Deadline arrives for International Fest participation
You have until Wednesday, July 24, to sign up to be a vendor or performer at the Cobb International Festival next month. The annual event will bring together sights, sounds, and tastes from around the world. It provides an opportunity to show off your handmade goods and imports, talents, food, art, and share your culture with the community. It will be held 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, at the Jim R. Miller Park and Event Center.
Following the first public hearings on the Fiscal Year 2025 biennial budget, Cobb Finance and Communications Departments have unveiled this year's Budget in Brief document.
Click here to view the document, which breaks down how property taxes are divided, what your contribution to the county's general fund pays for, and how the county will spend this year's budget growth.
Residents are invited to attend the remaining budget public hearing at the Board of Commissioners meeting room at 100 Cherokee Street, Marietta. It will be held 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 23. The hearing will also be streamed live on CobbTV's YouTube channel located here.
Get free products, food, resources and services at Cobb and Douglas Public Health Farmers Market and Resource Fairs in July and August. There will be fresh, locally grown fruits, vegetables and herbs.
• Markets are open to the entire community.
• WIC participants: bring a WIC ID to receive $30 free per eligible WIC participant per season.
• Events run 8 a.m. - noon at two locations:
• July 24 and Aug. 7 and 21
1738 County Services Parkway, Marietta
• July 30 and Aug. 13 and 27
875 Riverside Parkway, Austell
Get the inside scoop on Cobb
Learn more about Cobb County Government in Cobb 101, The Citizen's Government Academy. The class is limited to 32 Cobb residents or business owners who are at least 18 years old. Applications are available online through Wednesday, July 24. The first class is Aug. 8.
Apply now to enroll in the 11-week course offering an in-depth look at the many facets of county government. Sessions will be held at different government buildings, offering participants a firsthand look at how the county serves its residents.
CobbLinc is updating the fareboxes on its transit fleet. The new FastFare boxes are expected to reduce boarding time and grant customers flexibility with how they pay for their ride.
CobbLinc plans to have its new FastFare system fully in place by Aug. 1 and will offer fare exchanges from the old magnetic platform through the end of 2024.
The fareboxes will still accept traditional currency such as cash and coins. With the new platform, transfers to other routes will not be possible for customers paying with cash or coins. Transfers will only be available to Breeze card and Breeze Mobile users.
Get a jump on the yuletide rush with Christmas in July hosted by the Cobb County UGA Extension Service noon - 1 p.m. Thursday, July 25. Join speakers Leah Wilson and Terri Carter for fast, easy, thoughtful and affordable gift ideas. You can have fun and also learn some new crafts and cooking ideas for the holidays. Admission is free, but call 770-528-4070 to register. The Extension Office is located at 678 South Cobb Drive, Marietta.
Converting waste to help your garden
Discover the basics during a Composting 101 class noon, Friday, July 26, at the Cobb County Water Quality Lab in Marietta. Learn what it takes to convert vegetative waste into nutritious soil amendments, tips, and tricks to having a successful compost system, and explore the three composting techniques (triple bin, passive block bin, and round cage) located in the Wildlife and Rain Garden’s compost area. Don't forget to bring your lunch.
There will be multiple sites for National Night Out in Cobb County Tuesday, Aug. 6. This annual event promotes law enforcement and community partnerships as well as neighborhood camaraderie. Organizers have planned for fun, food and festivities. Have an entertaining night out with your family. Locations and times include:
• Cobb County, 6 - 9 p.m., Jim R. Miller Park and Event Center, 2245 Callaway Road SW, Marietta. Click here for more information.
• Austell, 6 - 8 p.m., Threadmill Complex, 5000 Austell Powder Springs Road. Click here for more.
• Kennesaw, 6 - 8 p.m., Swift-Cantrell Park, 3140 Old 41 Highway. Click here for more.
• Acworth, 6 - 8:30 p.m., Cauble Park with a golf cart parade, 4425 Beach Street. Click here for details.
Flood insurance discounts coming
Cobb residential and commercial property owners will save 15% on flood insurance premiums starting April 1, thanks to a recent improvement in the county's rating by the National Flood Insurance Program.
The county's rating improved recently after an assessment of the Water System’s floodplain management activities. This included acquisition of land susceptible to flooding, widening stream buffers, creation of dam breach zone mapping below Category I dams, and increased public education.
Help those who run to help you at Cobb County's First Responder 5K on Saturday, Aug. 17, at The Battery Atlanta. Participants can walk, jog, or run either in-person or virtually. This family-friendly event for all fitness levels will include first responder vehicles and displays, field games with The Atlanta Braves' mascot Blooper, and a performance from the Braves Heavy Hitters drumline. This event is a qualifier for the Peachtree Road Race.
UGA Extension Services in Cobb, Douglas, and Paulding Counties are hosting a Master Naturalist Training program that provides comprehensive training. The registration deadline is Aug. 23.
This nine-day program consists of weekly field trips with in-depth lectures from regional experts on a wide variety of environmental and ecological topics. The program dates are every Friday in September and every Thursday in October including an overnight on Oct. 24 - 25. The program days are 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Transportation is provided to and from all locations.
You have until the end of the month to take advantage of the Cobb County Animal Shelter's current adoption deal. All pets one-year-old and older are free, while all other pets are just $20.
CobbTV brings you coverage of public meetings, events, and stories of interest to those who live in Cobb. Visit www.cobbcounty.org/CobbTV and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more!
Take a 60-second tour around Cobb County to see some of the events that happened in the past week. We visited PARK's Fishing Rodeos, watched firefighters help keep smoke alarms going, and other events.
Cobb hosted the annual SE Association of Fire Chiefs conference in Cumberland. A record 400 fire officials attended the conference which dealt with critical issues facing fire and emergency services today, including retention.
Board of Commissioners regular meeting, 7 p.m., Tuesday, July 23
Board of Commissioners regular meeting, 9 a.m., Tuesday, Aug. 13
Board of Commissioners zoning hearing, 9 a.m., Tuesday, Aug. 20
Meetings take place at 100 Cherokee Street, 2nd floor unless otherwise noted. Many public meetings and hearings are broadcast live on CobbTV and YouTube and are available on demand on YouTube.
Events are subject to change.
Budget and millage rate public hearings
The final public hearing on the budget and millage rate will be held:
7 p.m. Tuesday, July 23
All hearings will be in the Board of Commissioners meeting room located at 100 Cherokee Street, Marietta and streaming on CobbTV
There's a lot going on in Cobb County that doesn't fit in one newsletter. Keep up with what's going on around Cobb County with the help of other emailed publications and social media. You'll be informed of new events and programs, cancellations/delays, emergencies, disruptions to services and more.
Budget and millage rate public hearings