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Record of Proceedings

Kennesaw City Council Meeting - January 20, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, January 20, 2026
BodyKennesaw, Georgia
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, January 20, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

4:51

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

Unassigned speaker

4:53

Welcome to this regularly scheduled council meeting for Mon or Tuesday, the twentyth of January, twenty twenty-six.

Speaker 1

5:00

Delighted that you're all here.

5:02

Andrew, following the prayers, you uh lead us in the pledge.

5:06

If you would please stand.

5:12

Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day.

5:13

We thank you for love, life, and the opportunity to serve.

5:17

Pray that you bless this council meeting and pray that the city acts well.

5:21

In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Speaker 2

5:27

To the flag of the United States of America.

5:29

And to the Republic for which it stands.

Speaker 1

5:32

One nation

Speaker 2

5:33

under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Speaker 1

5:37

Thank you.

5:38

If you're gonna speak tonight for any reason, if you would stand and be sworn in by Sam.

Unassigned speaker

5:44

Thank

Speaker 2

5:44

you, Mr.

5:45

Mayor.

5:45

Yes, if you'll be making any kind of comment or presentation to this council, would you please raise your right hand?

5:50

Do you swear or affirm that the presentation or testimony you'll be making before this council this evening will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

5:58

If so, say I do.

5:59

Thank you.

6:00

You may be seated.

Speaker 1

6:02

All right.

6:02

Good evening.

6:03

Um the first item up public comment for anything that is on the agenda.

6:08

The floor is open.

6:12

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

6:16

Uh 10 A alpha ordinance, the rezoning request for 695 Pine Mountain Road.

6:23

And um we are aware that it's going to be postponed, but as duly advertised, and so we'll honor that and we'll have

Unassigned speaker

6:32

it.

Unassigned speaker

6:34

Good

Speaker 3

6:35

night, Mayor.

6:35

Well, you've summarized everything I was going to say.

6:38

Um as we've heard in the last meeting on Monday.

6:41

Um, this is a request to postpone.

6:43

Um the application would fall on the February cycle in for Mayor and Council.

6:47

That would be February 9th and February 16th in regards to their request.

Speaker 1

6:53

Okay.

6:53

Thank you very much, all right.

6:56

Um, may I have uh it is a public hearing?

6:59

I'm gonna ask for uh a motion to postpone after this and we'll open the floor for public comment.

7:07

I'm gonna need a motion to postpone the item until 9 February.

Unassigned speaker

7:14

So

Speaker 4

7:14

maybe Mr.

7:15

Mayor.

Speaker 1

7:15

Thank you.

7:16

Do you have a second?

7:17

Second.

7:17

Okay, thank

Unassigned speaker

7:18

you.

Speaker 1

7:19

All right, the um the floor is open for public comment on the rezoning request for 6095 Pine Mountain Road.

7:27

Know that um there is a motion, a standing motion for uh postponement until the 9th of February.

7:33

That's the first of two dates.

7:36

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

7:40

We do have a first and a second for postponement.

7:44

Any questions, comments?

7:46

All those in favor of approving to postpone the hearing until the rezoning request until 9 February.

7:53

Signify by raising your right hand.

7:55

It's five.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████53%
Public Safety█████████████████████████30%
Historic Preservation██████████████17%
Summary of Proceedings

Kennesaw City Council Meeting - January 20, 2026

The Kennesaw City Council met on January 20, 2026 at 6:30 PM in the Council Chambers. The meeting included a public hearing on a rezoning request that was postponed, approval of a consent agenda, acceptance of December 2025 and year-end crime statistics, a public comment on local history, a City Manager’s update on weather preparations, and the appointment of two new members to the Kennesaw Development Authority. All votes were unanimous.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes: Approved the January 5, 2026 Regular Meeting A, Regular Meeting B, and Executive Session minutes unanimously (5-0).
  • Southern Museum Elevator Modernization: Approved a resolution awarding a contract to Otis Elevator Company for elevator modernization (5-0).
  • Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) Study: Approved a resolution accepting Pond & Company’s proposal for professional planning services for the LCI study update (5-0).

Public Hearing & Rezoning Request

  • Ordinance: Rezoning Request for 6095 Pine Mountain Road (Case #RZ2025-03): The applicant, DRB Group Georgia, LLC, requested a postponement until February 9, 2026. Councilmember Jones moved to postpone, seconded by Councilmember Gutierrez-Leon. The motion passed unanimously (5-0). No public comments were made during the hearing.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Kennesaw resident Andrew Bramlett delivered a presentation on Eugene T. Booth, a former Kennesaw schoolteacher who taught U.S. Secretary of State Dean Rusk. Booth and his wife are buried in the city cemetery. Bramlett noted Booth’s son worked on the Manhattan Project. No other public comments were made.

Discussion Items

  • Crime Statistics – December 2025 and Year-End 2025: Police Chief Bill Westenberger presented the statistics. December 2025 saw 1,119 Group A offenses (up from 96 in December 2024), with increases in drug offenses (+11), fraud (+6), and larceny (+6). For the full year 2025, total offenses were 1,373 (up 22 from 2024). Notable annual changes: drug/narcotic offenses up 13 to 374, fraud up 39 to 197, intimidation up 52 to 122, larceny up 26 to 168, and simple assaults down 61 to 166. The council accepted the statistics unanimously (5-0).
  • City Manager’s Report – Weather Preparations: City Manager Dr. Jeff Drobney reported that staff will meet to discuss potential bad weather over the weekend. Due to expected rain, brining of streets may need to occur earlier than usual. Personnel will be prepositioned for a 24/7 response if necessary. Updates will be provided as the forecast solidifies.
  • Mayor’s Appointments to Kennesaw Development Authority: Mayor Easterling appointed Justin Cohen (term expiring 2027) and Sandra Glenn (term expiring 2029) to the Kennesaw Development Authority. The council approved the appointments unanimously (5-0).

Key Outcomes

  • Rezoning postponement approved (5-0) – hearing rescheduled for February 9, 2026.
  • Consent Agenda approved (5-0) – including minutes, elevator contract, and LCI planning services.
  • December 2025 and year-end crime statistics accepted (5-0).
  • Two KDA appointments approved (5-0).
  • No executive session was needed; meeting adjourned at 6:40 PM. The next work session is scheduled for January 26, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to this regularly scheduled council meeting for Mon or Tuesday, the twentyth of January, twenty twenty-six. Delighted that you're all here. Andrew, following the prayers, you uh lead us in the pledge. If you would please stand. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day. We thank you for love, life, and the opportunity to serve. Pray that you bless this council meeting and pray that the city acts well. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. To the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. If you're gonna speak tonight for any reason, if you would stand and be sworn in by Sam. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Yes, if you'll be making any kind of comment or presentation to this council, would you please raise your right hand? Do you swear or affirm that the presentation or testimony you'll be making before 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. Good evening. Um the first item up public comment for anything that is on the agenda. The floor is open. Hearing none and seeing none, the floor for public comment is closed. Uh 10 A alpha ordinance, the rezoning request for 695 Pine Mountain Road. And um we are aware that it's going to be postponed, but as duly advertised, and so we'll honor that and we'll have it. Good night, Mayor. Well, you've summarized everything I was going to say. Um as we've heard in the last meeting on Monday. Um, this is a request to postpone. Um the application would fall on the February cycle in for Mayor and Council. That would be February 9th and February 16th in regards to their request. Okay. Thank you very much, all right. Um, may I have uh it is a public hearing? I'm gonna ask for uh a motion to postpone after this and we'll open the floor for public comment. I'm gonna need a motion to postpone the item until 9 February. So maybe Mr. Mayor. Thank you. Do you have a second? Second. Okay, thank

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