By Jessica Baker

KENNESAW, Ga.-The Kennesaw City Council met to approve agenda items Monday at its weekly meeting.

The meeting began at 6:30 p.m. and opened with the mayor of Kennesaw, Derek Easterling, and the council’s five members initiating the Pledge of Allegiance and each council member describing something good that had happened to them recently.

The objective of the meeting was to vote on items on the weekly agenda. A few of these items included: approval of resolution to adopt Kennesaw City Strategic Plan, approval of resolution to adopt the Public Art Master Program and the request to surplus and dispose of equipment.

The Kennesaw City Cemetery Strategic Plan was created through participation in the professional assistance program offered by the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC.) The plan’s purpose was to outline the short and long-term goals, recommendations and strategies that will further the activities and capabilities in regards to the city cemetery.

According to Lea Addington, the assistant city clerk to Easterling, the cemetery is historical, with one of the first markers dated to be somewhere in the 1860s, and the plan was to increase tourism for Cobb County.

“Part of it was going out into the community and seeing what would bring more people to the cemetery,” Addington said. They had “post a board put up on the wall and had people come up and put stickers on what would bring them to the cemetery, what aspects of the cemetery interest them, and then coming up with events and different things to bring more people to the cemetery and to spread more awareness of the cemetery.”

The second item of business was the Public Master Art Plan, which began its research in 2017, with the purpose of the plan to lay out strategies, short and long-term goals, discern potential partnerships, funding methods and other opportunities that can advance public art in all forms on private and public property throughout the city. Mayor Derek Easterling said a lot of research went into figuring out what the public wanted from the plan, a task spearheaded by members of the Art and Culture Commission.

“They’ve come up with an idea of how to include collaborative projects, with KSU, with other artists in the, in the community, for displaying in the city at different venues, whether it be a park here at City Hall, or Depot Park, and we have some pieces at the museum,” Easterling said.

A new member of the Art and Culture Commission, Daniel Bernard, was sworn in at the meeting prior to commencement.

The final item on the list was the request to surplus and dispose of a 2003 Chevrolet Malibu, which had been primarily used for employee travel. It had fallen into disrepair and was no longer operable. The City’s auto-shop attempted to figure out the issue and arrived at the conclusion being that the vehicle had a computer/electrical failure, with the cost to repair the vehicle determined to be greater than the value of the car.

The staff requested that the Malibu be surplused and sold as scrap metal, which was approved by Public Works Director Richard Stewart.

According to Mayor Easterling, the profits from the Malibu will be used for funds for the city.

“Typically we put anything that can be surplussed to a website. It’s gov.com or govdeals.com and we sell it,” Easterling said. “So, any money that we can sell it for, we put back into the monies for the city.”

The council adjourned shortly after the final vote was counted. All items listed on the agenda came to a unanimous vote of 5-0.

The council will not be meeting next week since most of them will be in Savannah at the Georgia Municipal Association Conference.

“It’s part-education and part-networking. So some of our council members will be taking training classes on different topics,” Addington said. “It’s also a chance for them to interact and network with some other council members from other municipalities.”

Contact Information:

Mayor Derek Easterling: deasterling@kennesaw-ga.gov
Cell: (404) 496-2563

Assistant City Clerk Lea Addington: laddington@kennesaw-ga.gov
(770) 424-8274 x3106

Written by Treasure Johnson

ATLANTA– The City of Atlanta Task Force to Promote Public Trust held its second meeting to discuss the effectiveness and necessity of four departments accused of massive overlapping on Tuesday at the Atlanta City Hall.

The Independent Compliance Office, Ethics Office, Law Department Compliance Office and Office of Transparency took the stand to defend their usefulness to the committee and the public. In the last meeting, the committee and public felt like there was too much overlap between the departments and that they could be consolidated into fewer departments.

Each department deals with local government compliance at some level and as some of the representatives mentioned, there is some overlap. Rhonda Sadler-Collins, Law Department Compliance Officer stated that there is no exact method to determine who has the final say when jurisdictions overlap.

“The way that we address it now is we sit down in a room and talk through which particular parts of the allegations each department will handle,” Sadler Collins said.

Chief Transparency Officer for the City of Atlanta Kristen Denuis mentioned that her department focused on ensuring compliance with the Georgia Open Records Act. She also said that her office worked closely with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution to come up with new policies and adjustments to roll out throughout the year.

The Ethics Office and Independent Compliance Office stated their plan to foster collaboration through the next year, which includes revising existing Board Rules to determine how the offices will work together. Also, to establish procedures/guidance for officials and employees to minimize confusion and overlap of responsibilities.

The public attendees expressed a growing concern that there are too many government agencies to keep up with and it makes it harder to be transparent with their constituents.

“Who do you hold accountable when there are four bodies that are supposed to monitor this area?” said Atlanta Resident Stephanie James.

Task Force member and former president of Morehouse College, Robert Michael Franklin Jr., compared the complexity of government to a swiss watch.  

“The Atlanta city government is beginning to resemble a swiss watch, meaning it is growing more complex and not more simple and that raises a concern for all of us,” Dr. Franklin said.  

The public attendees were not opposed to consolidating the departments to save money and simplify the government.

“I like to know that my tax dollars are being used efficiently,” said Atlanta-Native Katie Summerour. “There’s no point in having everyone do the same job.”

The meeting concluded with the board not seeming convinced of the necessity of four separate departments; However, no official decisions on the fate of these departments were made at this time.

The Task Force was implemented to evaluate the city’s policies and administrative priorities and offer recommendations to fix them and amend public trust. The group will meet for four meetings before making their final recommendations to the Mayor.

Members of the task force include former prosecutors, members of academia, Atlanta residents and former judges.

The Marietta Board of Education met Tuesday night to for their monthly meeting at the Marietta Schools Central Office to discuss budgets for the coming year, as well as to approve various projects and ideas.

            The Board met for its monthly meeting to discuss various points, such as various policy revisions and budget decisions. The meeting moved along quite briskly, with the main points being recognition of StoneBridge Church of Marietta for their contributions to the school district and its students, as well as the adoption of new programs for disadvantaged and disabled students and their families.

            The meeting began with an inspirational story told by board member Kerry Minervini, in which she talks about opportunity and how it surrounds us even when life seems most hopeless. This was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and a quick reminder of the rules of the meeting, such as how to address board members and when the best times for comment are.  

            The meeting then turned toward votes for new policy and resource allocation for the county schools. During this time, the chair of the board, Jason Waters, read out each issue and quickly took a vote, all of which were unanimously approved. The entire process took less than five minutes, allowing the board to quickly move forward to its public recognition of the StoneBridge church.

            The next segment of the meeting was dedicated to recognizing StoneBridge Church of Marietta for their various contributions to the school district over the years. Kim Simmons, a representative for the church, was present to accept a certificate and shake hands with each of the board members, posing each time for pictures. The superintendent of Marietta schools, Dr. Grant Rivera, said some extremely kind words about the church, praising it for its outreach and the way it has helped touch the lives of the children in the community through good work.

            “StoneBridge has just done so much for these schools, from donating books to volunteering their time and money.” said Leah Oliveri, a local parent. “They truly embody the giving nature of Christianity.”

            This period of recognition was followed by a short speech from Billie Newton, who works in the Department of Special Services for the school district. She announced a new outreach program that the county will be starting for families of disabled and disadvantaged students.

            “We are happy to announce that Marietta City Schools will be participating in the Special Olympics in Spring of 2020.” said Newton, who seemed ecstatic to announce this to the community present. 

            Afterwards followed a brief summary of last years budget, then the presentation of the preliminary 2020 budget. The board unanimously approved the new budget as well, including a provision of about $17 M to be set aside as an emergency fund.

            Finally, a new program which focused on emotionally-led counseling for at-risk children was presented to the board. The program would work with these children and their families to help correct their behavior by teaching them why the behavior is unacceptable and what steps could be taken in the future to avoid them. The program will be premiered at Park Street Elementary and limited to the school for a year, as a test to prove its efficacy and worth.
           

“I have incredible confidence in allowing principals to steer and show us that this is worth the investment.” said Dr. Rivera.

            The meeting concluded with the board opening the floor for discussion, with a few parents asking questions about the new programs that were presented earlier. This period passed quickly without incident.

            The entire board and audience seemed happy, so the meeting was adjourned. A few of the parents present stayed behind to talk directly with board members, who made themselves available for any questions or ideas.

            The next will take place on Tuesday, July 16^th at the same time and place.

Contact info:

Leah Oliveri: loliveri1215@gmail.com

Dr. Grant Rivera: grivera@marietta-city.k12.ga.us

By Jessica Baker

By Jacari Brooks

By: Amecia Matlock

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By Haneefa Walton

by Rebekah Ozbun

Atlanta residents are invited to celebrate Father’s with a completely plant-based dinner at the Second Annual Real Men Cook Vegan event held at the Kipp Academy in Atlanta, Georgia on July 16, 2019 (JEM Capstone/Rebekah Ozbun).

Nyema Aya (left) founder of The Veggie Taste welcomes her guests, Keyva Bailey (middle) and Jessica Abrams (right) to her second annual Father’s Day event at the Kipp Academy in Atlanta, Georgia on July 16, 2019 (JEM Capstone/Rebekah Ozbun).

Vendors serving plant-based meals gather to serve the hungry crowd on July 16, 2019 during the vegan event at the Kipp Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. Guests range from long-time vegans to meat-eaters that just want to try something new (JEM Capstone/Rebekah Ozbun).

Victoria Onwuchekwa (not pictured) displays her all natural hair and skin beauty products at the event at the Kipp Academy in Atlanta, Georgia July 16, 2019. She encourages holistic health and wellness professionals to come together and form a community designed to educate people (JEM Capstone/Rebekah Ozbun).

Issa Prescott, a local business owner who creates artisan juices and sells them online or through his sister’s salon, sells his fresh juice at the Kipp Academy in Atlanta, Georgiaat the Kipp Academy in Atlanta, Georgia on July 16, 2019. He is hoping to raise enough money to buy his own storefront in the Atlanta area (JEM Capstone/Rebekah Ozbun).

Dr. Bobby Price, a holistic health professional has a table set up to sell his latest copy of Vegucation over Education at the Kipp Academy in Atlanta, Georgia on July 16, 2019. He studied to become a pharmacist, but after learning of the health benefits of eating a plant-based diet, changed his lifestyle and his health practice (JEM Capstone/Rebekah Ozbun).

Sundari Moneek set up a table to sell her hand-made jewelry at the Kipp Academy in Atlanta, Georgia July 16, 2019. She has been making jewelry since she was a young girl growing up in Nigeria, and is happy to be able to bring this part of her origin to Atlanta (JEM Capstone/Rebekah Ozbun).