Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
This meeting, which took place on 13 October 2026, featured multiple proclamations, a lengthy first public hearing on comprehensive code amendments, and a special presentation on data center impacts, and routine approvals. The Board approved a 5–0 consent agenda that included appointments and several transportation/items after amending it; all other items approved by same margin.
Good morning and welcome to today's Cobb County Board of Commissioners meeting this October thirteenth, two thousand twenty-six. In a little of an invitation, we'll have a moment of silence, and that will be followed by the pledge, which will be brought by firefighter Blake Bennett. For those of you who are willing and able, I ask that you please join me in a moment of silence. And for those of you willing, please keep in mind the deceased at our Six Flags theme park yesterday and the families and all the patrons and employees impacted. Thank you. Thanks to this marvelous uh team here. They always uh shine, and uh thanks for all the hard work. Thanks uh as well uh to you, Dr. McMorris. Thanks for the uh the board for uh allowing us to stand here today and uh receive this uh accreditation in front of everyone. Thank you. Thank you so much. Appreciate that you know this by now, right? Thank you to our procurement team. Our next presentation will be in recognition of October as National Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Month. For those of you who are here as a part of that presentation, I ask that you join Commissioner Allen up front. Good morning. On behalf of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, I'm proud to present this proclamation recognizing October as National Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Month and supporting the Cobb Shines Purple Initiative. Come on up, madam DA. Domestic violence is a pervasive issue that knows no boundaries, affecting one in four women and one in seven men across every background in our state. It violates an individual's fundamental right to safety, privacy, and dignity in their own home. Ending this cycle requires a unified effort. Cobb County is committed to working with law enforcement to hold perpetrators accountable while ensuring frontline advocates provide emergency shelter, education, and essential resources to survivors. With this proclamation, we recommit to extending support to all survivors and building community where everyone feels safe. Thank you to our local partners and advocates for your tireless work every day, including our district attorney Sonia Allen and her team. This 13th day of October, 2026. And with that, Dilma or the BA, would you all like to talk about Cobb Shines Purple? Either one. Thank you. Thank you for recognizing uh Cobb County Shines Purple. I would like to tell you guys that Cobb County Shines Purple is an initiative of the voices, the voices of hope. It's an empowerment group uh for domestic violence, um, sexual assault, um, human trafficking, suicide attempts, survivors of homicide, as well as child abuse. So they this is an initiative that they brought to uh to um to the Cobb County to make sure the community take a part of this uh a part in this uh big commitment because the mask violence is not individual problem, it's a community problem. Like he said, if affect the children, uh the study says that between 20 20 2021 2022, 15 million children witnessed domestic violence. Just let that sink in. Fifteen million children experienced, witness, experience domestic violence. What is that telling us? What is that tell us about society? Society, it's suffering because of this for because of the domestic violence. So right now I will give a mic to Nichelle. So she can tell us a little bit of tell everybody quickly. Everybody about the of the hope and uh what the well, you know, our mission to fight domestic violence. Yes, really quickly.