Kennesaw City Council Meeting – November 2, 2026

The Kennesaw City Council met on November 2, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. in Council Chambers and adjourned at 6:49 p.m. All recorded actions were approved by unanimous votes. No public hearings were held and the council did not enter executive session.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the consent agenda in gross, consisting of the October 19, 2026 regular meeting minutes, the October 19, 2026 executive session minutes, and authorization for the Mayor to sign a cemetery deed for Section III lots 16-G and 17-D purchased by James and Diana Elbert in the Kennesaw City Cemetery. Approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No one spoke during the public-comment period for agenda items.
• Andrew Bramwick, a local resident, presented a local-history segment on a 1968 City Council election, highlighting extremely close vote margins and a tie that led to a special election.
• Matthew Mayo, 2570 Woodland Drive, thanked the Mayor and Council for restoring the park and said many residents he spoke with thought it was still closed. He raised concerns about communication between city leadership and the community, questioned why the park dispute was resolved quietly, and stressed accountability and stewardship of tax dollars. He said he intended to approach things with the temperature turned down.
• Noah, a third-year KSU student and West Cobb resident, proposed a free local-music showcase at the Depot Park amphitheater. He cited the venue's $6 million SPLOST funding and 3,000-person capacity, said only four concerts were held this year, and argued local bands could perform with minimal cost while drawing customers to nearby businesses.
• Tommy Brown, 2417 Elmwood Circle SE, spoke in support of the same local-music goal. He said taxpayers should see a return on the SPLOST-funded amphitheater, noted only four concerts this year, and argued local acts have low production costs and could draw visitors to nearby businesses. He said he is in one of the local bands.
• Rich Hopkins, 3239 Cherkey Street, asked when the Ben King intersection rebuild on Turkey Street would begin and said his calls and emails had not been returned. City staff said the project would go out for bid later this month and a notice to proceed could come early next year because of winter and preparation time. Staff also said the Kathy Rutledge project is in early engineering after the Cherokee/Ben King work and that surveying had been completed, asking for patience.

Discussion Items

• Ratification: Zoning Administrator — The council ratified Chanel Campbell, Director of Planning and Zoning, as the city's Zoning Administrator. Staff described the item as an administrative cleanup for the ordinance.
• Vehicle Lease Supplement with GMA — The council considered a resolution authorizing the Mayor to execute a lease supplement with the Georgia Municipal Association for direct leasing of eight police vehicles. The city would finance the vehicles over five years with annual payments of $144,522 at 4.3 percent annual interest; the total amount financed is $638,000, as approved in the FY27 budget.
• Public Works equipment purchases — The council considered an 80-inch skid steer under a state contract for $84,318 to replace an aging, increasingly expensive and unreliable unit, funded through the Stormwater Utility Fund machinery and equipment account. It also considered a two-ton asphalt trailer under the Sourcewell contract for $38,945 to improve pothole repairs and asphalt maintenance, with a heating system to maintain asphalt temperature and warm excess asphalt overnight; funding would come from the street fund machinery and equipment account in the FY2026-2027 budget. The interim public works director recommended approval of both.
• Wooden Pedestrian Bridge Replacement — The council considered a resolution approving a Gordian proposal through the Georgia State Contract for trail bridge reconstruction, with the proposal amount at $249,834 and a referenced $250,000 total. A council member asked whether the bridges were all on Proctor Creek or throughout the city; staff indicated the scope would not include the nonexistent bridge on Adams Park Trail and referenced two closed bridges awaiting this work plus other bridge projects.

Key Outcomes

• Ratification of Chanel Campbell as Zoning Administrator: approved unanimously.
• GMA vehicle lease supplement for eight police vehicles: approved unanimously, 5-0.
• Consent agenda, including October 19 minutes and cemetery deed: approved unanimously.
• Purchase of 80-inch skid steer for $84,318: approved unanimously, 5-0.
• Purchase of two-ton asphalt trailer for $38,945: approved unanimously, 5-0.
• Gordian wooden pedestrian bridge replacement resolution for $249,834: approved unanimously, 5-0.
• No public hearings were held; no executive session was held. The meeting adjourned at 6:49 p.m. No action was recorded on the Mayor's board and commission (re)appointments.