Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
The Sandy Springs City Council held its regular meeting on October 6, 2026, following a work session. Mayor Rusty Paul presided. Key actions included approval of a pre-application for a $3 million state grant for Springway Trail Segment 2C (approved 4-2), approval of a budget amendment for the Mount Vernon Highway multi-use path project, and deferral of a health insurance transition. The meeting also featured a proclamation declaring October 7, 2026 as a Day of Remembrance for the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack in Israel, and extensive public comment on the proposed trail segment.
Twenty-three public comment cards were submitted. The majority addressed the proposed Springway Trail Segment 2C. Positions and key points included:
Working on as well as the transportation plan, the park plan, and everything else. It all has to fit together. So it's a lot of work we've got to do over the next couple of years. Anything else? All right, we're going to close the uh work session, move to regular order. That took a while. I would like to call this meeting of the Sandy Springs City Council to order for Tuesday, October the 6th, 2026. Will the city clerk please make the announcements and call the roll? Good evening, Mayor and Council. First, I would just like to remind those in attendance to please continue to silence all cell phones or other electronic devices at this time. Individuals who would like to provide and uh public comment at a city council meeting are required to complete and submit those public comment cards in advance of the meeting. Public comment cards are available online and at the chamber entrance. Those uh providing public comment may be allotted up to three minutes to speak on their single chosen topic. As I call roll, please confirm your attendance. Mayor Rusty Paul. Present. Member John Paulson. Member Melody, Councilmember Melody Kelly. President. Councilmember Melissa Mueller. Here. Councilmember Frank Roberts. Councilmember Mary Ford. Present. Councilmember Andrew Chensky. Here by Zoom because I'm out of the jurisdiction. On October 7th, 2023, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, both U.S. designated foreign terrorist organizations, backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, carried out a devastating terrorist attack in Israel, murdering nearly 1,200 people, including 46 Americans and kidnapping approximately 250 people, including at least 12 Americans, forever changing the lives of victims, survivors, and their families. And whereas the October 7th massacre marked the worst act of violence targeting Jews since the Holocaust has been deeply felt by Jewish communities in the United States around the world and triggered a global wave of anti-Semitism unprecedented in the post-World War II era. And whereas remembering the victims of October 7th and standing with those whose lives were forever changed, affirms our shared commitment to reject anti-Semitism, hatred, and violence. And therefore, I, Russell K. Paul, by virtue of the authority vested to me as mayor of the City of Sandy Springs, do hereby proclaim October 7th, 2026 as a day of remembrance in the city of Sandy Springs and call upon our community to remember the victims, honor their survivors and families, and stand with our Jewish neighbors against anti-Semitism and hate. Given under my hand and the seal of the City of Sandy Springs, Georgia, on this the sixth day of October, 2026. I thought it was very important that we take time to remember that tragic day. All right. Madam Clerk, I'm about to ask a superfluous question. Do we have any public comment cards? Yes, we've received just a few this evening. So we have 23 public comment cards. I'm gonna call speakers. Um I'm gonna call one down to the podium to make your comment, and I'll call the next person in line so you can cue yourself up. All right, before we before we do that, let me just kind of set a stage here.