Marietta City Council Agenda Review Session – September 9, 2026

The Marietta City Council held its agenda review session on September 9, 2026. No written agenda or minutes were available, so this summary is drawn from the raw transcript. The council approved the previous minutes, cleared consent items without objection, and received presentations on planning, public safety, parks, public works, technology, and the SPLOST referendum.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the August 12, 2026 regular meeting minutes; the motion carried 6-0.
• Consent items were accepted without objection, including a special land use application, claims, career replacement funds, travel/training, zone consent, waiver amendments, the Stain of Service Award to Mark Maloney (Ward 3), and other items on pages 7-8.
• For the Water Street item, Councilman Kent said planning and zoning/public works staff confirmed the city obtained the necessary right-of-way during the platting process, leaving only a waiver of requirements for council action.

Discussion Items

• Gallery Authority update: Staff reported that the Gallery Authority asked Marietta to hold the next payment while its auditors determine whether its obligation is paid off. If confirmed, the city can true up; otherwise, funds will accumulate in a city-managed account for council to allocate after the first of the year. The contract ends when all debts incurred during membership are paid, even beyond the original contract date.
• Comprehensive plan and vision videos: Staff showed videos on the comprehensive plan, housing vision, the Upper Yard sewer replacement project, and the Field of Flags. City Planner Courtney Verde described the comprehensive plan as Marietta's long-range roadmap and said the city is updating it in 2027 with community involvement. Kelsey Thompson White said housing work includes new single-family homes, market-rate apartments and townhomes, student-oriented housing near Kennesaw State University, and partnerships with the Marietta Housing Authority to preserve affordable family housing and expand senior housing options. Staff said additional vision-statement videos will be released every couple of weeks, including a Roswell Street housing groundbreaking video; demolition at that site was expected to begin the next week.
• Field of Flags: Staff highlighted the 25th anniversary of 9/11, the 2,977 flags placed at Kennesaw Mountain, and the need for volunteers. A video promoted the volunteer flag parade on Saturday, August 29, with shuttles from the C.W. Matthews parking lot to Grace Church.
• SPLOST discussion: City officials explained the proposed SPLOST is a continuation, not a new tax. They estimated about 30% of county sales tax revenues come from people living outside Cobb County. Marietta's proposed allocation is about $78.7 million, and the 2022 SPLOST has already generated $79 million. The countywide program is over $1 billion. Projects include police cars, fire trucks, a replacement fire station on Franklin Gateway, roads, stormwater, bridges, sidewalks, multi-use trails, park maintenance, fire preemption systems, radio replacements, and continuation of North Marietta Streetscape, Cherokee Street widening, and Lawrence Street. Staff said they can provide factual information but cannot tell voters which way to vote; council members asked for printable handouts and a website splash page, and staff agreed.
• Quasi-judicial procedures: Near the end of the session, a council member asked about quasi-judicial decision-making in light of a Stockbridge case. Staff said they would need to review the case, described the case law as not overly solid, and noted the usual requirement to hold a hearing and then make or at least discuss the decision.

Departmental and Staff Updates

• Police: Chief Beam thanked the Marietta Rotary Club for its eighth annual first-responder luncheon. He reported that a 17-year-old died after an electric scooter collided with a tractor trailer on Cobb Parkway near Augusta Road; officers used traffic-camera video to reconstruct the incident. Officer Millionia Hines was named Narcotics Officer of the Year by ASIS International. The department is finishing FIFA World Cup reimbursement documentation and has two openings with about 10 candidates in the hiring process.
• Police additional: A multi-jurisdictional pursuit after an Atlanta homicide ended with Marietta officers using a pit maneuver and arresting three murder suspects; one police car sustained minor damage.
• Fire: Chief Chica reported FEMA/EMA training, 9/11-related events, Field of Flags participation, and two fire department openings. After a fire fatality in one district, crews installed 15-20 free smoke detectors in the affected neighborhood.
• Human Resources: Service awards are scheduled for December 11. October will include the Money Moves financial wellness week, AI assistant Mira, and open enrollment October 19-31. Flu clinics are planned, and the mobile mammogram was moved to the January 29 health fair.
• Parks and Recreation: Eric Black said the Elizabeth Porter Park spray ground drew over 31,500 visitors this season and remains open for two more weekends. Youth basketball registration is open; practices start October 5 and games begin November 7. September events include Brown Bag concerts, a cryptid-themed Coffee Campfire event on September 18, and the final Glover Park concert; Harvest Fest is October 17, and scarecrow entries are due this Friday.
• Public Works: Mark Rice said the Franklin Gateway Bridge project is waiting on a contractor start date; the Wiley Intersection project starts October 8; GDOT will begin Whitlock Avenue resurfacing next week, mostly at night, with completion around mid-February; CSX will close the Marble Mill Road crossing September 21-25; and the Rottenwood Creek Trail ribbon cutting is September 18 at 10:30 a.m.
• IT and Legislation: Ronnie Barrett said the city website will be redesigned over 3-6 months with ADA accessibility improvements. A three-year Department of Energy/Georgia Tech project will improve cybersecurity for electric and water systems. The city must accept digital driver's licenses by July 1, 2027, an unfunded state mandate. Legislative blue-ribbon study committee meetings on taxation are scheduled September 23 in Moultrie (9 a.m.-1 p.m.) and October 21 in Warner Robins (10 a.m.-12 p.m.). The city manager also noted an upcoming GMA/ACCG board meeting in Macon.
• Budget/capital plan: The city uses a year-end capital process tied to actual revenue before committing expenditures. A capital plan will be brought to council within the next 60 days.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the August 12, 2026 regular meeting minutes 6-0.
• Cleared the consent agenda without objection, including the Water Street waiver discussion.
• Agreed to produce factual SPLOST printed materials and a website splash page; city staff will not advocate for the referendum.
• Waited on the Gallery Authority's auditor review before deciding how to treat the next payment.
• Committed to releasing additional comprehensive-plan vision videos and a Roswell Street housing groundbreaking video.
• Scheduled the capital improvements plan to come before council within 60 days.
• No formal public comments were heard in the transcript.