Good morning, everybody.

I am presiding officer and commissioner Shekira Johnson.

Welcome to the June 23rd, 2026 Board of Commissioners meeting.

We have a large crowd today, and we have a lot of items on our public hearing agendas.

Um, so if we have run out of the printed agenda, there is a QR code just outside that back door that you can scan.

And I think we yeah, she has a QR code in the back if you need to scan that so you can see the agenda.

So bear with us today as we have a packed house.

And we also have a switch in our inspirational speaker.

Our scheduled inspirational speaker is actually under the weather, so we are sending her extra prayers.

Um, but fortunately, Demetrius McCoy Sr., who is chief of staff for District 5 is stepped up and is willing to do our inspirational for us.

Um Pastor McCoy is the pastor at redemption for a church, redemption life church in Lithonia, and stated he's the District 5 chief of staff, and he is the father of two amazing boys, and of most importantly, the husband to Dr.

Mariah McCoy, who is the assistant principal at Stone Mountain Elementary School.

Pastor McCoy.

Good morning.

Good morning, commissioners.

Good morning, Madam Presiding Officer.

I know our CEO is watching.

Good morning, everyone.

I'll try that again.

Good morning, everyone.

Good morning.

Thank you.

I'm so glad you're glad to be here.

Uh, for just a few moments, I'm gonna share this.

I do understand that one of the worst things that a preacher can do is pray too long or speak too long before the main course is served.

I understand you're not here to see me.

You're here to give your public comment to hear this meeting, so I'm gonna move on out the way.

But for just a moment that I have your attention, I want to share a thought with you.

And if I were to hypothetically ask you a question, the question would be how many emergency exits are in this room.

I don't want you to look.

I'm hoping that you discovered that before you entered in the room, how many emergency exits that there are.

And if you have not, you're probably looking out around the room counting them now.

There's a scripture in 1 Corinthians 10 13 which says you are tempted in the same way that everyone else is tempted.

But God can be trusted not to let you be tempted too much, and he will show you a way of escape.

Madam Presiding Officer and Commissioners, I want to share this thought.

Find the nearest exit.

Find the nearest exit.

Before every flight takes off, passengers hear a familiar instruction.

Please take a moment to locate the nearest emergency exit.

Place your oxygen mask on before assisting others.

Before cruise ship departs, passengers participate in a safety drill, and they're shown where the life rafts are.

They're shown where life-saving equipment is.

Before movies start, the lady on the screen says, please take a moment to locate the nearest emergency exit.

What is interesting is that these instructions are given long before a crisis ever happens.

The plane is not experienced turbulence.

The ship is not taking on water.

There is no fire in the building yet.

Preparation should always come before panic.

Recently, I found myself in this situation where my family and I went on family vacation.

And my wife wanted some Texas Roadhouse.

And so we stopped in Augusta at Texas Roadhouse.

And if you've ever been there, you know that everyone goes there not for the steak.

You go for the bread.

And so we got our two baskets of bread.

And as I ordered my meal, the light started flashing.

The siren went off.

And to my surprise, everyone sat there because they wanted their steak.

While the fire emergency exit was going off and fire alarm was going off, everyone sat there until a lady came out and said everybody has to leave.

The amenities didn't matter.

The decor didn't matter.

The only thing that mattered is where the nearest emergency exit was located.

As I reflected on this experience, it reminded me that many of us spill a great spend a great deal of time locating opportunities, advantages, conveniences, challenges, but spend very little time identifying how we can exit when the pressure arrives.

We know where success is, we know where comfort is, we know where resources are.

But do we know where the nearest emergency exit is?

I want to say this and then I'm gonna take my seat.

But I encourage you to find the nearest emergency exit.

Let's pray.

Gracious Father, thank you for the opportunity to share this inspiration.

Thank you for the opportunity to locate ways out of things that seem challenging.

Thank you for the opportunity to even exit hard places, hard things and challenging things, and move forward in the things that will continue to progress this county.

Bless our leaders, bless our CEO, our presiding officer, and our commissioners and staff as we all work together to find the nearest emergency exit so that we can continue progress for this great county.

Christ's name I pray, amen.

Thank you, Pastor McCord.

So we will now have our Pledge of Allegiance led by Commissioner Robert Patrick, and then we will head to the floor for our two presentations.

A pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and the Republic for what she says.

One nation under God with liberty and justice for all.

Okay.

We have a full house for sure and a long agenda.

My name is Michelle Long Spears.

I am proud and honored to serve as the District 2 commissioner.

I'm equally proud to be known as the Animal Commissioner.

It is my pleasure to present a proclamation recognizing June 2026 as foster a pet month in DeCab County.

For many of us, pets are cherished members of our families.

They provide companionship, comfort, happiness, and so much joy.

Yet every day, animal shelters throughout our community, across Georgia, and across our country care for animals that have been surrendered, abandoned, or found as straits, all while working to connect them with safe and loving homes.

Our animals end up in what I call animal jails, doggy jails.

While shelters work tirelessly to meet this need, they often face challenges related to space and resources.

One of the most impactful ways our community can help is through fostering.

Opening your home to a pet, even for a short time can truly save a pet's life.

Fostering is also a rewarding opportunity for individuals and families who may be considering not quite ready yet, pet ownership, but not really truly prepared for a long-term commitment.

They get to dip their toes in fostering and being a pet owner, if you will.

This allows people to experience the joys of caring poor pet for a pet while making a meaningful difference in that animal's life.

Here in DeCab, we are fortunate to partner with the Fantastic Life Line group that is behind us now in their blue shirts.

And we have been partnering with them for quite some time now.

Lifeline manages and operates and certainly supports our animal shelter and is the biggest organization of its kind in the state of Georgia.

We are very lucky to have Lifeline in our community.

Through their leadership and the dedication of volunteers, rescue organization, advocates, foster families, the Board of Commissioners, the CEO, people who are here, everybody who cares about furry friends, countless animals have been given a second chance of life.

As we conclude foster a pet month, we also recognize the compassion, generosity, and commitment of those who work every day to care for vulnerable animals.

Their efforts help make DeCab County a more humane and compassionate place for both people and pets.

Before I have Madam Clerk read the proclamation into the record, and after that, if please Rebecca Gwen, the CEO of Lifeline, will come forward to make a few comments.

I would like to share a personal story about fostering a pet.

My foster's name is Joey.

I have had Joey since July of last two years ago.

Actually, it'll be two years next month.

He is now my dog, my forever dog.

When I brought him into my home, I had this bundle of energy.

I mean, to a point I don't recall my Labrador Retriever having quite that much energy.

And I will say for the first three months, I tried to adopt out Joey.

I took him to Maloof, several people at Maloof remember.

Director Jack Lumpkin was always someone fun that would come and visit and pet my Joey.

I walked him around Decatur, Brookhave them, took him to dog parks, but unfortunately, I couldn't find anybody to foster him.

And the longer that time went on, guess what?

I fell in love with Joey.

And Joey is now a member of my family.

He is has been worth every couch that he ate, every dining room cushion that he chewed up.

The many times he is, Miss Tyler, Sonia Tyler is here and she knows about this.

The many times that my dog has escaped through our front door, crawled under a fence.

My goodness, but this dog is worth every single minute that we have had him, and he has been incredibly trainable and has turned out to be such a wonderful pet.

And so I encourage everybody here who has a home where you can open up to a four-legged friend.

Please, please consider fostering.

It will help reduce the numbers in our shelter.

If you decide that fostering for a week is all you can do when they get back to the shelter, they much more adoptable, having been in someone's house instead of stuck in a cage day in and day out.

So without further ado, if Madam Clerk would please read the proclamation into the record, and then Rebecca will come forward.

Whereas companion animals enrich the lives of individuals and families and animal shelters throughout Georgia and the nation often face overcrowding due to the number of animals surrendered, abandoned, or brought in as strays.

And whereas the month of June is recognized nationally as foster a pet month, highlighting the life-saving impact of pet fostering and encouraging community involvement in animal welfare.

And whereas fostering provides animals with a safe, loving, and stable environment while they await adoption, helping them become better prepared for permanent homes and creating space and shelters for other animals in need.

And whereas foster families and animal advocates play a critical role in supporting the welfare of cats and dogs and the dedication of local shelters, rescue organizations, volunteers, and community partners, has helped save countless animals' lives.

And whereas Lifeline Animal Project, operator of DeCab County Animal Services, supports one of the nation's largest foster programs by providing resources and assistance to foster families caring for animals awaiting adoption.

Whereas increasing awareness of pet fostering throughout DeCab County will encourage more residents to open their homes to animals in need, strengthening the community's commitment to compassionate animal care and reducing shelter overcrowding.

And now therefore, I, Michelle Long Spears, along with the Board of Commissioners, on behalf of DeCap County, and its more than 775,000 residents, do hereby proclaim June 2026 as foster pet month in DeCap County, and encourage all residents to recognize this special observance and consider supporting local animal shelters and rescue organizations through pet fostering.

Proclaim this 23rd day of June 2026.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, Commissioner Spears.

And um a good crowd.

You could help.

No.

I want I want to uh really thank all of our foster families and foster parents.

And I'm I think there are a few.

I see one.

Anyone else that's fostering right now?

There we look at that.

Okay, got a few, yeah.

Um and and that's about right.

There are over 750 animals in foster homes right now for the DeCab County Animal Shelter that Lifeline operates.

And that is really a testament to this community.

It is one of the largest foster uh programs in the country.

And it's because you step up.

Uh the commissioners step up, the administration steps up, the CEO steps up, all of you step up and help because the animals really matter.

So I I'm gonna be brief, but I just want to thank all of our foster families, our foster teams, uh everybody that that goes the extra mile uh to do what's right for the animals in our community.

So thank thank you all for being here.

If you want to follow, I want to also want to say because it is National Foster a pet month, all of our animals who are in foster are available for adoption with fees waived.

So please check out our website.

Uh it's DeCabanimals Services.com.

You can sort sort by the foster dogs and cats, and uh it's a great time to um to really get a new new family member member.

Um also I wanted to mention we have all different kinds of opportunities for fostering.

You can do dog for the day, where you're just taking uh uh a dog out into the community for a single day.

We have weekend warriors, we have two-week foster trials, we have a lot of different opportunities to fit for everyone.

So uh help you can help us, you can help the animals, and you can help each other by fostering a pet.

So thank you so much, Commissioner, all the commissioners.

Mr.

COO, how are you?

Yeah, it's good to see you.

All right.

All right, all right.

All right, all three.

Good.

Thank you.

Thank you, Like Line folks.

We appreciate you.

Okay.

All right.

Good morning, everybody.

I guess we're all glad still to be here.

Maybe okay.

Good morning.

Well, as you know, I'm Commissioner Robert Patrick.

I represent the good people on the North Side, uh, District One.

Uh today we are here to acknowledge uh the 2026 District 1 African American Music Appreciation Month Trailblazer Award.

Uh, first I do want to acknowledge uh Yoshi.

I hope that everything is fine.

Health is important, and we all uh are praying for you.

Yoshi and I first met way back in 2024 when she was the featured performer at Labor Day Live at Pleasendale Park, and uh it was uh um well you're always on our mind, so thank you.

Today we continue a special tradition in District One as we present the 2026 African American Music Appreciation Month Trailblazer Award.

Excuse me.

Trailblazer award to James JLak Lackey.

And before I go any further, I just realized uh is Miss Patton here and a star here.

If y'all would please come on up.

Amos, I'll let you through.

And uh I suspect everyone knows uh this is Usher's mom.

This is uh James Lackey's mom, and uh we are always honored and thrilled to have you here.

So thank you for being here.

Uh and star.

Hi.

Uh pleasure to have you here as well.

Um your dad is J.

Lack.

J.

Lack, yes.

So we got some some big power here this morning.

Thank you, Vall for being here.

Um let me start over again.

Today, as we continue this special tradition in District 1, uh acknowledging the efforts of African American Music Appreciation Month, the train Trailblazer Award goes to James J.

Lack Lackey.

Jay Lack is someone whose influence in music spans production, composition, and sound innovation at the highest level.

A visionary music maestro, a super producer, composer, and sound designer.

Unfortunately, J.

Lack cannot be with us uh today because he is preparing for something extraordinary.

This Friday marks the start of the RB Tour by Usher and Chris Brown, a multi-city global production expected to reach millions of fans.

J Lack will be alongside his brother Usher, helping shape the sound of a tour that will be experienced by an estimated two million people.

As we celebrate African American Music Appreciation Month, we pause to recognize the foundation of global impact that American uh African American artistry has had.

Here in Georgia, we are home to some of the most influential artists, producers, and engineers in the world.

Legends like James Brown, Ray Charles, Gladys Knight, Celo Green, who we had here uh a few years ago, among many others, whose creativity continues to shape the sound of American music.

It is important that we not only celebrate the legacy, but also recognize those who are carrying it forward today through excellence, innovation, and cultural impact.

James J.

Lack Lackey is one of those individuals.

A District One business owner and creative force, his work continues to elevate music on a global scale.

While he cannot be with us here today, we are honored to have his daughter, Star Lackey, uh, and uh his mom, Miss Janetta Patton, uh, here to accept this recognition on his behalf.

At this time, we proudly honor J Lack, Visionary Music Maestro, Super Producer, Composer, and Sound Designer, as the 2026 uh District 1 African American Music Appreciation Month Trailblazer Award recipient.

Madam Clerk, please read uh the proclamation to the record.

Whereas James J Lack Lackey has established himself as one of the music industry's most respected composers, producers, and songwriters, earning national recognition for his exceptional ability to craft timeless records that have influenced contemporary RB and popular music for more than two decades.

And whereas throughout his distinguished career, J.

Lack has collaborated with many recording artists, including Usher, Lloyd, Chris Brown, B.O.B.

and Luther Banjos helped him create chart-topping songs that have shaped the soundtrack of a generation.

And whereas J Lack's contribution to the landmark album Confessions helped produce one of the most acclaimed albums in modern music history, earning three Grammy Awards, and he continues to lead his creative mark through recent productions, including Usher's hit single, Boyfriend, and the song Majila from the acclaimed 2024 album Coming Home.

And whereas, as the owner of Star Studios in DeCav County Commission District 1, James J Lack Lackey has built a nationally recognized recording facility, attracting internationally acclaimed artists and producers, including Usher, Justin Bieber, Whitney Houston, Miguel, Jazzy Fay, Rico Love, Dallas Austin, Drummer Boy, Jummer Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis to create, collaborate, and inspire.

And whereas, despite his remarkable professional success, J.

Lack remains devoted to the values of family and community as a proud father, demonstrating that true relationship is measured not only by career achievements, but also by one's commitment to inspiring and uplifting others.

Now therefore, be it proclaimed that on this 23rd day of June 2026, I, Commissioner Robert Patrick, along with the governing authority of DeCamp County, do hereby recognize and honor James J.

Lack Lackey as the recipient of the 2026 District One African American Music Appreciation Month Trailblazer Award, Robert Patrick, District One.

Thank you much, Madam Clerk.

Start if uh if you wouldn't mind come up and say a few words.

Good morning, everyone.

Um, unfortunately, my dad wasn't able to be here due to recording scheduling.

So instead, I'm here on his behalf to accept this award.

I like to start off by saying how much this award is appreciated, not only by him, but by me as well.

I have watched him work very hard for where he is today.

Success has not only been created through.

Oh my gosh, I messed up.

Am I okay to restart?

Okay.

Am I okay to restart?

You restart.

Okay.

Okay, then take two.

Take two.

Good morning, everyone.

Unfortunately, my dad wasn't able to be here due to recording scheduling.

So instead, I am here on his behalf to accept this award.

I like to start off by saying how much this award is not only appreciated by him, but by me as well.

Since I was a little girl, I have watched my dad work hard for where he is today.

Success has not been created through connections, but through restless nights, taking rejection with his head held high, and not being afraid to walk into any room.

Not only does he have true passion for what he does, but he is dedicated, consistent, and committed, and it is shown through his craft.

Over the past two years and a half, I have seen him grow so much and have watched my dad test the boundaries of what patience can bear and what excellence and success can demand.

For my dad, the perfection of his craft has never been about just making it to the finish line.

But it is a promise and listener that what reaches you is real, intentional, and crafted with love, patience, and real dedication.

My dad has shown that the patience is a form of courage, how to lose with grace and without noise, and that measure of success isn't how loud the world applause, but how success is knowing you were true to yourself and honest to your craft.

He has taught me that the realest thing an artist can do is care.

Care enough to start over, care enough to admit when the first idea maybe isn't the best one.

And to accept criticism with open mind and care enough to be intentional with every note.

He has produced hits like Get It Shoddy, boyfriend, looking for love, forever young, and many more.

My dad doesn't just make music, he's creating a new sound like no other.

And I'm excited for the world to see what is coming next.

So from the bottom of me and my dad's heart, thank you for giving me the opportunity to stand here on his behalf and receive this award.

This is only the beginning.

And then I'm gonna give you this as well.

Don't drop it.

One, two, three.

Yes, so I did.

You did also.

We have one more presentation that's not on the agenda.

All right, good morning, y'all.

I know we have a uh uh really packed agenda, but I don't like doing this.

Y'all know I don't like doing this, but um today I wouldn't I would only really do this for one person.

Um 25 years ago, um, a young lady came to DeCav County um to work, and uh she has been an amazing blessing to DeCab County, and she doesn't even know what's going on right now.

Um but we're gonna ask Miss Dion McKenzie to stand up and come forward.

She has been working for DeCab County for 25 years, and she really doesn't like this.

Come on up, Dion.

Because we have her 25-year pin, you all.

She has seen five CEOs come and go.

Five different administrations, countless number of commissioners, and you all, if you don't know her name, she has meant the world to DeCab County.

She has done so much for so many people, and uh she is a tremendous blessing, including me.

When I came here as a young buck with some a lack on my breath still, she was there showing me the way, and I'm so thankful and grateful to God for Miss Dion McKenzie.

So can we give her one more round of applause, you all?

And I and I want to see if she has something to say.

Would you say something, Dion?

Please say something.

She says I don't, but please say something.

Of course, I was not expecting this, but thank you, everybody.

I appreciate it.

Um I can't say 25 more years, but thank you.

I'll be here a while longer.

Thank you.

Appreciate it.

One three, one, two, three.

Thank y'all.

Thank you, everybody.

At this time, we will start our comments from the public.

Madam Clerk will read in the instructions.

Comments from the public.

The purpose of public comment is to allow the public to voice county related requests, concerns, or opinions during the commission meeting.

Speakers will only have the opportunity for one public comment per meeting.

Each speaker must please complete a speaker card and present it to the clerk before the beginning of the public comment portion of the meeting.

Cards turned into the clerk from the time the general meeting is convened.

Generally 9 a.m.

And by the beginning of public comment portion, generally following presentations on the agenda.

The clerk will accept cards on a first come first served basis.

Prior to the clerk's call for public comment, speakers who are residents of the Cab County shall be allowed to speak before residents of other counties are allowed to speak.

Speakers will be allowed to speak for three minutes each, and public comment shall not exceed 30 minutes in length.

When the buzzer sounds to indicate that time has run out, the speaker will be expected to immediately cease speaking and to yield the podium.

Those who submitted speaker cards but did not speak because of the time allotment will be allowed to speak first at the next regularly scheduled commission meeting without regard to residents.

Speakers should always talk directly into the microphone and begin by stating their name, full address, and the name of any organization they represent.

Abusive, profane or derogatory language, holding up signs, clapping, yelling, standing, or laying in the aisles to show support for uh opposition to a speaker will not be permitted.

But a show of hands or quietly standing in place will be permitted to show support for or opposition to a speaker's position.

Thank you.

Did we have any leftover from the last meeting?

Yes, ma'am, we do have a few.

Uh Carol Hayes.

Carol Hayes, are you here today?

Okay, I see her.

Valerie Con Q.

Valerie Conque.

Conquui.

I don't see Valerie.

Joy Carter.

Joy Carter.

And Jackie Malcolm.

Jackie Malcolm.

There she is.

Good morning now.

Good morning.

How y'all doing?

Doing well.

Okay, my name is Jackie Malcolm.

I live in District 3 off of Bodacrest.

I appreciate the moratorium being extended until September 30th.

But we know it's not enough time within the time frame for the CAP water issues to be resolved.

Let me give you an example.

Since the beginning of this year, there have been several water break mains in the area where I live, and three on my street, which is Rocknow Drive.

Just last week, Thursday, there were two more breaks in my neighborhood, and another one right off Boulder Crest.

Let me remind you, this is directly across the street from the proposed site in Ellenwood.

We were with extreme low pressure for about three hours.

This was very it is very sensible to extend a moratorium until the water system is fixed.

There needs to be a complete study of our water capacity to determine if we have enough water to support any large-scale data campus without affecting availability of water with adequate water pressure to us, the residents.

We, the residents, do not support this text amendment as it is written today.

There is no concrete barrier listed in the text amendment to give us citizens of the Cab County any type of protection.

I agree with Commissioner Patrick, Mr.

Patrick, for your attention, thank you.

There should be a minimum of one year moratorium so all studies can properly be research on a large-scale data campus center around people.

The second tax amendment that we are not in agreement with is the office space on Cedar Grow Road and Bodacrest Road.

That tax amendment, we do not no longer accept that too.

We're still working on a small area plan.

Both commissioners of District 3, District 6 have given funds to see this project move forward.

We asked that this tax amendment be deferred until this small area plan is complete.

Lastly, according to our own CEO, Lorraine Cochran Johnson, she stated at another meeting, and this is for decab, y'all.

If something should happen to our water system, we only have three hours of clean drinking water.

Do you think that a campus that's gonna suck up all this water is gonna make it worse or badder?

No, it's not, it's gonna get worse.

So please, please, I ask you, do not approve this project in Allenwood.

Because we know that our water system cannot sustain this.

And have y'all ever had a meeting with the um water department plan and sustainability?

Did they ever tell y'all that it will be sustainable or not sustainable, especially in our area of the CAB, South De CAP and Southeast DeCab.

Please take note.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Cambriano Alguero.

I'm sorry I couldn't hear her say that again.

Cabria Anguero.

Cambrio.

Good morning, ma'am.

All right.

Uh good morning.

My name is Cambria.

I'm a community organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

I'm also a resident of DeCab County.

It's been nearly a year since DeCab residents were in stark opposition to a slew of data centers proposed to the county.

And since last year, our community has taken to organizing ourselves, educating our neighbors, and showing up at each and every board of commissioners meeting, demanding to stop these environmentally disastrous and racist projects.

It seems that our board of commissioners, our leadership across the state, and our current administration don't care to represent our interests as working class people.

They promise development and jobs only to siphon our resources, hike up our utilities, pollute our air and water, and ignore their constituents.

This moratorium is currently set to expire on a September 30th, has been expanded two times because of popular opposition and public pressure.

They haven't been able to pass a permissible set of regulations on these data centers because the public demanded time and time again that if they are going to pass new legislation regulating these facilities, we wouldn't buy a measly 300 to 500 foot buffer zone from the two million square foot data campus in a highly residential neighborhood.

We're not against AI itself.

Technological advancement is essential to improving our lives as workers, but under capitalism it can't.

Those that own all the technological resources are the billionaires who actively are destroying our communities and our environment.

Despite us showing up at every meeting and demanding a stop to these developments, they persist.

The very nature of this whole process has been undemocratic.

And we as working people and as residents of DeCab should be able to choose what we want in our own backyards and not have to worry about our children developing respiratory illnesses, brown water coming from our sinks, constant buzzing when we go to sleep at night.

We should have a say.

And unlike California, in Georgia, the electricity and land needed for massive development is cheaper.

Our communities look like an opportunity to increase the profit margins of the billionaire class at our expense.

We're tired of DeCab residents, particularly residents of South DeCab, being given false promises of investment and instead being sold out to the highest bidder.

And we are tired of politicians and billionaires, not for the people.

Let me be clear.

This is how the how this board votes shows us whether you're in line with Trump, Elon, Zuckerberg, Bezos, Thiel, and other billionaires, or if you're on the side of the people.

We're tired of moratoriums, we're tired of debate, we want actions, and we want no data centers.

We demand an end to all data centers in DeCab County.

Thank you.

Please let me remind you that we are to not shout, not clap loudly.

We can snap and we can stand in agreement.

So that we can make sure we are hearing all everything that is being said out there.

Next speaker, please.

Ralph Branch, the four.

Good morning, sir.

Good morning.

Good morning to the chair, commissioners, and county staff.

Um I'm here today as a resident.

Uh District 3, 2377, uh Clifton Springs Manor.

Uh business owner, taxpayer, community advocate who spent months working with stakeholders, faith leaders, business owners, and residents regarding the proposed redevelopment of the former Walgreens property at 5395 Covenant Highway.

Uh I understand that this matter is not on today's agenda, and my purpose is not to uh relitigate a vote, but to ask the board to carefully review concerns that many residents believe deserve further consideration.

Over the past several months, our team has conducted extensive community outreach, collected more than 2,000 plus online signatures, and 210 physical signatures met with local pastors, business owners, community stakeholders, and preventative uh presented a vision for reinvestment in a corridor that has experienced disinvestment, vacancy, and declining commercial activity.

This project represents approximately a five to six million dollar in private investment into South DeCab, includes public safety enhancements, local business opportunities, job creation, and the adaptive reuse of a long vacant commercial property.

Unfortunately, many supporters feel their voices were either overlooked or given sustainability, less weight than opposition testimony.

We also have concerns regarding certain factual findings and characterizations that may have influenced recommendations and public perception of the project.

In particular, questions remain regarding the classification of a nearby child care learning center and whether that classification was treated in a manner that is consistent with Georgia law.

State licensing definitions and the facts contained in the record.

I'm not asking this board for a decision today.

I'm asking for something way simpler.

Fairness, transparency, and a willingness to review whether all facts, all community voices, and all applicable standards were given equal consideration.

DeCab deserves investment.

DeCab deserve economic economic opportunity.

DeCab deserves redevelopment that addresses blight, creates jobs, and expands options for residents.

I respectfully ask that no applicant, resident, or community member be disadvantaged because they challenge the recommendation, asked difficult questions, or exercise their right to participate in the public process.

Thank you for your time, your service, and your commitment to the residents of DeCab County.

Jonathan Holy.

Jonathan Holy.

Good morning, sir.

Good morning.

My name is Pronounced Holly.

I am here to talk about the data centers.

A data center is a mechanical monster.

It consumes your power and it makes you pay for it.

That is what it promises to do if you let it near you.

After it consumes your power and makes you pay, it will drink your water.

And it will scream 24 hours a day, seven days a week at up to 92 decibels.

92 decibels is the volume of a chainsaw or a loud concert.

That's how loud these can get.

Imagine one of these monsters near your home.

And why are these monsters here?

It's all for AI.

That is why the demand is there.

And what is the AI for?

The AI is there to surveil you.

And your family.

It is there to feed itself your private data so it can develop itself into something that takes your job away.

AI and data centers are here before you because of investment because they have the capacity to replace human labor.

That is why it's even of interest to anyone is its ability to replace human labor.

It is part of an anti-human project.

Please.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Deborah Wallace.

Deborah Wallace.

Good morning, ma'am.

Good morning.

Um I've been in DeCab County.

I'm a transplant from New York.

I was here before and uh two years ago about repaving roads.

I was here as last month about repaving Rockbridge Road that's now being destroyed by the Amazon trucks.

My concern is about my little neighborhood right now, and I'm sorry, I do support everybody about the new data centers, just in case that doesn't get noticed.

The county destroyed our neighborhood replacing water pipes.

And after they replaced the water pipes, they never came back to repave the roads.

I came back and I asked and asked and asked to repave.

And you were nice enough to repave my personal road, but not the main subdivisions road, which was kind of like we're gonna shut her up.

Not cool.

I was away in LA for two years and now I'm back to discuss it again.

And I will be back every month to remind you that when you destroy my roads, you should fix it afterwards.

It's like sewing a hole in your garment.

Fix it.

Now, what's interesting is that Lakeside subdivision, which is across the street, is younger than mine, and they got a brand new repaved road down their main road.

How does the younger 15-year-old subdivision get a new road when the 39-year-old subdivision is panicking because I'd like to keep my car a couple of more years, not fall in a ditch, not trip while I'm walking my neighborhood on a crack from the water pipe fix.

Let's be serious.

We are slowly not taking care of our roads.

We're definitely not taking care of our water.

We're definitely not taking care of our environment.

And as you as commissioners, you need to understand that we the people are in charge based off of my political science class 1101.

That's what it says.

So please understand that we the people, we don't want the data center.

We like our roads fixed, we like our water clean, and we like our environment checked.

Thank you, and have a good day.

Thank you, ma'am.

Ross Lund McIntyre.

Miss McIntyre, good morning.

Good morning.

I'm here to share with you a poem that's based on the poem and they came for me.

The poem that was written during job the time of Nazi Germany.

First, the tech oligarchs, and I'll call them TOs came for the water aquifers that to date have taken approximately two trillion gallons of water globally, enough to quench the thirst of 600 million people.

That's everyone in the U.S.

and 300 million more.

But that the CAP commissioners refuse to acknowledge citizen concerns because they are not farmers whose lands are parched by drought, causing no food to be produced.

Their pools were filled and their grass wasn't brown.

So they didn't care.

Then the TOs, again, tech oligarchs came for the power grids to date, devouring 448 terawatt hours of electricity globally, enough to power about 50 million average American homes for an entire year.

But that the CAP commissioners refused to acknowledge citizen concerns because their lights still flickered on and their personal AC units were still running.

They convinced themselves that the warnings about a single AI data campus power use matching a hundred thousand households was just a little dramatic.

Then the TOs came after the breathable air with this with as few as three data facilities pumping out 15 tons of greenhouse gases annually.

But the DeCab Commissioners didn't acknowledge citizens' concerns because they did not live in the valley of exhaust.

They didn't need to keep their windows closed or they or use air purifiers in their homes.

And that they did not suffer from respiratory diseases or can't or cancers caused by emissions.

Then one day the grid collapsed due to an extreme summer heat wave caused by that non-existent global warming phenomenon.

And that was not enough power or water for the CAP citizens because data centers had priority over human life.

And no breathable air for the people in the care of neighborhoods to continue daily life activities.

But thank goodness the data center algorithm stayed perfectly chilled at 68 degrees, safely generating data that was so desperately needed for our lives to continue as the world is collapsing.

But because of the Cab Cat amount of commissioners did not listen when citizens spoke in opposition, like the people in Coeta County who are now suing their commissioners, or use the data provided to show that construction to be destructive type of economic development investment, there was no one left to speak for me.

And here I lie, dying from data generation.

Thank you for your leadership.

Thank you, ma'am.

Next speaker.

G.

S.

Mangum.

Gina Mangum.

Good morning, ma'am.

The people speak.

And the people are speaking.

So I ask you, what was the purpose of the last extension of the moratorium?

I thought the moratorium was so that we could get it right.

And what do we get?

Another terrible fast put together version that was just released a few days ago.

This is the same thing that happened in January, where we didn't even get an opportunity to adequately review the document.

What's the purpose of a moratorium if we don't do the work?

Here we are with yet another version that's going to be voted on or could be voted on today that has not met the needs of the people.

And what are we doing?

We're living back in August when this whole thing began.

Nothing has changed dramatically in this ordinance that provides the protections that you promised.

So what do we need to do?

We should ban data centers, not just because we want it, but because you haven't done your jobs.

So what happened to the health study that everyone agreed to months ago but refused to fund.

We have more MARTA studies than the law allows.

We could sink a ship with those, and we still have no transportation in South Decav.

We're getting ready to spend a million dollars on another transportation study, but we can't do a study to protect the health of the citizens.

I say it's unreasonable.

Not only are you our elected officials not listening to us, you're not paying attention to what's happening around you.

And what we have learned over the last 10 months, whether you listen to us or not, is that these data centers aren't all they're cracked up to be.

They're not paying what they say they will, and they are destroying communities, and yet we trudge on as if nothing is happening.

Adverse health impacts brought on by data centers from noise, light, and chemical emittance are real.

Access to enough clean water is real.

We need to extend the moratorium for at least another year to complete these comprehensive studies if you continue to refuse to ban them illegally.

Thank you.

Jam Dunaway, Ms.

Dunaway.

The new data center tax amendment released on 617 is filled with inconsistency.

Why are you rushing?

You have until 9:30 to finalize a text amendment which would allow more than four days for the citizens to review the document.

Any new text amendment needs to go back through the full-cycle deferral back to the community council.

You have changed the residential buffer to 750 feet, which still isn't enough, and left the distance from parks to trails 500 feet.

Even though, I quote, it is critical to protect the at-risk uses, such as parks, trails, schools, daycare centers, senior care centers, and other areas from intensive development that may pose adverse health and environmental impacts.

Did you mean to do this, or was it just another mistake?

The amendment includes transitional buffers along all property lines used for zoned either for non-industrial.

Is this an addition to the residential and parked buffer?

The BOC can reduce the buffers during the slut process.

How low will you go?

This version does not protect the citizens.

The amendment reduces the size of data center campuses to one million square feet of disturbed area.

But with no distance requirement between data center campuses, property owners could subdivide their property and build lots of one million square foot data center campuses side by side.

For example, Shadow Box Studio Expansion Site at 155 acres could subdivide and could hold at least four one million square foot data center campuses.

Have you considered that?

Not to mention Shadowbox Studios received a half billion dollar tax abatement.

Yes, billion.

From decide to cab authority for the studio expansions, which means the citizens could be paying for the data center.

Noise, water, water discharge pollution, generators running past the allowed times or hours.

Still, there is no one identified as responsible for enforcement.

Who do we contact at the county for noncompliance?

Planning will have washed their hands after the sloughs are approved, leaving the citizens to fight on their own against the richest people in the country.

Do not pass this rush text amendment and extend the moratorium for one year to get the studies done to protect our citizens.

Thank you, ma'am.

Speaker, Stephen Benny.

Good morning, Mr.

Benny.

Good morning, Commissioners.

I want to thank the nearly 17,000 people who voted in District 3 during the runoff election recently.

The 15% turnout rate was much higher than the 6% I predicted, but it still leaves room for improvement.

The childish behavior of this commission is unbelievable.

I thought I was seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, but it turned out to be a train instead.

Regardless, I would ask Miss Keanu Jones Moore to attend as many DeCab County Commission public cow and committee meetings as she can between now and the end of the year to observe both how the process is supposed to work and how not to act like a child when doing an adult's job.

Who put the mentos in your Coca-Cola two weeks ago, Dr.

Bolton?

I don't know who you got your info from, but it is incorrect.

Commissioner Terry's ordinance on how to spend data center tax funds was proposed as a fail-safe in case a data center was approved by four or more commissioners in the future.

50 percent to be allocated to the area affected by the data center.

Who do you think should benefit from the tax monies if a large data center is built?

Not though do not those who take the risk deserve the reward?

You have known Mr.

Sherry long enough to know that he is closer to being an eco-terrorist than a king of the data centers.

You are better than that, Commissioner Bolton.

Commissioners Patrick and Johnson, during PWI, you shot down a proposal to give property owners who live within three miles of the county landfill a break on their property taxes by reasoning that everyone must pay the same rate throughout the county, and the county cannot play favorites.

The county has already played favorites by putting the landfill in South DeCab to begin with.

You are asking the wrong question.

The question you need to answer is how many of your constituents would move their property within three miles of the county landfill to get a break in their property taxes.

My guess would be close to zero.

I live in District 4, Madam Presiding Officer, and I would not take that deal.

Once again, do not those who take the risk deserve the reward?

Ms.

Davis Johnson, you may have been poor at one time, and we hope that you remember what that was like, but you are not poor today.

At 48,500 a year, the median income in District 5 is $4,000 less than the rest of DeCab County with a poverty rate of 17%.

Your husband makes $174,000 a year as a U.S.

Congressman.

You make $74,000 a year as a part-time commissioner.

That's close to $250,000 a year, not to mention the money you make as a full-time lawyer.

Miss Marita Davis Johnson, you are not poor, but a lot of your constituents are and need your help to find their way to the American dream that we all aspire to.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Benny.

Next.

Good morning, ma'am.

Good morning.

I want to thank Mr.

Benny for reminding me that I need to pay close attention, and I have been, and that is the reason why I am here once again speaking for my neighbors and myself in District 3.

We have quite a few data center applications that are being considered for our area, and you have heard all the reasons that we do not want you to approve the text amendment for data centers as it is written.

It is, in fact, full of inconsistencies.

There are no real protections for community members, and there is no enforcement mechanism.

The purpose of the moratorium, as has been stated by others before me, is to give you the time to complete the studies that you've called for.

You all get up here, you'll say, oh, yeah, let's extend the moratorium, and we need a health and environmental impact study.

But when is the study going to be done?

And when are we going to pay closer attention to our deteriorating water infrastructure?

You've heard about multiple water main breaks, but what type of protections are we going to have when it comes to our water?

Our federal consent decree for violation of the Clean Water Act is not being met.

How many times do we have to go back and forth about water in DeCab County?

What about the hundreds of DeCab County residents who are still being falsely harassed for water bills that are not even collectible?

DeCab County is illegally trying to collect water debt that is passed, past the statute of limitations, and there are liens on people's homes.

Don't forget about Mr.

Gregory Jones, who sits in his home with his son who has cerebral palsy and needs clean water in order to be healthy and to live with a lien on his home for water debt that is not even accurate.

Mr.

Jones was a victim of the faulty water meter scandal.

You have many other people who are still suffering.

Don't forget about Sameev Garrett, who had an $80,000 water bill.

How in the world could that happen?

But in DeCab County, because we have decided to give pretty words without action.

We still have people who are suffering.

We need a real water customer bill of rights.

We need to have a rap program, a water rate assistance program that actually includes more people because as it stands, the majority of people who apply for rap don't even qualify.

What are we gonna keep?

When are we going to start putting the people first?

Are we gonna keep saying things and not living up to it?

When are we going to show the people of DeCab County that we really are here for them?

It's not even about attacking the commissioners because we don't want data centers.

No, we don't.

But what we really want is for each of you to live up to those promises that you make when you say that your vote is for our voice.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our last speaker Austin Crowell.

Austin, this is our last speaker.

Good morning.

I'm Austin.

I live in Tony Valley.

Um data centers and AI, as they are being developed today, could not exist without surveillance.

First, the majority of capital earned by AI companies like Google and Meta is earned through ad tech, accounting for 55% of Google's 2025 revenue and 98% of Meta's.

This ad tech is premised on creating detailed profiles of users to facilitate highly targeted advertising and can also be utilized to conduct what's called pattern of life analysis to better model and predict user behavior, both online and off.

In fact, a police data broker named Penlink provides police and ICE with geofencing capabilities through location data garnered via mobile advertising IDs, which uniquely identify us to platforms and third-party advertisers, despite posturing as being anonymized.

This allows them to draw a boundary around someone's house and trigger home raids when they pass in or out of that area.

Second, the assumption of the data center boom is that this architecture of AI is sufficient to achieve general intelligence, which means human are better than human level capabilities across all domains.

Under this paradigm, the only bottleneck is scale, thus justifying trillions of dollars of capital expenditure and debt to build ever more computing power.

This is extremely far fetched.

AI exhibits what some reachers call jagged intelligence, meaning it might be able to prove a decades old mathematical conject conjecture, but it can't tell you how many E's are in the word intelligence.

No one understands clearly why this is, because the models largely remain black boxes, even to those that implement them.

Yet we're betting the well-being of our communities and the planet on the slim chance of a few companies actually turning a profit.

Finally, the expansion of compute power only matters if it's accompanied by a proportional growth in data, in particular human generated data.

The synthetic data that AI is capable of producing is not high quality enough to train future iterations of models, even as the internet is increasingly flooded by AI generated text.

This has been tested.

When trained on AI generated data, the performance of large language models regresses infinitely.

The current models have already incorporated the vast majority of the human text corpus in their training sets, meaning that they require a significant growth in user engagement to maintain the flow of training data required for continuous model improvement.

As proven by a recent review of LLM privacy policies, AI companies indiscriminately log user engagement.

Meaning that AI chatbots are also necessarily tools of state and corporate repression.

We don't need a text amendment that opens the door to data centers.

We need to shut them out entirely.

Thank you.

Now it is 10 12, so we will be moving into our public hearing section.

Excuse me.

Madam Clerk, if you'll read the instructions.

Citizens may speak for or against an item that is considered by law to be a zoning ordinance, and each side will have 10 minutes to present its case.

Citizens may also speak for or against an item that is placed on the public hearing agenda, but it's not a zoning ordinance.

In that case, each side will have five minutes to present its case.

In the event there is more than one speaker per side, speakers must divide their time in order to complete their full presentation within the 10 minute time allotment or the five-minute time allotment.

When the buzzer sales to indicate that time has run out, the speaker would be expected to immediately cease speaking and to leave the podium area.

Prior to speaking, a speaker shall complete a speaker card and present it when approaching the podium.

If the speaker has any documents for the commissioners, the speaker shall provide 10 copies when approaching the podium.

Seven copies are for the commissioners, and the remaining copies are for the planning director, the county attorney, and the clerk.

In all zoning ordinance and traffic calming cases, staff should make their recommendation for action to the commission first, followed by applicants or citizens speaking in favor of the item.

Applicants in zoning ordinance cases have the right to reserve time for rebuttal.

Opponents of a zoning ordinance item should have no right of rebuttal.

For all other items placed on the public hearing agenda, applicants or citizens speaking in favor of the item shall speak first, followed by opponents of the item.

Once the citizens have finished speaking, staff shall make a recommendation for action to the commission.

At this point, citizens are no longer allowed to speak unless called to the podium by an individual commissioner to answer questions or provide information.

Speakers should always talk directly into the microphone and begin by stating their name, address, and the name of any organization they represent.

Abusive, profane or derogatory language will not be permitted.

Holding up signs, clapping, yelling, standing, or laying in the aisles to show support for or opposition to a speaker will not be permitted.

But a show of hands or quietly standing in place will be permitted to show support for or opposition to a speaker's position.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

First, from the chief executive office, we have item 2026-1045.

Excuse me.

There's a substitute for this item.

Item and that item is all commission districts.

2026 adorm tax millage rates and budget revision.

Good morning, Mr.

Seabird.

Good morning, Madam PO.

Good morning, commissioners.

So this is our first public hearing of three on the 2026 millage rates.

We'll have a presentation which you should have received copies of just now.

And as the presiding officer mentioned, there is a substitute for this item.

I think we're just waiting for the presentation to get pulled up and all get started.

Okay.

So I really want to start off talking about what is in this budget, you know, what it is that we're actually paying for with the revenue we receive through the millage rates.

So what we did in this budget was really put our money where our mouth is and try to fund a lot of the programs and services that we've heard the most from residents about needing.

So that includes the comprehensive housing strategy, as well as uh expanded funding for economic and workforce development, uh expanded health care access, compensation and benefit enhancements for uh firefighters as well as police, which were funded last year, or were and then uh expanded animal welfare services, food security programs, uh voter education and outreach, and continued support for the arts.

So the next several slides are not new information.

This is information of what was funded during the uh original adopted budget.

So, first off is the housing and affordability, which was a $12 million investment in the housing office and programs anditiatives to for both the unhoused and for housing affordability.

Second is workforce and economic development that includes 1.9 million for uh work source to CAD.

That included 1.3 in additional programming as well as an additional $600,000 for the summer youth program.

Uh there was also $100,000 included for the Chamber of Commerce and $75,000 for a land value and revenue analysis.

Uh healthcare access, there's $1.4 million funded for MedCura Health as well as $1.5 million for mosaic health, and that was to expand uh access to affordable health care across to CAB.

Um public safety and workforce investments.

So last year there was a big push to provide additional compensation and benefits to police officers in order to increase our recruitment and retention of police officers, and I believe if I have my numbers correct.

We started off at the beginning of 2025 with 573 police officers funded, or excuse me, filled, and now we've increased that by about 90 positions.

So we've been successful in really increasing the number of uh filled police positions that we have.

Um this year's budget included some very similar enhancements for firefighters to also uh aid in the the retention and recruitment of firefighters, and then these are just some of the other items that were uh included in the initial budget.

So we have a million dollars for the arts council, a million dollars for voter education and outreach, um a million dollars for the tiger recycling program, uh $780,000 for expanded services through the lifeline contract, um funding for two paralegal positions to facilitate court dog cases, uh $500,000 for food security initiatives, and then also the creation of a community inclusion manager within the CEO's office.

So that brings us to the uh 2026 proposed millage rates as proposed in the original budget.

There is a half mil increase to the uh total millage rate for the unincorporated area.

So last year and for the last I believe uh 10 years prior, it had been at 20.81 mils.

So the proposal for 2026 is 21.31 mils.

And so this slide just lays out where that what that rate looks like across the various funds as well as across the the different cities and unincorporated and in DeCAB.

Okay, and then the following slide is just a history of what those tax millage rates have looked like for unincorporated since 2016.

The 20 point or excuse me, the 21.31 mils, as I said, is a half mil increase over last year.

So we looked at what that would cost an average homeowner in unincorporated to cab.

So the average value of a home in unincorporated to cab is 364,000.

So that additional half mil would be equivalent to about 69 dollars on their property tax bill, which is an increase of 574 per month, so less than six dollars per month.

Okay, the other thing that's gonna be different this year is the eHOS credit.

So last year was kind of an anomaly.

Um recall, we had a eHO surplus that had built up over the years, so we applied that to the property tax bills, which provided additional tax relief to property owners last year.

So without that credit last year, we would have only been able to provide an 86% credit off the uh general and hospital taxes.

So this year we're gonna be able to provide an 84.57% credit.

So that will provide less tax relief than in the past.

However, if you compare it to 2024 prior to the application of the e host reserve, it's actually going to be $36 more in e host tax credit this year than in 2024.

So when you net all that out and you compare the tax bill for an average unincorporated homeowner in 2026 versus 2024, uh the difference is really only 31 dollars than what they would have paid in 2024.

Um in addition to the the amount that's being provided for the general and hospital funds, uh as I said, that's an 84.5 uh percent credit.

There's also the remainder of that e-host reserve that's going to be applied to unincorporated taxes as well as the city taxes.

So that's a total of 10.8 million dollars.

Um that's going to provide a 9.74% credit for unincorporated residents on their police services millage rate.

And so the total EHOS tax relief this year will be 177.5 million.

As I said, 166.7 million is applied to the countywide millage rates, and then the 10.8 million will be applied across unincorporated and city millage rates.

And this slide just shows that breakdown of how it's applied for unincorporated in the cities.

So it looks at the gross homestead digest for each of the cities and uncor unincorporated, and uses a percentage of that to uh determine how much of the e host will go to each of the taxing jurisdictions.

And in that way, what that does is it provides the equal amount of credit for you know homeowners with a you know equal value homes, no matter where they live in DCAB.

All right, so uh the next uh slide is just a comparison of what the tax rates would look like by home values or the tax bills.

So we have two highlighted here 364, that's the average value in unincorporated cab.

Um there you can see it's uh what it would have been in 2024 as well as 2025 and 2026.

Uh and then the difference between 25 and 26 and 26 and 24.

Um and then the green is 450 because that is the average homestead value across all of DCAB, not just unincorporated to CAB.

So as you look down at that final column, which is really kind of the best comparison, looking at 26 versus 24, um, you can see it's uh ranges from you know about a $11 increase at the low end, and then for uh a house that's a million dollars, it's about $90 increase compared to 2024.

And then uh that final line at the bottom is just showing what the uh increase would be for a non-homestead property, so that's the average value into CAV is $775,000.

So that increase would be $155 for a non-homestead property.

Okay, so um in putting together the the uh digest or excuse me, the the millage rates and looking at the digest, there were some changes to our fund balances, what we're projecting for the end of this year.

Um I won't go through the whole list there, but the big picture is we are uh projecting to have 119 million at the end of the year, which is roughly 1.4 months of recurring expenditures uh across all the tax funds.

All right, and the final few slides are just kind of um information about property taxes, so what a millage rate is, which is just the rate that is charged for property taxes, uh, which is expressed in mills, so that's one one thousandth.

If you think of a percent as one one hundredth of a mill is one one thousandth.

Um then the tax digest is just the total value of all taxable property within to cab.

And when we look at setting the millage rates, we're looking at the assessed value, which is 40% of the fair market value, and then we're looking at the net tax digest, which is that 40% amount, less any of the exemptions for property taxes.

All right, and then uh this slide shows the change in the digest since 2018.

Uh the blue bars are the gross digest, so that's that 40% value before exemptions, and the green bars are the net digest.

You'll see that there was pretty healthy growth through from really from about 2020 through 2024, and then the last two years it's kind of leveled off.

So the next slide just shows the annual change, and you can see that again.

That year was 3.9% of the net that increase.

But then if you look at the next three years, you were at 8.4, 10.1, 10.1, and then for last year and was 3.8, and this year we're 4.1.

So we have seen values not decrease, but they are not growing as rapidly as they had in the last several years.

All right.

This is just uh the timeline for the millage rate process.

So we've already passed where the tentative millage rates were adopted.

That was uh at the end of last month.

So now we are here uh 623.

This is the first public hearing on the millage rates.

Uh as I mentioned, there are going to be two more.

The second will be tonight at 68 6 p.m.

in this room.

And then the third and final one will be on July 7th uh 10 a.m.

during the BOC meeting, which is also when the uh scheduled approval of the millage rate will occur.

All right, with that, that uh concludes my presentation.

Thank you, TJ.

And now we'll go into the public comment.

If you are here to speak in favor of this item, please step to that back podium.

If you are in favor of this item, please step to that back podium.

All right, or if you are in opposition, please step to the back podium.

Good morning.

Hey, Jam Dunway District 4.

We've listened to the presentation, which will result in property tax increase for the citizens of Decan.

Um today you will also vote to increase our stormwater utility fee rate and our sanitation rate in another 10 by 10, which is on our property taxes, which will also increase our property taxes substantially.

Um I think it's time maybe we take a more conservative look at things because we're spending money on a lot of stuff, and um you you sitting there will be the ones that will be known for all the property tax increases in the cab for the next 10 years because you voted on it.

Um we're watching, be careful how you spend our money.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker in opposition.

Good morning.

Steven Benny, 1080 1083 Seville Drive, Clarkston, Georgia, 30021.

Now, first off, I would like to ask that if the e-host is going to the cities and unincorporated.

Why is the millage increase only to the unincorporated areas?

I think that the tax increase should be to all residents of Decap County.

Don't we all share in the services?

But congratulations, commissioners.

You have been substituting a very progressive property tax with a very regressive sales tax for over 40 years.

And now the state of Georgia has realized what a great idea it is.

When the Republicans think what you have been doing tax-wise is a good idea.

Using a group a regressive sales tax to pretend to lower property taxes is nothing more than a con game.

If your property tax is $2,000 with the e-host without the e-host, it might be $3,000.

But the county doesn't need $3,000 from you.

It only needs $2,000.

So the county would lower your millage rate until your tax amount is $2,000.

The e-host does not lower the taxes you pay.

It only increases the millage rate you pay on those areas not covered by the e-host.

The price of Coca-Cola is $4.99 at the grocery store.

You go in one day and there is a sale on Coca-Cola.

Three dollars off.

A great deal, but then you notice that the everyday price has been raised to $799.

So at checkout, you are still paying $499.

E-host is a three dollar off sign, but the amount of taxes you pay is still $499.

Taxing poor people to make property owners believe the fallacy that they are saving money on their property taxes is a con worthy of Donald Trump.

But we have been doing it here in DeCab County for over 40 years.

Stop this madness now, drop the e-ho sales tax and lower the millage rates of all property owners.

It is the righteous and fair thing to do for all de Cab County taxpayers.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you.

Next speaker in opposition.

Good morning.

Good morning, Gina Mangum.

I live in districts five and seven.

I just want to speak generally about how we're represented and how our dollars are spent.

But as for South DeCab, and that means Southwest, South Central, and Southeast.

We have been disinvesting in these communities for years.

We have, I know I harp on it all the time, but the SMART situation is now just gotten to the point of ridiculousness.

We have been paying for 50 years and we don't have transit.

50 years, and we are funding a system that we don't enjoy.

But that's not the only thing.

When you look at Sploss, we not only get unincorporated dollars for splust, the cities get their fair share, which is fair, but we're also paying for countywide projects.

Those things that the county is responsible for in cities.

So the cities are double dipping.

Now this isn't a city versus unincorporated issue.

This is a fairness and equity issue.

And equity doesn't necessarily mean equal.

Equity says that's where the need should be met.

And so I'm just going to throw something out here that I've been thinking about for a long time.

Maybe if you run for commissioner in unincorporated de cab, you should live in unincorporated de cab because five of these board members live in cities and they are not representing our interest.

And so when we think about collecting money and how decisions are made and who is affected, I hear from my commissioner Marita Davis Johnson all the time.

But the district also includes cities that are represented by city councils and other people on various issues such as zoning, budgets, and a lot of other things.

So while we're talking about raising rates and raising fees and raising everything else, we not only need to look at what we're collecting, but where we're investing and disinvesting and looking at putting, oh, by the way, industrial development like data centers.

So what you need to do is take care of your constituents in unincorporated South and North, but it affects us the most.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Anyone else in opposition?

Good morning, ma'am.

Good morning.

Jocelyn O'Neill.

I double ditto what has already been said.

I wish my mind could keep it on because I couldn't write fast enough.

But I just want to say equitable, equal.

And let us see where our money is actually going.

I've been begging for a sidewalk on Glenwood Road for I don't know how long.

I see sidewalks all around my neighborhood, but where it's the most dangerous and deadly.

Some of that east splash money is some.

We need to know how to get the grant money.

Every neighborhood has something that they need.

What do we got?

Splash one, two, three, four, five.

How many splashes we have?

Do we have?

Somebody tell me how many splashes we have.

And I just want to see one splash go to zero before the next splash comes in, and it needs to be at zero so that we know that the money that has already been taken is actually being used.

And if it's being used, then there's no money to go in splash two, three, four, five, six, seven, whatever it is.

We don't need that.

Well, we need the equity.

We need we need it to be equal all across the board.

Not just for the cities paying one thing, and then we pay as unincorporated to care pay something else.

Thank you, ma'am.

There is 50 seconds if there's someone else who'd like to speak in opposition.

Good morning.

Good morning.

My name is Jimmy Easton.

I represent the Carriage Hills community, and I am respectfully asking the board to exercise caution before approving any increase in the millage rates or budget expansion without first demonstrating measurable outcomes from current spending.

Many decab residents are already facing rising uh housing costs, insurance costs, utility bills, and inflation.

Property tax increases do not only impact homeowners, but they are often passed along to renters as well.

Uh before asking taxpayers to contribute more, I believe residents deserve clear answers regarding how existing funds have been used, what performance metrics have been achieved, and what efficiencies have been explored within the county government.

Ask the board to prioritize transparency, fiscal responsibility, accountability.

Thank you.

Thank you.

At this time, Mr.

Siegeler, if you'd come back up and give staff recommendation on this item.

Thank you.

The staff recommendations defer the substitute to the July 7th meeting.

Thank you so much.

If we can get our machines ready.

Yes, motion to um defer the substitute to the you said July 7th second.

With a stop in uh fab today.

Quick question.

Your button, hit your button for your motion, please, sir.

Yes, thank you.

Hit your button for your second.

Okay, Commissioner Terry, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President Officer.

Um TJ, can you um for the fab meeting today?

Can we just dive a little bit deeper into how all the different rates are changing?

Because I was having trouble following I see that the end amount, but I noticed all the different funds are kind of fluctuating.

So if we could just kind of go through the rationale for each of those ups and downs, um, and then just help help us clarify the difference on the general fund 2026 and 2025.

It looks on the one spreadsheet, it looked like it went down on the general fund for this year.

So just something for us to talk about in more detail at the committee.

Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Terry.

Commissioner Patrick, you were next.

Thank you, Madam President Officer.

TJ, could you remind us what the proposed new milletry is intended to cover?

So really, when it was originally proposed, a lot of it was to go towards the general fund to cover the um housing investment bonds and other programs for housing.

That was sort of the centerpiece of it, um, as well as the other items I mentioned for health care access, food security, um, arts council funding, and you know, lifeline, animal services.

Um everything that was sort of the start of the the um presentation.

So the difference now really is looking at kind of where we ended last year and where we might see some deficiencies, you know, going forward for this year.

Um, and this kind of gets into Commissioner Terry's question.

That one of the big shifts here is you'll see the general fund proposed rate is lower than what it was originally, but the police fund is higher.

Yep.

And that's due to the fact that we filled in filled more positions.

R respectfully, but my questions are sort of narrow and tail tailored towards that additional ask uh that you had mentioned, and one of those things was uh the housing fund that was intended to address the affordability crisis that we're in the middle of, as well as addressing the homelessness crisis.

That is something that affects everyone from and I've been down to Rainbow Drive, and I've been up to obviously Dungwood Club Drive.

Uh, and there are homeless folks everywhere, and so this is one of those things I think that the CEO has intended to actually address a a pertinent concern that everybody is experiencing right now.

Um that is ultimately what I wanted to hear you say is you know, yes, it's going up, but the rationale that it's going up is is we're actually going to be fixing some of the issues that people come up and come to us with concerns about.

Again, affordable housing.

Um like I said, affordable housing as well as the homelessness crisis.

So um thank you very much.

I yield back my time.

Thank you, Commissioner Patrick.

Commissioner Long Spears, your next.

Thank you, Madam Presiding Officer.

Um TJ, I know how hard this is for you.

We appreciate you so very much.

So thank you for being with us today and doing your very best and a good job at walking us through the presentation.

Um I'll ask my easy question first, and that one is that one is related to slide three, the housing and affordability slide.

So it states here that the initial investment in 2026 is 12 million, but ongoing annual funding of 15 million beginning of 2027.

Investment enables the county to leverage partnerships through housing investment bonds and maximum maximize impact.

My clarification question is just confirming this is for the affordable housing fund.

It's just not explicitly stated in this presentation.

So I think sort of we we call it the affordable housing fund, but it is part of the the general fund budget is the funding source.

So this would be right, what we've referred to as the housing affordability fund.

Okay, so that affordable housing fund, 12 million this year, 15 million annually starting next year.

How I'm reading this is to fund the establishment of the new housing office.

That I mean that's a portion of it, but that is to that that's a very small portion of what that actual budget will be.

It's really to um yeah, what what's been proposed is probably about 10 million annually, that would be for debt service for any of the bond programs, and then five million mostly for programs, so things that we would not be uh you know taking debt on to actually provide, but just paying as you go more like the uh the day center is a great example of that.

Um, and then the actual administrative part of it is very small.

Okay, um the point I was trying to drive home is the affordable housing fund, again, 12 million this year, 15 million beginning next year and moving forward.

Um one of the concerns I brought to our chief housing officer is that the fund was never intended to pay for salaries or people, if you will.

And so we discussed this last week, and Dr.

Ferguson has affirmed that that is indeed correct that the funding from the affordable housing fund that we just referenced will not be used for salaries.

So I just wanted to make sure that you, sir, as our budget director are aware of that.

Okay.

And Dr.

Ferguson, um, he's if he's here, he can speak to it.

I was looking, don't see him, um, but I can certainly um ask him to put that in writing and make sure it's looped into you.

Okay.

All right.

My next question is um I was going through yesterday the May 21st presentation.

And as you always do, sir, and your presentations, you have your notice of property tax increase, and you provide the example that will appear in the champion.

I'm trying to understand of what was written there to what we have now is that in this one at the very first bullet point is that states that the governing authority has tentatively adopted a 2026 millage rate, which will require an increase in property taxes by 1.02 percent.

And then you go down to that bottom bullet and it talks about uh gives the example.

If you have a 45 450,000 dollar home, that's approximately $21.6 cents.

If you have a $175,000 home, that's approximately $36.20.

The reason I am flagging this, and I know you will have the answer, is um in on page 17 of today's presentation, it has $30 for a $364,000 house.

And that's a difference between 24 and 26, and then it has a $450,000, $3882 is between 2024 and 26.

And um, so if you can that's part A, explain that for me.

I know it might relate to e-host or just the changes off your analysis after we um included the notice and the champion.

But a point I do want to make is that I understand why you are comparing 2026 to 2024.

You explained to us um why 2025 was not the best year for comparison purposes due to the e host change.

However, I just want to point out is that a normal citizen when you receive your property tax bill, you're going to notice the 25 to 26 increase in it.

And I think it's just important for you to know that, sir.

Thank you.

To uh answer the first part of your question.

May he continue, Madam PO?

Yes.

I'm okay.

Go ahead, Sarah.

Go ahead and then we'll move to the next person.

Uh so the the advertisement that runs in the champion, that is mandated by state law, and it's calculated just on a portion of the millage rate, so only on the general fund and hospital fund.

So presentation today is looking at all millage rates, so that's one of the major differences.

Uh the other difference is that when we're looking at that, it's also looking at the rollback rate rather than what the rate was last year.

And then the third part of that is there is no when we're doing having to do those calculations, we can't factor in e-host at all.

So that's not reflected in what's advertised.

So really, though, if you go back to what was advertised and what the rollback rate was and what's being proposed now for the countywide rates, there's actually we're below the rollback rate.

So there's there's actually it's just having so many different millage rates and you know different requirements of how we advertise, it gets a little bit confusing to present it.

Thank you, sir.

I yield back.

Commissioner Messiah.

Thank you so much, Madam PO.

So just so that I I am clear and thank you.

Um the substitute, what's the difference between the substitute and the agenda item we were already presented?

The the agenda item previously was really just a placeholder that didn't have any of the detail as far as what was being proposed.

Okay.

All right.

Um and then just to make sure that I'm clear in terms of the um proposed millage rate for unincorporated de capitals 21310.

Is that correct?

That's correct.

Whereas um a city, for instance, like Atlanta, it is 11386, and the the second um ISI guess only being Stone Crest at 21104.

Yes.

So just it's being proposed that unincorporated to Cab County pay a higher millage rate than some of the other areas of that's correct, but uh the difference is in the services that are provided by the county in those areas.

So, you know, you pointed to the two extremes.

So one is the city of Atlanta, where they provide their own fire service, they provide everything except for the general fund and hospital funds.

So they are only paying the countywide rates.

Whereas in Stone Crest, we're still providing most of the services that they were receiving previously, with the exception of parks.

So that's the the difference in Stonecrest millage rate versus the unincorporated millage rate.

I know and I completely understand that.

I was just making sure that was made clear because there are folks and the larger amount of um land and property is um in unincorporated to Cab County for my district, and there's consistent complaints, obviously, in terms of services being provided.

So I was just trying to understand that um for clarity's sake and for the benefit of the public.

Um the other thing is in terms of the reserves, and so um there's only there's less than a month in reserves for unincorporated.

Is that correct?

I think I saw point six.

I believe that's for the the bond fund.

Okay.

Just because we know what the expenses will be.

There's no variability really there in those two funds, unlike some of the other funds where um you know, depending on staffing or or any needs that come up through the year, it can vary more.

Okay, and so uh a million for the arts council, and then uh you know, just to mention I think you had uh share that there is an expected increase of $31.

Um, you know, only $31, but as you know, $31 makes a difference to people on fixed uh incomes.

So just to you know be mindful um of that.

Um with that I'll I'll yield for now and take the rest of my questions offline.

Thank you so much, Madam PO.

Thank you, Commissioner Massai and Commissioner Bolton.

Thank you, Madam P.

O, and and thank you, TJ.

We do understand that this is complex and trying to do a really quick 10, 15-minute presentation does cause you to leave some of the details out.

So we do have to ask questions for clarity.

And I'd like to just start on page seven where it talks about additional general fund investments at the bottom.

The last bullet is creation of a community inclusion manager within the CEO's office.

Can you provide a description of that and the cost to stand that office up?

So I I can provide the cost, I'll have to get back with you on that.

But the description, I believe, was that was in response to some of the um just having more outreach to some of the minority communities and um you know uh immigrant and refugee communities throughout the county.

And currently, what are we doing to reach out to those communities?

When I say we, I'm referring to the administration.

Um and thank thank you.

I'm gonna jump in real quickly, and it's much more ad hoc.

Um currently, we do all that we can with existing personnel to be inclusive and such, but we don't have anyone who's assigned uh kind of the targeted responsibility of ensuring that um you know that all communities know that the CAB County is open and accessible.

Uh and so the intent there is to with this position is to assist not only with business programming, um, where various cultures can participate as vendors, but also ensuring that there's an open line of communication, a more open and direct line of communication between the county, the administration, and the uh various uh communities.

And it sounds like they will rely heavily on relationships with departments and partners in order to execute.

Um, so following my next question is coming from page 15, uh, where you uh discuss um e-host tax relief, and I just wanted to ask really quickly will there be a sliding scale of e-host tax relief for those who have a home valued at 200,000 versus maybe a million, um, considering those who have homes with higher values may be able to afford the increase more readily than those like me who have homes that are not priced that high or valued that high.

So I don't believe there's a sliding scale.

Everything is based on state law and how that's calculated.

Um e host actually stands for equalization homestead option sales tax.

So the intent when the General Assembly passed it was to make sure that similarly situated, you know, residents throughout the county would receive similar benefits.

So what that means is that everyone would receive the same 85% off their general and hospital tax funds.

Um it's a little bit different once you get to the cities and the unincorporated where the dollar amount will be the same as far as how much relief they see on their bill, but the percentages will be different, and that varies based on the millage rates that are charged in those uh jurisdictions.

So what you would see there is if there's a jurisdiction that has a higher millage rate, then they would get a smaller percentage of that for given just because of the fact that they are charging more in taxes versus you know a city that has a lower millage rate, which would then um basically the the amount of taxes going to or the amount of ye hosts going to those cities would be able to offset a greater percentage due to the differences in millage rates.

Okay, so basically, I'm understanding that due to state mandate, there isn't an opportunity for equity, it's literally equalization where everybody pays the same, and so it's out of our hands at this point.

Okay, so moving along to um slide 22.

I didn't have a concern about whether this trend is consistent with uh other jurisdictions of similar size across the nation, and if it's this is not consistent in its trend.

What's the correlation or causation that we're seeing in 2025 and 26?

Um, that it's significantly less here in DeCav.

So we'll have to look into that.

Um, you know, we haven't looked at other jurisdictions to see if they're experiencing the same sort of growth under the digest.

Um you know I think there's multiple reasons why this could be the case, but uh at this point I I'm not sure that I could speak to any one of those.

Okay, and that's the conversation we can continue offline when we've had an opportunity to look at those trends.

I think I had one more.

Let me hear you if we put my time run.

I yield that.

Thank you, ma'am.

Did anyone need does anyone need to have a second round of questions?

All right, seeing none.

All right, seeing none, the motion before us is to defer the substitute until the July 7th meeting.

Please open the machine for the vote.

Motion to defer carries.

Thank you, Mr.

Seeker.

We are now on the top of page three item 2026-0452, Commission District 3, Super District 6.

Application of Tory Engineering Care of Amber Lee to rezone property from R75 zoning district to R60 zoning district to allow 12 single family homes at 2697 Kelly Lake Road.

Good morning, Miss Breck.

Good morning, commissioners.

Um the staff recommendation on this item is for approval with conditions.

The proposal reflects the development patterns of the surrounding residential subdivisions and introduces a modest increase in density that provides an appropriate transition between zoning districts at approximately three units per acre.

The density is well below the maximum uh density for the character area, which is up to eight units per acre.

The proposal also supports the suburban policies of small scale infill, which expands housing choice while maintaining neighborhood character.

Therefore, upon review of sections two to one and pursuant to section 27735, staff recommends approval with six conditions.

Number one, units one and twelve shall have a direct sidewalk connection from each unit directly to Kelly Road, Kelly Lake Road.

Number two, all proposed units facade shall include a porch.

Three stormwater retention ponds shall include at least two benches and will be landscaped.

The applicant will supply proposed enhancements to the retention area prior to approving receiving a rezoning approval letter for to ensure compatibility with the existing development pattern.

The applicant will supply proposed elevations prior to receiving a zoning approval letter five streetscape improvements along Kelly Lake Road shall meet the requirements of section 27543A streetscape elements and dimensions, improvements on new streets and improvements on existing streets.

And finally, number six is approval of this rezoning by the Board of Commissioners has no bearing on the requirements for other regulatory approvals under the authority of the Planning Commission zoning board of appeals or other entity whose decision should be based on the merits of the application under review by each entity.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

So now we'll start the public hearing portion.

If you are here to speak in favor of this item, please step to that back uh podium.

Do one more call.

If you were here to speak in favor of this item, please step to the back podium.

See, you know what?

If you're in opposition of this item, please step to the back podium.

Good morning.

Good morning, distinguished commissioners.

My name is Eric Peake.

I reside at 2615 Candler Woods Drive.

Uh I have been a homeowner there for over 30 years.

Uh many of the individuals within our community have been uh homeowners in this uh community for over 30 years.

We are very progressive.

Uh we have great uh community meetings, uh great turnouts, and we're working for a more progressive uh active and meaningful uh community.

And uh we vehemently oppose the the area being rezoned for for these R60 homes.

Uh many of the homeowners in our area have, again, as I stated, have been been there for over 30 years, and uh many of us, if not all of us, are registered voters, and uh we are productive citizens.

We've had several meetings uh with regards to this uh rezoning issue, and we've made it clear from day one that we're all we are in opposition of the now.

If it was R 75, we wouldn't have a problem.

But we're talking R60 homes, and and that is something that uh we have uh voted uh as a community that we are not uh in agreement with this, and we made again we made it crystal clear.

We're upset because we believe a meeting has occurred that encouraged this application with commissioners.

Uh and it was a and it was a meeting that was done in private.

That was something that was brought to our attention within the last meeting that we have.

We also in the in the very last meeting that we had, we had it.

We also, in the in the very last meeting that we had, we had it, it was it was it was you know had a scratch in our heads because we had a denial, then a change to withdraw, uh, which again, you know, we thought that it was going to be withdrawal, and then uh shortly after there was a deferral with 30 days uh to discuss uh this concern.

Now, if the the individuals that are members of our community are uh in direct opposition of these R60 homes, why are we continuing to kick this can continuing continuously doing these deferrals each and every cycle?

It's not productive, it's not gonna change.

I mean, we are there, we've already made our decision that this is not something that we want.

Uh we are definitely working uh against blight in our community, we're fighting against past splits, uh illegal personal care facilities, uh, pursuit of traffic calming measures within our unit.

And we've we've actually uh we've had some success again, but it's it's it's an ongoing process.

We're in the care in in South Decad where it appears that uh it's the dumping ground for a lot of a lot of things that are happening within the within our community, and and we are not gonna the buck stops here.

That's right, and we should you should it's something it should not even be an issue uh if the homeowners in that area where they're trying to propose this change are in direct opposition.

Why are we continuously kicking this kicking this can?

Thank you very much.

Thank you, sir.

Next speaker.

Good morning, ma'am.

Good morning, everybody.

My name's Delphi Yavonjo.

I'm 83 years old.

I've lived in my home for what, 53 years.

I've been here at all these meetings trying to tell you we don't care what the homes look like, what they build them.

Our issue is zoning.

Why did that nice lady go through all of this telling about how they're gonna look?

That is the county's department.

My department is we do not want rezoning.

We have worked hard in our neighborhood since I lived there, moved there in 1973 to keep the zoning that we've had.

We have an R60 zoning, but it has been a grandfather thing from years ago.

So I'm saying to you, listen to the community.

We care about our community.

We have stopped builders from coming in there doing crazy things like doing townhouses.

We have stopped them putting changing commercial property to residential because we need commercial.

We don't even have a decent grocery store until Lorraine Cochrane Johnson got in office.

Now we will soon have a puppets.

Thank you, Jesus.

So what I'm saying to you all and to Messiah, we don't want zoning change.

It's R 75, let's leave it.

Now, if these builders can't afford to do R75, then they need to go up the road and find someplace else to build their R60 houses and leave our neighborhood alone.

That's all we're asking.

Build your homes.

You're welcome to come, but leave the zoning alone.

If you can't survive a decrease of two homes, then you're in the wrong business.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, ma'am.

Good morning.

Good morning.

My name is Virtonia Jerry.

I'm at 2632 Call Woods Drive.

Um they said all.

They said it all.

But let me tell you on a simple part.

They are coming into our house, disrespecting us.

We don't care if they be a house us, just as long as they don't come in and start rezoning us.

They they are coming to our home telling us we don't want your kitchen over here.

We want it over there.

They haven't lived in our homes.

And Kelly Lake is our home.

Our community is our home.

They are coming in our home telling us what to redirect, how to do it.

This is that.

And then they get in the board trying to say, okay, y'all will get more money if you get more housing.

This, but what about us people?

We we are people, we have hearts and we are sold.

And we have our community.

That is the only place we have here on earth for us to try to feel safe and sound in.

We do not want no rezoning.

Our water structure is uh beginning to get bad, and and it's just a mess.

They they stated that that the first meeting they had, only five of us on the line.

And not only that, but they did not give us uh mail us the uh meeting um instruction until after the meeting.

We had to find out they had the first meeting from another neighborhood whom they sent the papers to.

So it just, they just disrespecting us.

They like, hey, they ain't nothing but dirt.

We could do what we want to do.

Let's try to get the commission to get on board with us.

And that's not right.

We've been there years.

I've been in my home 16 years, and you heard Miss Joe, 53 years.

We have we have uh own homeowners there that's been there longer, and we don't want no rezoning.

You could be a house as long as they are a 75.

Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am.

Anyone else is wanting to speak in opposition?

Good morning, ma'am.

Hi again, Rosalind McIntyre.

Um, I just looked this up.

Um, my um faith institution is in this area, so I just looked this up because I've been in that area for over 40 years.

And it says here, and I'm using AI in Atlanta, closely packed, old closely packed homes are unique for fire risks.

So, my question is to planning.

Have you talked to the people with the fire department?

They have given me information about Ethridge Street where homes burn.

This is in Northwest Atlanta on Hill Street in Southwest Atlanta, on Bouldercrest Road, and unincorporated the cab, two newly built homes under construction in the East Side Park area.

They burn because they were too close together.

It was a brush fire that started, but it destroyed those two homes.

I mean, I'm just looking at all of this, these homes that are being built.

You have your rezoning, making more homes, putting more homes on smaller lots, and then you don't have they don't have that space between them when fires start.

Just letting you, I would just want to know if the um planning department is in discussion with other departments, such as the fire department.

Thank you, ma'am.

We have just over a minute for probably one final speaker.

Good morning, sir.

Thanks, y'all.

My name is Paul Glaze.

I'm a resident of Kelly Lake at 2609 Yale Terrace.

Uh, we've lived there for a few years now.

Uh, and I just want to say that the area is developing, and this community has worked very hard to uh help rally together, welcome new people, welcome new families, but protect legacy homeowners.

And this has been a fight that has actually helped us do that.

It is bringing people together.

Uh, and so I would just urge you uh you know to uh respect the R75 zoning.

Uh we are right in the middle of a lot of commercial development.

It is happening, it is going to be happening regardless.

Um, but this is this is one that has been good for us uh and that protects uh a very beautiful uh kind of uh natural entrance to one part of the neighborhood.

Um, and so just again, thank you so much for your time today.

Uh, and we do uh urge you to preserve the R75 zoning.

Thank you, sir.

There is 20 seconds left.

All right, see no one else coming up to speak in opposition of this item.

If Deputy Director Bragg will come forward.

Uh the staff recommendation is for approval with six conditions.

Thank you.

Is there a motion?

Motion to die.

Is there a second?

Second by Commissioner Terry, Commissioner Messiah has requested a speaker of the floor, ma'am.

Thank you so much, Madam PL.

Thank you so much for the community for to coming out.

Um I'll tell you, my consistent concern for our district for our community is applications such as this.

I have colleagues on this board of commissioners who have presented agenda items to by matter of right, reduce the R75 R85 square footage so that there doesn't even have to be an application in place so that it doesn't have to come before us as a board of commissioners, so that the community doesn't have to give notice so that there isn't an opportunity to be heard, and where an applicant doesn't have to communicate what the burden would be by just building in the character and the nature as zoned.

Those are the things that I've fought against for the longest time.

And these are the type of things that I'm going when I'm long gone.

I need our community to continue to fight against because they will try to get them in.

Pay attention to when there's cameras and people taking cameras and filming and when they're not.

Pay attention to when people are standing up and fighting for and fighting against and not and seeing who those individuals are aligned with.

Pay attention and fight for your community.

Fight for our community.

Thank you, Commissioner Messiah.

Commissioner Terry.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Um, and thank you to our um neighbors and constituents that came out today.

I know we were hoping to meet on Thursday, but a storm system you know came in and we had to cancel the meeting.

But um, but you're here today and you've let your opinions be known, so I want to respect that.

Um I think that the thing that the denial and the reason why I support the denials that it does give a two-year cooling off period.

So a deny a denial does, if it's approved today, uh, would prohibit any rezoning application for two years.

I think that gives us time as commissioners as well as the Kelly Lake community to um to really ask the question of how do you want to see your community grow and set the terms now before any new applications come.

We've been working in other parts of district um six to do small area plans where we've um and we'll have another agenda item on the uh public hearing later today that is asking this question of can we move forward with zoning while we're trying to do a small area plan to chart the future over the next 10 to 15 years of our neighborhoods.

So what I would like to ask for from the administration and the planning department in the new on-call planning contract that hopefully will be approving later today for those small area plans to be um inclusive of communities that are experiencing development pressures.

Um when we have a community like Kelly Lake that hasn't had a comprehensive small area plan, sometime these sort of one-off zoning applications can feel disjointed from the larger plan.

And because there isn't a dedicated long-range plan for Kelly Lake, um, it's it feels like you're fighting things versus saying here's what we want to see, and so all future applications will be based on what the community is is looking to see in those development patterns.

So I think this two-year period gives us time to do that.

Um I'm looking for a mid-year budget um Zach so that we can include the Kelly Lake community in the small area plan budget uh within that contract so that we can you know start this process.

Now the community has come together, which is really exciting.

So I appreciate the sometimes those fights introduce us to people that we might otherwise not have met, and this is an opportunity of empowerment to say for yourselves this is what we want to see.

And so let's move forward with the idea that if we plan a future together, it can be smart, it can be sustainable, it can protect our legacy residents, uh, but also provide that economic development that we are looking for in South Decad.

Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Terry.

And just to clarify, the motion is to deny our screens are showing deferred.

Deny.

Okay.

There we go.

I see it now.

Thank you.

See no further requests to speak, please open the machine for the vote.

Motion to deny carries.

Madam Presiding Officer before you move to the next item, we would like to have a motion to reconsider item 20, 26, 10, 45.

Can I get that motion so we can explain?

So second.

You guys can hit your buttons for me.

One more time, Commissioner Terry.

There we go.

I don't know.

All right, and open the machine for the vote to reconsider.

Thank you so much.

At this time, I will call on attorney Phillips to explain.

Thank you, madam presiding officer.

We're simply trying to make sure the motion is precisely accurate.

You didn't technically say the word for public hearing in the deferral to July 7th.

So the deferral to July 7th should be for public hearing, so the clerk's record is accurate.

Understood.

Thank you, Commissioner Terry.

Thank you, and apologies for missing that.

Um motion to defer item 1045 to the July 7th via C meeting.

The substitute.

Thank you.

With a for a public hearing.

Thanks so much.

The substitute to July 7th with a public hearing.

And if we open the machine for the vote.

That motion carries.

Thank you so much.

And thank y'all for keeping us on track and where we need to be.

So now we are still top of page three item 2026, Dash 0628.

All the commission districts application of the director of planning and sustainability for a text amendment to amend chapter 24 pertaining to an excise tax on short-term rentals and chapter 27 pertaining to zoning.

For the purpose of clarifying provisions, this text amendment is countywide, and we were just handed a substitute.

Good morning again, Ms.

Bragg.

Uh good morning.

So the staff recommendation for this is for approval of the substitute, which was revised on 6.4 and emailed to you on 618.

The proposed text amendment clarifies the ordinance language to reflect the current operations by replacing references to a permit with a license, which is consistent with the business license uh licensing process.

Um the substitute removed several proposed amendments after legals review because they were either redundant or address future practices not currently codified, including provisions related to chronic nuisance properties and residential entertainment.

So just very simply the ordinance really just changed the primary thing it does is changes every reference to permit to license.

Thank you.

Thank you, Direct Deputy Director Bragg.

This is a public hearing item.

So if you are in favor of this item, please step to the back podium.

If you are in favor of this item, please step to the back podium.

All righty, seeing nobody.

If you are in opposition, please step to the back podium.

Seeing and one more call.

Anyone in opposition of this item?

All right, seeing nobody, Deputy Director Bragg, one more time.

The recommendation is for approval of the substitute.

Thank you.

Is there a motion for this item?

So all commission districts.

Oh motion to approve the substitute.

Seconded by Commissioner Marita Davis Johnson.

Commissioner Terry has requested a speak.

You have the floor, sir.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Um Director Bragg, the community council district five recommendation wanted to add an amendment for under 4.2.15.

Um adding felonies, sex crimes, and crimes against children should be added to the list of reasons for denial, revocation, suspension.

Was that made into the final draft?

No.

Um so the original version of this was a little bit more ambitious, but through the current the um community council planning commission, and then through this process, um, the ordinance was streamlined to really only address the current operational deficiency of the ordinance, which was um changing the license, the references to permit to licensing.

So we do expect um we are currently implementing this ordinance, and so we do expect to come back with a number of recommendations for proposed changes to the ordinance at a later date, um, and that may be something that we look at at that time.

Okay.

Is there any legal reason why we couldn't just add that today?

Um not that I'm aware of, um, but I don't know if legal has reviewed that that that policy recommendation specifically.

Okay.

County attorney Phillips, did is that something that y'all need to research further?

Um and a prohibition.

Can you read that, Commissioner Terry again?

Yeah, it just says under section 4.2 uh.15, adding felonies, sex crimes, and crimes against children shall be added to the list of reasons for denial revocation suspension of the license.

So the the proposal would be to add that to the ordinance to today from the dias.

Is that taken out?

No, it was never included.

So that was a recommendation for one of the community councils.

Okay.

Commissioner I would suggest that we give it a time to research that addition.

I'm sorry.

Uh I would recommend that we have some additional time to research the addition of those uh proposed uh conditions.

Okay.

Okay.

Um, thank you for that.

Um Director Bragg, when so for I know this is more of a cleanup um agenda item, so when would y'all expect to bring additional uh revisions back to the board?

It's really gonna depend um on how the process goes.

So we are also in the middle of our zoning code update.

So at some point we are going to um try to stop having as many text amendments so that we can really focus on the zoning code update, and this could be changes that could be included in that um process.

Okay.

Um one of the changes I think that myself and a couple other commissioners had asked about was once we've established the ordinance to basically set the ceiling for non-homestead properties.

So um does that amendment need further review?

It seemed like that one was pretty universally accepted by the community council and I think by commissioners.

So is that something I'm looking for I don't want to go through a whole you know six, nine months when there's some things I think that have appeal and make sense that we could hopefully do quicker than waiting for the zoning update.

Um so that I think that that a substantive change to the short-term rental regulations would need to go through community council planning commission and back to you for approval and review.

Right.

Uh they have to?

I I think I mean, so I I think that a substantive change to the legislation should go through that process.

Okay.

Well, I'm thinking because I feel like we talked about a lot of these changes throughout the years long process.

They just didn't make it into the final version.

So I exactly my opinion is that we've talked about it.

It just didn't make it in for you know, I guess logistical reasons and maybe other things to research.

But I think for you know, adding that prohibition language, um setting the cap for um non-homestead exempted properties, I think is the best way to preserve what basically you know has been a pro proliferation of Airbnbs, you know, in um in uh properties basically as a um a business venture.

So taking single family homes off the market for purely rental purposes, and if we cap it at um where it's at now, and then all future ones have to be homestead exemptions, we're preserving uh you know future housing stock for homeownership.

So that ones to me seemed like it was pretty popular.

Um so uh I guess legally speaking, we don't have to go back through the full cycle to make these what I think would be small amendments.

I mean, I think you could make a motion and if it gets four votes, then it would be adopted, right?

Okay.

Thank you, Commissioner Carey.

See no other requests to speak, please open the machine your second.

Yes, so um Commissioner Patrick, uh would you uh accept a friendly amendment upon approval of this request the planning department to come back with those additional amendments that they've been working on that just didn't make it in this um you know within the next zoning cycle.

Just so I'm clear.

Uh the additional items that you read in, you would like those to be as part of the motion a consideration to have planning staff come back to us after it goes through the process.

Yeah, I think the staff would need um the board direction on working on additional amendments.

Um if it's just me saying saying it, then you know I'm only one vote.

But if the board voted to um request that they work on this, hopefully we can have it come back within one one zoning cycle.

How about motion to approve um with a ask of staff to come back to us within one or two cycles for additional text amendments?

Is that can you look you leave with that?

Yes or director Bragg is good with that.

Yes, so we're learning things as we implement this ordinance, right?

And so I just think that there will be a number of things that need to be addressed that may not be totally obvious to us within the next two months.

Okay.

Well, two two cycles.

So that gives us four months.

Um if there's something to talk about.

Is that a uh uh an acceptable condition as well if there's something to talk about if they have something that they found come back to us?

So I I will also just say um as you're aware, you know, we have seven items on this morning's agenda.

Um staff is working on a number of really large projects, so our capacity is reaching its maximum.

Um we can do our best.

I I like that's the right attitude.

We would do our best.

Thank you.

Well, and just uh, you know, I don't want to like make a big deal about all I don't want to get too granular.

I think there were just two main amendments that I think have actually really been deliberated on.

Um so one is adding that restriction language, and then two just capping the homestead.

I think that's reasonable.

I don't think that's gonna throw off the whole system.

So capping the number of non-homested um short-term rentals, and you said the second one was uh just adopting the um the recommendation from community council district five um to add felony sex crimes and crimes against children to the reasons for denial revocation and suspension uh pending law department review.

Um so currently um we don't require a background uh check in order to register as a short-term rental owner.

Um so I would just want to look more into how the planning department is um reviewing that issue and and applying it.

Okay, great.

Well, let's let's add that to the list too then.

That's a great idea, Rachel.

Because you know, I mean they're operating in our I mean, these are rentals in neighborhoods, you know, broadly, and so I think having that level of review and background check and just make ensuring that what happens at these locations aren't gonna disrupt the communities that they're placed in.

Understood.

Okay.

So it's Commissioner Patrick, I think I think she's accepted two cycles, but I think we can do it a lot quicker than that, Rachel.

So it's within two cycles.

Is that fair?

I'm gonna defer to the presiding officer to address how we talk about things here.

I think I'll touch on that after everyone else is that has requested a speak has spoken.

Because I'm still trying to digest what is being asked.

So Commissioner Davis Johnson.

Yeah, I think that's microphone.

Thank you, Matt.

Good morning.

Good morning.

And and I think that we should deal with really the issue at hand.

So that we're not piecemealing this item and have to continuously bring it back.

I think that um any discussions as to tax amendments should be brought to the attention of planning and considered and discussed along with legal, and uh then should be brought back to us in a comprehensive, holistic manner, than trying to piecemeal what we're saying from the DAS today.

And so uh I'm for moving forth with this item.

I do understand and appreciate that there will be tax amendments that I mean there will be amendments that we will add, but I think it needs to be considered in a comprehensive matter, not piecemeal.

And so I would suggest that any of us that have recommendations to be made to get with planning, and then you all can give us a certain a time certain as to when you all prepare to bring it back after considering uh what the seven commissioners and the community may have an impact on.

So thank you.

Thank you.

I yield back.

Thank you, Commissioner Davis Johnson, Commissioner Bolton.

Thank you, ma'am.

And I just do want to iterate that um we did previously, uh a few of us did have conversation with legal about capping the number of STRs based on homestead, and I was under the impression that it was going into the document as well.

Um however, if all commissioners had not had an opportunity to read here, discussed or can drip contribute to that.

I do think it's important that everybody gets that opportunity.

But I do want to clarify that I was under the impression that after we had the discussion with legal that it would be put into the document and codified for uh this meeting to move it forward.

And this was several months ago.

I don't even recall uh precisely when it was.

I yield back.

Thank you.

Commissioner Masaya.

Thank you so much, Madam PO.

Yes, the consideration is in terms of ensuring that we had an opportunity to review it, that we um have had an opportunity, those that want to um speak with legal before we're adding in the additional verbiage.

Um I'm always gonna you know air on the side of concern with that regard so that we can stay above board um when we are um writing some of the policies that we are are doing, and I think to add that specific language on the fly here um can potentially create uh a bit of a challenge and would much feel much better if we had an opportunity to communicate with legal and with um planning planning director and ensure that that's language we should be utilizing instead of just trying to throw things in, hope that it sticks down.

Um that I yield back to you, Madam P.

How thank you, Commissioner Messiah.

Um, seeing no one else requesting this meet, Commissioner Patrick asked me to weigh in on this one.

Um, as I understand it, Commissioner Terry, you're requesting that language be added to the original motion to approve the substitute that would give us timeline, a short time shorter timeline for the planning staff to revisit and bring information back to us and a potential more text amendments.

Yes, um, I believe the things that were left over that we have not done in this agenda item is a is mainly addressed the homestead exemption cap.

So that would be the main request.

The other one was something I just saw from community council district five, and I thought made sense.

Understood.

So if I get to give my preference, I would like to soften that language of the friendly amendment because as Deputy Director Bragg is saying stated, they're just starting to implement this program.

I think they would need a minimum of six months to really understand what's working and what's not working, and I lean on them to be able to bring forward additional amendments on top of what other commissioners are mentioning today.

So I would hope I would prefer at least a six-month or also just some language that acknowledges that we are requesting them to bring back to us once they've had time to do some implementation.

Um I like the way you phrase that.

Uh, it does give some flexibility.

Uh, we believe in our planning staff, but I believe we don't want to run them out of town with uh uh short time frames that we may put on them.

So uh I'm comfortable with what you suggested as the friendly amendment.

As long as someone knows how to write that down, what I said and make it to the motion.

Commissioner Long Spears.

Uh, you threw me the softball.

I was going to ask if Commissioner Patrick would restate the motion.

So I'm clear on what we're voting on.

Make a motion to do whatever they just say.

Um make a motion to approve the ordinance as is substitute.

The substitute as has been presented.

Um, and then ask planning staff to come back to us within six months uh with uh any modifications or after a six-month implementation period.

After a six-month implementation period, in which homestead will be evaluated.

Is that right?

Just okay, thank you, Miss Bragg.

They will consider all elements.

I would like to not narrow down what's revaluated.

I think all of it.

I just think that's one important piece of that.

All right, thank you.

Yield back.

All right, thank you, Commissioner Long Spears.

I think we are clear on the substitute with the friendly amendment.

If we can open the machine for the vote.

We would not narrow any in on anything.

No, no, no.

Motion to approve the substitute carries.

All right, so I'm gonna do a time check.

It is 1133.

We are only about halfway through our public hearing items, so I'm just going to caution my commissioners.

I am wanting to get through public hearing before we take any breaks.

All public hearings.

Next, we have item 2025-0972, and we were just handed a substitute.

Application of the director of planning and sustainability to amend chapter 27 to establish a definition, regulatory guidelines, and development standards for data centers and M, M2, OI, and OD zoning districts.

This text amendment is county-wide.

Welcome back, Director Deputy Director Bragg.

Thank you so much.

Um, so what you're being handed is the substitute that we emailed out last night.

Um, it is not substantively different than the version that you saw last Thursday.

Um, but legal did have an opportunity to review and provided some guidance um in order to clarify and correct some some errors on the um tax amendment that was sent out last Thursday.

So after the June 2nd Cal staff reviewed again all the commissioner comments and have proposed the revisions that you see before you today.

Um these revisions appeared to have a majority support based on our conversations.

Um the most important thing to understand about this text amendment is that there are currently no regulations for data centers in the CAB.

There is not even a definition.

In order for staff to regulate this use, um, we recommend that there be an adopted definition and regulations, and that's what this text amendment proposes.

So what you have is draft four.

It requires a slot for any data center larger than a minor data center.

That's removed the redevelopment slot waiver.

So even if you're redeveloping a previous industrial use, you'll now be required to have a slump if it is considered a data center based on our definition.

It also increases the buffer from residential uses or zoning districts from 500 feet to 750 feet.

It also limits the maximum size of any data center to one million square feet of improved land.

That includes not only the buildings themselves, but any improvements, roads, parking areas, substations, etc.

Additionally, any data center with a substation would now be classified as at least a major data center.

We have included a provision for more efficient cooling systems.

We have included sound measurements for info sound that will be necessary to be included in the noise study that is submitted at the time of the slot application, and we have updated the definition for accessory data centers.

So given these updates, um, staff does recommend approval of the June 22nd substitute.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Director and Juka, did you need to add anything?

Oh no, I was just here for moral support and ask any questions.

Good afternoon, Commissioner.

Good to see you.

I didn't get to see all of you guys.

Thank you.

All right, now we will open public hearing for those who are here to speak in favor of this item.

Please step to that back podium.

Again, in favor of the data center item, I don't need y'all hurting each other if someone steps up at the wrong time.

Anyone in favor?

Okay.

Now the orderly.

Anyone in opposition step to the back podium to the text amendment that creates a regulation and a definition.

I just want to be clear that you are actually asking the public to comment on something we have not seen.

Right?

Because it was emailed to you yesterday.

We have not seen it.

So what are we commenting on?

Have you even read it?

Yeah.

Is the real question.

This is absolutely unacceptable.

We have come here for months and months and months and worked with you and done research.

And what do you do?

You drop something the night before that we haven't seen, and then you want our comments on something that we haven't seen.

You may be willing to comment on something you haven't read, but we're not.

And so since you realize that we don't want data centers in the cab, since you asked for evidence, since we have made our positions clear, not one person has come up here in favor of this text amendment.

We do not want data centers in DeCab County.

Period.

And since you will not listen to us or the evidence or all of the things we've learned over the last eight months, we have invited a guest on behalf of the DeCab Citizens Coalition to tell you what it's like to actually have a data center.

So in my time, I yield to Keishon Pearson from Memphis, who is working with the Memphis group against uh pollution and environmental justice.

Keyshawn.

And just so we're clear, it is a collective time.

So continue.

We understand.

Uh first want to say uh thank you, Miss Gina.

Thank you to everybody uh who is a part of this coalition who got me here.

Um, first I gotta say the distance between the people who voted to elect you and yourselves is ridiculous.

There is no reason these folks should be yelling out toward the people that work for them.

We have to get into public service that involves servitude first, not secondary or tertiary.

I came all the way from Memphis to tell you you do not want a data center.

A data center is so much more than what they tell you about on the news.

They told us that they would come in with a small business that would employ hundreds of people.

What we got was tons of pollution and a pain in our community that will continue to persist for generations.

You do not want a data center.

What you are witnessing right now is the lack of transparency that continues to follow Meta, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and every billionaire, once trillionaire who believes that the oligarchy has the right ideas about what our civilization should be and should look like.

It looks like one where you put forth corporations over people.

You put profits above the poison that they are spewing.

You do not want a data center.

If I can tell you anything, I can tell you that the loss of Sam Knox and the loss of Mama Collier these past two years is still within my heart and still breaking our community.

I don't want to see any family suffer as we have.

But they will not be the only to suffer.

Air doesn't understand buffers, air doesn't understand a wealthy community from a poor one.

Everyone will continue to suffer at an extreme cost if you allow these data centers to be brought.

Because they won't come alone.

They will start with one, and they will continue to expand.

It started with XAI, and now we have Google and Anthropic who are in our city.

Do not follow the failed leadership of Memphis, Tennessee.

The South deserve better.

Black people deserve better than environmentally racist projects that continue to perpetuate a system that puts us last, that does not consider our futures.

Do not follow failed leadership.

This is a moral moment of clarity, and it is your responsibility to meet this moment.

The people here have made their voices heard and demand a just decision.

We all deserve clean air, clean water, and a healthy environment that's non-negotiable.

Stand up for the people.

Stand up against the oligarchy.

Thank you all.

Next speaker.

Hey, my name is Jimmy Easton.

I'm speaking on half of the Carrot Chills community.

Over the past several years, studies have been conducted, moratoriums have been extended, and discussions have continued.

At this point, many residents are no longer asking what data centers are, but we're asking what will they do for the people of DeCav County.

Residents have raised concerns regarding water consumption, energy demand, environmental impacts, infrastructure strain, and the potential for increased utility costs.

If communities are expected to absorb these impacts, then public, then the public deserves clear answers regarding what they receive in return.

How many permanent jobs will be created for DeCab County residents?

What direct community investments will be required?

Will there be legally enforceable community benefit agreements?

Will operators contribute to infrastructure improvements and workforce development programs?

And how will taxpayers share in the economic value generated by these facilities?

Innovation should benefit the communities that host it.

And the question before us is not whether AI should exist.

The question is whether the people of DeCav County will see meaningful, measurable benefits that outweigh the costs.

I urge the board to prioritize residents, taxpayers, and community outcomes before approving any pathway for future data center expansion.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

My name is Faith Park, and I am a candidate for Congressional District 13.

If you all have not been informed of the special election, early voting begins July 6th, and voting day is July 28th.

I live in Clayton County and I'm experiencing in real time how decisions made in these rooms are reshaping every one of our communities.

I am running because I looked around and saw no candidate stepping up with a real plan to protect our communities.

So I decided I would.

And we need you to keep it to the what's on the board and not a campaign.

That's next.

And for what?

I will tell you what.

It's being traded for data centers that are swallowing up land that should be used for housing families, building schools, supporting healthcare facilities, and strengthening our community.

And it seems that local government is ignoring real warnings about utility and energy strain.

I have been listening and learning from individuals like Ansley Brown and groups like DeCab Water Watch and DeCab Citizens Coalition.

I have listened to residents who feel shut out, dismissed, and ignored in decisions that will define their lives.

Are you listening?

Because the residents of District 13 are already stretched thin.

The last thing we need is to be subsidizing big tech's bottom line.

We need a hard stop on placing data centers in or near our neighborhoods, schools, parks, and other areas that should be strongly protected, and each of you should be moving to ban data center development too close to residential areas.

I'm standing here with my two-year-old son asleep on my chest because our government is not protecting his future, and government refuses to do its job, moms have to step up, moms run for office, moms show up, fight, and gather together.

And I refuse to raise them in a state or a district where communities are sacrificed for corporate build out.

I refuse to tell him one day that I saw what was happening and did nothing.

So if no one else in office seems to be willing to fight for his future or our children's future, then I will because our future is worth fighting for.

And please yield to a DeCab County resident.

Our residents came out here to speak.

Please allow DeCab County residents to speak.

Please they took your time.

I live in district two.

So these massive data centers are detonating atom bombs to light a campfire, just so a small handful of billionaires turning into trillionaires now can pass fake money around in a circle.

Localized models can do 80% of this work and run on the Mac Mini.

The future of AI is on a chip you own and not colossal data centers poisoning the lives of everyone around it.

And if this passes and these ordinances are violated, will any of the fine officers in this room be arresting anyone?

Uh Madam Chair, motion to ex motion to extend public hearing by 10 minutes.

Second.

Okay.

Can you restate that motion?

I could not hear.

Motion to extend public hearing by 10 minutes.

Seconded by Commissioner Long Spears.

Please open the machine for that vote.

I have a friendly amendment.

If we restrict it to DeCab County residents only.

Yes, that's fine.

Yeah, the speaker lives in Clayton County.

Attorney Phillips.

I just said she has to be able to do that.

She's not campaigning for DeCab County residents.

Attorney Phillips.

I just wanted to offer to Commissioner Terry on his motion.

You didn't have speakers for.

You may want to designate all of the time to those against.

Yes.

Um thank you, Attorney Phillips.

Yes, the motion is to extend public um hearing for both sides for 10 minutes.

My second stance.

Do you accept the friendly amendment?

Oh.

Yes, and the friendly amendment amendment for DeCab residents is accepted.

Thank you.

Please open the machine for the vote.

Hands.

All in favor of the extending 10 minutes for DeCab County residents only.

That's fine.

I'll go through that because they're good.

All opposed.

I think the majority gets it.

So we will go another 10 minutes.

We are it's gonna be a long day today.

Germain to the text amendment about defining a data center and setting regulations and being a resident of DeCab County.

Welcome to the podium, ma'am.

My name is Claire Shechsnyder.

I am a DeCab resident.

I have been for 40 years of my life, the majority of my time here.

I just want to point out to people that you should not be gaslit by this commission in this county.

If they pass the text amendment today, then they can raise the moratorium immediately thereafter.

So they'll sit up there and they'll tell you, oh, I've extended it a hundred days.

Oh, we've extended it a year.

As soon as they pass this text amendment, that moratorium gets lifted.

So and tonight or today, we just saw that they submitted one last night, a substitute that none of us have read.

I bet they haven't read it either.

And here it is, they're gonna vote on it, and you watch that moratorium disappear.

So just be aware.

Be eyes on the next speaker.

Good morning.

Good morning.

My name is PJ Lemuel.

I live at 4365, Westley Way, Decatur, Georgia.

I live in South DeCab County, Decatur, Georgia.

I would like to speak on why data centers should no longer be considered data centers, but surveillance centers.

Why is there such a rush and so much pushback from our elected officials to ram these centers down our throats?

The proposed changes being recommended are a sham.

Just in the few meetings that I have attended and the limited research I have done, and there's a ton of research, tells me the decision has already been made and that you're just waiting on the right time to spring the trap.

You have heard from the community that they don't want these facilities in our neighborhoods.

Yet you double down.

Do any of you live in the proposed site areas?

In researching this topic, I am curious as to why there's been no mention of any type of alternatives for cooling and providing electricity to these massive natural resource guzzlers for coexistence in spaces that enclose that are in close proximity to neighborhoods.

Why no mention of the development the developers putting the upfront cost of being completely independent of the community's power lines and water supply?

The CAP already has a water issue that has not been completed.

Special circumstances had to be employed to supply water to a local business so that they could have water for their restaurant restaurant, and these centers haven't even been built yet.

Some argue, well, this is the wave of the future.

I agree.

The expansion is and should be on the table, but not the risk of human life.

Why such massive information gathering centers?

DeCab County already is the most surveilled county in Georgia.

There are at least eight cameras on every corner.

Who needs this data?

Who are you selling it to?

This is another boom in the country, and we're experiencing all of this.

Like all other booms, this will be no different.

Get in, take the gravy, and leave the poop for us to clean up.

The most humiliating part of this is that you expect us to pay for it.

Thank you.

Come on, Pete.

Thank you, next speaker.

My name is Deborah Wallace.

I was here before on repaving, but now I'm gonna talk about the data center.

We don't need one.

From what I can see, the current text that you stuck in on Thursday, 750 feet is not enough.

The infrastructure will deteriorate the area and upset the homes that live around it.

Also, water will be destroyed.

We have a water problem, and water is one of the most precious commodities we have.

And the world is running out of it.

So let's be real.

Also, electricity.

Our bills are high already, and we're gonna land up paying for that data center's electricity, because the last one kind of snuck in underneath and got their electricity siphoned from somebody else.

We don't know that's not gonna happen here.

So let's be real.

If you destroy our water, take our air, take our environment, then our health care is going to go up.

You guys don't even want to pay for the health care issues that we need to get done.

So remember, it's a sliding scale going down.

So no data centers.

This tax amendment, uh-uh, no, got to get rid of it, find a better way to satisfy your constituents.

Thank you.

Oh, Nixon Five.

Next speaker, please.

Okay, Christy Reed.

I've lived in the Cab County since 2002 and only started coming to these meetings, and so I've been to every single one of these data center meetings.

And I remember seeing one person positive.

And all he talked about was that he liked AI because he's having a personal problem.

But he doesn't want data centers.

You guys have not explained why you keep pushing this.

You have not showed us any benefits.

We have given you facts over and over and over about the negative implications.

And the current little behavior that just happened about allowing who's going to testify.

Which was informed and transparent.

Now, last time one of you said you hear in your office's public comment that it's positive.

Well, what facts?

How many?

Is it one person?

Does what they say, I'm a developer and I'm gonna give you something.

Why aren't you being transparent about why you are pushing this?

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Keanu Jones Moore, 3635, Broadview Court, Decatur, Georgia.

We want to know why the whiplash.

Why do we get a moratorium extension one day and then we're pushing through the text amendment the next day?

We want to know who is considering the fact that if there is a data center to be built, they are all in district three.

That is South DeCab.

We know we already deal with landfills and a couple of other instances of environmental racism, including Cop City.

Do you want to make this another bad decision like the land swap that you did with Ryan Millstep?

And we're still not getting any benefit from that.

And what about the value of the people's homes that will go down?

Because you know inevitably, if data campuses come, then Georgia Power is going to get by imminent domain some people's property for high voltage power lines.

You know the facts.

For some reason, somebody wants to spin things and make it a little bit different because they take two words and piece them together and then they make it a whole ass lie.

But what we are not going to keep doing today is kicking the can down the road because we are definitively saying we don't want this.

You got stuff on an agenda from 2024, and you trying to push this through.

Don't think we're dumb.

We're not.

And yes, the cameras are rolling, but guess what?

I do this day in, day out, in season, out of season cameras, no camera in the church, on the street, in the Capitol, wherever I go.

So you got it.

Next speaker, please.

Uh similarly coming back up for uh for a data center comment.

Uh Paul Glaze, 2609 Yale Terrace District 3.

Uh I know it's tempting.

I've been involved in a lot of county policy fights and city policy fights across the state.

And we live in a state where anytime we want to do something good, people above us tell us that it's not allowed, that it's not possible that that power gets taken away.

In the first six months of this year, 130 billion dollars of data centers have been stopped by people and by county commissions just like you across this country.

We are at a moment this is a time to lean in.

This is a time to lead, and if you take this step, you will be seen as people that really push the state forward and be leaders across this space and across the country.

That's what we want for you.

Thank you.

We are at 30 seconds.

So I just wanted to leave you with a couple of questions for your consideration.

So if these facilities come um consume considering amounts, cons if they consume significant amounts of land, water, and power.

Um, what is the average managed measurable benefit for the cab residents?

Uh that they'll risk experience as a result.

And um, if residents are accepted to accept the impacts, what guarantees exist that they will share in the rewards.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, we are out of time.

That was those who were against, and we did the motion was for both, so I do need to extend the question for anyone in the audience who was in favor because that was the motion.

Anyone in favor?

There was another 10-minute opportunity.

Anyone in favor?

All right, thank you so much.

All right.

Now we Deputy Director Bragg, if you will come forward again.

The staff recommendation is for approval of the June 22nd substitute with the note that it would go into effect on September 30th, which would give staff time to um get our um applications uh prepared.

All right.

Is there a motion?

I want to defer it.

Yes, I need a motion before we can have conversation.

Yes, Madam Chair, I have a motion.

The motion is to defer this text amendment for nine months.

You said nine months.

Nine months, and I have a second board discussion.

All right.

We have a motion to defer for nine months, second by Commissioner Bolton.

Commissioner David Johnson, you requested to speak first.

You have four.

Thank you.

I think it was mentioned in the public mentioned that it was no options were discussed.

And I didn't see that.

And that's that was my request.

So there is there in this ordinance currently there is no requirement that the data centers provide their own power source.

Well, that was then I would um I would make a amended motion that this item be deferred for um for two weeks.

So that we can and and I say that so that we can uh see if considerations from the public and from the commissioners are placed in the um a place in the ordinance.

Okay, so sorry, to be the original motion was to defer for nine months.

You're making an amended motion for two weeks.

Is there a second on the amended or the what about four weeks?

Substitute is that a substitute motion?

A substitute motion.

Okay, is there a second on the substitute motion?

Okay, okay.

I'm gonna come back and make my motion.

So you're drawing your substitute motion for right now.

Okay, yeah.

You still have the floor.

Are you yielding your time to speak?

Um yeah, I would like to see that all of the considerations are considered uh before um it comes back.

Well, there's two weeks, four weeks uh before it comes back.

And I will make an amended motion after a substitute motion after um everyone have spoken.

So if you have me for my for your second, yes, thank you, ma'am.

Thank you.

Commissioner Masaya, you are next.

Thank you so much.

Uh appreciate it again.

Um my ask has been to ensure that on in this legislation that there are certain um components that are there, and I continue to seek that.

I appreciate that we've added several of them, but I think it's important for uh the community to understand right now words data centers do not exist in our zoning ordinance, and the only way that we can protect against something is to properly identify and call it what it is.

Absent that there are opportunities for people to put in applications and potentially get applications approved, seeing we don't have anything in place to stop it.

So I understand and we have heard what your thoughts, but your opinions, with your voices, more importantly, about wanting a data center.

We're talking about the text amendment.

We're talking about having something in place to even identify what you're saying that you're wanting to stop.

If we don't do that, then we have applications that are put in under the pretext that it's a storage unit.

And then if that happens, then you're gonna blame us saying that we didn't do our work, we didn't do our job.

So what is productive is uh I will say for myself as a commissioner, is to understand what additional regulations specifically you are asking for to understand when there's a recommendation that's being made by legal that I again speaking for myself, there's actual concerted effort to understand you know whether we're in the confines so that we could protect the community.

I've not waffled, I've not gone back and forth.

There are folks that have wanted to approve the ordinance as is and has said so multiple times when I've heard from you day in and day out that you don't believe that it's ready yet.

I'm here, I stand open for suggestions to the text amendment.

I understand that it is um gas fueled and there's gas lighting, to be quite frank.

Um there are surveys that have been done specifically to ask about what your feelings are on data center, making it a polarizing and a singular issue amongst um the community.

We're just wanting to work together, speaking for myself, working together, as you know, my time here is limited.

There is no pro no pluses and no negatives against just working together, which is my only aim and has been, in spite of the misinformation.

So I remain in service to you to do the work and the protection.

We have to have a text amendment.

It has to be identified in the ordinance.

Identifying it does not mean passing it.

With that, I yield back to you, Madam P.O.

Thank you.

Commissioner Terry.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Um so first off, the reason why I motioned for the nine-month deferral is with the expectation the moratorium would align with that nine months.

And so uh while it is true what was said about them being two separate decisions, we don't want to defer this and then have the moratorium lapse.

So uh I motioned to make the moratorium a year, and then we did a friendly amendment for nine months at the last meeting that didn't that failed, but I would like to see that moratorium extend at least until past the legislative session.

I think there's a couple of things happening this year that are really crucial.

One, data centers are an important topic in the elections.

And right now we are an all Democratic County Commission.

The Democratic Party's leaders, whether it's U.S.

Senator, Osof, Keisha Lance Bottoms, Democratic nominee for governor, um, other members of Congress have said we need to put the brakes on data center development.

And and the reason why is because we are seeing all over the country, urban, rural, suburban, every part of Georgia, every part of America is being touched by this issue.

And the moratorium, quite frankly, has been a success thus far because what we're looking at here is the fourth draft.

If we had moved forward with the first draft in August of last year, a lot of things would have turned out sideways.

There's a lot of things that we've learned, and as we've studied this issue and taken our time, we've learned that the regulations are very, very important to get right.

We don't want to pass something and then realize after an application's been submitted that we found a loophole or there was some um issue that we hadn't learned about.

Um the two things that have come out just in the last six months that I think are important.

Um, first off, is the the recent studies out of Cambridge as well as Arizona State that have studied the heat islands effect.

So the issue with cooling data centers, and I'll get to the water part, which is important, but this the newest information we received from those studies from those other um communities that have data centers, massive data centers in their community, have seen anywhere between a two and four degree increase in ambient air temperature within the uh third mile radius.

So that's 1750 feet.

So when we started out with 500 feet from our residential neighborhoods, people said, well, that's too close because it's gonna be noisy.

Well, now we know if it's within 1750 feet or a third of a mile, you might actually have a hotter neighborhood.

I'm from Florida, so I'm used to the heat, but about two weeks ago it was 100 degrees and it's June.

August used to be when it was 100 degrees.

So now we're getting into the territory where the heat waves are not just uncomfortable, they're actually deadly.

Um the number one leading cause of death related to climate issues is not hurricanes or flooding, it is heat death.

And so that in and of itself really dictates that we should further study the heat island impact of large-scale data centers.

We need to measure the difference between a 500,000 square foot one, a million square foot one, and so forth and so on.

The the other issue with the water is I think important.

So we have addressed the fact that we're mandating closed loop water systems.

However, even within a closed loop system, we're looking at anywhere between 180,000 and 550,000 gallons of water per day.

We know that the three data centers that are being considered um in decab um could would be in South to Cab.

The our drinking straw is in the Chattahoochee in North DeCab.

And we've heard from time time and again at the PWI meeting that pumping water from North DeCab down the South to Cab requires a tremendous amount of pressure.

And we know for a fact that the older neighborhoods in DeCamp County, South DeCab County have aging infrastructure, public side, but also private side.

So what we're literally are seeing is homes that were built you know 40, 50 years ago don't have the pipe have old pipes or they just don't have the right pipes where the pressure is causing them to bust.

If they break on the public side, well, we all got to pay for it.

If they break on the private side behind the meter, then that's up to the homeowner.

And these are like hundreds, if not thousands of dollars of repairs that they would be liable for.

So I am concerned that just the water capacity issue is not fully been um set.

It makes more sense to me to have a cap on water usage versus a water plan because a water plan just says what we're gonna do with the water.

Um I I see that we've included the special land use permit for all applications.

I think that needs to be clarified if it hasn't.

Um I'll come back for my second comment.

Um, but I think this the staff should just clarify that, um, Madam Chair, if Rachel doesn't mind just clarifying the the extent of the special land use permit provision um in the fourth draft.

You're asking her to do that as a response right now.

Okay, thank you.

Deputy Director Breck.

Yes, this draft requires a special land use permit for every data center over the minor category.

Um I wanted just to uh clarify point I just did some quick research uh to Commissioner Johnson, so I can wait to speak as far as her uh request discussing uh the electricity.

Uh Georgia has laws and it's through the uh Georgia uh uh Georgia Public Service Commission.

They have rules that already regulate the data centers pay their own electrical fee and for electrical infrastructure.

Uh the the ordinance that's important of you is the definition and the land use regulation.

But I just wanted to let you know for your staff if they want to, or just to put it on the record, that there are several rules that already exist regarding energy and power governed by the judge of Georgia's public service commission.

Um they have a a rule that says Georgia Public Service Commission unanimously approved a rule to force large power usage to pay the uh the cost in full.

They have a house bill that supports that as well, and a Senate bill that supports that as well.

So each one of these things have been looked at uh through the commission, but uh pass or fail, this uh ordinance cannot regulate what happens with power and energy.

It will come out of that commission.

But in our application for zoning, we require electricity for any one of our buildings or commercial buildings to be obviously housed within them and paid by them in existence right now when they're going through any of their zoning process.

So I just wanted to just let you know the regulatory body, the regulatory laws that are out there, and the fact that the ordinance that is fun of you is defining data centers and defining um general regulations for land use.

And just to briefly add to Director and Joku's comments, um, the tax amendment before you, it requires any applicant um to bring a letter stating that they have agreement for power to be offered, and also they have to bring a transmission power line impact assessment that would show if any impact was planned to be if there was going to be any impact to transmission lines that were proposed as part of the development.

So you will be able to get a full grasp of the scope of the project when we have an actual project to look at.

Thank you.

Um before I go to you, um, Commissioner Bolton, I two points I would like to make.

Commissioner Terry, you asked for nine months, but we can't do nine months because we haven't set started setting the schedule into 2027.

So the latest we could do is December 15th, 2026.

And then to uh Commissioner Davis Johnson's point that she was bringing up, she might be more interested in four weeks.

Four weeks puts us in the middle of our recess, so I would say the soonest it would be August 11th.

So just level setting, getting that information out there, Commissioner Bolton.

You have to thank you, ma'am.

And I just wanted to before I get into some of my questions and comments, get into something that was just iterated by one of our colleagues and by um Director Njoko that the decision that we make today, whether for, against, or deferred is heavily dependent on what's currently allowed in the state.

He indicated that there might be legislation coming forth, but also since we're looking at regulations today, we have to base the text amendment on what's current today.

And I think a great example of that is short-term rentals.

Remember, I live in district three, okay?

I also live in district three, and our communities have been saturated by short-term rentals.

And you guys, just like you are doing now, you've come up here over and over again, letting us know what your concern was.

But because we did not have an amendment for short-term rentals, it could not be regulated in the CAP.

So we had to come up with an amendment first, and then we can put caps on short-term rentals, we could tax short-term rentals, we can regulate them in all sorts of ways.

An amazing example.

Same thing with data centers.

They do not exist in our code.

In order to say no to a data center, we have to define them.

They have to exist first.

You can't regulate something that does not exist.

And that's what this text amendment is about.

It isn't about wanting data centers, it's about defining data centers, which is what the state of Georgia requires us to do.

And currently that and regulating land use and zoning is the power that we have been given locally.

So we're gonna exercise that power by defining data centers by saying whether we will allow them, whether that's campus size, accessory, whatever that is, we have to determine what that is in this legislation.

And so I do want to commend the um planning department for hearing us on June 2nd.

There were quite a few things that you stated that we stated that have been adapted here.

Not exactly, but we we have seen those amendments, some of which you have already indicated.

Uh community members said they want to slump, and we see that you guys have that in the amendment where every time an application comes forth, the community can come and say nope, we don't want it, or or whatever the consensus is.

So the text amendment allows you to say no to data centers in your communities because of the special land use permit, the slut.

Also, um the cap on developed land for campus centers.

I the cap that is indicated is at one million square feet.

Not quite what I asked for, um, but but I see what you're trying to do there.

Previously, I did request for a cap for developed land and undeveloped, and the reason for that is we do want to preserve our undeveloped land, and I have heard community members say over and over we don't have a whole lot of it, so we want to be very careful on how we use it, which is why I requested a cap on develop undeveloped land as well.

Um, the increase for the buffer, I do see it was increased to 750 feet.

There were a couple of us that asked for more.

Community members as well as asked for more that we at least doubled that from what it was previously.

And I did want to I have one minute left.

I did want to quickly um go through this document that was sent over by Watershed.

They made some comments and recommendations for community members that did not receive it.

And I know there was a question during public comment earlier.

Have we talked to Watershed to see what their concerns are, what they would recommend, how they would regulate it?

Yes, and they sent over comments, and I just want to make sure that uh the planning department has had an opportunity to look through some of these things.

There were seven specific recommendations and then four additional ones that could be addressed.

I have about 30 seconds, and just for the sake of the public having an opportunity to know what those are, I'm gonna try to breeze through some of the highlights to require developers to disclose projected makeup of water flow to require disclosure of pretreatment or discharge permit requests, require the owner operator to monitor and record keeping, require submittal of a closure and disposal plan, consider inclusion of a water usage effectiveness target and my time is up.

Thank you, Commissioner Patrick, for your first opportunity.

Commissioner Patrick for your first opportunity.

And the rationale that for asking uh the water folks to come and speak to this is there's lots of conversation about water, uh, water quality, and uh so my first question to either of you is going to be um with the volume of water that's being asked, does DeCab County have the capacity to manage that?

So good morning.

Could be honest, we haven't had a formal number.

So there's for every potential development, um, there's requirements that you submit um the demand that you're gonna need to serve to put the particular development, and that includes water usage, um, what you will consume, and then ultimately the capacity on the sewer side, what you'll discharge, and at no time will we allow any one particular customer or potential development to exacerbate the system.

Um if the current system as it stands doesn't have the uh capacity to serve the new development, those upgrades that are required to serve to continue serving the existing customers and the new proposed development, the cost will be occurred by that developer to ensure the system is adequate.

So you just said if DeCab County's water and sewer needs upgrades, they got to carry the cost of the freight to get that service level delivered to them, and that's not just data centers, that's anyone that comes to the county.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

And at no time will we allow there's no um mechanism that allow a new development to come online and ultimately deplete all the resources from existing that that's that will not happen.

Put another way, a data center or any specific user would not get ahead of the people or the hospitals or the houses that are in the club or the businesses that are already here.

Absolutely.

Okay.

Absolutely.

Uh another question that I've heard uh or another statement I've heard discussed is um potential contaminants or pollutants that go into the water after a potential closed loop system is has been used, so it draws whatever water it needs, and then tell us what happens when they're done with water, what's the process?

So with every industry, um we have what is called industrial pretreatment program, which is a uh federal and state um requirements.

So ultimately, you can't discharge back into a public sewer anything that's deteriorative that'll impact the integrity of that sewer and ultimately break it down and cause ultimately um a spill or any release into the environment that would impact the environment.

Put another way, whether you're a restaurant, a residential user, any type of business, particularly data centers or anyone else, they still have to go through your pretreatment programs.

Yes, and you have as I can attest for one of my uh businesses in District One, you have a very effective and very aggressive uh process for making sure that the water that goes in for treatment does not destroy or harm the water treatment system as a whole.

Is that correct?

Absolutely, sir.

Absolutely.

And there are you know, there are a number of industries that do have um very low pH that's considered that that's a greater concern to us than per se a data center, which is use water for cooling and things of that nature.

Okay, but there are a specific requirements that won't allow any any particular industry to to diminish um the public system from serving the public.

All right, thank you.

I've got like a minute left, and I want to pull Mr.

TJ uh up to the front if you don't mind.

Thank you.

Thank you, both directors.

TJ, I've literally got seconds left over.

Um development.

I'm not gonna focus on data centers.

Uh we've had airports, we've had a large soft drink bottler come before us.

Um is there a way to calculate the economic impact of a user that comes into the community?

And then really what I'm saying is is I think when we approve some developments, we're also having an eye on the economic impact for the budget for the county, so we don't have to turn around and go back to the residents and ask for more money.

Is there a process by which you or perhaps you could work with decide to cab to come up with an economic indicator as to what a particular development will bring to the county before uh it goes through review process?

I yield back my time and hopefully you can answer my question.

There is no process in place now, but we can work with the side cab and see if there's something we could develop.

Thank you.

Um Commissioner Terry, here second opportunity.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Um, Director Bragg, the engaged DeCab website, which has been the main portal for the administration to receive feedback.

Will y'all be sharing the survey results?

From the engaged to CAP portal.

We can uh we can post them on engaged to cab.

Yeah.

Okay.

I think that's important because I mean I appreciate everyone who's out here in person, but just know that there are thousands of people who have responded to engaged to cab.

I think other commissioner surveys, my own surveys.

I think we should be transparent through all the survey collection data.

So I'll be releasing my survey data, you know, as soon as possible.

But I'll just share that we did receive 1,600 residents in support of a one-year moratorium.

Um so that was a context of whether we should continue you know studying data centers and basically take our time.

So but we'll release the full results.

But the majority were in support of further study extending the moratorium.

Um I do want to uh comment on the public service commission.

So the public service commission, um, the Republican-led re PSC has consistently said that data centers are paying their fair share.

However, in the hearing on the fuel rate docket and hurricane Helene recovery docket, it was revealed by the Southern Environmental Law Center that in fact residential customers are paying for the data center infrastructure, and it's causing our power bills to go up.

So even though the PSC may say it's happening, the evidence is showing that over a hundred million dollars of our money is paying for data center infrastructure.

Um in reference to the legislation, this is exactly why the moratorium needs to go into next year, because there were 30 different data center bills that went nowhere.

In fact, I was at two of those committee meetings where the Republican chairs, by the way, Republican chairs who get a lot of money from Georgia Power spent literally five minutes on these data center bills, and they ended it saying, Oh, I guess we still have to study it, ironically.

And so they passed no data center regulations whatsoever.

So the Republicans in the State House and the Senate, a Republican leadership in the state that that paved the way for the tax breaks.

By the way, Georgia is hot spot for data centers because of the massive tax giveaways.

So just as Democrats, as people that are interested in progressive policies, we should reject the GOPs catering to big tech monopolies at the expense of our communities.

So we need to be leaders on this.

Um the last thing I'll point out is later on the agenda, there's two items I've introduced, 0244 and 0245.

Those resolutions would require an environmental health study, and then the next agenda would fund it.

So hang around for that agenda item because what we should be doing in this deferral, and I'll be happy to amend my motion, Madam Chair, to a six-month deferral to the December 15th meeting, since that's as far as we can do it, and approve those two items to conduct that independent third-party study, use this time to complete the study and extend the moratorium.

Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Terry.

Commissioner Massai for your second opportunity.

Thank you so much.

Um I appreciate it.

I'm hearing an extension of the moratorium.

Oh, Madam Chair, was there a second on my amendment?

Excuse me.

No, one second, Commissioner Messiah.

So you were just amending your original motion.

So Commissioner Long Spears is your second stand.

Um I did not initially second, but I just did.

So second is in place with the friendly amendment.

Thank you.

What I'm sorry, you said what the six months instead of the nine.

Yes, ma'am.

Okay.

So that is not a new he's amending his original because we can't do a uh nine months.

So I'm accepting that as just an amendment to his original motion.

So we're on the original motion.

Commissioner Sai, you can continue.

Thank you so much.

I appreciate it.

Yeah, I mean, because I'm hearing the extension of moratorium, and there have been a lot of communication um regarding the same in spite of what the advice was from both planning and legal.

I think it's very disingenuous um to consider and say that we need a year moratorium when I'm also hearing um a constituent in the back say that it could be lifted at any time that knows that even with lifting any moratorium, whether we have it for four weeks, we have it for four years, whether we have a year or six months could be lifted.

At the same time, I think it's very important that um what has not been introduced uh by uh my colleague is an agenda item to reject any applications for a data center altogether, specifically since that's what the community is calling for, and I support.

So why don't you put forth an agenda item to reject wholly any uh data centers here in DeCab County?

I'll tell you, these are also the same of the some of the same uh suggestions I'm in terms of rejection that again support wholeheartedly.

I'm looking forward to you putting that forth, and you'll have a second here.

Um, but also that there is an application that is placed presently without the need of the board of commissioners to approve it.

The same application.

There's two letters where there is an approval, May 22 and February 2024.

That is the same item that uh commissioner uh to my left here wanted you to believe that had been negotiated as a deal that actually doesn't even require the board of commissioners to come before the board of commissioners to get approved.

So again, as we are doing our research, as we are not gaslighting but focusing on the facts as we're focusing on accountability.

There are some folks uh in the back are fully aware of it.

I welcome us all to get the facts, get and do your research, pay attention to what people are actually um providing and suggesting in play and in politics versus in reality.

Again, um to my commissioner colleague to the left, he puts forth an agenda item to wholly um reject any data centers here in DeCab County, he'll have my second.

With that, I yield.

So moved.

Thank you so much, Commissioner Davis Johnson.

Second.

We can add a motion or item on the floor.

You all are very much aware of this.

Commissioner Davis Johnson.

We can make a motion.

Yeah, I'd like to um make a motion.

I mean, I'd like to make a motion for substitution to uh defer this item to the August 11th 2026 meeting.

With a public hearing and the public hearing.

And also, Commissioner Terry, your original was for with public hearing, correct?

Just so we're clear on the record.

Your December 15th with public hearing.

Okay, and this is also with public hearing.

Public hearing for August 11th.

Is there a second?

Second.

We have a motion and a second.

All right.

Um we're still going through discussion.

Is that all you had on your second opportunity speak, Commissioner Davis Johnson?

Yeah.

Okay.

I mean, yeah.

Okay.

So now Commissioner Bolton has requested a speak for her second opportunity.

Thank you, ma'am.

Uh, one of the concerns that I have is we're using, we're weaponizing moratorium and not addressing what the community actually said they wanted, which is an environmental study.

I hadn't heard that come up yet.

And to be quite honest, if as a board, rather than simply extending the moratorium in order to position ourselves to look like we're helping, if we um vote to deny any approvals of data center applications until after an environmental study is completed, analyzed, presented, and accepted by the board, I think you will get a quote unquote moratorium that extends up to a year or beyond, depending on how long the study takes.

So when I say we are strategists, not just activists up here, we have to think through what responsibilities we have and the capacity that we have to work within the confines of those responsibilities to give you what you want.

So I would argue rather than just asking for a moratorium without any real action or resolution to address specific concerns.

We just heard y'all iterate both in public comment and public hearing, it would be better to actually address the environmental study, which could give us the moratorium that you're asking for based on how long it would take the study to be completed, analyzed, presented, and accepted by the Board of Commissioners.

And I yield back.

Thank you, Commissioner Colton.

I would like to ask a couple questions on this item, so I'm going to yield the gavel to you so I can have a little bit of discussion for my first opportunity.

Um thank you, everyone, for the healthy discussion.

I know this is taking a long time, but it is very important that we do this.

Um I think a couple really key and important things have already been discussed, but I would like to reiterate them.

The importance for me personally of making sure that we have a definition and some regulations so that we can do what the public is asking us to do.

I think when we brought forward these other communities that have had not had good outcomes at all, they didn't have the regulations in place first, and that is what I am trying to do to make sure the regulations are in place, and then every application will come forward and we can deny every application.

But if that's what we hear from the community, um, but we need the definition, and we need the regulations because that gives us the power to do that.

Um I like I appreciate Commissioner Patrick bringing up Director Wells.

I think that was one of the first opportunities in this data center discussion that we've been able to do that.

I think that speaks to some of the many questions that I'm still hearing from the community that we really cannot address in the text amendment.

So my request, and I don't know if this is for planning and sustainability, might just be for the administration.

Is there a way that we could publish a SOP standard operating procedure for whenever a data center application comes in?

So the public is quite aware of all the steps, what every department would look at, how how would the water department deal with it, what do they look at for air permitting, what is the stormwater discharge, just so that it's very very evident and clear that outside of the zoning regulations, because again, this text amendment is only for the land use and zoning regulations, but knowing that if an application were to come forward, all of these things need to be looked at, and I don't think that we've made it very clear to the public what that actually would look like so that everyone is aware, as well as any developer who might come forward and try to put in an application.

These are the steps you would clearly have to go through if you're trying to get a data center here in DeCab County.

So that is my ask, and I think that might help answer some of the questions that we have, or that we're continue to hear from the public, um, but that just simply won't be able to be addressed in a land use zoning amendment.

But if we get the um the SOPs and there's a procedure or a policy that we think needs to be tweaked or needs to be enhanced, that's another step.

That's another process, that's another action that we can take that is outside of the text amendment.

I just don't uh I don't personally don't believe that holistically everything dealing with the data center can be accomplished in a text amendment.

So that is my ask.

And I don't again, I don't know if that's planning and sustainability or for the administration.

So what um what we could do is we could coordinate with the various reviewing departments to request their review checklists, um, and we could compile those into a document because those checklists will be the same no matter what type of business that you have or what kind of development that you're proposing.

And then that is something that we can we could post that on on the on the website.

Absolutely, we could post that on engage to cab.

Um and I know this is your time, but I do have a couple things whenever your time is done.

Okay.

Um those were my main points.

I think there's a lot of other great points that were made today.

So, regardless of which way the vote goes, I would like to see the that SOP procedure.

I think that would help inform the public in a way that we have not done so far.

Absolutely.

I yield my time and will take the gavel back.

Thank you.

All right, and Commissioner Patrick has requested this speak for his second opportunity.

Thank you, madam uh presiding officer.

Uh, just to make the pitch to the public as well as my colleagues, uh the benefit to the deferral to I believe it was uh August 11th, uh, is is it brings it back again?

The things that we've talked about here today come back here, and we're gonna listen to y'all and hear what you think about it.

But I ask also that you do read the full document.

Um, there are a lot of good things as uh Commissioner Bolton has pointed out in the document that address a lot of the concerns, not all the concerns, and to PO's point, um, this document will not handle every issue.

And to the gentleman that uh spoke about the fears of of AI, uh agreed.

I share your concerns.

Uh but this document doesn't speak to that those issues, and those are issues that uh are fights that we need to have, but it might be at the state legislature or at the federal legislature for them.

With that, Madam P.

I think oh, and then as soon as possible, could you update the website one more time uh with whatever changes that have come from this discussion as well as whatever we anticipate coming up uh from the August 11 meeting?

Thank you, Madam Pia.

All right, thank you, Commissioner Patrick.

So the substitute motion on the floor is I know makes me think of Magnum PI.

Which makes me sound way cooler than I actually am, but I was gonna try and let that stuff.

I'm not Higgins, okay, just because we're clear.

We have to have a levity sometimes.

Um the substitute motion on the floor is to defer to the August 11th meeting with a public hearing.

And that was seconded by Commissioner Patrick, so please open the machines for that is the substitute.

Yes.

But the public is a deferral of the substitute item.

Yes, of the substitute with a public hearing.

For a public hearing, thank you.

Deferring this until August 11th with another public hearing.

All right, that motion to defer to August 11th carries.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

It is 1240, and we are now on the top of page four.

Item 2026-0995, all commission districts.

Application of the directive of planning and sustainability for a public hearing to consider approving a resolution to accept the planning process and development of the 2055 unified plan update.

Welcome back.

Just could just spend all morning with me.

Um so this item is the required initial public hearing for the uh five-year update uh to the comprehensive land use plan.

The comprehensive land use plan is required by the state to be updated every five years.

It is a foundational policy document that establishes a long-term vision for the future land use, housing, economic development, sustainability, and community investment.

Um this is the real work that of the planning department.

The state requires that our plan be updated every five years, and it is time.

It is actually great timing as we work to finalize the comprehensive housing plan and work towards updating the zoning code.

All these initiatives will build on the recommendations and policy framework of the other plans that are in progress.

Our key policy target areas include sustainability, economic development, housing, transit oriented development, health and wellness, and arts and culture.

More than a visioning document, the plan will serve as an implementation tool to help guide future development, public investment, and policy decisions across the county.

The community input is essential to this process.

Um participation from residents and stakeholders will help shape the framework for future growth and development.

And we do ask that you please visit our engaged to cab page to sign up for updates and to keep out an eye out for our first engagement opportunity.

So although this item officially kicks off the comp plan update, there will be um a public meeting that will be more fun.

Um that will be fun.

What are you talking about?

Then we do we do hope um that everybody who has been so invested in the planning items up to this point will engage in this comprehensive plan process because it really does form the basis of all of our planning recommendations on on all items that come before you.

So, with that, the staff does recommend approval of the substitute.

Is there a substitute on this one?

I don't think we were handed a substitute.

There is that substitute is coming.

Right coming.

Um, just to the substitute, um, there were just a couple uh errors in the resolution, the law thankfully corrected for us, um, including um the presiding officer's name.

So we we appreciate their review.

I know.

I know I take personal responsibility.

I don't know if it's presiding officer or PI.

I might like that Play.

Thank you so much.

Now for public hearing, if there's anyone in the public who would like to come to that back podium speak in favor of this item.

Anyone who would like to speak in favor of this item, the substitute for updating the development of the 2055 unified plan.

See no one.

Is anyone in opposition to this item?

Welcome back to the podium.

To the update of the 2055 Unified Plan.

So I appreciate the work that's gone into the 2055 Unified Plan because the decisions made through this process will shape the CAB County for decades to come.

My concern is not simply about growth, because growth is inevitable.

The question is whether the growth reflects the needs and priorities of the people who already live here.

Many residents have expressed concerns about increasing housing costs, traffic congestion, infrastructure strain, environmental impact, loss of green space, and development that feels disconnected from community needs.

As we plan for the future, I encourage the county to prioritize affordability, home ownership opportunities, environmental stewardship, infrastructure capacity, and preserving the character of our neighborhoods.

I also encourage the board to ensure that community engagement remains at the center of this process.

Residents should not feel like decisions are being made behind closed doors or after plans have already been finalized.

The people who live, work, and raise families in DeCAB should have a meaningful voice in shaping its future.

As this plan moves forward, I ask the board, how will success be measured?

How will residents know their feedback is reflected in future decisions?

And how will this plan improve quality of life for current residents and not just accommodate future growth?

A successful plan is not measured by the number of projects approved.

It's measured by whether families can afford to stay, whether communities remain connected, and whether residents feel that DeCab's future is being built with them and not around them.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Anyone else in opposition of this plan update?

Seeing no one else, direct deputy director Bragg.

The staff recommendation is for approval of the substitute.

Thank you so much.

Is there a motion?

I'd like to make a motion to approve the substitute.

Thank you.

And I have a comment.

Seconded by Commissioner Davis Johnson.

Commissioner Patrick, you have requested a speak.

You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Presiding Officer.

You know, uh, someone who's worked in many years in a planning office, um, comprehensive plans, small area plans, LCIs, that is how we drive engagement.

That's how we come out to the public.

Um it is uh probably one of the funner parts of working for government, in my opinion.

I am a former bureaucrat.

Um but uh you know, touching base with the taxpayers, touching base with the people who are in control and have a preference as to what they want to see in their neighborhoods.

That's the whole purpose of government, and this is the this is the mechanism or the vehicle to make sure that we hear from y'all as we make our decisions going forward.

So um absolutely proud to support this.

Uh I gotta say to the young man, if he's still here, he almost made the argument for why he should be yes, not in opposition to that one.

But um, but uh understood we all have a different take on the world.

But uh thank you very much, Madam Presiding Officer.

Thank you, Commissioner Patrick.

Commissioner Terry.

Thank you, Madam PO.

Um Rachel, I know this is a pretty standard thing.

Um, but it kind of reads that we should be presenting the process and taking public comment on the process, but we don't really have a really have a process in the in this one page.

That's correct.

Um if the commission would like um a more detailed um explanation of the process, we would be happy to present it at a committee hearing.

Okay.

Well, I would I would suggest we just I'm fine moving forward with it, but I don't we you didn't really present anything today.

You just kind of said we're gonna start it, but I think it would be good just to say here's what the process is.

I know we have a 75,000 dollar fiscal impact, so what does that money go to?

Yeah, I'd be happy to but not right now because we don't run out of time.

So can we just do it at committee?

Yeah, Commissioner Terry, to that point, maybe we can schedule it for a committee of the whole.

Oh, yeah, that's fine.

That'd be great.

You want to Madam Texture?

Committee of the whole.

Yes.

Absolutely, that'd be fine.

You want to take a friendly amendment?

A friendly amendment for just deferral for two weeks and have a committee of the whole presentation on the process.

I think we go for it and then uh as we've done at PWI get the information as it becomes relevant.

So I would say let's move forward and then go ahead and schedule either Tex or the CAD to get it moving.

Okay.

Well, I might take issue with that because I'd like to know what the process is before I vote on it.

And I think the intent, I mean, the reading of the law, I mean, it says it right here, it says the purpose of this hearing is to breathe the community on the process to be used, to develop the plan, opportunities for public participation and development of the plan, and to obtain input on the proposed planning process.

So if we're not gonna defer this, um, I'd request that the planning department go through the plan right now.

Because otherwise, we're not really we're not really upholding the spirit of the law, which is to say here's what the plan is, we're asking the public for input.

We got one person to input, but there was nothing really to get input on.

Does that make sense?

Yeah, yep, and um again, we'd we'd be happy to present um whenever you would like us to.

Okay, but the point is that before I vote on this, I think it would make sense for us to know what the plan is.

I'm sure it's fine, and I know it's kind of sort of formularic.

Um, but there is a 75,000 dollar fiscal impact.

So I don't know.

I mean, if it's if the board is saying they want to move forward today, um, would you mind just giving us some more details on what we're voting on?

Sure.

So um specifically, I'm really excited.

This will be our first time in a long time that we're gonna be undertaking this process in-house.

Um, when we did this update five years ago, we spent um approximately $300,000 and subcontracted this project out, but now we have the professional staff and the capacity um to do this in-house.

So that $75,000 will actually um be a value add.

So um the fiscal impact will largely go to um printing, marketing, refreshments, translation support services, technology, and on call services.

Um, so our team is still putting together the specifics of the full public engagement process.

Um, we wanted to make sure that we had your support in our in order to undertake this process before getting into the details of that public engagement plan.

Um, but that's where the fiscal impact is going, and um that's our plan.

So our primary project manager for this project will be senior planner Trisha Prevost, who you're familiar with from her some of her other excellent work, um, but she'll be supported by our GIS specialists and our other planning staff in order to um update maps, demographics, and also um see how all of that will will fit into the update of the comprehensive plan.

And um Richard, how long will the planning process take?

So the goal is to have um it completed by 20 the end of 2027.

So um hopefully we'll come be able to come before you and ask for approval of both that and the zoning code at the same time.

Okay, so it's 75,000.

Is that budgeted right now in this year's budget?

No.

No, so we'll be we we are requesting that as additional funding.

Okay, and uh for this year.

Okay, so um Zach.

So if we approve this agenda item, is this also a budget amendment?

This is not.

Okay, well, I mean shouldn't we just go ahead and make the budget amendment?

Because are you are you gonna come back at mid-year for this money?

Uh yeah, so our plan is to include this as part of our major budget request for the planning department.

Okay, so Zach, is that makes sense?

If if you were to approve this and there's a cost, what we would do is first see if there's money that can be moved around within their departmental budget department, and if not, we would come back to the board if necessary.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

Seeing no other request to speak, please open the sheet for the vote.

Motion to approve the substitute carries.

Middle of page four, item 2026-0875, commission districts three and six resolution order and declaration of taking required temporary easement for constitution roads, freight corridor improvement, cost to the county ninety-seven thousand five hundred and five dollars at 3327 Woodstock Road, and we were just handed a substitute for this item, Director Keter.

Yes, we had a minor scribbers error previously on this item, and through the documentation, the attachments were duplicated, and so just to clean it up, I did the substitute so that there's only two attachments and the agenda item.

Thank you so much.

Um, so this is uh situation where negotiations have stalled, and we would like to proceed with this to try to get the property owner to the table to negotiate again.

And so staff recommendation is approval of the substitute.

Yes, the substitute dated June 23rd.

All right, thank you, ma'am.

Um, we this is still under public hearing.

So is there anyone here to speak in favor of this item?

Anyone here to speak in favor of this item?

Seeing no one.

Is there anyone here to speak in opposition of this item?

Anyone in opposition?

All right, seeing nobody, director Keeter, if you will restate staff's position.

Staff recommends the approval of the substitute date of June 23rd, 2026.

Thank you, ma'am.

Is there a motion?

Motion to approve.

Thank the substitute.

The substitute.

Commissioner Terry seconded.

Commissioner Masai has requested to speak.

You have the floor, ma'am.

Thank you so much.

Just to uh a quick question, uh Ms.

Keeter, in terms of that time, since it's a temporary easement, what is the length of time for that easement?

It's through the construction process.

I'd have to look and see what the um it that will be identified as part of the negotiations.

So um it but we'll need it through the construction.

Oh Jesus.

Sorry about that.

He's saying about two years, but it's it depends on the the construction time.

And just you know, this is a four million dollar project.

So it's just one of those to know the length of time that the county is requesting that easement.

Uh thank you so much.

I appreciate you both for that answer with that.

I yield back to you, Manthe.

Thank you, Commissioner Messiah.

Commissioner Bolton.

Oh, I I think the response to my question was alluded to.

I was looking at the amount 97,505 for just 0.79 acres, but for two years, um, a temporary easement, I understand.

Well, I just to be clear it's 0.179 acres of right-of-way plus the temporary easement.

Oh, I got you.

Yes, ma'am.

Okay, thank you for the clarity.

And the temporary easements point zero nine nine acres of land.

Understood.

I yield that.

Thank you so much.

Seeing no one else requesting to speak, please open machine for the vote.

Motion to approve the substitute carries.

Bottom of page four, item 2026-0876, convention districts three and six, property right-of-way exchange, stone quarry road, landlot 144, 15th district.

Welcome back.

Commissioners, this is a right-of-way swap initiated by the property owner.

Um there's an unapproved ride-of-way, a 10-foot unapproved ride-of-way that we're swapping for 25 feet of ride-of-way that is in a better location for the South River Trail and aligns more with the vision of the trail and where we want to the trail to exit on Moorland.

So we recommend approval.

Thank you so much.

It's still public hearing.

Anyone here to speak in favor of this item?

Anyone in favor?

Seeing nobody, anyone in opposition of this item.

Final call.

Anyone in opposition?

Seeing no one, director Keeter, if you will restate staff's position.

Recommendations for approval.

Thank you, ma'am.

Is there a motion?

It's just making the motion.

Yes.

A motion to approve the question.

Thank you.

Seconded by Commissioner Terry.

Commissioner Masaya, you have the floor.

Anyway, thank you so much.

I wanted to understand again as we're talking about land exchanges.

Um wanting to understand is it just for the um the land and there's nothing else additional, you know, with it.

There's no monetary value.

Just an exchange exchange of land.

Well, we're exchanging a 10-foot path of land, an approved right-of-way worth 113,300 to a 25-foot path of unapproved right-of-way worth 202,900.

So the so we are I don't want to say winning, but we're it's to the county's benefit.

Um, and so and what is the actual need um versus the the square footage that we have, the land that we have, why what prompted the need for the exchange?

Well, the the 10-foot unapproved right-of-way splits the property owner owns both sides of the road.

And so the 25-foot would take us closer to the South River for the trail between Custer and Moorland, and would also take us further north on Mooreland where the where Georgia DOT is placing uh pedestrian hybrid beacon for the um near Lynn Linwood or I can't call the street right now, but it's gonna cross Moorland.

So instead of having the path come out to the south and then parallel Mooreland, we would go more cross-country and be a better uh path location in the future.

Okay, all right.

That's it for me.

Thank you, Madam P.

Thank you so much.

See no other requests to speak, please open the machine for the vote.

Motion to approve carriers.

Top of page five.

A couple more items, and then we will take a lunch break.

Item 2026-0943, Commission Districts 3 and 6, traffic calming petition, Terry and Drive between Clifton Springs Road and Terry and Way at no cost to the county.

Commissioners, this is to begin the 90 to approve the traffic calming plan and begin the 90-day petition process for um Terry On Drive.

Staff recommendation is for approval.

All right.

This is our final public hearing item.

Is there anyone in the audience that would like to speak in favor of this item?

Welcome to the podium, sir.

I think you're coming up.

Yes, welcome to the podium, sir.

My name is Ornius Bush.

I live on Terran Drive.

I've been there since 1975.

And for the last few years, um you've accepted the universe.

Near our community.

So the traffic is much heavier than it used to be.

And the speed, people's coming down Terra.

Seem like they're going 40 miles.

I don't know.

Uh 40 miles per hour.

And the speed limit is 25.

So we want to slow the traffic down in our community too.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

And thank you for being with us and making it through this far.

Anyone else here to speak in favor of this item?

All right.

Seeing no one else speaking in favor.

Anyone here to speak in opposition of ma'am?

Are you wanting to speak in favor?

Okay, come on up.

My name is Melody Riggins.

I have lived on Terrian Drive since 1973.

I have a sign right by a little bit past my driveway that says 25 miles an hour.

There are cars that come down and are doing more than 45, including school buses, because I have reported the school buses.

And I used to ask the people to slow down, but since people are so crazy now that she just stop saying slow down.

If I'm not down my yard, I just try to keep doing what I'm doing.

But it is gonna be where they race up that street, and if you're going up the street and you're going slow, they will pull out from behind you and come go around you.

So it's pretty bad over there now, and it's been going on for a while.

Thank you, ma'am.

Good morning, ma'am.

Good morning, Beverly Dabney.

And I shared this same complaint, I guess about a month or so ago.

Uh, where they're speaking of is really we're neighbors, and the area is continue.

We know that the majority of the people are renters.

We submitted the same number.

We have tried four times for speed bumps to avoid the slowdown of traffic.

We've had houses that have been hit, and so uh maybe this is an opportunity for some changes since it occurs to more than one air community.

Uh, I think you know, to try to help us get some opportunity to make the community safer.

We also experienced the speed from school buses as well.

Thank you, ma'am.

Good morning, ma'am.

Good morning.

My name is Debbie Smith, and I've been a resident of the Monterey community uh for about 25 years now, and we had the studies that were done that looked at how much traffic we have, how fast people are going up and down the streets in our subdivision, and this particular street that's being considered is Terry and Drive, and it feeds into Clifton Springs Road, it's the main uh conveyance in and out of our subdivision to Clifton Road, and we again, as people have said, we have had so many buses, the Calve County school buses that go very fast down the street.

So it is a problem, it's a safety issue with school children who are crossing the street.

It's a problem with people who are walking uh up and down the street, people coming in and out of their driveways.

So we have been working on this issue for a while, and that East and I just want to thank her.

I don't know if she's here.

She's a senior engineer, and she has been so very kind and offered us great assistance with this.

So we just want to make sure that it's passed through.

We've been talking about it uh through community meetings, person to person, and we have agreement and approved and people are approving that we do this.

So we definitely want to have this to move forward for the benefit of our entire community.

Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am.

A few more seconds if anyone else is in favor, Mr.

Benny.

Ms.

P.I.

I think that if these people were willing to to sit through this hurricane of chaos, they must really want their traffic control, and I hope that you provide it for them.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Benny.

All right, seeing no one well seeing 10 seconds.

No one else coming forward to speak in favor.

Is anyone here to speak in opposition?

Anyone in opposition to this traffic calming item?

All right, seeing nobody, Director Keeter.

Again, this is to approve the plan and start the 90-day petition process.

Um staff recommendations for approval.

Thank you, man.

Ma'am, is there a motion?

Motion to approve.

Thank you.

Is there a second?

Thank you, Commissioner Terry, for your second commissioner Kerry, you requested a speak.

Thank you, uh, Madam Chair.

Um, so did I I think I heard that maybe there were some initial struggles getting to the first petition level because of um, I guess like absentee landlords or investor owned homes.

Does that apply for this one?

I I don't believe so, but I don't have that information in front of you.

Okay, but it has been an issue in other petitions.

Well, the first the first initial interest petition doesn't have to be signed by the real property owners.

It's when we set up the special tax district that has to be signed by so we don't know yet.

Okay.

Um I want to re renew my request uh for the law department to work on an amendment to the traffic calming ordinance that would provide an either or either you get the majority, you know, supermajority of signatures from property owners, or in a street that has a high percentage of investor-owned homes where landlords just unreachable, that we create an either-or and make the or uh lector based.

So if they're registered to vote, they live at the address, they could be a renter, they can sign the petition.

Um just some guidance from the law department on how we can achieve the traffic calming tax districts for purposes that may be related to health and well-being and safety of the residents.

Um I understand under Georgia law that the special tax districts have to serve a purpose.

And we in the past we've taken the petition based on the property owners, but because we have some neighborhoods with a lot of absentee investor-owned homes, it's just not practical for them to get to that that threshold.

Um, but there still are life and safety concerns.

And so if we have to resort to a legislative fiat decision for a special tax district, and we know that the majority of the electors support it, I think we should have some guidance from the law department on how we could implement that because I'm sensing that it's it's come up with a previous one, it could come up in this one, and it probably will continue to come up in some communities.

Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Terry, Commissioner Bolton.

And I'll be brief, um, just because I know I've had that conversation with Ms.

Dabney, but I didn't want to also say on behalf of Super District 7, we are looking for language as well because we have uh a significant number of renters, and we like some support for an alternative.

So that is something that we would support as well.

Thank you so much.

Seeing no seeing no other requests to speak.

Okay, Commissioner Davis Johnson.

I saw her reaching for the and um gonna be brief.

I think that we've spoken the past about registered agents in the Cab County that uh we can serve that would uh be the agents for the owners.

And um, I don't know where that is.

I know that we presented I think it was something that had to be passed in the state legislature.

Is that correct?

Because registered agents would definitely uh would definitely solve the problem in many situations.

May I madam presiding officer for the sake of efficiency commissioners?

I've heard the concern.

I understand it's uh uh a multi-layered issue that touches a number of spaces.

So why don't we speak off offline?

I've heard the request from Dr.

Bolton, Commissioner Terry, and uh Commissioner Davis Johnson is correct.

That issue of using registered agents has been a part of the discussion over time.

Okay, thank you.

You yield, Commissioner Davis Johnson.

Commissioner Masaya, you are requesting second opportunity.

Thank you so much.

And to that point, receiverships, you know, and considering if not a registered angel, then uh a receivership where it might be able to get done.

With that, I yield back to you.

Thank you so much.

Seeing no other requests to speak, please open the machine for a vote.

That motion to approve carries.

We have three more items that are decision only and do not have a public hearing.

So let's get through these three and then we will break.

My should be big.

Okay, thank you.

Middle of page five.

Item 2026-0941, all commission districts home room ordinance to amend the pension code of DeCab County, Georgia 1962, Georgia Laws 3088 as amended to add a death benefit for beneficiaries of certain planned participants who die in the line of duty as officers, employees or deputies of DeCab County on or after September 1st, 2026, and to provide for compliance with certain updates to federal tax law.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon, madam.

Hitcher afternoon, uh, madam provided uh presiding officer, commissioners.

Uh we are asking for a deferral to your August 11th meeting.

Uh, in your inbox, you will see an amended uh home rule ordinance as well as a substitute agenda item for the August 11th meeting.

Uh the pension board lawyer asked us to make three revisions, and those three revisions are reflected in the amendment, and we'd like to share that uh uh on the August 11th meeting for decision only.

If I may we'd like you to accept the sub and defer the substitute to the August 11th meeting.

We're not asking that you wait till August 11th and then consider this sub.

Please add it today, defer the item till August 11th, and we'll deal with it then.

All right, thank you so much.

Can I get that in a motion?

I move to accept the substitute for item 2026 0941.

Second.

And and deferred to August 11th.

All of that is one motion or two separate motions.

Well, it it doesn't have to be a motion to accept the sub.

We just want to make sure that the motion to defer is deferring the substitute.

I gotcha.

Okay.

Okay.

So can I just go ahead and make my motion?

Okay.

I move to the further substitute to the August 11th meeting, and that's item 20260941, the substitute.

For decision only or public hearing.

For decision only.

Thank you so much.

Commissioner Davis Johnson, you have seconded.

Commissioner Bolton, you got a question.

No, ma'am, he addressed it.

Hello.

It was about the substitute.

Thank you.

Please open the machine for the vote.

I think you may want this for public hearing since it changed.

For public hearing.

Yeah.

You're good with that since you made the motion that is for public hearing.

I am in my motion to defer the substitute for 2026 0941 to the August 11th meeting for public meeting.

I'm in public hearing.

Due to the amendments.

Thank you so much.

And the machines are open for the vote.

That motion carries.

Thank you.

Two more.

Top of page six.

Item 2026-0443, Commission District 3, Super District 7.

Application of optimal consulting LLC to rezone property from R75 to RSM zoning district to allow residential homes, and we are being handed a substitute.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

Staff recommendation is for approval of the substitute that's now being handed out.

Um you last heard this on the May 28th meeting where um you deferred it so that the applicant could make some revisions to the site plan for in order for the site plan to be more community oriented.

So since that time the applicant has included a community pavilion, a dedicated recreational park, enhanced pedestrian connectivity with a loop sidewalk system on the southern portion of the site, larger lots along the northern portion of the site that directly access internal access roads and the goal of those larger lots on the north side um is to provide more compatibility with the lots that are um adjacent to this development um there are also now 10 additional visitor parking spaces so um another note is that all three neighborhood schools do have capacity for additional students uh therefore upon review of section three seven three five it is a recommendation um of the planning department that the application be approved with the following conditions which I will read number one there shall be a maximum of up to 14 single family dwelling units um or single family attached dwelling units um a combin there shall be a maximum of up to 14 dwelling units let's go with that number two maximum building height of two stories in general consistency with the submitted conceptual elevations number three provide a minimum 20 foot undisturbed buffer along the northern and eastern property lines within the transitional buffer the natural topography of the land shall be preserved and existing growth shall not be disturbed except where necessary to remove dead or diseased trees and undergrowth or to enhance the buffer with additional landscaping in order to provide a screen so as to prevent view of the higher density development from the lower density development and number four the approval of this rezoning application by the board of commissioners has no bearing on the requirements for other regulatory approvals under the authority of the zoning board of appeals or other entities whose decisions shall be based on the merits of the application under review by such entity once again staff recommendation is for approval of the substitute with four conditions.

Thank you director Bragg is there a motion commissioner you're making the motion on it my motion is to deny is there a second can I at least get a second so we can discuss second for purpose of discussion all right commissioner masai has requested to speak again this is just um another example of what we I briefly spoke about before I've spoken to um some folks here in the community who have not and did not have an opportunity to come down here today we went from four um applications of reduction in square footage to uh in five years to all of a sudden three out of the four uh rezoning requests being in district three to reduce R 75 R85 and um concentrated in South to Cab County you know if it was something that was widely widely sought throughout the county you would see it as pervasive in in other areas of the county as well however we do not they're all concentrated in all specific to district three and that is this is this is the second one that has um taken place today alone and so you know it's not by happenstance is not by coincidence and as a part of my commitment to protecting the um the culture the fabric of the district of the community and listening to residents whether they have an opportunity to come down here or not is why I am denying it there should be an opportunity to build within the specifications as stated that are able to meet both a developer's needs but also and more importantly the community's needs and to the extent that does not have the ability to happen in district three that presents a problem so again my responsibility is to listen to my constituents to ensure that I'm paying attention to the fabric and the future of the community but that then also looking at the since we've heard it numerous times today um the equality and the equity of what's being provided and offered throughout our neighborhoods and in district three as well with that I yield back to you MPO.

With that, I yield back to you, Madame P.O.

Thank you, Commissioner Bolton.

Um, before I give my comments, if the applicant is here, can you come to the microphone and just state what improvements that you guys have committed to, whether that's right of way, sidewalk, um turned lanes, etc.

that would be made in that area.

Uh good morning.

My name is the corridor actually has poor visibility at the intersection.

So the setbacks and setting the houses back, having a through road takes the traffic considerations into constraints.

Um excuse me, public speaking is in my thing, but uh just to be brief.

Uh the Columbia Drive corridor has been identified as a revitalization.

As you can see, there's other RSM zoning areas in the area.

I met with community leaders, I haven't had any opposition.

I had multiple meetings with different members of the community, took insight, had feedback, incorporated it into the design.

Um I've over the last eight months.

I personally reached out to Commissioner Messiah trying to get meetings.

I have not that that has gone unresponsive.

I have not had a meeting with her yet.

Her staff, her chief of staff reached out to me to try to uh calm the situation when I sent uh email to planning and development saying that I'm not getting support.

Um what I would like to do is just focus on the facts that um the Columbia Drive corridor was identified as the area of revitalization.

The 2055 um comprehensive plant.

Um it the community wants this, the community needs this.

If this gets denied, you're going to push other developers to do large scale homes that's gonna price people out in the community, which is what people don't want.

Um I urge the rest of the commissioners to hold each other accountable because it's supposed to be ethics and uh as um excuse me, I'm sorry.

This is very difficult because it's been a long process and it's very frustrating to come here and to go through all of this and meet with community, put effort in meeting with planning and development and try to beautify the area and resolving the issues that that corner has and for it to get denied.

Um, Commissioner Messiah, what do you want to see?

You want to see million dollar homes go on a corner that blocks the visibility of that intersection?

Doesn't account for some body management.

I'm sorry, I only get five minutes, baby.

And you took three of them.

Okay.

So I did I I would like to ask when you met with the community about how many folks were either present in person online.

Can you estimate how many folks you engaged with?

There was over 200 members that was in that email chain that I was corresponding with that has the updated site plan that um sent me emails that I had correspondence with that I met with.

So over 200 community members in the immediate vicinity.

And my email list can you estimate about how many responded?

I know specifically, Mr.

Tolliver, you've mentioned before, I think you've mentioned Ed Williams.

Do you can you estimate how many has responded or has been engaged in the process?

I'll probably say I bet with at least 17 to 20 different people on site and through various meetings face to face and over teams.

Okay.

And I would just communicate um in our meeting.

I did share after you know we went through the final version.

I was happier with the outcome.

I did have a few concerns that we discussed and for um public knowledge to know what some of those were.

I you've already addressed some the right-of-way.

I think you mentioned about the right turn, I believe, either left or right turn.

I don't remember at this point, but I also asked about the upkeep of the amenities for such a small community.

How will they be able to afford um the dog park, the pavilion?

There was something else I don't recall at this moment, and also in the plat, being sure to define whether the marquee or monument that is placed at the front of the subdivision outline who that land actually belongs to, because in other areas of district seven, that's now a concern when that gets knocked down, you know, from traffic or whatever has it occurs, and then it's um it's uh demolished or whatever the case, whose responsibility is it to repair that.

And also in the play, being sure to define whether the marquee or monument that is placed at the front of the subdivision outline who that land actually belongs to, because in other areas of District 7, that's now a concern when that gets knocked down, you know, from traffic or whatever has it occurs, and then it's um it's uh demolished or whatever the case, whose responsibility is it to repair that so everything within the community will be maintained by an HOA providing that sign will be designed during the LDP phase between the county and and myself to determine the the optimal location for it, and if it's placed in a right of way, then it would fall on the county.

But as far as the storm water management um and the amenities, the HOA will maintain that, and there's uh a cost analysis that was done to make sure that the homeowners can afford it.

All right, thank you so much, Commissioner Bolton.

Commissioner Sai for your second opportunity.

Thank you so much, Madam PR.

I appreciate it.

Appreciate um Commissioner uh Bolton for those questions, and again, sir for me, we responded back and let you know that based on our conversations with the constituents that we were taking my my chief of staff actually didn't say this has been an eight-month process.

I have necessary.

Yes, and again, and we advise you that based on the constituents' concerns, because we delayed we deferred it the first time to allow to make sure Commissioner Massai to that's exactly exactly that's the point.

Excuse me.

Let me be abundantly clear with you.

We actually communicated with the constituents, and I'm gonna reiterate the same thing I'm reiterating now.

They were concerned, we communicated that we were concerned based on what they shared with us, and that is my position.

I allowed for a deferral last time to make sure that we had an opportunity that I had an opportunity directly to reach out to those constituents and have the conversation, specifically what you mentioning, um Marvin Tolliver.

And based on that and the conversations that I had had, because you presented something different.

Excuse me, sir.

You presented something different the last time you were before us, and I wanted to allow for you to have an opportunity to have a conversation with those constituents so that I can hear from them and hear their voices to give you the benefit of the doubt.

Excuse me, sir.

I'm gonna sit down if you interrupt one more time.

Excuse me, sir.