OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

December 10, 2025 Marietta City Council Meeting Summary

City Council Archive View — Wednesday, December 10, 2025
BodyMarietta, Georgia
SessionCity Council Archive View
DateWednesday, December 10, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 47:42

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

And then on schedule appearance, we have two citizens and a special third citizen.

0:09

Uh Councilman Walker is gonna have signed up.

0:14

Two minutes.

0:16

Should he get his full five minutes?

0:18

Two minutes.

0:20

I could change what I'm gonna say if it'd be hard to get me off.

0:26

The uh next two items are on consent.

0:31

Any objection to those two?

0:33

No objection.

0:41

Blanched Crestview Herbert Street.

0:50

Thank you, Mayor.

0:51

Um, as of today, the applicant has submitted a new stipulation letter, and those have been passed out at each one of your seats.

0:58

Uh just to point out there are two changes resulting from that stipulation letter.

1:02

Um, one of which is that the applicant has agreed that the on street parallel parking uh would be located on private property and controlled by the HOA.

1:10

And then the other stipulation um was to add a variance to reduce the minimum center line radius of a hundred feet for a road.

1:17

That was identified by staff late last week as a part of the zoning code, and they have incorporated it uh into the stipulation letter as well.

1:25

You know this won't be part of the debate, but there was another sticking point about where the one of the roads came out, but is it right?

1:35

Is it Matthew Circle?

1:37

That uh Matthew Circle, but I think uh the um it's it's um uh think I've learned that uh learned from talking with staff that there's a stream there that's causing some causing some things, and there's uh some stuff.

1:53

And uh uh right now the the two options they theoretically have is either coming out across from Matthews or across from Goldie.

1:59

Because I'm not sure they can get over to Blanche right now without uh some kind of state variance right now.

2:05

Is that correct?

2:06

Because of the work because of the creek.

2:08

Uh that may be correct.

2:10

I can confirm that between now and the next meeting.

2:13

You have a comment, Kevin.

2:23

Uh what Mr.

2:24

Goldsham is referring to, if they move the entrance over, they will be encroaching, could be possibly encroaching into the state buffer on the creek.

2:33

Um you cannot have a road running parallel to the straight buffer.

2:39

Um state does not allow that.

2:42

Uh you can have a perpendicular crossing of the creek, which is fine with a proper permitting, but you cannot have a parallel um running of the road into the state buffer.

2:54

So there's no way with the current layout at least with them accomplishing that without doing some other work.

3:01

So that's what Mr.

3:02

Goldstein is referring to.

3:04

Yeah, the only the only two right-of-ways that it touches on that area would be Goldie and then somewhat across from Matthews, as of unless unless some other property is acquired or something like that.

3:16

Is that correct?

3:17

That's correct.

3:20

My understanding is consistent with Mr.

3:22

Rice's understanding questions.

3:27

And the uh was there any uh any other staff any other things that staff might have noticed from the review of the site plan?

3:38

The only other issue that we um I've identified with the current site plan that's been submitted there.

3:45

The um the alleyways access points are behind some of those units.

3:49

Um we are we will not be able to get our trash trucks through there, they're just not wide enough for us to be able to get through those roads.

3:57

So those units will have to bring their sanitation or roll carts out to the street, either at the end of the units or into the front of the units.

4:08

So just as a point of notice for all of you, so everyone understands that that's how we'll have to service those particular units for sanitation.

4:16

So um we we can it's just not safe for us to be running our big trucks up through there, so we'll have to get them out to the street.

4:24

I've talked to Mr.

4:25

Moore about that, and he's he's okay with that understanding.

4:30

Is that all four of the alleys or just yes, ma'am?

4:35

Oh, he's saying two.

4:36

Well, there are two the 16 footers is our primary concern.

4:43

So I think the 20 footers gives us enough 20 foot gives us enough room now with the uh additional length of driveways.

4:50

We can should be able to make that work, but the 16 footers there's just no way I can get a truck up through there safely.

4:58

Okay, thank you.

5:02

It's germane this, but then again, it's more general.

5:07

The you know the neighbor you're talking about still the noise from 75, and are we maxed out about the noise barriers that we have along in the mayor section?

5:18

Uh those particular nose noise barriers uh would be we'd have to get G DOT to install those since it's along the state route.

5:28

Um there is a process involved in obtaining that approval and getting that installation.

5:35

Um they would they it's a process or engineering study to meet certain noise qualification levels.

5:43

Uh I can't stand before you to say that it would meet that criteria at this point, but we'd have to go through GDOT uh to see if they would go through that process or not.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████████████████27%
Zoning and Land Use███████████████████19%
Technology and Innovation███████████11%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████9%
Public Safety█████████9%
Legislative Updates█████████9%
Parks and Recreation███████7%
Public Works████4%
Community Engagement███3%
Summary of Proceedings

December 10, 2025 Marietta City Council Meeting Summary

The Marietta City Council convened on December 10, 2025, to review public hearing items, approve updates to site plans and plats, and address legislative and municipal updates. The meeting featured discussions on stipulation letters for residential developments, noise barrier protocols along State Route 75, and potential changes to the April meeting schedule to avoid holiday conflicts. Council members also received presentations on city innovations, park renovations, and legislative concerns regarding county annexation powers and 911 funding.

Consent Calendar

  • Blanchette Crestview / Herbert Street: Approved unanimously. The applicant submitted a stipulation letter agreeing to locate on-street parallel parking on private HOA-controlled property and to add a variance reducing the minimum centerline radius of the road from 100 feet. Staff noted that road exit options near the creek are limited to Goldie or opposite Matthew Circle without state variances due to state buffer restrictions.
  • 515 Car Parkway: Approved unanimously. The item includes a new stipulation letter to replace the existing chain-link fence with an opaque fence and add landscaping provisions to the front entranceway.
  • Arborcroft Court Final Plat: Approved unanimously following the resubmission of a final plat that ensures sidewalks encircle the entirety of the court and removes the mail kiosk from the right-of-way. All prior staff concerns regarding easements, polling, and sidewalks were confirmed as resolved.
  • Council Meeting Dates for April: Approved unanimously. The schedule was shifted one week later to avoid spring break and Passover conflicts. Council meetings are now set for April 13th and 15th, with committee meetings on April 28th. The Board of Wardens (BOW) meeting was tentatively moved to April 13th.
  • Water and Sewer Rate Adjustments: Approved unanimously. Staff confirmed a 5% water rate increase aligns with the Consumer Price Index (4.6%) and accounts for decreased sales volume due to the loss of Paulding County customers. No objections were raised to the 5% increase or the 0% increase for electricity and sewer.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Citizen Appearance: Two citizens and a special third citizen signed up for public comment. Councilman Walker requested a two-minute reduction from the standard five minutes.
  • Sanitation and Alleyways: Staff confirmed that 16-foot alleyways are too narrow for garbage trucks. Consequently, sanitation services for units with these alleys will require residents to roll carts to the front or back of the units rather than truck access. Resident Mr. Moore was noted to agree with this understanding.
  • Noise Barriers along SR 75: Council members discussed the need for noise barriers near the project area. Staff clarified that GDOT must approve and install these barriers following an engineering study. While previous installations were GDOT-funded, future costs could fall to the city or property owners depending on the engineer's assessment.

Discussion Items

  • Legislative Update (Ananxation & 911 Fees): City Manager Bill Bruton presented updates from a Cobb County meeting with the legislative delegation. The county expressed concerns and requested changes to:
    • Annexation/De-annexation: The county seeks to remove the mediation process, forcing cities to accept or reject annexation before a public hearing. Council members expressed strong opposition to this "broken process" as it denies public vetting. Council noted a potential avenue to stay the process for the current dispute.
    • 911 Fees: The county may seek to raise fees to residents for Next Gen 911 communication systems. If general funds are used instead, it could trigger an agreement clause requiring city contributions.
    • Other Concerns: The county also raised issues regarding franchise fees, sovereign immunity, and the handling of commission terms during district redraws.
  • Fire Department Update: Updates included the successful "Winter Wonderland" event and the upcoming "Shop with a Cop" event at Walmart 4000 Parkway near Terrell Mill. Additionally, Fire Chief announced that the new 2025 Marietta Citizen of the Year is City Manager Bill Bruton, who was celebrated alongside his family.
  • Parks and Recreation: Acting Director Eric provided an update on the Larry Seminski Park renovations. The loop trail is nearly finished, the restroom base is being poured, and playground installation is scheduled to begin. Goats were previously utilized to clear difficult brush areas.
  • HR and Sanitation Update: Human Resources announced the Service Awards reception and ceremony for December 19 (Reception at 11:00 AM, Ceremony at 1:00 PM). Sanitation Director Mark Rice reminded residents of holiday schedule changes for trash collection and confirmed that the mid-block crossing on Cherry Street has begun construction and is expected to be completed within 7-10 days. He also confirmed the city has officially taken control of Whitlock Avenue via signed MOU with GDOT.
  • Legislative and Political Updates: The Cobb County delegation's meeting highlighted potential conflicts regarding de-annexation rules and the potential for a "one-way" street regarding de-annexation without a mandatory waiting period to re-annex.

Key Outcomes

  • Site Plan Variance: The applicant for Blanchette Crestview/Herbert Street agreed to a 100-foot minimum centerline radius variance and a change in parking ownership control.
  • Schedule Changes: April meeting dates shifted to April 13th (Council), April 15th (Council), and April 28th (Committee) to avoid holiday overlaps.
  • Rate Approval: A 5% water rate increase approved based on CPI adjustments and sales volume changes.
  • New Control: Whitlock Avenue officially transferred to city control.
  • Recognition: City Manager Bill Bruton named the 2025 Marietta Citizen of the Year.
  • Litigation: The council directed staff to prepare for an executive session regarding a litigation issue.

Meeting Transcript

And then on schedule appearance, we have two citizens and a special third citizen. Uh Councilman Walker is gonna have signed up. Two minutes. Should he get his full five minutes? Two minutes. I could change what I'm gonna say if it'd be hard to get me off. The uh next two items are on consent. Any objection to those two? No objection. Blanched Crestview Herbert Street. Thank you, Mayor. Um, as of today, the applicant has submitted a new stipulation letter, and those have been passed out at each one of your seats. Uh just to point out there are two changes resulting from that stipulation letter. Um, one of which is that the applicant has agreed that the on street parallel parking uh would be located on private property and controlled by the HOA. And then the other stipulation um was to add a variance to reduce the minimum center line radius of a hundred feet for a road. That was identified by staff late last week as a part of the zoning code, and they have incorporated it uh into the stipulation letter as well. You know this won't be part of the debate, but there was another sticking point about where the one of the roads came out, but is it right? Is it Matthew Circle? That uh Matthew Circle, but I think uh the um it's it's um uh think I've learned that uh learned from talking with staff that there's a stream there that's causing some causing some things, and there's uh some stuff. And uh uh right now the the two options they theoretically have is either coming out across from Matthews or across from Goldie. Because I'm not sure they can get over to Blanche right now without uh some kind of state variance right now. Is that correct? Because of the work because of the creek. Uh that may be correct. I can confirm that between now and the next meeting. You have a comment, Kevin. Uh what Mr. Goldsham is referring to, if they move the entrance over, they will be encroaching, could be possibly encroaching into the state buffer on the creek. Um you cannot have a road running parallel to the straight buffer. Um state does not allow that. Uh you can have a perpendicular crossing of the creek, which is fine with a proper permitting, but you cannot have a parallel um running of the road into the state buffer. So there's no way with the current layout at least with them accomplishing that without doing some other work. So that's what Mr. Goldstein is referring to. Yeah, the only the only two right-of-ways that it touches on that area would be Goldie and then somewhat across from Matthews, as of unless unless some other property is acquired or something like that. Is that correct? That's correct. My understanding is consistent with Mr. Rice's understanding questions. And the uh was there any uh any other staff any other things that staff might have noticed from the review of the site plan? The only other issue that we um I've identified with the current site plan that's been submitted there. The um the alleyways access points are behind some of those units. Um we are we will not be able to get our trash trucks through there, they're just not wide enough for us to be able to get through those roads. So those units will have to bring their sanitation or roll carts out to the street, either at the end of the units or into the front of the units. So just as a point of notice for all of you, so everyone understands that that's how we'll have to service those particular units for sanitation. So um we we can it's just not safe for us to be running our big trucks up through there, so we'll have to get them out to the street. I've talked to Mr. Moore about that, and he's he's okay with that understanding. Is that all four of the alleys or just yes, ma'am? Oh, he's saying two.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com