at the state, national, and even I can remember in one case, at least international level for excellence in public service.

Like any successful organization, the county should cultivate leadership from within when employees work hard, excel, and build the institutional knowledge required to lead, they deserve the opportunity to advance and elevate their departments.

If the introducing any sort of political litmus test into the hiring process would be a serious blow to employee morale and would not serve the residents of Cobb County in the long term.

If the chairwoman believes the county's form of government should be changed, that conversation should involve this board, our state legislative delegation, and I also believe the voters of Cobb County.

Instead, there's been a consistent lack of consensus building paired with an expectation of automatic compliance.

County residents and certainly county staff deserve transparency.

They deserve to know why these positions are being delayed and why the process is being changed, and whether the real reason is something other than the chairwoman's inability to choose preferred candidates.

Thanks.

Good seeing y'all.

The next speaker is Ms.

Denny Wilson.

Good evening, Denny Wilson District 4.

I had to come see you guys tonight.

I hadn't planned on it, but with the events that happened today, I couldn't miss this meeting.

A lot of you guys, some of you sitting on that bench have dismissed the use of the next door app.

Well, this week we showed you that next door works because we galvanized a movement against I stale gas, who came in and price gouged all the customers.

I mean, people received gas bills that were two and three times the amount that they would normally get.

Our stale gas blamed it on the cold weather.

Now, if you go back about three years ago, I came to you guys about our stale gas, and I told you guys what they were doing in their proud scouting, but nobody listened to me.

And even in the neighborhood, nobody listened.

But our sale gas got their attention last week when they sent out those enormous bills, and you know, a lot of people are not going to be able to pay that bill.

So as of today, they backed off and said that they're not going to be increasing next month, and that um they will uh refund uh any monies back to the customers if they received uh a big deal.

Now, the city of Ostale owns our stale gas, and this is what I told the people in my community.

The City of Ostea raised their property taxes last year by 158%, because they said the reason they had to do this is because I still gas wasn't generating the revenue that they had banked on them bringing in.

So think about it.

A hundred and fifty-eight percent property tax increase, you triple the auster gas bills, and they say the two don't go hand in hand.

I don't think so.

I mean, this would disgenerate a whole lot more revenue for our stale gas than um than what they had uh anticipated, the community coming together and speaking out.

Now I know they own all the gas lines.

I know we're stuck with them, and we cannot go anywhere.

The city of Mableton last year, a year before last, signed a 30-year contract with our stale gas against me telling them not to do so because they owned all the gas lines.

I mean, we can't go anywhere, and they will not lease the gas line to competitors.

So something is gonna have to be done because people cannot continue to absorb these high gas bill.

I mean, one lady says she's on a fixed income, and her gas bill is $950.

So we as a community got to come together and try to figure out how do we have her pay this $950.

I mean, it's ridiculous.

So I'm just cut saying Ms.

Wilson, your time has run.

Thank you.

That was the last speaker.

Thank you for our speakers that were here today.

But for those of you who may be here, I do want to express my deepest consult condolences as I have done not only in writing, but also when we had a press conference yesterday.

And during the slave era, which was for generations, and the generations that followed in Jim Crow.

We know the vestiges of that still linger with the relationships of many in our community as it pertains to race and as it pertains to public safety.

From my own experiences and having two young black men myself.

So we are very sensitive, and I am very sensitive to what has occurred.

We look forward to being able to share more.

Thank you and welcome back to our board of commissioners meeting this February 24th, 2026.

We are now at our consent agenda, and these matters have been scrolling on the screen prior to the meeting, and we'll scroll on the screen when the meeting has concluded.

These matters are voted in bank.

They are voted all at the same time.

Thank you.

Appreciate it.

Okay, so I'm observing that one change.

Commissioners, are there any other changes?

Okay, with that, I move that we approve the consent agenda as it has been revised and to authorize execution of the necessary documents by the appropriate county personnel.

Second.

Is there any discussion?

Okay.

Not uniquely not seeing any.

We'll call the question.

And the motion carries five zero.

Thank you, Commissioners.

That now takes us to the regular portion of this meeting and specifically to our transportation tab, and we'll hear from our director.

Good evening, chairman, commissioners, county manager Drew Wrestler with TOT.

The department has nine items for your consideration this evening.

Our first item is to recommend the Board of Commissioners approve a consultant services agreement with BCC Engineering doing business as Heath and Lineback engineers in an amount not to exceed one million one hundred and sixty thousand one hundred seventy-four dollars and eighty-eight cents for preliminary engineering design of all cell power springs road trail.

Cow County Project Number B 2439, authorized a corresponding budget transaction and further authorized the chairman to execute the necessary documents.

Commissioner Sheffield.

So moved.

Second.

The motion carries five zero.

Thank you.

Our next item is to recommend the Board of Commissioners approved at 2026.

County wide microsurfacing contract with asphalt paving systems incorporated in an amount not to exceed 1,454, 375 and 61 cents for microsurfacing of county maintained streets.

Project number B 2931 authorize a corresponding budget transaction and further authorized the chairman to execute the necessary documents.

Commissioner Allen.

So moved.

Second.

The motion carries five zero.

Thank you.

Our next item is to recommend the board of commissioners to approve a contract with Asimuth Contractor CLC and amount not to exceed 1,367,887 and 52 cents for Holly Springs Road at Sandy Plains Road, project number B2313, authorize a corresponding budget transactions and further authorize the chairman to execute the necessary documents.

Commissioner Burrell.

Motion to approve.

Second.

Any discussion?

We'll call the question.

The motion carries 50.

Thank you.

Our next item is to recommend the board of commissioners to approve a contract with Glosson Enterprises LLC and an amount not to exceed 217,333 for drainage system repairs on Chimney Springs Drive, project number B2205, authorize a corresponding budget transactions and further authorize the chairwoman to execute the necessary documents.

Commissioner Burrell motion to approve.

Yes.

You sure?

Comments?

Uh was oh okay.

On the next one, which is district one.

Okay, no problem.

Motion to approve.

Okay, so with the second.

Is there any discussion?

Call the question.

The motion carries five zero.

Thank you.

Our next item is to recommend the board of commissioners approve a contract with DNH Construction Company Incorporated in an amount not to exceed 164,971 dollars and fifty cents for drainage system repairs on Dugan Drive.

Project number B22183.

Cobb County Project Number 2517 authorized the corresponding budget transactions and further authorize the chairwoman to execute the necessary documents.

Now we're at Commissioner Gambrel.

So moved.

Second.

Any discussion?

Call the question.

The motion carries five zero.

Thank you.

Our next item is to recommend the board of commissioners approve a contract with DNH Construction Company Incorporated in an amount not to exceed 269,694 dollars and 75 cents for drainage system repairs on Boxwood Trace.

Project number B22198, authorize a corresponding budget transactions and further authorize the chairman to execute the necessary documents.

Commissioner Gambrel.

So moved.

Second.

Is there any discussion?

We'll call the question.

Motion carries 50.

Thank you.

Our next item is to recommend the Board of Commissioners approve supplemental agreement number one to the consultant services agreement with Thomas and Hutton Engineering Company in an amount not to exceed $958,853.09 for engineering design of Chettahoochee River Trail Pilot Phase 2.

Cal County Project Number B 2432 authorize a corresponding budget transactions and further authorize the chairman to execute the necessary documents.

Commissioner Sheffield, so move.

Second.

Is there any further discussion?

Call the question.

The motion carries 50.

Thank you.

Our next item is to recommend the board of commissioners approve a memorandum of understanding with the Georgia Department of Transportation and an amount not to exceed $355,562.77 for incident management.

Dynamic message overhead lane signs.

Cobb County Project Number B 2523, authorized payment to the Georgia Department of Transportation for associated project costs.

Authorize a corresponding budget transaction and further authorize the chairman to execute the necessary documents.

I'll go with Commissioner Gambrell.

So move.

Second.

Is there any discussion?

Call the question.

The motion carries 50.

Thank you.

And our final item this evening is to recommend the board of commissioners approve the submission of proposed grant applications to congressional delegation members for fiscal year 2027 congressionally directed spending funding requests for the following four projects.

Noondig Creek Trail Expansion, Project Number B 2455, and All Stell Powder Springs Road Trail.

Project number B2439.

All right.

So moved as presented.

Second, is there any discussion?

Call the question.

The motion carries 50.

Thank you, Drew.

Thank you.

That now takes us to our second public comment.

We have one speaker.

Mr.

Jacob Williams.

Well, the very brave and bold Jacob Williams please approach the dais.

Good afternoon or evening.

Can you state your name for us?

Hi, I'm Jacob Williams.

Okay, and you'll have three minutes to address this, and you'll see a timer right up there where you are speaking.

Okay.

Um, around my house, there's like deforestation problems because they're building new houses.

I know this isn't just a problem around my house because I've seen it around Cobb County.

So I was just wondering if there's anything we could do because I feel like there is like open and empty space where we wouldn't have to cut down any trees, because like I'm young, this is my future.

So I was just wondering like if there's anything we could do for like to help with these deforestation problems.

That's it.

Thank you.

So, sir, if you can come back up here, we have a question for you.

And then we'll do our best to respond.

We don't always respond to public comment, but you have generated unique interest up here.

So we've had one commissioner ask.

Yes, a question.

Um, thank you for coming and speaking.

Boy, scouts get um to ask us anything you want.

So that was a pretty good question.

Uh, where do you live or what area so that we can follow up with you for what's going on around your house or any other district?

So I live around the powder springs area, and there's just like a lot of I've noticed construction where trees are just being cut down.

So you or you have two commissioners that represent powder springs, so we'll start with Commissioner Gambrel, and then we'll go to Commissioner Sheffield.

So are you talking about the parcel that is on Midway Road?

And there's also a parcel that is on um Villa Rica, or either one of those that you're referring to.

Um the one like Villa, I think it's Villa Rica.

It's off Barrett Parkway.

And there's like a lot of I've noticed cutting down of trees lately, and then there's also another one.

I don't remember where it is, but there's also a lot of cutting down of trees there lately as well.

So I'll let my my friend down at the other end of the DS take the Barrett Parkway one because that's the one that's on east west connector, I bet near the Walmart.

But I can tell you the one that is on midway that has a lot of clearing going on right now.

Forty percent of that land will be left undisturbed to protect not only the trees but also the streams that are on that parcel.

So there are codes that we use to help do some preservation, um, even though trees do come down.

Okay, make it.

The Villa Rica is in district one on Barrett Parkway.

The Villa Rica one is there, wasn't a lot of trees on that parcel because there was the colonial gas pipeline that ran through part of that property.

So what you did notice on that one is while a lot of trees didn't get removed, there was a lot of um, I like to call it remanufacturing of the terrain in order to level out because there's a lot of flooding in that area.

So they had to construct detention ponds to hold the water that the development was going to generate, so it would not cause more downstream um issues.

But that one didn't necessarily necessarily have a deforestation on it, but it did have a lot of remanufacturing of the terrain in order to obtain drainage.

All right, did you want to respond, Commissioner?

You're good.

No, I think that she covered everything, it sounds as if it's in district one, but just to kind of piggyback, when we have zoning applications, we do have built-in landscape buffers.

So when trees are torn down, there's a buffer that needs to remain uh on the side, and for in some cases when trees are torn down or taken down, they have to be replaced by the developer.

When we build and develop, a lot of times trees are taken down, and as Commissioner Gamble shared, even to take care of infrastructure like pipelines may result in removing trees.

But we do have a great opportunity through our keep cob Beautiful program, and we can actually plant trees, and we do have some groups that help us do that throughout the year.

If that's something you're interested in, please let us know.

As we know that trees add a lot of value to our community, they make it easier to breathe, they cool down our environment.

They cool down our environment.

There is a lot of great benefit to having trees.

And so I appreciate your mindfulness of that.

And again, if you would like to help us, not on the preservation side, but actually helping in the planting side, we'd be happy to have you have you.

Thank you.

Okay.

Sounds good.

Appreciate you.

Thank you for coming to South America.

Thank you very much.

Yes, he does.

It takes a lot to come here and speak before everyone.

And talking about speaking before everyone, we are here at the Commissioner's Public Address.

And we will begin with Commissioner Gambrel once the slides are up on the screen.

And while they're being posted, just want to thank you, mom, for bringing your scout out here this evening and again for your courage.

Grab your telescope or binoculars and look to the sky on Friday, February 28th, when a rare six planet parade, Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune will be visible.

The best viewing window will be approximately 30 to 60 minutes after local sunset.

Venus, the brightest of the group, along with Jupiter, Mercury, and Saturn, Saturn should be visible to the naked eye.

Uranus and Neptune, however, will require binoculars or a telescope for the best view.

Thank you.

All right, Commissioner Allen.

I like that one.

Thank you.

I'm gonna go look at that one.

Just uh a reminder for residents in District 2.

We are finally uh having our splost public meetings uh in the next couple of days and weeks.

So tomorrow at the Smyrna Community Center, uh, there will be a public meeting, and then on March 5th, uh 7 p.m.

at the Cobb Civic Center.

Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Allen.

We'll go to Commissioner Burrell.

I need to get that quick.

Uh during a recent routine traffic stop last week, Cobb County Officer Dessa Schur was alerted that a nearby mother was in active labor and couldn't reach the hospital in time.

So the car that pulled up, the husband said, My wife is having a baby, and we're not gonna make it to the hospital.

Well, the baby was born in the car, and when the baby came out, she wasn't breathing.

So our Cobb County officer went above and beyond, resuscitated the baby, and the mother and baby went to the hospital.

Now they're out and doing fine.

So thank you to our 911 dispatcher that helped walk walk them through the process.

Um, but we have a new life in Cobb County thanks to Officer Dasa Shur and the couple.

Yeah.

He's actually serves up here.

Sometimes we see him at the end of the day.

Yes, he does.

I think they call him sauce because of his name.

But it happened on Sandy Plains Road in my district.

So and we're trying to get the couple and the baby and the officer here for to recognize them at a VOC meeting once, you know.

I guess the baby gets a little older and a routine.

Um, this Thursday at Gridders Library in the new Northeast Cobb Community Center on the bottom floor.

We will have an open house to discuss the plans for the renovation of Shaw Park.

It is a 2022 Cobb special purpose local option sales tax project.

So come out to Griders from 6 to 7:30 Thursday, February 26th.

I will be there, and so will Park staff.

And I think Mr.

Brantley's here tonight too.

So we look forward to seeing you and getting your input.

Um, the Cobb Veterans Memorial Foundation and Twice the Kindness Organization are thrilled to share this picture of the delivery of sets of hats, gloves, scarves, and socks to Cobb VA Hospital and Must Ministries Hope House.

The window to donate more winter clothing is open through February 28th.

The ripples of kindness that start with one gift set are amazing.

So thank you.

And that's all I have.

Thank you, Commissioner.

Commissioner Sheffield.

Thank you, Chair.

Save the date and plan to join me on Saturday, March 28th for our annual for our District 4 annual community cleanup.

I'm proud to partner with Keep Cobb Beautiful, Keep America Beautiful, and Kennesaw State University as we come together to honor Earth Day and celebrate America's 250th birthday.

Since 2022, this initiative has raised awareness about litter while strengthening the spirit of service in District 4.

Light breakfast and fellowship will begin at 10 a.m.

Lunch and supplies will be provided.

Email Emily.gov for additional details and to register for the event.

The spring library book sale will be hosted at the Cobb Civic Center the week of March 5th through the 13th.

Materials for sale will include books for all ages and literary interests.

All profits from the sale will be allocated to acquiring items for Cobb County Public Library 15 branches and Bookmobile.

The Civic Center is located at 548 South Marietta Parkway in Marietta.

For more information, please visit Cobb County.gov slash library.

Join the Cobb County Sheriff's Office for their upcoming Citizens Academy.

The classes will be held 6 30 to 9 p.m.

on Thursdays, March 5th through April 23rd at various locations.

Explore the world behind the badge, gain firsthand knowledge of the sheriff's office, and engage with your local law enforcement.

Apply by February 27th at WWW.cobb sheriff.org.

And finally, we pause to acknowledge the recent passing of Reverend Luke Jesse Lewis Jackson, a towering figure in the American civil rights movement whose life and leadership left a lasting imprint on our country.

Rising to prominence with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference alongside Dr.

Martin Luther King, he just he dedicated his life to advancing racial equality, economic justice, and voting rights.

Founder of Operation Push and the National Rainbow Coalition, Reverend Jackson leaves a legacy of faith, courage, and his enduring call to keep hope alive.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, Commissioner.

It was not my desire to speak to the matter of hiring this evening, but I thought it would be appropriate to address some things since we do have a number of leaders within our organization here this evening.

I have been with Cobb County government since January 2013.

And I've seen the hiring of a number of people within this organization, including our public speaker here this evening.

The processes of how we've hired in this county have morphed in ways that have drawn me to advocate always for an open competitive process to ensure that we have the best candidate selected in this organization.

Whenever we have not had an open competitive process, I typically have not supported that candidate because I've been here during the days where people would be hired just because they were friendly with others.

Some people would refer to that as a good old boy system.

That I have wedded myself before I became chair to always wanting to see an open competitive process.

This ensures that even if we have the best in the brightest here in this organization, that they have the ability to go through a trusted process where we know that we have yielded the best candidate, and they have proven themselves as such through that process and not just through the relationships that they have here in this organization.

Having this types of process also yields opportunity for those that perceive that they want to be a part of this great organization and bring the skills and qualifications that they have gained on the outside, that they can come here and contribute to this wonderful organization that we have to move it forward.

And for the strategic direction that our county has the opportunity to pursue.

But today I feel led to for anyone who wants to continue that message that they heard here today, you will have to contrast with what you're hearing directly from me, and you can choose to believe what you desire to believe.

But for the time that I am here as chair, I will do my very best to make sure Cobb continues to be the best, not just in the work that we do, but in the people that we bring here to help us move in that direction.

And you don't have to agree with me in how we get the job done, and it's not solely dependent upon me.

Most of these decisions are made with the Board of Commissioners and will continue to be.