Roswell City Council Open Forum Meeting - August 31, 2026
Roswell City Council Open Forum Meeting - August 31, 2026
The City of Roswell held its fifth Monday open forum meeting on August 31, 2026, beginning with a special ceremony to swear in 17 new firefighters and a vote on an audio-visual system purchase for the emergency operations center. The remainder of the meeting was dedicated to public comments on a variety of topics, including automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras, traffic calming on Grimes Bridge Road, transit, and city maintenance.
Discussion Items
- Swearing-in of 17 New Firefighters: Fire Chief Troch presented 17 new members to the Roswell Fire Department, highlighting the investment in operational readiness. The firefighters were sworn in by Mayor Robichot after family pinning.
- Approval of AV Equipment for Emergency Operations Center (EOC): Chief Troch requested approval of $92,031.26 from bond funds for the design, purchase, and installation of audio-visual technology from NDE VIO, piggybacking on a Barrow County School District contract. The original quote was $120,000; the cooperative purchase saved $28,000. The system includes multiple large displays, simultaneous feeds, and conferencing capabilities. Councilmember Hall made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Beeson, and the motion passed unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Davis Vaughan (licensed clinical social worker, Roswell resident): Expressed strong opposition to Flock ALPR cameras, calling them warrantless surveillance and a violation of Fourth Amendment rights. Urged the council to review the police department's contracts with Flock.
- Cameron Hood Cre (lifelong Roswell resident): Advocated for expanded public transit, including microtransit and bus service, to prepare for future growth and reduce car dependency. Requested cooperation with state and county agencies.
- Ramona Mays (55-year resident): Questioned the city's stance on Sharia law, referencing a situation in another city involving a street naming.
- Mark Bonner (Grimes Bridge Road Alliance, 46-year resident): Presented concerns about the Grimes Bridge Road corridor project (T-SPLOST project). Criticized the 30% design for focusing on the multi-use trail instead of traffic calming, proposing retaining walls to preserve tree canopy, right-of-way acquisition issues, and a two-phase implementation. Requested design modifications and a timeline.
- Deborah Zink (Grimes Bridge Landing resident, 40 years): Supported Mark Bonner's comments, highlighting increased truck traffic, speeding, and noise. Urged use of retaining walls to minimize tree destruction and requested a clear project timeline.
- Marissa Pereira (Grimes Bridge Alliance, 30-year homeowner): Emphasized the need for continued collaboration between the city and residents to avoid past conflicts and achieve beneficial outcomes.
- Lucas Chapman (Roswell resident): Raised concerns about Flock ALPR cameras, questioning the city's analysis of their effectiveness. Noted 95 cameras under a five-year contract totaling $1.19 million, data sharing with other agencies, and lack of robust auditing. Requested a public hearing, moratorium on expansion, public accounting, and an affirmative vote on continuation.
- Unnamed speaker (seventh speaker): Complained about seven mature trees cut down without permission on Maple Street, a golf cart parked illegally in Heart of Roswell Park, and the dilapidated municipal complex sign. Called for a digital sign, benches, and better maintenance.
- Eighth speaker (data privacy expert, 21 years): Argued that Flock and similar systems violate the spirit of the 1974 Privacy Act and Fourth Amendment, warning of irreversible loss of privacy. Urged the council to block such surveillance.
- Betty Price (President, Roswell Historical Society, 25-year Adopt-a-Road volunteer): Thanked the city for collaboration, requested favorable budget considerations, support for the America 250 time capsule, signage for the museum, and partnership on the Masonic Lodge and Teaching Museum. Also asked for removal of Adopt-a-Road sign.
- Alan Landers (Roswell resident): Opposed Flock cameras, describing them as treating everyone as a suspect until sorted into silos. Cited a personal experience of being pulled over due to a false stolen tag alert. Called for state and federal legislation before deployment.
- Anonymous speaker (tenth speaker): Criticized city design and construction projects, calling Green Street a disaster, overpriced, and poorly designed. Cited specific costs for grading, riprap, and street trees. Also complained about lack of landscaping on Rucker Road compared to neighboring cities.
- Sarah Collier (Roswell resident, mother, veteran crisis line responder): Expressed deep concern about Flock cameras, calling them authoritarian and un-American. Noted the dense surveillance network, risks of misuse, false alerts, and cost. Requested cancellation of contracts and removal of cameras. Reminded the mayor of her duty to protect constitutional rights.
Key Outcomes
- Approved: Purchase of AV equipment for the EOC for $92,031.26 (unanimous vote).
- Public Comments: All questions and concerns raised during public comment will be answered in writing within two weeks and posted on the city website.
- Next Steps: The council will consider the requests for a public hearing on Flock cameras, design modifications for the Grimes Bridge Road project, and other items raised by speakers.
Meeting Transcript
This is the fifth Monday, which means it is open mic night. Um, I am Mayor Mary Robichot, and I would like to introduce my colleagues and council members present at this time. Um Councilmember Aaron Brumley, Councilmember Christine Hall, Councilmember Jennifer Philippi, Councilmember Alan Sells, Councilmember Chris Zach, and Mayor Pro Tem Councilmember Sarah Beeson. I would now turn it over to City Administrator Randy Knighton to explain how the meeting is run. Mr. Knighton. Thank you, Mayor Robushow, and good evening uh to everyone, and thank you for joining us tonight. This is the City of Roswell's open forum meeting, a dedicated space for residents and business owners to speak directly to the mayor and city council on any matter of interest. We welcome your engagement and appreciate your participation this evening. Um if you would like to speak tonight, we'd ask that you would fill out a comment card and hand it to one of the designated stand staff members at the back of the room, Karen Zitmer, is in the back. She has comment cards. We want to make sure that we maintain an accurate record of the meeting for anyone wanting to speak. Each speaker will be given up to five minutes total to speak, which may cover one or more topics, and time may not be transferred or donated to another speaker. Everyone wishing to speak must do so during that allotted time. The city clerk will uh um call speakers in the order the cards are received, and uh during your five-minute comment period, we ask that you direct all of your comments to directly to the mayor and council on the dais. We encourage you always and those uh in the viewing audience to visit Roswell 365.com for a calendar of events, and please feel free to reach out to our staff if you need any information. We thank you again for being here tonight, and we look forward to a very productive meeting. Mayor Robichau. Thank you, Mr. Knighton. Um, so I would like to call up Roswell Fire Department chaplain, Dori Griggs, to the front to give the invocation and to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you. Please join me. We gather tonight as a community bound by a shared commitment to the Roswell City. Grant wisdom and clarity to the mayor and city council as they hear from the community. Help them hear with patience and understanding the concerns of our residents. This is a historic night for our city as we celebrate the 17 new full-time firefighters being sworn in tonight. We ask for your protection over them as they join the department and work to keep our residents safe. Please watch over our families who offer the sacrifice of their time with their loved one as the firefighters spend their time in support of our city. Please watch over all our first responders from fire, police, nine one one communications, and EMS. Their service to our city is immeasurable and so appreciated. Help them feel that appreciation. Be with each person here tonight and all the days forward. Amen. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all. As you heard, we also have a couple of things we we will take care of, and one of the first ones is a very special aspect with swearing in of our brand new firefighters. So Chief Troch, please come forward. Tonight does mark another historic moment for the city of Roswell and our fire department. With your support and leadership, we are proud to present 17 new members to the Roswell Fire Department. Another important step in built in building the foundation of this department's future. Each of these individuals was carefully selected by a panel of RFD's bravest to ensure the right fit for this team. Together, they reflect Roswell's ongoing growth, expanding our capacity, strengthening operational readiness, and investing in the safety of this community. We thank the mayor and council for recognizing the value of this investment. Your trust and support allows us to meet today's challenges and prepare for tomorrow's. Let this moment stand as a testament to the strength of teamwork, the power of vision, and our shared commitment to serve Roswell with courage and honor. I was handed a note, and I'm going to pull it out because it's worth noting here, so we can understand the type of individuals, the group that we have here today. This note was one that was found during the training session that was left behind by one of you. I'm not sure who it was, but it has a bunch of names on it, and there's a bunch of check marks, and there's a few statements in here, but there's one that's very important. It says mission first with an exclamation mark. Them, the mission comes first, then us, then I captures the type of people you have in this organization that understand the importance of what the true mission is and is always to look out for them.
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