Hello.

I can allow it.

We have to attend these ones.

So we're at the same time.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Oh, okay.

So just you're not gonna have potentially that you might have third here.

Um that is the start.

Um but then also shoot that for a little bit more.

I mean if if you want to all things like all kinds of other things about it, you can be a lot of different working.

I'm sure there's something that are focused on working for it.

Um sometimes it's difficult if the output is like that.

Like right now I'm very involved.

Uh what's that one?

I mean it's always their call.

I mean, we're here to order and five reports and work.

So ultimately the budget is modeling.

Okay.

Yeah, yeah.

Um doesn't have to be a good thing.

Yeah, so we're gonna really if we're gonna do our own if we're gonna be able to grow anymore.

But it's up here.

I can probably have to note something.

Yeah, yeah.

Um here now.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Um she doesn't be trying to both sides.

I don't know how much she would like to do.

Yeah, yeah.

Okay.

I mean, a lot of it tends to like under plans too, but I want to stay.

Yeah.

I don't think they do find our line.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Okay.

Don't worry.

Fun fact.

Um I'll bet you three thousand dollars if you're still because she's used those exact lines before we have I guess I just already have more three months.

I guess I just already on here.

Um should go first.

I know.

Um, yeah.

Okay, we can use it.

So we couldn't believe it's what I keep going to.

Wait, no, everybody's in here.

Yeah, that's what I was doing last night.

I was like, this is not that.

And I couldn't remember that apart.

But I was like, no, she this she showed me if the board each other that I can left.

Thank you.

Somehow it's a problem.

Okay, cool.

Oh, so this is everything.

That's perfect.

Thank you so much.

Um, very helpful.

Yeah.

So I just like it because I can look straight ahead instead of feeling.

Um I think you got too.

Like this.

Okay, I have two more sitting on the phone, but I'm not sure.

I know we're I don't even know if I know that for fresh one.

Yeah, or I don't think that would be colored like that standard setting things.

So I'm already figured out for it doesn't go all when I do it.

We're all changing the spot.

We're changing spots.

I'm not sure.

I like it.

I'm trying to find out.

Yeah, I'm a lot.

I do like this uh, yeah, I'm like another one.

Yeah, I don't know how you're finding a costume.

So you're drawing something?

I am not gonna be able to do it.

I'll say that.

I mean whatever's needed, obviously.

I just know my way.

Oh, I should be on that.

Yeah, we're looking at the channel of course that's really good at my own.

Oh, you can ask it.

So I guess I don't need to do this one.

I don't think I'm either annual that land.

Um, oh god, and then exactly.

Oh five build today.

All right.

All right.

We will begin momentarily.

In about uh exactly one minute.

We will begin and commence.

Understand that uh council member Hall may have been a bit delayed, but we shall begin.

All right.

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the committee meetings for February twenty-fourth, twenty twenty-six.

Elected body present, Mayor Mary Robish.

Councilmember Sarah Beeson.

Councilmember Aaron Brumley.

Councilmember Christine Hall will be just a bit delayed, but she should join us shortly.

Councilmember Jennifer Philippi.

Councilmember Christopher Zach.

Councilmember Alan Sells.

I am Randy Nighton, the City Administrator, along with the Deputy City Attorney.

Joe Cusack, and along with the Deputy City Clerk and the Executive Assistant to the Council, Michelle Miller.

The purpose of committee meetings are for city departments to convey information to Mayor and City Council and folks and discuss initiatives listed on the published agenda.

And provide updates of vital information to the operation of city government and by ordinance.

This is a public meeting, but not a public hearing.

Therefore, while we certainly welcome members of the public, uh, we do not generally take questions or comments unless specifically authorized, and public comments and questions are received at the second and fourth Monday of each month in city council meetings as well as the fifth Monday in open form.

And we do encourage residents always to reach out to the city staff and engage our online platforms if you should have any questions.

We also encourage you to access our web service portal as a mechanism to report any issues and or concerns.

And we encourage the viewing audience also visit Roswell 365.com for a calendar of events, and we'll note that Councilmember Hall has joined us.

So the first item on the agenda for the evening is the approval of the committee meeting minutes for February 10th, 2026.

We'll entertain a motion, motion by councilmember Beeson.

Second by Mayor RoboShow.

Any further discussion?

All in favor?

All right, that passes unanimously.

Thank you very much.

On our regular agenda, item number two, as listed, a discussion of the T Splost 3 process.

T SPLOST is the transportation special purpose local option sales tax.

T SPLOST III.

And we have Mr.

Fegler and Mr.

Nicholas from our transportation department who will provide this presentation to us.

Thank you, gentlemen.

Thank you.

So T Splash is coming up as we've discussed before.

Give you a little bit of background about what it is.

It is a transportation special purpose local option sales tax.

It is a tax that is will be covered by all of Fulton County with the exception of the City of Atlanta.

It is a tax that will fund transportation improvements and will be collected for five years.

The first T SPLOS was in 2016, the second in 2021, and the third, this one, the plan is to vote in November of 2026.

The tax will be three-quarters of a penny sales tax collected by Fulton County and then dispersed to the cities based on population of those cities based on ARC data.

There will be an intergovernmental agreement.

And if it passes, collection will begin several months into 2027 and will go for five years.

And where what's coming in T Splost?

We'll look back at T SPLOS so far.

First T S PLOST.

These were the projects that were on it, about 81 million dollars worth of original budget.

We are working through them.

Several of the projects are complete.

Some of the large projects are still being worked on and getting under construction now.

In right-of-way or design on several of these projects, some are on hold to see how other projects turn out before we move forward on them.

A lot of pedestrian and bike improvements, operations and safety improvements on this project.

Looking at the two lists together, T SPLOS 1, the expected revenue was just over $85 million.

The actual revenue ended up being $91 million.

That was about 92% of what Fulton County thought was going to come out of T SPLOST 1.

For the T SPLOS 2, the expected revenue is 975.

With the total SPLOS revenue of 103, that one is running about 110% of what Fulton County thought we were going to get.

And then the different project categories listed below for those project lists.

And then the different project categories listed below for those project lists, these are how the money we had on our list, how they were allocated into those different buckets of types of work.

So looking at the T Splost 3 process, we're at the point now where we need to put a list together to go to Fulton County to be included on the ballot.

So in February, RDOT staff were identifying the tier one and tier two projects.

Those are the top uh level importance projects from multiple plans that we have looking at projects that will make a difference and something we can get done or get uh significant movement on over five year period.

Again, those are the list of the buckets of the project.

So bridges that could be replacement or widening, uh maintenance, resurfacing of roadways, replacing old signal poles, other type of basic maintenance that's needed.

Operation safety improvements could be flashing yellow arrows, signalized pedestrian crossings.

We have uh pedestrian and bikes, those are your multi-use trails, sidewalk gaps, uh, pedestrian crossings.

Uh there is program and project management.

This is program support both for uh running T SPLOST or for more programmatic um things that we want to tackle as a city.

Uh quick response projects.

This will be funds that would be tagged for some fast turnaround things that come that we may not be able to predict over the next five years, but if we have a need to uh put in a no-turn sign, it would be funds to do those small projects that we can turn around very quickly and get out in the street.

And roadway projects are typically major roadway projects or new roads.

We're looking for for a process is um after after RDOT puts together the initial list of types of projects.

I'm gonna put a questionnaire out to the board, the plan here of have you identify where you would like to spend the funding in a in a vacuum with these different types of buckets of projects, what's important, um, and then give the project the tier one and tier two projects from our comprehensive plans and let you rank the importance of each of those and then we'll see how they stack up.

So if we do that in February, March will be time for uh the RDOT staff to kind of put that all together in a couple working sessions or these meetings to go back through and review with the council what is the project scoring, what is the initial list look like?

And that list will be put together for public comment, and that public comment will happen in April.

At the end of that session, we'll bring back the information from the public comment period.

Uh mayor and council will create and approve the final list that we can spend uh that we can send to Fulton County.

So immediate actions though that we will need, as we said, prioritizing the group types of projects, uh survey the specific projects, and we will take a uh staff will get that together and send it out with your approval for public comment.

This is repetitive.

What you can expect very shortly, like maybe tomorrow from me, uh, is the initial what do you think about the buckets and just generally speaking, where should the funds go?

Um, and then once we get that there, then here's a large list of projects for you to rank one to five, what's most important to you, what's least important questions?

Councilmember Beeson for context for the public.

Could y'all provide just a few examples of projects from T SPLOS one and two just for recent past projects or projects currently in the works?

Just so they have an idea of what's coming down the pike.

For one and two that have started?

That are yes.

So T Splash one, um Old Hokum Bridge, uh bridge replacement, the Oxpo, State Route 9, intersection, Rucker Road, all of those are completed projects.

Uh Big Creek Parkway uh one and two, uh, that is under construction and/or right of way.

Uh the historic gateways under right-of-way that's coming up, State Route 9, and then the Holcomb Bridge interchange.

Um so they can expect similar projects to these for T SPLOS three, just in different areas of town, correct?

Correct.

And we do try to spread those out geographically as much as possible, correct?

Absolutely.

Thank you.

Any other questions or comments?

Okay, yes, Mayor Robo show.

So just as we go back to uh T Splot 1, seeing two projects that are technically completed, and there is some remaining funds, those funds can really still only be used for transportation projects since it was done under T Splot, correct?

And that is that's a determination then that your you guys will make.

Correct.

But all all funds have to be used of similar type T Sploss programs.

All right.

Thank you.

Okay.

Any other questions or comments at this time?

There's more to come, of course, on this item, and we'll seek to keep uh obviously the council informed as well as the general public.

This was a discussion item, and so uh no voter affirmation is needed at this point.

The next item, item number three is discussion of the neighborhood traffic calming program, Mr.

Fegler.

So the neighborhood traffic calming program, if it'll start my slides.

This is the slide presentation that was given in September of 2020 uh 25 to mayor and council and was approved and is the basis of the current um neighborhood traffic calming program.

So slowdown in Roswell was prior mayor's top priorities.

The goals improving quality of life, make streets safer, slow down local roads under city control.

Uh, there were three phases uh identified as part of this package.

Um the first was neighborhood traffic calming, the both the matrix of where do we go and a pilot program.

Uh there was also a phase two and three, which have not happened, and I believe it was decided not to move forward with them.

The track the neighborhood traffic calming matrix.

Five factors went into this, looked at um this the roads and were scored based on speeding, traffic volume, sidewalks, existence of sidewalks.

Um, any amenities, those are not pools and tennis courts, those are schools, parks, shopping, uh, because you'd have more pedestrians there, um, and then poverty rates to look at underserved areas of of the city.

Um, the points possible, uh, the top four top three items uh were scored zero to four points, and amenities was zero to three, and poverty rate zero to two, and then the final score together uh was weighted 40, 30, 20, 5, and 5 percent to come up with a weighted score for each area.

When that overlay was applied, the top 11 roads were listed here.

Um you can see on the maps where the numbers apply and what they were and what the matrix overall score was for those locations.

So moving forward, the plan was we're gonna do pick we're gonna pick a site and we're gonna do data collection to figure out where on that road we have the worst problems and then evaluate what types of traffic calming would be most effective there.

So data collection devices that is a traffic counter.

You might see little squares on the road with a hole cut out.

That's where we tape them on the road and we cut it out and take it home when we're done with it.

Um highest scoring neighborhoods uh were here.

Um Barrington Falls, Spring Ridge, and Willow Springs.

Second step would be to temporarily install some traffic calming devices.

These are types of speed humps or speed tables that you might install with the idea that we would install them, leave them in the ground for 30 to 60 days, and then collect data to see if we've been effective with slowing down traffic on that roadway.

Um as a sidebar, the trick to speed humps is the speed in between them.

Because if you put them too far apart, people are just gonna gun it to make up the difference for the lost time of going over it.

Umce we would put those in, collect the after data with them being in there for a while.

If they were in the right place, then we would go in if we wanted to move further and install those as permanent devices.

So the as laid out in this presentation, the pilot program would have been 11 neighborhoods with a budget of 400,000.

Um 400,000 has been budgeted as part of the 26 budget.

Uh there was a traffic analyst position uh for doing data compilation and analysis, not just for this program but for other programs, and we do have that position.

Um public outreach campaign.

Uh the the development of the traffic calming matrix, uh, which has happened, well, not happened.

This is the traffic calming matrix for roads not within a subdivision and also a sidewalk matrix.

Those have not moved forward.

The recommendation at the time was approval of the neighborhood traffic calming matrix with the 2026 budget for traffic analyst one position and 400,000 in capital for basically pilot project.

Current status where we are right now is a pilot project in on Wave Tree.

That was the selected location.

Why is it not going up there?

Because I didn't stop this.

So we that is where we are right now.

We are going to go back in where the blue lines are and do some counts there, because that's where we're gonna think we want the before and after data to compare exactly what we did.

And the 85th percentile speed, that is 85% of the drivers are driving that speed or lower.

15% are going higher.

Question.

Excuse me.

Council member Philippi.

What's the speed limit on that road?

I believe it's 25.

I believe that's 25.

Yeah.

So we have uh 41 miles per hour down the south end as opposed to 35, 34 and a half up top.

Yes, Councilmember Sales.

So as you um you have a data point, you have some solid data from this collection for wave tree.

And if you go back to the work you did, the work that was done to create the matrix, how did how did you find because I'm not sure how we gathered the first in the first instance?

I'm not quite you know, speeding traffic volume.

I don't know how we got that data before because part of the conversation was we didn't have a lot of data.

So did you find that the estimates that were done to develop the list were borne out by the by the test?

I'm gonna ask Greg, because we got straight.

This meeting was the speeding data was from the street light uh cell phone.

It was good.

Yeah, cell phone data uh basically.

Um I mean, I would say based on what we've collected so far.

Again, we've only done a couple of spots on Wave Tree, and we still have a little bit more to go do.

Um I mean, I would say it's it's roughly in line at the point.

So it validated your the assessments that you used for decisions, is what you're saying.

Yes.

Okay.

All right, thank you.

Yes, Councilmember Brumley.

Um, I remember the safe streets for all program was mentioned on one of our previous meetings that we tried to get a grant from them and it was declined.

So the Safe Streets for All Different program.

This fits in the philosophy of state safe streets for all, it's a piece of that.

Um the specific grant for safe streets for all that we went after last year and didn't get, we're still waiting on a debrief.

Um, but that relied on a list.

The first grant for safe streets for all was to um develop, and I'm blanking now the safety action plan.

Safety action plan, yeah, which identified locations for improvements.

Um, and this the grant that we did not get funded, identified a couple things from that program to apply for funding, and we did not get that funding.

Now that that program had a different set of criteria from what I understand.

It's it's different, but it's safe streets for all is just a larger systematic philosophical with a much wider reach.

The neighborhood traffic calming definitely fits under the umbrella of Safe Streets for All, but it's more like just a pocket of of focus area.

So these criteria and the weight for the final score that was not you that was not from the other programs like safety or other federal programs to say for instance, the weight for each piece was determined by the weighting there is determined by previous council.

Previous council council.

Not staff.

The final decision on the weighting was done by previous council.

Okay.

Uh because as I mentioned before, I'm very concerned about the weights that were done for amenities and poverty rates that seem to be um I especially the property races to be a little bit out of touch with what usually these kinds of programs or grants are for.

So I just wanted to know what was the source of those percentages.

Um my last question, when you say neighborhood traffic calling matrix, did that mean that it was only HOA neighborhoods that were included.

It would be neighborhoods, and since I guess Roswell, we all have to have HOAs if you're in the neighborhood.

No.

Okay.

Okay.

Apologize.

Is there um like I said, that the criteria is just doesn't sound like it's um something that we could be using for you know, in case we want to get other grants and other opportunities.

You know, sourced by the city of Roswell.

So I would really would like to rework these this weights, especially if they are if they didn't come from um you know, from staff or from experts, if you just came from the year and council.

That's all right.

Thank you.

Councilmember Hall.

Thank you.

Um Safe Streets for All is a federal program, and part of the weighting of what that program is about.

I don't know if you had an opportunity to participate in the open houses that we had for the residents to come and comment, but um that looked at uh what it measured was uh a lot of the most dangerous intersections.

So it would be an intersection like Holcomb Bridge and and Warsaw.

So that program is different than what the neighborhood traffic calming program was.

It we didn't use the same criteria as we would for a federal program like that.

Now, as um Director Flieger explained, part of this falls under there.

So we get some points if we're going to apply for that, but that wasn't what this specifically was.

This was specifically addressing the um number one complaint from residents, and I think my colleagues that have been on council can attest to this that we get of speeding within our city limits.

And neighborhood is I I think more of a less a looser term because neighborhoods also include other streets outside of HOAs or outside of planned unit developments like uh like a Martin's Landing.

So that's where you see Wave Tree and and perhaps other streets.

So that's just a little bit of the history of this was the first stab at basically trying to address those drivers that enter the confines of the city of Roswell, and what what can we do to uh slow slow that traffic down?

And and a lot of it does happen to come from neighborhoods, so Bison, and I'll come to the Philippines with regards to updating the neighborhood traffic calming matrix.

Can you go again to the top, I believe it's 10 neighborhoods that were selected for this based off that weight?

So one of my concerns in terms of equity with this, at least half of those neighborhoods are within country club neighborhoods.

One could assume that they could easily I say this as somebody who lived in one of those neighborhoods, my parents still live there.

Um the residents are capable of placing um additional fees within their HOA that would more than is more than capable of taking care of trapping traffic calming within their own neighborhoods.

Um can you go again back to the weighted score sheet?

That wouldn't an aspect that's missing through here that I'm looking at now, and I will fully disclose that I I've voted on the matrix before because we do need residential traffic calming, and this is a supplemental fund, so um think of it as something that neighborhoods can apply for and receive assistance from the city.

Um I didn't see anything related to cut-through rates.

So, in terms of neighborhoods that collect non art or collect arterial roads or non-residential roads, wave tree is actually a perfect example of that.

So the council member sells his point of oh, it did it meet the needs.

I would actually argue that wave tree more than meets the needs because it connects um Woodstock Road to Highway 92.

Um so if you're trying to cut around the 9,000 schools on Woodstock Road, nine times out of ten people take wave tree to cut through that, especially during morning rush hour.

And I say that as somebody whose office is on Woodstock, so completely anecdotal.

Again, anecdotally, what about?

Oh, there we go.

In terms of the residential complaints that we received from Wave Tree specifically, one of them is walking or walkers as they call them for the elementary school who walk to Roswell North.

It's elementary school children and their parents who have had major concerns related to almost impacts with cars on Wave Tree.

So that's another potential weight that I would like to include is frequency of pedestrians.

And then lastly, as it relates to Wave Tree specifically for this program, and I wholeheartedly agree again that Wave Tree needs to be the pilot program for this, and I would like to see more residential areas like Wave Tree, which are used as cut-through routes between arterials.

There it is.

Technology doesn't like you either.

I still have to do that.

We'll pretend it's that.

I believe percentile um it was the percentile of average speed, is that correct?

Um that was one of your data points.

Um I'm not saying to do away with that data point, but to contextualize the data point.

I think it would be helpful um to understand that context within the existing speed limit for that road.

So um what percentage above the speed limit is it?

Especially if we're gonna be setting standards for other neighborhoods for traffic calming programs.

Um the percentile is helpful, but it's only helpful within the context of a speed limit.

That's it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Yeah, council member Philippi, then council member Zach, and then council member sales and order.

Um so yeah, I agree about Wave Tree.

I had conversations with them, and I know that corner in particular has been uh a problem for them.

Has there been specific feedback from these other neighborhoods?

Um, particularly after the program has been rolled or like publicized a little bit more.

Have you heard from them?

Are they receptive of it?

Are they embracing this?

Are they looking forward to this coming?

Is there been pushback?

What are these other neighborhoods?

I mean, I know Wave Tree was especially eager to get the assistance.

How are the other neighborhoods feeling?

Um I'd say we we've probably heard the most from the Wave Tree neighborhood.

Um not as much from the other neighborhoods that are on like the top 11 list that was approved.

Um, we definitely had a lot of interest when this got approved and the social media post went out.

Um I I would hate to say how many emails we got within the first week, but um but again, yeah, Wave Tree was definitely you know right at the top of the list on you know, as far as concerned.

Yeah, so to council member Beeson's point, if we were looking more at those neighborhoods that are cutting through to main arteries, I I think that um we would be making a bigger impact.

Thank you.

So yeah, let's all get this.

Okay.

Um I'll say I'm uh some of these elements are a bit confusing to me.

So I'm gonna do my best.

Um so I recognize that the safety program and what this is are separate constructs, but there was still an application for that grant, and that's where it's a little confusing.

On like, was that a mistake of trying to include this?

And maybe it was, and if not, is there still a program outside of this that could be pursued for that safe street grant so we could get that funding for the city to go elsewhere that's separate from this still?

So I would say the Safe Streets for All grant request.

Uh that application was due before the slowdown in Roswell initiative was finalized in September.

Um I would say there are still other projects in the Safe Streets for All lists that are valuable and worth going after.

Uh we're actually looking at one that's in that's number two on the list uh to go after some federal funds as well right now.

Uh second question.

Um, my understanding is this really is a data collection project.

Um so my understanding is this really is a data collection project, um, and we've identified funding for the data collection, but correct me if I'm wrong, that we don't have funding identified for if we were to say yes, there is a need that we want to put in speed bumps, that funding is not identified, or is that part of the there is enough funding definitely to do this road as the pilot, and then possibly move to whatever in the next road is and start working through that funding should get us through installing doing all the data collection we need on wave tree and installing or not installing uh whatever measures are appropriate.

Okay, and just for clarity, that 400,000 would encompass data collection, piloting, and then final product.

And I hate to ask, but is that 400,000 that would be it for the just this road, or would there be funding left over?

So the 400,000 was earmarked for the 11 neighborhoods.

Um again, that I would say the 400,000 was more geared towards the temporary measures.

Um the data collection is all in-house.

Um the traffic analyst position that was also funded, that kind of feeds in um to the data collection.

So I mean we were gonna buy some additional equipment with the 400,000 dollars, um, but that's not a heavy lift to buy the extra counters.

Um yes, the 400,000 was for the temporary measures for those 11 neighborhoods.

Okay.

I'm getting a little bit mixed.

So it what would the cost be just full completion of this one road?

Temporary or final.

So data collection, piloting, and final.

Um I would say let us get back to you on that.

Okay.

Because once we we've done partial data collection, we still need to get a couple points so we can kind of make our final recommendations.

Um, even from a temporary standpoint, and then if there are something, if there's additional features that could be more permanent, you know, we have to figure that out and cost.

Okay, and just to summarize that the 400,000 originally was budgeted with the expectation that the 11 neighborhoods could be piloted.

So that's what the funding covers.

We don't necessarily know what the full cost is to full completion, um, which you could get back to me on.

Um, and then I got one more, which is which is uh I don't know.

It was kind of referenced, but when does the city need to put in the speed bump versus a neighborhood just from like an operational standpoint?

Like what's the capability that a neighborhood has on their own?

So neighborhoods now can request uh traffic, they can request to put in traffic calming devices now.

Um and we will allow that.

That's the current policy.

Um if they're willing to do so on their own dime, that's not a problem.

It's just an issue if they're expecting the city to pay.

We don't necessarily have the funding in the in a program for that right now.

All right, I don't want to follow up.

And if they don't have a HOA, what how would you manage that?

That's probably been a one of the sticky situations we've that we've kind of run into.

Um I guess what wave tree is probably pretty good example that there isn't an HOA, uh a formal HOA.

Um, you know, they are wanting the city to kind of take on that responsibility and that cost.

Is there any?

Well, I'll I'll defer.

Um is that it, Councilmember Sachs?

Okay, Councilmember Sales.

Yeah, so so first my uh question about Wave Tree wasn't whether it was qualified.

My question was did the data square up with the what we thought it would, what we used for the an assessment.

So frankly, just trying to make sure that we calibrated the tool that we used for the purpose.

The second thing I'd say is that to my memory, I I didn't feel that implementation of any permanent structures was a part of this.

This was a data gathering tool.

Uh we needed to know, we wanted to know, we wanted to prove it out, we wanted to test a few things with maybe the some of the equipment you're talking about, some of the temporary speed tables and things like that.

So there was sufficient, in my view, as I understood it, there was sufficient dollars for that kind of activity.

Never considered that this was going to be part of a construction project at that at that 400,000 dollars.

Is that your memory as well?

Your your not yours.

Yeah, no, it's definitely it was geared towards more temporary installation.

Um I think the goal was to pretty much have a lot of the temporary installations and some of the data analysis complete, um, at least with I would say half of those 11 neighborhoods by um like June, July.

Um so then as part of the budget request for next year, um, we would maybe be requesting some more like permanent installation dollars.

Right.

And and to perhaps your point, but but nonetheless, uh maybe it's fitting with what you just said about the HOAs and those kinds of things.

Having the information and being able to demonstrate that, let's say speed tables or something like that, we are not precluded from seeking a grant.

We're not precluded from including it in the budget.

We're not even precluded from going back to the HOA and say this is what we see, you're not in our budget.

If you'd like to speed this up, go ahead, right?

We can still do all of those things.

Okay.

Because I don't think speeding is correlated to poverty rates in any way.

Do you find that that's the case in your experience?

I don't think no, I think I believe if I was to guess, but I was not here that poverty rates were there because it's probably the neighborhoods that could not ever afford to do it on their own if they had to.

Fair enough.

Right, right.

Well that's a that's a the question of doing the implementation.

Right.

But as far as like the study is concerned, it's not a driving factor.

Thank you.

All right.

Um thank you.

Any other comments?

Councilmember Brumley.

So you're in my um, so once we have the wave tree data, is is there a possibility to go back and reward that matrix and the criteria?

Just so that like where she said to make a bigger impact to the city as a whole.

Is that something that we have initiate?

Yeah, this is a discussion item, and I think in part we wanted to ensure that there was alignment going forward on what a uh matrix or criteria should be.

And so the comments that were rendered here today obviously is something that we'll um take a look at uh as well, and we'll be soliciting additional commentary from you related to ultimately developing a criteria that we are clear that is aligned with the mayor and council going forward for any funds that may be allocated or any programs related to traffic calming measures.

I'm using that as an umbrella term.

Yes, Councilmember Philippi.

If that's the question on the table, I just want to be clear.

I would not be in favor of pursuing spending dollars in neighborhoods that are not requesting this kind of assistance.

I would rather take the dollars and spend them in the neighborhoods that are requesting assistance for things like dredging.

So this would not be a priority for for me.

I do think wave tree is a priority.

And if we found other neighborhoods similar to Wave Tree, then I would be in support.

Councilmember Beast.

To Councilmember Philippi's point, I would much rather this program be needs-based.

And I mean that not only based off of demand from the neighborhood themselves.

Um HOA shouldn't be the requirement that you have collective bargaining power because you are part of an homeowners association.

Um and to council member Cell's point, can you go?

You're gonna kill me for going back and forth on these slides.

Can you go back to the weights?

Okay, somewhere.

I'll do a interpretive dance while we wait.

I used to be good at this.

That's it.

Look, you've mastered it now.

Um so in terms of the weights themselves, I realize that poverty rates five percent, and to council member Cell's point, there's not a correlation between poverty rate and speeding.

However, there is a correlation between poverty rate and pedestrian rates.

You're more likely to walk if you can't afford a car or you need access to a bus.

I guess the sidewalks is that fun fact.

Um, the most heavily used part of Holcomb Bridge where they use Murda stops, there's no sidewalk.

Um they're goat paths, um, which nothing says degradation, like referring to it as a goat path as opposed to a sidewalk.

Um that's actual term by the way.

Um sidewalks is not an indicator of walkability either.

We have a former council member who used to love interchangeably using the words sidewalks and walkability.

Walkability is implied by density.

It's your ability to get from point A to point B based off a need.

And in this situation, uh I will just for the sake of argument, use my parents' neighborhood that I grew up in, which is on one of your top ten lists.

Um, I'm more likely to get hit by a 15-year-old in a golf cart speeding than I am trying to walk to the grocery store from my parents' neighborhood.

People aren't walking to the grocery store there.

Um however, in Wave Tree, for example, there are a lot of folks who are walking their children, small children specifically to school, um, which actually takes pressure off of our road systems and takes pressure off of their carpool line, so I'd like to encourage it.

Um so that's one of the reasons why I'd like to look at the weight of this and also to Councilmember Philippi's point, the needs based of this.

Um, even if it's neighborhoods want to request to be a part of the data study, um, completely based off of we think we have a need.

Um usually residents have a pretty good idea if that's an issue in their neighborhood and we could study it further.

Councilmember Zach.

I think to help build consensus, I'm mostly aligned with uh Jennifer, but uh I'll add just uh a little caveat, which is um for me in particular, this program would kind of make sense if there was an end goal of implementation, but the fact that there is no implementation and we don't have identified funding for implementation to me seems like we're doing a data study where we're not gonna be able to do anything with the end results.

So because of that, I am mostly aligned to say that I would rather pull this back and put it towards funding that we know we have a need for versus building the data to find a need and then still having to find money to fulfill that need.

Okay, thank you.

Councilmember Beeson.

Based off of what Councilmember Jatak just said, um, in the past, historically speaking, year to year on average, what was the dollar amount for each neighborhood requesting assistance from the neighborhood for traffic calming assistance.

Um put that in your internal computer.

The answer is 42.

It's always 42.

But you can't do it.

Well, that's some data that I think moving forward.

I realize this is a discussion topic, not a voting topic, but I do think that that's helpful context for us in terms of dollar amount moving forward of what we can expect for future projects or future assistance, just as a barometer.

Um to Councilmember Zach's point, I realize that we don't have anything allocated this year because it was intended to be a pilot program, and then the budget would be intended for future um allocations moving forward for implementation.

Um, but it it's hard for us to make a guess on our end for the budget if we don't have a historical sense of what was requested.

We need to see if we can obtain that information.

Mayor RoboShow.

So I'm I guess I'm gonna speak.

Um, you know, I appreciate all the comments, but of course I do live in uh Willow Springs.

So I will say we as a neighborhood, if we have done multiple self-funded traffic calming projects to the best of our ability.

We've put in three speed bumps.

Not only we are a three-way pass-through from Haynes from Hanes Bridge down to old Alabama, you can get into that neighborhood three ways, and they come in, rush.

We've done things such as we sat for a week at all three entrances, clocking people in and out, and we would we would communicate with each other whose um you know, license plates.

We were following it, we have that data.

We pay, as I said, three speed bumps on Ascot, one of our smaller streets.

Again, if you look, our Rock's Burg drive is the biggest one, it's a 5.5 mile circle that people go through what we clocked them at at 55 miles an hour in a 25-mile an hour zone.

I'm not saying who or what should pay.

We've paid.

We actually have two of these devices in our neighborhood to clock the speed to try to get people to slow down on Roxburgh.

Two of them are broken right now, but we're trying to get those fixed.

So I think I'm not saying good, bad, right, wrong.

Yes, we do have some resources, but also at some point, you know, it we are all citizens, as many of us have had horrific accidents in our neighborhoods.

I'm not trying to say one way or the other.

I'm saying, but to give up the impression that those of us who do live in some of the other neighborhoods have not doing our part, also on our nickels, too.

We are trying our speed bumps, though, when we put them in, no offense to the city.

This was years ago.

Then they made them that they were too high, even though we were told to do.

We had to then pay to have them trimmed down, and then at that point they told us, no, don't put y'all don't put in any more speed bumps.

We'll get back to you.

So, you know, sometimes some neighborhoods were caught in this cycle of we're trying what we can legally do.

Um, we've put we were one of the first ones, and nobody's gonna yell at me.

We did the flock cameras, because he's like, well, we'll track how many is going in and out so fast that as they speed through.

A lot of ours are unfortunately high school kids.

I will be honest and say when we did our own little traffic monitoring, the bet the most people that sped in my neighborhood were the residents of the neighborhood.

Councilmember Hall, I believe Council Mr Hall first, and then Councilmember Sales.

Council Member Hall?

Thank you.

Um, just a a couple of questions and and a point.

Uh for our assistance program, uh this the neighborhoods or streets or anybody can apply for either putting in a stop sign or a speed bump or one of those um I don't know what the little stand-up.

The little stand-ups is that is that correct?

Yeah, the stand-ups and those are generally those are the cheapest option.

That's what a lot of the neighborhoods have just put up.

They get and and that's all that that's all that's all at their own cost.

So anybody can basically apply to the city and say, you know, we want to do something, we want to try this, how much is it gonna cost us?

And basically they hire the city to to do it.

Well, with the stand-ups, they actually they just go put them out.

It just you're not bolting it into the ground, it just yeah.

So to me, knowledge is power.

The more knowledge that we have of what is going on in our city, the more powerful we can be.

Um there may be other grants that we can go after.

If we expand this, if we do this program and expand the the matrix to include broader collect um connecting streets, I I think it will only help us in in the long run to have this knowledge and and facts, and we can go back to the these maybe neighborhoods and and say, hey, we have this data, this is your your data for your for your neighborhood, you know, take it up with with the with your HOA because we are prioritizing uh connector roads or or pass-through roads.

Um I I would like to see us to continue to gather this information and have that knowledge and and and have the facts, and perhaps we can get additional funding uh from other sources.

Council Member Sales.

Uh trigued by the sidewalk versus pedestrian and that's a great point.

Uh do we do we have any way to assess?

I mean, I I you know you looked at the speed, you looked at the traffic volume, you had some facts around that.

It was borne out by the the single point of test that we have.

Do we have anything on foot traffic on our roads in any meaningful way that we could use in this?

Or how would you develop it?

What would you how do you think about that?

We have done pedestrian counts.

Uh we do have the capability to do pedestrian counts.

Um typically we've done them, you know, near alive in Roswell.

Uh we've done some down off riverside.

Um typically, like our really heavy pedestrian zones, we try to get some counts occasionally.

Um, we'd have to maybe look and we may be able to put some cameras like on Holcomb Bridge or you know, and some of those other areas um to try to get some better pedestrian accounts.

I think the sidewalks was was an attempt to reach that issue.

Uh I get the point that it's not exactly a it's it's it, you know, as a matter of fact, no sidewalks or fewer sidewalks was a was a winner from that perspective, but it's not a pedestrian count.

I get that.

The second thing I I was I would like to uh point out, and uh Christine sort of hinted about it is like I think one of the things we were trying to do with this program was to see what worked.

So this was an opportunity for a relatively low amount to one find out what was going what was where the speeding was and then have a benchmark against which to say this or cane here work or some kind of temporary function or something like that, because it you guys are the experts, but isn't it the road design that really determines the speed?

It's not the speed sign or anything else, it's actually the road design.

And so we were looking for some data around the types of measures that could be done in a given you know, stretch of asphalt, whether it's Mary's neighborhood or you know your neighborhood or whatever the case may be.

That was sort of the point of this.

It was not it wasn't a grand's plan to rebuild the streets or put in, it was really to find out what would work and then go from there.

That's fair.

Yeah.

All right, any uh further comments or questions?

This was a discussion item.

Obviously, there is uh much to contemplate as a result of this discussion, and this is an item that we'll obviously need to circle back with you on some decision points here in the near future, very near future.

All right.

Thank you.

Thank you, gentlemen.

Item number four, consideration for the mayor or city administrator to award a contract to Barbazon Lighting Company in the amount of 427,998 dollars and sixty-four cents for the completion of the rigging and dimmer upgrades at the cultural arts center with a total budget authorization and the amount of 470,000.

Mr.

Malone.

There we go.

Good evening.

Uh thank you for the opportunity to present this to you tonight.

Before we get into the details of this request, I did want to give you a little background and context as it relates to the Roswell Cultural Arts Center.

For those that don't know, that center and facility was opened in 1991, so we have proudly been serving the city of Roswell for over 35 years out of that center.

The center truly serves as a community hub for live performance, hosting everything from music and theater to literature and spoken word.

Our programming model includes three types of events.

Curated performances featuring local and national touring artists, partnerships with local art organizations where we share box office revenue, and then facility rentals for touring acts, nonprofits, and community groups who present and sell their own performances.

This approach allows us to offer a wide range of high quality experiences while supporting both national talent and local arts community here in Roswell.

In 2025, just to give you some data points, in 2025, the center hosted 150 performances and sold more than 36,000 tickets out of that venue.

In 2026, we are already scheduled to host 166 performances and expect to exceed the last year's attendance records.

Because of the outstanding work of the Culture Arts team, the center has experienced an average annual growth rate of approximately 54.6% over the past four years.

So context every year for the last four years, we've averaged approximately 54% growth in that center year over year.

Now to get into a little bit of the details of the request for tonight.

This request is for the replacement of the demer theatrical lighting and the rigging control systems for the main stage at the Roswell Culture Art Center.

Several of these components included in this request are original to the building and are well beyond their useful life.

Because these systems all function together, the goal, if approved, would be to replace them as an integrated package so that they would position the center for approximately about another 25 useful shelf life as it relates to these items that we'll discuss tonight.

So the demer system controls the brightness and the power distribution to every stage light.

It's the critical backbone system for the theater.

I love to provide pictures.

So as you can see from the pictures, much of this equipment is original to the building, and some of the components were actually replaced after a lightning strike in 2006.

It's important to note that the manufacture of this specific equipment is no longer in business, which makes obtaining parts and service requests very difficult for repairs.

This capital project would also modernize all the stage lighting to LED, which of course improves efficiency, reduces energy consumption and heat, allows the versatile color changing on stage, and then lowers the long-term maintenance costs.

Currently, right now, in order to change the lighting, it requires putting what we call a lighting gel over the light, which is basically a film to change out the lights from one color to the other.

By replacing it to LED, it makes it a lot more operationally effective when it becomes performance ready.

Upgrading this system would improve the reliability, the safety operating operating capacity while reducing utility costs and the cooling demand for the center.

The current lights produce so much heat coming off of that, it actually makes the HVAC system run longer.

LED would run cooler and byproduct would then lower our energy and utility costs.

This moves us into the rigging system, which is the overhead infrastructure that safely lifts and moves lighting, curtains, and scenery.

It's critical to both safety and performance operations within the center.

Much of the rigging that is there now was installed before modern code standards were in place.

It is overcrowded and in some cases damaged or no longer in service.

You can see in the pictures, again, I love the pictures.

You can see and then that the upstaged line is frayed and actually is no longer in use due to safety concerns.

That's the third picture from the left.

Currently, adjustments to the system are manually done and very inefficient.

It takes approximately 20 minutes to reposition a single line, which limits the flexibility during performances.

Improved safety through engineered load control, which effectively means that it's we're able to safely carry the load between the lifts without having to do that manually.

That increases the efficiency and allows us to attract more sophisticated productions with the precise movements and capabilities.

Is a national purchasing cooperative made up of public entities that join through an interloco agreement.

It effectively allows us to go out and get set pricing when it comes to this type of equipment.

Through this process, we were able to identify Barbazon Lighting as the most qualified respondent who is also a manufacturer certified provider, which is important in the industry as well.

The schedule would be to try to complete this work this summer, bearing in mind that we're trying to limit the downtime of this center.

So the install would be May through early July.

So again, speaking volumes to what the team is able to do in what they're doing within that center.

Are there any questions I can help answer?

Council Member Brumley.

Yes, here it is.

1991.

Okay.

Councilmember Zet.

I kind of have a question and maybe a statement afterwards.

I kind of heard that our performance arts center is lacking some amenities that are typical of a typical theater.

And I actually thought rigging might have been one of them, but it looks like we have covered.

Could you kind of talk about what might be some of our shortcomings for a cultural arts center and a theater program?

So I I will say from my perspective, the team has done an exceptional job upgrading the center over the years to ensure that we stay very marketable in the industry as it relates to performances within the space.

Additionally, with the main stage, we don't really have a smaller, although the team has done a really good job of building a little bit of a black box area on the side B, which allows for some of those smaller productions that still have uh very high-tech lighting and sound in there.

I will say that as it relates to rehearsals, it gets a very difficult in that space because we do only have the one main stage.

Uh so we look at that as we start to integrate those improvements to the Crap Apple Center.

One of the items that we had in there, if you recall, was the actual conversion of the cafeteria into a black box theater, which isn't in that center, but it also allows to add that to our facility portfolio.

This might be more of a statement.

Um I don't know.

I'm just gonna say this.

I actually lettered in theater uh at the same program that Jennifer's sister, younger sister, is participating at.

Um so I I have some experience, although I I would not consider myself a theater kid.

Um, but you've brought up, and I'm almost convinced at this point that we have probably a unannounced, maybe a secret core competency when it comes to theater, and it really does seem to be a growing market that we are ahead of the curve on.

So I think if I if I have a thought here, it's I almost want you to go down that path of how and what more we could do to really lock in that competency, market it, make it as a revenue stream, make it as a regional draw, because I do think we have something special here, and I think you know, at least for me, it's something I think worth investing more in.

Councilmember Philippi.

Thank you for looking into this.

You know, I'm very excited about it.

Um, I assume at this point you don't have estimates of how much our energy costs would go down.

I don't.

I don't know that off the top of my head.

Is that something?

No, I mean, but I was just thinking it might be interesting to look at down the road when we can report back and go, you know, this is what this investment not only, I mean, I understand the importance of these lights, and to imagine still using film is crazy.

Um, so yeah.

I think it's great, and I I just think it would be a wonderful win for us to be able to report on later.

Absolutely.

Yeah, happy to do so.

Very good point.

Yes, thank you.

All right, any further comments or questions regarding this item?

All right.

Um that being considered, we will entertain a motion to move this item forward.

Motion by Councilmember Beeson, second by council member Zach.

Any further discussions?

Seeing none, all in favor?

All right, that passes unanimously.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Item number five consideration of an ordinance to amend the code of ordinances of the city of Roswell, Georgia, by amending Chapter 2 administration.

Article 2.5 code of ethics to provide for uh penalties to provide for codification, to provide for severality, to repeal conflicting ordinances, to provide an effective date, and for other purposes.

Presented by Assistant City Attorney Joe Cusse.

Good evening, everyone.

Uh I am here to present uh a new ethics ordinance that will replace our existing ethics ordinance.

Uh, this came to be about last year, about probably mid year, Councilmember Beeson approached me based on my background and asked me to take a look at the Milton and Johns Creek ethics ordinances and try to configure them to conform in a in a way Roswell could utilize them and make our ethics ordinance make sense procedurally and uh streamline it a bit.

And so I took a look at it, and this is what we've come up with.

And I I'll I'll do a comparison, but my background, I actually have a government ethics background.

I served as the deputy director and general counsel at the state at State Ethics Commission, uh, where we had statewide jurisdiction on campaign finance, uh candidate and elected official financial disclosures and conflict of conflicts of interest laws.

So this is a world I lived in for a while.

Uh it's a world I know well.

I was recently appointed as a commissioner of the state ethics commission, uh, so I was brought back into that world.

I sit in a quasi-judicial capacity on that commission.

Um, so I I guess I couldn't quit it.

Um, but I was recently just appointed there.

But uh this is something uh means a lot to a lot of people of government ethics.

It's it's an important thing, it's not exactly the most flashy of topics, but it's extremely important, and I can say the taking this on isn't a a light thing because elected officials normally just want to comply with it and not do any more.

They don't want to streamline processes, they would like the processes to be more as confusing as possible.

Um so I applaud this body and in taking these uh necessary reforms to try to make this process make more sense.

Um just to start out, the ethics ordinance itself, the new one is going to expand some of those conflicts of interest law.

Right now, our current ordinance talks about closure, that nothing can escape that room.

This one is gonna go further and talk about any any sort of uh confidential information.

You aren't allowed to act on it.

So it's going to expand that definition.

And there's a couple other expansions in here.

Uh, just when it comes to the use of city property, you can only use it for city business.

Uh, you can't coerce any others for financial benefit.

You can't vote on matters that directly affect you.

Um, you can't attempt to bind the city without uh authorization or influence municipal court cases in the Roswell municipal court.

Uh the those definitions are mainly expansions of what is already on the books.

What is new is going to be the process.

The current process as written isn't exactly the most intuitive or streamlined process.

Um a complaint starts with a filing to the mayor, um, or if the mayor is the subject of the complaint, it would go to the mayor pro tem.

And then three members of council and the city attorney uh get together and determine whether a hearing is warranted or there's actual merits to the uh complaint.

So right away we're we're in sort of a strange world, I would say, uh, in that there is uh you try to keep the politics out of this as much as possible.

It's a tough thing to do because it's a it's a process that's injected with politics.

Um, but in crafting a good ethics ordinance and in some of the the laws that we passed while I was at the state ethics ethics commission, we were trying to take the politics out of the situation and look at this in a in a sober manner and apply the law and the facts just in a neutral way.

And you you try to do that as much as you can.

Um so that's gonna be one of the changes is that the complaint is no longer gonna go straight to the mayor right away, which for the mayor will enjoy that.

Um, but even from there, the the process gets a little stranger in that there is a list of 14 citizens who are then given or chosen from that list, five of them are chosen to make their own panel.

And that panel gets to set whatever rules and regulations they want to set.

Now, this creates a bit of an issue because there's one panel, you could get the same complaint against two different elected officials with the same allegation.

You could have one panel that says, we want to follow the rules of evidence.

We want to follow uh you know this burden of proof that's a preponderance of an evidence, preponderance of the evidence or a different burden of proof.

Whereas one group could say, Ah, we're gonna do away with the rules of evidence, we're just gonna sort of abide by you know what we want to abide by, and uh if we just feel like there's a violation, we feel like a violation, then we're gonna write our report that way.

So that's that's inherently a problem right there is that you already have the ability to have different sets of standards for the same thing.

Um that's one thing that doesn't really make too much sense about our ethics ordinance, and the new one will will fix that.

Uh but they then get to submit the the report to mayor and counsel, which is ultimately voted on, and that that process will stay because that's an important part that finalizes the process, and then any appeal goes forward uh within 30 days to the superior court of Fulton County, so a judge can ultimately review that.

The problem is if you have this group of five who is not abiding by any rules, uh a judge that's overlooking this is gonna look at it and say, what in the world just happened?

What am I, what am I looking for in terms of errors?

If if there's no set rules, no set burden of proof that's applied, uh a de novo review, which is a review of of the merits just totally brand new, that they're not really gonna know what happened or why it happened.

Um so the new ordinance is going to try to fix that.

So the new ordinance is going to start with a complaint along with an affidavit to the city clerk, and it gets copied to Mr.

Knighton who's aware of it.

And then the process begins from there.

There's seven days to serve that complaint upon the respondent.

Uh my I it would go to Nancy here.

I'm sure she would know where to find you guys, so I imagine that can that complaint would get uh served within prior to that seven days.

Um, but then a hearing officer is chosen.

And the hearing officer is what's gonna be different here in that the hearing officer is gonna be uh from a list of five attorneys.

They can't be Roswell residents, they can't live live within 10 miles of City Hall or 10 miles of Roswell.

Um it's basically creating a bubble in that there's no outside influence on them.

They're they're taking this as a totally neutral party and applying the law as written and the facts as presented.

And so that's where it's sort of like a special master model, what I'll what I'll call in that you have this attorney who is going to look at these things and and the politics are taken out of the process.

So from there, the hearing officer is chosen.

There's 15 days to respond from the respondent.

The respondent is under no obligation to respond.

They can stay silent, which is their one of their constitutional rights whenever whenever an allegation is made against you and those due process uh protections attached but from there the hearing officer would then review the complaint, determine if there's merit for the complaint.

If they determine there's no merit for the complaint, the complaint dies, they'll write a report saying as such.

Uh if they determine there's merit in the complaint, they will then conduct their investigation.

Their investigation can involve calling witnesses, uh, getting documentation.

They're basically going to conduct a full investigation using all the resources that they have within the city of any documents they need, any interviews they need to conduct.

They can voluntarily, if the respondent so chose, could sit for an interview with the uh with the hearing officer, I'll call a special master.

Uh and from there they will submit a report to the mayor and council that will outline the allegations, if there's merit to the allegations, if they make a finding beyond a reasonable doubt, which is the burden of proof uh in this ordinance, uh, whether those allegations are substantiated or not.

And then they will make a recommendation or either a censure or a public or uh or the public are accepting the accepting the the findings of the special master or hearing officer.

And so you all at that point will have the ability to accept, deny, or then modify whatever punishment I'll call is recommended.

And then from there, once that has been uh once the recommendation has been adopted by council, the respondent would have 30 days to appeal that to the superior court of Fortune County where a judge can ultimately uh take up the appeal and either send it back and say this was done improperly or say or affirm the findings.

So there's there's a lot of due process baked in for the respondent.

There's some time periods here that that keep those due process intact.

So it this ordinance straddles the line between there has to be disclosure of the ethics violation and there has to be a timeliness manner in which this is done, versus there's the respondent actually has built-in due process and that this is being handled in a timely manner.

Something that's that's different that I'll point out and I'll expound on this a little bit, is a complaint for anybody who is on the ballot.

Those complaints are told once qualifying has begun.

And I will lean on my own experience here in in this time of year.

We always joked at the ethics commission we called campaign year silly season because we got so many complaints near an election that were just the most ticky-tack complaints of oh, somebody missed a filing deadline by a day, oh they didn't put their they missed their address by a digit just because they are trying to politically harm their opponent.

So what we did when we were at the ethics commission, we had a rule, a commission rule that said 30 days within an election, we won't accept a complaint, we'll put it on ice.

We since caught or put that into law and made it 60 days within any election for the person who appears on the ballot uh that those those complaints are told and that there's basically nothing that's gonna happen that's gonna affect an election because these complaints become politically motivated during that time.

So it's a good way to depoliticize the process, and then you can take a look at the complaint after the election is over.

So it I think that's a good protection that's in here just from my experience.

Uh I cannot tell you how many times, and I was talking to Councilmember Philippi about this of how many times I would get a call from a member of the media saying, I hear you have a complaint on so-and-so, and then I would go and look and see and say, you know what, that complaint hasn't come in, and two days later that complaint would come in the mail because the campaign manager, whoever it was, had tipped off the media that this was coming.

So it was being used and weaponized in a political fashion.

So that's what this provision helps do.

It helps deweaponize the process.

And it's it's good, and in the practice I've seen it used.

I I think it's a necessary protection to put in place to to remove the politics from this process and not let people weaponize ethics complaints.

Um so I'm I'm happy to take any any questions y'all may have on this, and Councilmember Beeson.

Um just wanted to say thank you very much to the assistant city attorney, Joe Keyzack for uh helping with draft this.

Um this is something that, from my opinion, we've needed for quite a while in the city of Roswell.

Um I spoke with a former city council member or former city council member when a resident asked me about the process, and I was like, oh, I I don't I don't quite know.

Let me ask another former city council member who would have more experience than me.

And they said um during their tenure on council, they weren't familiar with any ethics complaint that ever made it through with grounds in decades.

And that doesn't necessarily mean there was no violations, but to me it means the process was weighted.

Um so I wanted to bring this forward in an effort to eliminate the players from refereeing their own game in this situation to uh Mr.

Cusak's point, that panel that he mentioned, the 14-person panel, those folks aren't chosen at random.

The people who are sitting here at the table, each of us pick two people.

Um they could be anybody, they could be um quite biased individuals.

Um and that's who would essentially determine if a complaint has grounds based off the current process as Mr.

Kyuzak elaborated on.

So in this situation, it's eliminating um in many ways potential errors or room for um uh bias, uh violations of ethics inherently, um, and moving that outside of city purview and taking it outside of influence entirely, moving it to outside council, actual attorneys, folks who can't interpret rules, laws, and ordinances, um, who can determine if there is standing, and then also makes that process a little more clear.

So I appreciate all of your help with this.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilmember Brumley.

Uh so these are my oh, sorry, we're gonna figure it out one day.

I was like, Yes, you're right.

Maybe in 10 years I remember how to do this.

Um ordinance, does it apply apply only to mayor and council?

It applies to all the appointed uh boards and commissions as well.

Everybody appointed for commission.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you for the clarification.

Also, um, so I read the whole document.

Thank you.

It was very it's very good.

Um section four.

Uh there's uh where is the appointment of the hearing officer.

I would like to make a change of um suggest a change.

When you say that the uh uh practice of law shall not maintain an office within 10 miles of the city of Roswell, Georgia.

Um, actually, that's not what I was gonna say.

The police says that they should not live in Roswell, right?

Can we add that they also don't have an office in Roswell?

Yeah, that's it's all not maintain an office within 10 off read of the city broadwell.

But they can also not live in Roswell.

It doesn't say that.

So it's they don't maintain the office.

To clarify, Councilmember Brumley's point on section four, subsection A, it looks like the maintenance of an office is currently in line item.

Um, but we are not seeing the language for um not allowing residents to serve on this.

We can add the language in between this and the transmission to council for the first reading of I'll probably add it as number four in the shall not shall not reside in Roswell either.

Yeah, because that also, you know, that's also a conflict of interest if they work or live here.

They should not be a um part of the process.

Um, and because I'm a nerd.

When you say 10 mile radios, is it like a PIN in City Hall?

And then I am not I I just you know when I make it really, really clear.

Is that PIN and then we do a 10 miles around or what or is it from the border you can't for what are the city 10 miles?

Can we be like super explicit on that?

Yeah, I'll I'll I'll add language on the border.

Okay.

And I don't, I know we've Mr.

Davidson and I we're we're looking at attorneys for this and we have have some ideas.

I know they wouldn't qualify, or they would they would meet these criteria either way.

Okay.

Just yeah, just another question on this.

Um when we have the list when we define the the uh list of attorneys, is this a list that is gonna be published to the police?

Is it gonna be internal?

Um and do we need to specify here the process of where how attorneys can get in or need to be removed?

Um so we were going to it would be public, it would be subject to the open records act.

Uh but the attorneys we are going to, we're looking for attorneys with ethics backgrounds uh who have done the we're looking to other cities of their lists and who qualifies.

So that's where we were starting.

But uh, you know, we would be happy to take any names of anybody who would think they are qualified.

Well, no, I'm just saying for the future, right?

You know, after five years, you know, maybe somebody retired and they don't want to be in the list, or so maybe somebody just moved to Georgia or interested.

So that whole process of coming up with the list, you know, is it does it need to be cut?

I'm not a lawyer, obviously.

So does it need to be codified, or so just something that we just work out internally?

So uh I think we're trying to work it out internally, but always there would always be five attorneys from the list because then it gets picked from those five.

So even before, so say it dropped a four and an ethics complaint came in, we would need to find that fifth attorney before uh before such time as as the complaint was.

Okay, so that's what I'm saying.

Like on I don't know if those things need to be in here or just you know, it's just how the we were, but I don't know.

But anyway, yes, those were my three.

Thank you.

I'll make those edits.

Yes, I'm sorry.

So I'm gonna also add um not sure how you would word this, but that the list of five would also have no personal relationships with people who could possibly be um brought forth.

And also I I don't, and I I wasn't the nerd that got to read the whole thing.

I did read some of it.

I'm assuming in there it's also very explicit that the respondent uh is obviously with due process also always allowed to have their own council correctly.

In any of these settings and things wanted to apologize.

Council member Philippi.

So when we were talking earlier, I mentioned to you that um not only was the language brought up to me, but the fact that people couldn't find anything online about how to file an ethics complaint.

Um can you speak to that and how that could potentially change with with this document?

Yeah, and and I I'll I'll go to my ethics commission background of how we had that.

Of we had a form uh that was on the website that allowed that was already had all the statutory information that was required uh just to the public.

It was available to the public, and I think that would be useful here.

We had that that form available so somebody could print it out and they could do an addendum if they needed more space or they could attach exhibits if needed.

Um but I think that might be useful uh to put at least a portion on the website of of that form and maybe a flowchart of the process and who actually is the res recipient that it's it's filed with the city clerk and and how to file it.

Filing could be by email, um, but I think that that would be a uh a good step in the right direction here of making that form available to the public and then outlining the process of how to properly do that.

Okay.

Thank you.

And then um, and one more point.

Um, well, before I get to the other point, thank you both for taking this on.

I I think that we appreciate it, the city appreciates it, so thank you.

Um the is so the process as it is now essentially has no cost associated with it.

This new process will have some cost associated with it.

Um can you uh explain a little bit how that will work?

Yes, uh, the attorneys that we currently have as as outside counsel, we normally get a government rate on on those attorneys that work for us.

So we would have those rates ahead of time, um, and we normally get a little bit of discounts, not much, because lawyers tend to like getting their money.

Uh but uh we do normally get a break on that, and and so that's more than likely how we'd be using it.

I I imagine from budgetary perspective.

David's gonna hate me saying this, but it probably comes out of our budget, I would imagine.

Have you seen the outside council budget?

Oh yes, which yes, yes, but um, but that's how we would we would budget for this out of our outside council budget.

All right, thank you.

Uh council member Hall.

Thank you.

That was actually one of my questions.

I wanted to talk about the ask about the the cost, um, because uh currently um, I mean, other than time here, it's it's a volunteer effort by um citizens that are selected by mayor and counsel.

I'm sorry, did do we need clarification?

Um current currently could could you elaborate uh currently each each time there's an election we would select two people each of us, so council member Bremley would select two people to serve on this committee, and is that correct?

That's the way it works.

Okay, thank you.

I I wasn't sure if you were questioning that part.

Um my question is, and um I appreciate cleaning it up.

Um is there a way to make uh just like with our other boards and commissions, uh, we have guidance and guidelines and staff that work with them.

And I think you alluded to the fact that this particular the ethics commission does not have any guidance or rules and can be kind of this this group can be rogue and this group can be something different.

Would that be something that uh we could establish uh rules and guidance for this group versus going to an outside legal firm?

So those those procedures are in the ordinance.

Um the way the the current ordinance we have now allows for that different rules and regulations for each committee that is formed.

These rules and regulations are in the ordinance now.

The the process is codified as opposed to here's the five people that were chosen, they'll figure it out.

The the rules and processes are contained in here, and it's a step-by-step.

So the requirement for the folks that are serving on this would be to follow these rules.

Yes.

Okay.

And and the same thing that the legal counsel would follow those rules.

We're just making a distinction of saying we don't want to have our residents anymore doing this.

We want to basically farm it out to legal counsel.

Correct, yes.

And and uh and I'll use the analogy too with you we have like we have jury trials, obviously, where citizens are jurors, but they have a judge that's giving them legal instructions, hearsay, uh using the rules of evidence to make sure that both sides are getting a fair fair shake.

So they're giving they're guiding the jury.

Here we don't have that person who knows the rules in our current ordinance.

We just have a group that's allowed to make up whatever rules they they want.

Uh could that's where there's some could one of our city attorneys be that that judge and they still be the jury, just so that it's still a jury of your peers of uh residents.

This is a discussion, and so I'm uh I'm asking because I I hate to uh um spend additional money and appreciate the volunteer efforts of everybody.

And there's so David and I we represent you are our client.

So there's a a conflict there when if there's an ethics violation that comes in and we are guiding them while also y'all are our client.

So it creates creates the ethical conundrum for the attorney uh if that were to be the case.

So that's I would like to remove us from that because that's not a place I would like to live in.

Um it's it ethical duties I have as a lawyer uh would be some issues there.

So um just uh a couple more questions.

So uh John's Creek and Milton to newer cities um have a basically we've modeled this.

How does Alfreetta and Sandy Springs hand handle it?

Just out of curiosity.

I would have to get back to you on that.

I haven't I knew Alphare's at one point, but I I don't know, I haven't looked at Sandy Springs before.

And um had we you you had indicated that there were no ethics cases processed.

Have we had ethics complaints that have come in at any time?

I would say we have had defective complaints that didn't meet the required documentation that have come to the city before.

They have come to the city, and so those same ones would go to the attorneys and they would be basically paid to say these are defective and we'd pay for those.

No, you have to have the so it's either really quick because the affidavit has to be signed.

So say you leave off the affidavit.

Well, it's a it's a defective complaint that's not going to be processed right away because it's missing required or statutorily required, uh something that's statutorily required for it to be filed.

Uh here when when I talk about the defective complaint from the attorney looking at it, they're going to determine based on the submission of the evidence that they have that there isn't a risable complaint or a risable allegation to move on.

So I I I equate a lot of ethics cases to their paper, paper cases.

They're a paper trail.

It's not really a actual dispute of what has occurred.

It's a normally it's the conflict of interest is you sit on a board, there's documentation of you sitting on the board, you took this official official action, there's documentation of you taking this official action.

It's it's pretty black or white.

Um I I could see there might be some times where there's factual disputes, but for the most part, they're gonna be paper cases that are gonna be either you did it or you didn't.

Um so that's that's why it's it's somewhat better to have a an attorney look at these and be able to make that facts and laws uh determinations.

Okay, thank you.

I'd just be curious about Sandy Springs and Alfredta.

Okay, all right.

Mayor Robesha, I believe is first, and then Councilman.

And again, I also want to thank you both for this and clarifying that it goes to city clerk and not good with that one.

Um, but also I think you know, from the perception of it instead of moving it away from this appointed panel.

Um, again, while I would not believe any of my colleagues, we would do it on purpose, but we also are trying to remove that perception of that we're creating the bias too, because I might choose someone, you might choose someone.

I mean, we're gonna choose different people.

You know, some have a lot of knowledge as you said of law, some won't.

Why we would choose those people, whatever our individual reasons could be, we're removing also that perception, um, whether you know I don't believe it to be truth, but we are removing that perception and making it cleaner so that the citizens of Roswell can see that we are trying to not have that perceived bias already baked in.

Thank you.

Councilmember Beeson.

Using my law degree from Google University, um the City of Alpharetta requires the majority of members to be attorneys.

Um they allow the two remaining members to be residents, but the vast majority of their ethics board and commission are attorneys.

So the concern that I originally had going into this, and to Mr.

Cusak's point, you're expecting a lay person to not only understand and interpret these ethics and rules, but to also disclose any potential perceived bias that they may have.

So for example, most attorneys and all judges will immediately disclose any bias because they can be disbarred as a result.

For an ethics commission or an ethics board that we collectively put together, there's not really any ramifications if they choose wrong, so to speak, or they interpret a law incorrectly.

Nobody's feet are held to the fire.

So in this situation, I would much rather have folks whose professional background is to interpret rules and laws.

Especially because if they do so incorrectly, that's literally how the laws of our city are being interpreted.

Specifically, our ordinances are being interpreted.

Not to mention the fact I know that you had asked to answer one of your questions as well.

Is anybody made it through the process?

I'm gonna be honest, this is probably me being extremely jaded and my views on government.

If I knew that it's 14 people that we collectively have appointed as the elected body who are deciding if we as the elected body did something wrong, I'm probably not gonna waste my time even going to a notary to send that in because it's very obvious how it's going to turn out.

Um in this situation, we're a little more of a mixmatched body.

I we don't all have, I guess, uh the Venn diagram of who we hang out with is not a circle.

Um however, there have been past administrations where it's almost a perfect circle in terms of the elected body of who they hang out with, so you can't really be like, oh well, this was council member post ones picks, and this has to do with council member post-seven's issues when we all know that all of them hang out or have the same social circles.

In this situation, we're not having to navigate social circles, political circles, who donated to whom, who has a vested interest, who's coached whose soccer team.

It's purely based off of legal interpretation of a law by a professional who does that and can be disbarred.

All right, thank you.

Councilmember Hall.

Thank you.

And and I don't necessarily disagree with what you've said, but I just want to point out that we have uh planning uh planning commission, uh, the HPC that uh we can make the same argument that these people should be architects and they should, you know, have skills.

I mean, it it it's it's the same same theory is what we're talking about.

And um I'm just I I like that Alfredta has a couple of um residents on there.

I I I'm just thinking of how can we engage the community instead of just sourcing it completely completely out.

That was where I was going.

All right.

Thank you.

Um any further questions or comments regarding this matter?

All right.

Um we'll entertain a motion to move this forward.

Motion by emphatic motion by council member Beson.

And then a second by Mayor Robichot.

Any further discussion?

Seeing none, all in favor?

All right, that passes unanimously.

Thank you very much.

And then item number six, uh, the consideration of adding Juneteenth to the 2026 holiday calendar, presented by Trisha Redford, the director of human resources.

Ms.

Rev.

Hi, good evening.

So I am bringing forth a recommendation to review the 2026 holiday calendar.

It was obviously adopted at the end of 2025.

At that time, there was some discussion about revisiting adding Juneteenth into the holiday schedule.

It is an observed state holiday.

All of our other holidays are also observed state holidays.

Um I did do some research on other municipalities of the top 10 largest cities in Georgia.

Seven do observe Juneteenth, of course, Roswell is one of the three who do not.

Um we also have some other neighboring cities in general, Metro Atlanta cities that observe Milton, Lawrenceville, Buford, Marietta, Smyrna, there are quite a few.

Um at this time, we are asking to consider adding it versus swapping because the holiday schedule has already been posted and advertised, and I know meetings and schedules have been amended based on that.

But of course, for 2027, we could look at adjusting the holiday schedule to keep it even with what we currently have.

The anticipated cost would be approximately 75,000 for those employees who do have to work, and then the holiday hours are added versus being offset, mainly our public safety folks.

So any questions?

All right, thank you, Miss Redford.

Council Member Hall.

Thank you.

Um so how many paid holidays does it the City of Roswell have?

And how many floating holidays?

We have 12 paid holidays and one floating holiday.

So 13.

Yes.

And how does that compare with um everybody else?

We're we're at the lower end of the scale.

Um there are some that are right around where we are, but I have not seen any with fewer.

The state does currently have 13 paid without the floating.

So they have all of the ones we observed plus Juneteenth and Columbus Day are observed on their calendar.

Any further questions or comments?

Yes, Councilmember Beeson.

Spoiler alert, it was me.

I was the one who said I wanted to bring this back.

Um, I'm very excited that possibility of including this.

Um this is something that I know has been discussed in previous years.

Um, but there's been some hesitancy, so I'm excited to finally recognize a state holiday for our city employees.

All right.

Any further questions or comments regarding this matter?

Seeing none, we'll entertain a motion.

Motion by Councilmember Brumley, second by council member Beeson.

Okay, I've been trying to get this.

Any further discussion?

I I'm sorry, I I did have a further questions.

Yes.

I is there any way that we can get or and and I guess this can come before the um we'll have to bring this to the dias.

Is that correct?

Yes.

Um I'd I'd like to understand the federal holidays, state holidays, and then also I I know you had mentioned um the cities just so that you know where we're falling.

Sure.

All right, we'll get that information to you prior to uh meeting.

We yes, Councilmember Brumley.

Can you add to that the cities around us like you mentioned?

Yes, everybody.

Yes.

All right.

We'll get that information to you prior to um the next council meeting where this would potentially be heard.

We had another um question under discussion.

Councilmember Zach.

Sorry, um I this is a a complex thing that I I don't want to think about too often.

Um is there a way that as part of um figuring out our our days if you could look at maybe just having our policy be that we align with the state holidays or something.

I don't like the idea of trying to individually pick and have that be a council decision, and I'd rather it just be more of a generic policy that determines this.

So anyhow.

Um just a recommendation.

Sure.

No, thank you very much.

And I think certainly um when the calendar for 27 is determined in November, December, that certainly can be a part of that discussion at that time.

Certainly, thank you very much.

So we did have a motion by Councilmember Brumley.

We had a second by council member Beeson.

Any further discussion?

All right.

Seeing none, we will uh all in favor.

All right, it passes unanimously.

Thank you very much.

And we've got a couple of questions that we'll respond to prior to the next meeting.

Um seeing we have no further business for the February 24th, 2026 committees meeting, we will entertain a motion of adjournment.

Motion.

Motion by Councilmember Zach and I thank Council Member Philippi.

Second, or Councilmember Zach, second by Council Member Philippi.

All in favor?

All right, that passes unanimously.

Thank you very much.

Have a wonderful evening.

Thank you.

Can I talk about a ton of motion in a committee?

We're like, oh wow, why are we gonna get it?