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Record of Proceedings

Marietta City Council Work Session Summary - June 9, 2025

City Council Archive View — Monday, June 9, 2025
BodyMarietta, Georgia
SessionCity Council Archive View
DateMonday, June 9, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

How do I call the city council agenda work session order, please?

0:06

First item of business is the May 12th, 2025 agenda work session minutes.

0:12

Any additions, leasions, corrections, or motion?

0:15

Make a motion to approve.

0:17

Second.

0:21

Motion carries 6-0.

0:26

Mr.

0:27

Shelf's not on the phone or anything.

0:29

It should be.

1:06

We just started the meeting.

1:09

All right, I'm putting on speaker.

1:12

Thank you.

1:14

Hi, Griff.

1:18

The vote on the approval of the May 12th minutes is 6-0.

1:21

Do you want to make it seven?

1:24

Yeah.

1:24

Motion carries 7-0.

1:29

Councilmember Cheryl Richardson to update us on the board lights and water, please, ma'am.

1:34

All right, thank you, Mayor.

1:35

Shall we had a uh really quick meeting today?

1:39

Umce the mayor and Mr.

1:42

Mull swam in from next door.

1:45

Um the first item of business after the pledge and the prayer or the prayer of the pledge, uh, we had um Eric Patton get up and talk about a mutual aid agreement that we're entering into with Georgia EMCs.

1:58

So as you as most people know, we already have mutual aid agreements where we go out to other places if they need help, or we bring in people to us if we need help.

2:07

So this is in the line with that.

2:10

Um but what this did is it set the rate for reimbursement.

2:16

So we don't have to kind of I won't say haggle, but discuss that or negotiate that ahead of time.

2:22

It's already in the agreement now, and that motion passed 6-0.

2:26

Um, and then we had Kim Holland who talked about an intergovernmental agreement with Cobb County Marietta Water Authority.

2:34

If you've seen today's paper, Cobb County is about to start doing some work on their water pipes in Stilesboro old um old 41 area.

2:47

So we have a water meter that is out there, and they're gonna move the water meter for us.

2:53

It's a wholesale water meter.

2:54

They're gonna move that for us, relocate it, and then we'll pick up that extra bit of um water line at that point.

3:03

But this is all being done by Cobb County.

3:05

This intergovernmental agreement really was about the fact that they're going to move the the um water meter and where it's going to be relocated to and our ability to take it over after everything's done.

3:17

We don't expect the work to start until the fall, even though the Stylesboro work probably is starting quicker than that.

3:26

Um and that passed 6-0.

3:30

We also got a water quality report, and this report is going to be available in print.

3:36

It's also available online on the BLW web page, but it talks about um the quality of Marietta water with things that are either in it or not in it, and we got a very good rating on our test results.

3:51

So we got a great rating.

3:53

So if anybody wants to see this, again, BLW is going to do this in print, but also you can get it digitally.

4:01

Uh next we have our new um head of the finance department to talk about finance.

4:13

Good evening.

4:14

So I am going to provide a um abbreviated version of the financial report that was given this um afternoon.

4:23

And um, if there's an additional follow-up questions, please feel free and I can elaborate.

4:29

Um you can go to the next slide for me, please.

4:32

Thank you.

4:32

So um just taking a look at the budget comparison for the month of April.

4:37

This is me AG's budget compared to the Marietta actuals.

4:41

We are up um in our cost, um, approximately three and a third um percent overall.

4:49

Um, and supplementals were underperforming at 5% overall.

4:54

Our power costs are up 280,000.

5:00

Year to date, we're looking at a year a miss of approximately $835,000 for our power costs.

5:06

And just a reminder, when we're talking about April April and MEAG year to date, we're only referring to four months as they are on a calendar year.

5:16

That's fine.

5:17

And so as we take a look at our BLW, this will show a comparison for our internal budget for our budget that was set by the finance department versus our actuals.

5:30

Here our supplementals year to date are up 1.2 million dollars versus budget, and that has to do with our February.

5:53

The total power costs are down versus budget by 1.6 million.

5:59

And we are expecting that this will this is the end of the fiscal year, so this will have we'll have one more month.

6:11

So we're anticipating to look really well full year.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning and Land Use█████████████████████████████████████████████48%
Procedural███████████████████████25%
Fiscal Sustainability███████7%
Tourism███████7%
Energy Management██████6%
Business License████4%
Data Center Development█1%
Code Enforcement█1%
Easement Management█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Marietta City Council Work Session Summary - June 9, 2025

This work session covered routine approvals, financial reports, and a series of zoning and development items set for a regular meeting on June 11, 2025. The council also handled budget discussions, tourism grant scheduling, and multiple consent items.

Consent Calendar

  • May 12, 2025 Work Session Minutes: Approved 7-0.
  • Board of Lights and Water (BLW) Report: Council Member Richardson provided a summary of the BLW's June 9, 2025 meeting, which included approval of a mutual aid agreement with Georgia EMCs for automatic reimbursement rates (6-0 vote), an intergovernmental agreement with Cobb County Marietta Water Authority regarding a water meter relocation (6-0 vote), and a positive water quality report. The council also voted to appoint Council Member Richardson as voting delegate and Ronald Mole as alternate for the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG) annual meeting (7-0). The BLW sponsorship of $8,500 for a high school football club for 600 students was noted as budgeted and will be paid after July 1, 2025.
  • Denial of Claims: Three claims were placed on consent without objection.
  • Lease Agreement – Church Street & Marietta Arts Council: Placed on consent without objection.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Representative from Visit Marietta: Presented a request to install six promotional light post banners for the 2025 MLB All-Star Week (July 11-15, 2025). The banners would be installed July 1-18, 2025, and alternated with existing Visit Marietta banners. The representative expressed that the event provides an opportunity to attract visitors to Marietta. Council Member Goldstein clarified that only his position on the Visit Marietta board was a relevant disclosure for this item. The request was approved 7-0.

Discussion Items

  • Adoption of Recommended Budget for FY2026: Council Member Goldstein noted that the required public hearing was held without any contradictory feedback, so the budget is moving forward with no changes. The item was placed on consent for the June 11, 2025 regular meeting.
  • FY2026 Tourism Grants: Council Member Andre Sims requested to postpone this item to the June 25, 2025 committee meeting to finalize allocations, acknowledging a total allocation over $2 million. A motion to defer passed 6-1 (Council Member Griff Chalfant dissented). Council Member Goldstein declared multiple disclosures (e.g., board membership, family property interests) for various organizations but stated he would not participate in votes on those items. The council agreed to a special called meeting after the committee meeting on June 25 to formally approve the grants and contracts.
  • FY2026 City/BLW Pay & Classification System: Presented by staff; no additional questions. Motion to move forward to the June 11 agenda passed 7-0; placed on consent.
  • Detailed Plan – 29 Doran Avenue: Staff reported that prior concerns (water connections, elevation showing 6 units instead of 5, power lines) were resolved. The site plan now calls for burial of power lines. Motion to forward to the June 11 agenda passed; placed on consent.
  • Review of Draft June 11 City Council Agenda: Included approval of regular and special meeting minutes (May 14, May 27, May 30) and a council appointment to the Ethics Committee with a term expiring August 11, 2025. All placed on consent without objection.

Zoning & Development Items (Forwarded to June 11 Regular Meeting)

The following items were presented for public hearings on June 11, 2025:

  • 1951 Canton Road: Rezoning from CRC to light industrial for small-scale warehousing, product assembly, and service. The applicant plans to demolish the smallest of three existing buildings, keep two, and add landscaping. Three billboard options remain open for council choice.
  • 1880 Scuffle Gate Road: Applicant requested a 60-day tabling of annexation/rezoning from NRC to CRC for a gas station. The tabling was automatic under ordinance; the item will be removed from the June 11 agenda.
  • 1475 Canton Road, 595 Weaver Drive, and Unaddressed Weaver Drive Properties: Rezoning and annexation to light industrial (LI) with outdoor storage expansion. Seven variances requested. Adjacent property owner (611 Weaver) signed a consent form; no objections. Staff clarified that the variances are tied to the specific use.
  • 1751 Bales Ferry Road: Rezoning of a 31-acre track from CRC to LI for a data center (347,000 sq ft) with a cell tower relocation and a substation. Six variances include height increase (50 to 105 ft) and parking reduction (to 45 spaces). The applicant noted meeting with neighbors.
  • 74 Austin Avenue: Rezoning from CRC to R4 with two variances (lot width reduction from 75 to 45 ft, lot size from 7,500 to 6,500 sq ft). The property failed a similar attempt in 2016.
  • 266 Crescent Circle: Rezoning from OI to R4 with one variance (minimum lot size reduction from 7,500 to 6,000 sq ft). The property was non-conforming residential until 2017.
  • 462 & 480 Roswell Street: Rezone from CRC to CRC with additional use as a contractor’s office. Discussion centered on a stipulation attempting to tie the additional use to the applicant or its related entities. The city attorney advised that such stipulations are generally not enforceable in rezoning, as zoning runs with the land. Staff reported the rezoning is inconsistent with the comprehensive plan and the Tier 8 Commercial Quarter design overlay district. The applicant offered landscaping and maintenance of an adjacent city-owned parcel. Council members expressed concerns about the condition of the existing building (asbestos) and the appropriateness of warehouse/truck storage in the area. The applicant acknowledged that improvements would be required before a certificate of occupancy.
  • House Bill 155 Zoning Ordinance Amendment: Council authorized advertisement of changes to the zoning ordinance to revert Board of Zoning Appeals advertisement requirements from 30 days back to 15-45 days, and to remove administrative variances no longer relevant. The bill becomes law July 1, 2025.

Executive Session

The council entered executive session to discuss legal matters, real estate acquisitions, and potential litigation. An update was provided on a pending acquisition, noting that the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) is reviewing final documents. The council also noted that Mapleton and Cobb County are exploring a longer-term agreement.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved: May 12 work session minutes (7-0), BLW voting delegates (7-0), light post banners for MLB All-Star Week (7-0), and forwarded multiple items to consent.
  • Deferred: Tourism grants to June 25, 2025 committee meeting with a special called meeting to follow.
  • Tabled: 1880 Scuffle Gate Road annexation/rezoning for 60 days.
  • Adopted: FY2026 Pay & Classification System placed on consent.
  • Forwarded: All zoning and development items to the June 11, 2025 regular meeting for public hearings.
  • Consent: Denial of three claims, lease agreements, and ethics committee appointment.

Meeting Transcript

How do I call the city council agenda work session order, please? First item of business is the May 12th, 2025 agenda work session minutes. Any additions, leasions, corrections, or motion? Make a motion to approve. Second. Motion carries 6-0. Mr. Shelf's not on the phone or anything. It should be. We just started the meeting. All right, I'm putting on speaker. Thank you. Hi, Griff. The vote on the approval of the May 12th minutes is 6-0. Do you want to make it seven? Yeah. Motion carries 7-0. Councilmember Cheryl Richardson to update us on the board lights and water, please, ma'am. All right, thank you, Mayor. Shall we had a uh really quick meeting today? Umce the mayor and Mr. Mull swam in from next door. Um the first item of business after the pledge and the prayer or the prayer of the pledge, uh, we had um Eric Patton get up and talk about a mutual aid agreement that we're entering into with Georgia EMCs. So as you as most people know, we already have mutual aid agreements where we go out to other places if they need help, or we bring in people to us if we need help. So this is in the line with that. Um but what this did is it set the rate for reimbursement. So we don't have to kind of I won't say haggle, but discuss that or negotiate that ahead of time. It's already in the agreement now, and that motion passed 6-0. Um, and then we had Kim Holland who talked about an intergovernmental agreement with Cobb County Marietta Water Authority. If you've seen today's paper, Cobb County is about to start doing some work on their water pipes in Stilesboro old um old 41 area. So we have a water meter that is out there, and they're gonna move the water meter for us. It's a wholesale water meter. They're gonna move that for us, relocate it, and then we'll pick up that extra bit of um water line at that point. But this is all being done by Cobb County. This intergovernmental agreement really was about the fact that they're going to move the the um water meter and where it's going to be relocated to and our ability to take it over after everything's done. We don't expect the work to start until the fall, even though the Stylesboro work probably is starting quicker than that. Um and that passed 6-0. We also got a water quality report, and this report is going to be available in print. It's also available online on the BLW web page, but it talks about um the quality of Marietta water with things that are either in it or not in it, and we got a very good rating on our test results. So we got a great rating. So if anybody wants to see this, again, BLW is going to do this in print, but also you can get it digitally. Uh next we have our new um head of the finance department to talk about finance. Good evening. So I am going to provide a um abbreviated version of the financial report that was given this um afternoon. And um, if there's an additional follow-up questions, please feel free and I can elaborate. Um you can go to the next slide for me, please. Thank you. So um just taking a look at the budget comparison for the month of April. This is me AG's budget compared to the Marietta actuals. We are up um in our cost, um, approximately three and a third um percent overall.

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