OpenPublica

Accountability starts with access.

© 2026 · Filed for the public record

Use casesAboutAPIPrivacyTermsLinkedIn
Home/Kennesaw, Georgia/City Council
OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Kennesaw City Council Regular Meeting, November 3, 2025

City Council — Monday, November 3, 2025
BodyKennesaw, Georgia
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, November 3, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
⇩ GET FROM SOURCE

STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Original source
Transcript — Verbatim

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

5:34

Chief, would you lead us on

Speaker 2

5:36

the pledge?

Speaker 1

5:38

Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

5:46

Under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Unassigned speaker

5:54

And

Speaker 1

5:55

with that, the meeting is officially called the order.

5:58

If you're going to speak tonight, if for any reason your voice or concern, voice your your gratitude, anything, please stand and be sworn in by Mr.

6:09

Hensley.

Speaker 3

6:10

Thank you, Mr.

6:11

Mayor.

6:11

If you'll be speaking this evening or making any sort of presentation, please raise your right hand.

6:16

Do you swear or affirm the presentation or testimony that you'll be offering to this council this evening will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

6:23

If so, say I do.

6:25

Thank you.

6:25

You may be seated.

Speaker 1

6:27

All right.

6:28

The floor for public comment on anything that is on the agenda that's posted on the agenda, the floor is open for public comment.

6:39

Hearing none and seeing none, the floor for public comment is closed.

6:44

Public hearing, we have one public hearing.

6:47

It's the ordinance, it's Chapter 22 amendments.

Speaker 3

6:54

Mr.

6:54

Mayor, as we discussed at the work session in regard to this agenda item, it remained on the agenda because we had advertised it as required.

7:05

Um however, in working with staff, we realized we needed to do some more work on the proposed amendments to this ordinance.

7:14

So we're going to be asking the council to vote to postpone this item indefinitely so we can complete that process of reviewing and drafting the revisions to this section, and that will allow us to complete that and then bring it back before the mayor and council at a later date.

Speaker 1

7:31

Is postponing indefinitely acceptable or should we withdraw the should we open the floor for public comment and then withdraw the agenda item?

7:41

Because we'd you know postponement is usually for a specific date.

7:45

Would that make more sense?

Speaker 3

7:49

However, you'd like to do that.

Speaker 1

7:51

I think I'd like to withdraw, but uh it was advertised legally, so I'm gonna open it for public comment as a matter of record.

7:59

Thank you.

8:00

The floor for uh an ordinance for the chapter 22 amendments uh is open for public comment.

8:09

Know that the City of Kennesaw still needs to do some work on this, and we will be voting to withdraw the amendment uh proposals uh indefinitely.

8:23

Hearing none and seeing none, the floor for public comment is closed.

8:26

Council, do you have any comment or questions on this?

8:30

Okay.

8:30

I'm gonna look for a motion to withdraw the chapter 22 amendments under listed under item 10A.

8:36

Um

Speaker 4

8:38

made

Speaker 1

8:40

council member Ferris, I'll take that as a first.

8:42

I think it is a second.

8:43

Madeline, thank you.

8:44

All those in favor of withdrawing the line item 10 A alpha signify by raising your right hand.

8:51

That's five.

8:52

Those opposed, no.

8:53

Motion is approved by unanimous vote.

8:57

And there are eight items on the consent agenda looking for a motion to approve the consent agenda in gross.

Speaker 5

9:06

So made.

Speaker 1

9:06

Councilmember Byras, thank you.

9:09

Thank you very much.

9:10

All right, any questions or comments?

9:13

All those in favor of approving the consent agenda in gross, signify by raising your right hand.

9:21

Five.

9:21

Tracy, was that five?

9:23

Those opposed, no.

9:25

Motion is approved by unanimous vote.

9:27

Public safety.

9:28

Chief, you have crime stats for September.

Unassigned speaker

10:00

There

Speaker 1

10:00

it is.

Speaker 6

10:02

One more

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████58%
Public Safety██████████████18%
Community Engagement████████████16%
Historic Preservation██████8%
Summary of Proceedings

Kennesaw City Council Regular Meeting, November 3, 2025

The Kennesaw City Council met on Monday, November 3, 2025, at 6:30 PM in the Council Chambers. The meeting adjourned at 6:43 PM. The Council withdrew a proposed business ordinance amendment, unanimously approved the consent agenda, accepted the September crime statistics report, and heard public comments on local history and voter turnout.

Consent Calendar

  • The Council approved the Consent Agenda en gross by a vote of 5-0. Approved items included: minutes from the October 13 and October 20 meetings; Resolution 2025-70 for a Settlement Agreement and Mutual Release of Claims with A.R. Brooks Enterprises, Inc. (Lance Oil Company); Resolution 2025-71 for stormwater and sewer easements with Delta Performance, LLC; authorization for FY26 budgeted vehicles and equipment; and Resolution 2025-72 awarding a contract to Gay Construction as Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) for Chalker Park.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Public Hearing (Chapter 22 Amendments): City Attorney Sam Hensley, Jr. explained that the proposed ordinance revisions required more work. Although originally agendized for approval, the Council voted unanimously to withdraw the item indefinitely (5-0). No public comment was offered.
  • General Public Comment:
    • Andrew Bramlett (City Resident): Presented historical context on Kennesaw’s near involvement in the 1957 filming of God’s Little Acre, which was ultimately blocked by opposition from the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce.
    • Donovan Giardina (City Council Post 3 Candidate): Expressed satisfaction with the turnout at the Taste of Kennesaw. He reported his campaign canvassed approximately 400 homes and noted that only about 1,100 of Kennesaw’s 33,000 registered voters had cast ballots, urging citizens to vote on November 4.

Discussion Items

  • September 2025 Crime Statistics: Chief Bill Westenberger presented the report. Notable year-over-year increases included drug/narcotic offenses (+8), simple assault (+5), calls for service (823, +69), self-initiated activity (1,690, +578), traffic citations (777, +326), and arrests (85, +26). The Council unanimously accepted the report (5-0).
  • Council Reports:
    • Depot Park Football Screening: Mayor Pro Tem Ferris asked about the specific game to be shown on November 15, suggesting the Georgia vs. Texas game (scheduled for 7:30 PM). City Manager Drobney stated the city is waiting on licensing confirmation before making an announcement.
    • Christmas Tree Decorations: Councilmember Viars reminded residents that November 16 is the deadline to sign up to place a tree in Depot Park on a first-come, first-served basis.

Key Outcomes

  • The proposed Chapter 22 business ordinance amendments were withdrawn indefinitely for further revision.
  • The consent agenda was approved, encompassing the Lance Oil settlement, Delta Performance easements, FY26 vehicle purchases, and the Chalker Park CMAR contract.
  • The September 2025 crime statistics were accepted unanimously.
  • The next City Council work session is scheduled for November 10, 2025, at 6:30 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Chief, would you lead us on the pledge? Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. Under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. And with that, the meeting is officially called the order. If you're going to speak tonight, if for any reason your voice or concern, voice your your gratitude, anything, please stand and be sworn in by Mr. Hensley. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. If you'll be speaking this evening or making any sort of presentation, please raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm the presentation or testimony that you'll be offering to this council this evening will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. If so, say I do. Thank you. You may be seated. All right. The floor for public comment on anything that is on the agenda that's posted on the agenda, the floor is open for public comment. Hearing none and seeing none, the floor for public comment is closed. Public hearing, we have one public hearing. It's the ordinance, it's Chapter 22 amendments. Mr. Mayor, as we discussed at the work session in regard to this agenda item, it remained on the agenda because we had advertised it as required. Um however, in working with staff, we realized we needed to do some more work on the proposed amendments to this ordinance. So we're going to be asking the council to vote to postpone this item indefinitely so we can complete that process of reviewing and drafting the revisions to this section, and that will allow us to complete that and then bring it back before the mayor and council at a later date. Is postponing indefinitely acceptable or should we withdraw the should we open the floor for public comment and then withdraw the agenda item? Because we'd you know postponement is usually for a specific date. Would that make more sense? However, you'd like to do that. I think I'd like to withdraw, but uh it was advertised legally, so I'm gonna open it for public comment as a matter of record. Thank you. The floor for uh an ordinance for the chapter 22 amendments uh is open for public comment. Know that the City of Kennesaw still needs to do some work on this, and we will be voting to withdraw the amendment uh proposals uh indefinitely. Hearing none and seeing none, the floor for public comment is closed. Council, do you have any comment or questions on this? Okay. I'm gonna look for a motion to withdraw the chapter 22 amendments under listed under item 10A. Um made council member Ferris, I'll take that as a first. I think it is a second. Madeline, thank you. All those in favor of withdrawing the line item 10 A alpha signify by raising your right hand. That's five. Those opposed, no. Motion is approved by unanimous vote. And there are eight items on the consent agenda looking for a motion to approve the consent agenda in gross. So made. Councilmember Byras, thank you. Thank you very much. All right, any questions or comments?

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com