* Any voter in Cobb County can vote at any of the following locations
* All locations are open Monday – Friday, Oct 25-29
o East Cobb Government Service Center
4400 Lower Roswell Rd., Marietta, 30068-4233
Hours 8:30am to 6:30pm
directions

o South Cobb Community Center
620 Lions Club Drive, Mableton, GA 30126-2438
Hours 8:30am to 6:30pm
directions

o Northstar Church
3413 Blue Springs Rd. NW, Kennesaw, GA 30144- 1082
Hours 8:30am to 6:30pm
directions

o Cobb County Civic Center
548 South Marietta Pkwy SE, Marietta, GA 30060-2251
Hours 8:30am to 6:30pm
directions

o Boots Ward Recreation Center
Lost Mountain Park, 4845 Dallas Highway, Powder Springs 30127-4486
Hours 8:30am to 6:30pm
directions

o Cobb Elections Main Office
736 Whitlock Ave., (West Park Government Center) Marietta, 30064-4663
NOTE: Hours 8:00am to 5:00pm
directions

For More Information, Call 770/528-2581

There is NO VOTING on Monday, November 1st

You must complete a Fire Applicant Screening Questionnaire before submitting an application for the position of Firefighter/EMT to determine if you are a viable candidate. If the answers you provide on this questionnaire are acceptable, the web site will automatically direct you to the City of Marietta’s Official Web Site/Employment Application page.

We urge you to thoroughly read the material contained within the Marietta Fire Department’s recruiting website, http://www.joinmairettafire.com. There you will find links to a downloadable PDF version of the Firefighter/EMT Entrance Exam Information Book and online application, Frequently Asked Questions, as well as details on a range of topics from the Application Timeline to What to Expect in Your First Year as a Firefighter.

Due to the anticipated number of applicants, we ask that attempt to find answers to your questions on our recruiting website. If you are unable to find the information you seek, you may phone our Human Resources Department @ 770.794.5562 or contact the Lieutenant of the Fire Department’s Training Division @ 770.794.5475.

** We will not accept any applications outside of this timeframe.

Fire Sprinkler System Saves Home

On April 17, 2010, at approximately 9:45 a.m., Marietta and Cobb County Fire units were dispatched to a single-family residential fire at 710 Pear Grove Pl. Marietta, GA.

Upon arrival crews found the fire had been extinguished. The officer on the scene interviewed the homeowner who stated they had been cooking fondue and the grease ignited. The homeowner then attempted to extinguish the fire but was unsuccessful. Fortunately the home was built with a fire sprinkler system that activated and extinguished the fire.

Although the response time was under eight minutes, fire can reach the point of flashover in fewer than two minutes. There is no doubt that damages were kept to a minimum due the fire sprinkler system.

For more information, call the Marietta Fire Department at 770-794-5458.

Marietta’s Public Works Department is beginning a program that offers to send an employee to homes to kill mosquito larvae and prevent adult mosquitoes by putting chemically treated briquettes in standing water on private property, including creeks, which are breeding areas for mosquitoes.

Photo Credit: via Flickr FreeBird

Residents with a mosquito problem can call Marietta’s Public Works Department at 770-794-5676 for help getting rid of the mosquitoes.

Marietta is also taking care of mosquitoes on city rights of way, operations manager Scott Lawler said.

To help prevent mosquitoes in the past, the Public Works Department sprayed Aqua-Reslin at night, which eliminated the adults but was not effective against the daytime biting mosquitoes.

In addition to removing standing water, adding the environmentally friendly briquettes to standing water is the best option to eliminate mosquitoes, Lawler said.
Other things you can do

Eliminate standing water

• Keep gutters clean and free of debris

• Keep lids on outdoor garbage cans

• Drill holes in the bottom of recycling bins

• Remove all standing water on property

• Store boats so water drains

• Remove or cover all old tires stored outside

• Drain or flush all birdbaths

• Drain all large toys that are stored outside

• Store all yard tools properly

• Maintain pools and ponds

• Remind neighbors to eliminate breeding sites on their property

• Repair leaky pipes and faucets

• Screen rain barrels and openings to water tanks

• Eliminate weeds and tall grass

Protect Yourself

• Wear long pants, long sleeved shirts and socks

• Use insect repellant containing DEET (Note: Read carefully and follow manufacturer’s instructions. Do not use on infants or pregnant women.)

• Make sure open doors and windows are screened

• Stay indoors when mosquitoes are active

Landowners – or individuals that know of landowners – willing to donate or sell their property may make nominations for donations, sale or a combination. Contact the Marietta Parks, Recreation and Facilities Department at 770-794-5601 for a nomination form or download the form from the committee’s blog at mariettaga.gov/blogs/cacmp. Also at the blog, citizens can follow the activities of the CACMP as the planning and development of park, recreation, trails and greenspace projects progresses.

“False alarm dispatches from police are the number one call for service in most cases,” Glen Mowrey of the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC) said. “For the police department to operate efficiently, these have to be reduced.”

“In the past two years the Marietta Police Department’s alarm management program, which involves all principles of community policing and problem-oriented policing, has reduced alarm calls by 65 percent,” Mowrey said. “This is one of the top in the nation we’ve had in several years.” The police department has seen a 26 percent decrease in the number of total calls for service as a result of the drop in false alarms, he said. “The results of the program are really outstanding.”

As a result of the ordinance, Marietta Police officers have more time to devote to proactive work on the streets, follow up on investigations, community policing, and are able to respond to calls faster, Mowrey said.

The SIAC looked at several aspects of Marietta’s alarm management program including the beginning of developing the program, which included bringing in stakeholders, members of the alarm industry and the community to look at the issue of false alarms, Mowrey said. “The program was then brought before City Council with the best practices for reducing false alarms,” he said. “Council approved the practices, and the ordinance was put in place.”

“The next aspect the SIAC examined was the building and tracking program, which really sets Marietta’s alarm management program apart from a lot of other programs I’m working with,” Mowrey said. “As a result of the program, the police department is able to operate more efficiently and better use officers’ time,” he said. “The department and city are to be commended for the job you’ve done.”

The Marietta Police Department has the highest percentage of reducing false alarms in the past three or four years out of approximately 60-70 agencies across the country Mowrey is working with. “Marietta’s alarm management program is a sustained program because after the first year numbers seem to drop off,” he said. “The Marietta Police Department’s numbers have stayed steady.”

Mowrey encouraged alarm users to pay attention to their alarms, to help make the program work for the city. “Ninety percent of false alarms and activations in Marietta and across the country are human error,” he said. “The Marietta Police Department has done a great job of educating the public about the program, which will ultimately change alarm users’ behavior.”

City Council passed the alarm ordinance in July 2007. Alarm users are allowed up to two false alarms without penalty a year, and then fines will be assessed.
Register your alarm

Under the ordinance, every residential and business alarm user in the city of Marietta must obtain a free permit from the city. The permit registers an alarm system with the city for tracking purposes, and permits are not transferable. Each new occupant of a dwelling or business must apply for a new permit, and failure to register an alarm is subject to a $100 fine.

Complete the registration form online
Enforcement

The ordinance allows alarm users up to two false alarms each 12-month period with no penalty.

Beginning with the third false alarm, fines will be assessed as follows:

* First and second false alarm: no charge
* Third through fifth false alarm: $50
* Sixth false alarm: $100
* Seventh false alarm: $100
* Eighth false alarm: $250
* Ninth false alarm: $250
* Tenth and over false alarm: $500
* Failure to register: $100

Violations of the ordinance are civil in nature and do not constitute a misdemeanor or criminal charge.

There is also an appeals process for alarm users who receive fines for false alarms.

For more information, call the Marietta Police Department at 770-794-2364.

A historic district is an area of a city that includes buildings with special character, historic, or aesthetic interest or value and represents one or more periods or styles of architecture typical of the city they’re located in, city of Marietta urban planner Shelby Little said. “Any property designated as a landmark or located in a designated district is required to receive a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission before the property owner alters or modifies any part of the building that can be seen from the street or sidewalk.”

Under the approved ordinance, Marietta would be allowed to proceed in creating its first historic district in approximately 30 years, director of development services Brian Binzer said. “The downtown area is the city’s first historic district.”

The approved ordinance would require property owners to get permission from the Historic Preservation Commission to change the outside appearance of their buildings, tear down the buildings or add on. Property owners wouldn’t need permission to repaint the buildings or make minor repairs to their buildings.

Council previously designated Kennesaw Avenue as Marietta’s first historic district, but Mayor Steve Tumlin vetoed the action with Council input to allow City Council an opportunity to revise the ordinance.

The city will conduct public hearings on the ordinance and design guidelines and notify property owners that the city is again considering establishing Kennesaw Avenue as a historic district. The HPC must poll residents and receive at least 60 percent approval before a historic district can be created. Sixty-seven percent approved the first version of the Kennesaw Avenue district.

Honoring Marietta’s past and preserving its history, while striving to create a more effective historic preservation ordinance is a goal City Council established as part of its vision statement.

For more information, call the Department of Development Services at 770-794-5669.

As a result of Marietta using a different kind of fuel than petroleum in city-owned vehicles the city is able to receive a rebate on the federal taxes that were paid on the alternative fuel.

“Mohammed’s efforts required perseverance and research to meet deadlines for eligibility,” Tumlin said. “As a result of Mohammed’s research, the city will receive a refund of more than $334,000, with the opportunity for continued years of benefit.”

Ennin, who moved to Marietta a year and a half ago, earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting and his master’s degree in public administration from Florida A&M University.

The city of Marietta continues to look for innovative ways to conserve energy, while cutting down on emissions and saving money. Marietta’s Fleet Division began using a biodiesel blend in 90 percent of the city’s diesel vehicles in 2008. The city also has several natural gas vehicles in its fleet.

For more information, call Marietta’s Accounting Division at 770-794-5544.

Once again, Larry Wills has written an attack column in the MDJ, this time about the Parks Bond Referendum. When a self-proclaimed knowledgeable person with a college degree fabricates and distorts to mislead people, the only definition that can apply is that the writings are “a pack of lies.” This column and others written by him are just that. This is his continued way of trying to “get even with the city.”

Btw, WhitlockAvenue.com personal aside about the MDJ and indexing web content… when will the MDJ learn some basic SEO? – I can’t even access the original article on the MDJ site since after the initial publish date, they seem to move the pages around and the original content isn’t accessible at all. Here’s a copy of the article from the Google Cache as of
8/21/2009.

Now back to the story….

For many years, Wills had a non-competitive, extremely lucrative, contract for “running” a compost dump on city property. (I guess having a connection with a compost dump makes you a “recycling consultant.”) When the city realized the details of this contract, it was put out on bids and Wills became very upset. He did send several false bills to the city which were properly denied. Ultimately, the city decided that it could run the compost function itself. Wills was removed from the public trough.

He then vowed to sue the city. Obviously, he could not find any attorney who believed him. He then started attending all city meetings and making full use of freedom of information requests for documents. He found a willing outlet for his attacks on the city with the MDJ’s attitude to publish anything bad, real or imagined, about Marietta.

Wills does have a college degree and he has demanded and received complete information from the city about finances, taxes, TAD’s, parks, etc. If he were uniformed, I would just say that he is mistaken in what he has written. However, when a person knows the truth and writes otherwise, the definition of “lies” does apply.

His previous columns about TADs, the Marietta Redevelopment Corporation, and other city matters were meant to mislead the public and Thursday’s (August 27) column about Marietta Parks is the same. Even for Will’s twisted logic and writing style, this particular column is strange and full of contradictions.

For instance, Wills claims that the city council has not identified recreational needs, costs, etc., etc. He then refers to the “Master Plan” that he knows was done using everything he falsely claims the city council of not doing. He knows of the citizen surveys, the public input, and the public council discussions and decisions. Among his many fabrications, he makes the totally false statement that Marietta has a declining tax base.

He now has started on a quiet campaign to get City Manager Bill Bruton fired. He wants to be hired as either City Manager or Assistant City Manager.

I guess Wills only knows how to be against things. He certainly has never offered any solutions or any ideas for city improvement. It must be miserable going through life with a negative attitude.

To paraphrase an old saying: “Where there is Wills, there is no way.”

The increases will range between $22.93 for properties that have the school tax exemption and $166.69 for properties that have a regular homestead exemption. “Taxes are due 60 days after they are mailed,” Tax manager Marsha Beard said.

If your taxes are paid from an escrow account through your mortgage lender, you may want to notify them so the escrow payment amount can be adjusted accordingly.

In 1999, the governor and General Assembly appropriated the grant to counties, cities and schools, giving tax relief to homeowners in the form of a tax bill credit. According to legislation passed this year (House Bill 143), the grant will only be made available in the future if state revenues grow at least 3 percent plus the rate of inflation.

For more information, call Marietta’s Tax Division at 770-794-5680.

The forum will include a report on the school system from Superintendent Dr. Emily Lembeck and a presentation on the economics of education. Attendees will form small groups to discuss the current state and future direction of the school district.

Information gathered at the meeting will help a strategic planning team community members, parents, educators, local business leaders and elected officials develop a strategic plan for the school district.

A survey will be available on the Marietta City School Web site the week of August 24 for the community to download and provide their feedback on how they think the school system is doing. Surveys will also be available in the front office of each school. Information provided will be confidential.

For more information call 770-422-3500.