As a result of the unemployment created by COVID-19, the Federal Government allocated money through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERA) and Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) to every state to use towards providing rental assistance for constituents. Through the help of all the non-profits who distributed the funding to applicants, Cobb County was one of the most successful counties in the Country in terms of distributing funding. As of December 2021, Cobb distributed close to $39 million. Due to our success, the Federal Government promised the County an additional expected $14 million, and Georgia's Department of Community Affairs offered $40 million.

Learn more here.

Academic Games is a competition for students that has them compete in games that focus on math, social studies, and language. Our office has worked with connecting Marietta Public Schools with Academic Games Leagues of America and bring Academic Games competitions to Cobb.

Learn more about Academic Games and AGLOA here.

Educating the youth on how local government functions is important to ensuring that our communities have strong leaders in the future. The Youth Commission introduces high schoolers from across the County to the various Cobb departments, and the teens learn what it takes to run their local government. The first Youth Commission cohort met in 2021.

Each month, our office partners with a non-profit, organization, and/or County Department to host an event where members of the community engage in volunteer or workshop opportunities to help others or themselves and translate their experiences into policy.

Find the next Acts of Kindness event.

Cobb County searched for an ideal location for a new fire department in the Cumberland CID area. After many years of searching, the ideal location was found and voted on by the BOC at the May 24, 2022 BOC hearing. This will be Cobb's 29th Fire Station and has been nicknamed the "Unicorn Fire Station" due to how long it took.

Youth in our County always have interesting ideas about what they would like to see improved in their communities! The Capstone Intern project, modeled after college capstone projects, allows high school and college students the opportunity to get creative in solving an issue they see in their area. Interns are assigned a mentor from the Community Cabinet that matches their area of interest, and they work together to come up with a plan. The interns are then tasked with implementing their ideas and giving a final presentation at the end of the program for the community to see. The first Capstone Internship Program took place in Summer 2021.

Cobb has strong arts communities throughout the county with distinct cultural presence. The Arts Triangle initiative identifies these art communities and connects them through structure, mobility, information, and branding with the goal of creating a collaborative arts network to enhance economic and enjoyment experiences for both artists and art consumers. The initiative also looks to legitimize the centers through the passing of an Arts Ordinance, which states procedures and guidelines associated with public arts. Thus far, four communities have come forward to join the initiative.

Although much of our lives in the 21st century now revolve around the internet, there are still many in our County that experience difficulty in accessing online networks. This can have serious impacts on adults in the workforce as well as children needing to do homework. The Broadband Strategy seeks to incorporate a broadband masterplan in our strategic planning efforts and to identify strategic funding mechanisms for future needs.

The Dobbins Air Reserve Base holds a special place in our community due to its members who serve our country and the employment opportunities it offers for residents. There are certain steps that can be taken in our community to ensure that our relationship remains strong, and the government continues to keep the Air Base in Cobb. As part of our office's Dobbins Strong initiative, a restrictive zoning code was set in place that would restrict usage of nearby land for certain zoning categories and remove the discretionary clause. Through the implementation of this code, the Airmen and nearby residents are kept safe in case of emergency situations.

Taxes are an important component to maintaining desired services in our community, but the cost of such services can often be confusing. In order to educate the community on this topic, our office has created the Taxpayer's Receipt This online program allows users to choose what services they believe should be funded, determine how much those services would cost, and compare the results to similar jurisdictions.

See the Taxpayer's Receipt here.

Mental health has become a widely discussed topic across the nation, especially due to the increase in mental health problems during the Pandemic. Our office has partnered with CobbCollaborative to host a series of panels and tabling events that include experts in the field and local mental health-oriented organizations. Each event has a focus on a particular vulnerable group, including the youth, seniors, and veterans.

During 2020 and 2021 Cobb Community Foundation partnered with various non-profit and for-profit organizations to create the Cobb Food Fleet, which aimed to provide food supplies to families facing financial difficulties. With the help of the Board of Commissioner's allocation of over $1,000,000 CARES Act funding for the purchase of foods, all of these organizations worked together to create an organized distribution process that handed out over 168,000 boxes of food.

Learn more here.

The Veterans Detention Pod project, led by Veterans Cabinet Chair Dan Hydrick, established a separate detetnion hoding area for incarcerated Veterans in Cobb. The pod encourages strong participation for accountability and treatment programs through the use of a Battle Buddy program and establishes open environment for easier Veterans Affairs Administration personnel to visit. The goal of the pods is to work towards rehabilitation through education and to place healthy veterans back into their community.

Cobb County recently unveiled its Police Real-Time Crime Center. The center helps Police find and document crimes as they occur through video footage from cameras such as license-plate readers, traffick cameras, and business cameras. The techniques used help officers respond to situations quicker as well as reduce the possibility of mistakes during investigations.

Cobb County currently has two documents that regulate development (Code of Ordinance and County Development Standards) that have inconsistent rules. In order to mitigate these issues, the County is working on the Unified Development Code (UDC), which would streamline the two documents into one combined document, making development rules easier to determine and public access to the document more available.

Learn more here.

After several years of planning, the new Kroger in Terrell Mill Marketplace broke ground in April 2022. The new grocery store is expected to be complete by April 2023.

Key needs in the community for sidewalks have been placed for 2021. A new list is being compiled for 2022.

The Bob Callan Trail, located in the Cumberland CID, is part of the larger Cumberland Sweep project that connects various parts of the Cumberland area. It also serves as a connection between the Cumberland community and the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. This four mile long trail promotes healthy lifestyles and mobility options in our community.

The Silver Comet Trail runs from Alabama into Cumberland. With the help of advocates in the community, Cobb County is now looking to connect the Silver Comet Trail to the Beltline through a private-public partnership.

The Cumberland CID announced its newest project--the Cumberland Sweep. Our office has joined in on planning sessions for the Sweep and helped secure funding from federal and state grants. So far, the Sweep has been awarded $8.14 million.

Learn more here.

A collaborative and informative program to ensure parents and children are equipped with information around safe gun practices and storage, and community awareness to reduce accidental casualties (sleepovers, etc).

Our office relies heavily on our Community Cabinet for public outreach, event coordination, and initiative mangement. The Cabinet is made up of 27 different seats. Cabinet seats represent areas that include distinct District 2 communities, minority or vulnerable populations, and high-priority topics. Those who are appointed are expected to be our liaisons with the community and various organizations and create projects to enhance our communities.

Learn about the Community Cabinet seats here.

Connecting our community is an important part of our office's operations. The best way to ensure connectivity is giving residents a central platform to speak with one another. Thus, the CobbCountyD2 Slack chat was created. This platform allows members from across the community to learn about information coming from our office and inform one another about events and issues going on. There are various chatrooms dedicated to specific topics, and participants are encouraged to join in on the conversation in any of these rooms.

Sign up here.

The Pandemic exposed one of the biggest issues facing our community: unemployment. Often times, those who are unemployed have difficulty in finding a spot back in the workforce and ultimately accumulate severe debt. The Bridge to Success program, in partnership with CobbWorks, aims to bring together businesses looking for employees and unemployed community members looking for employment. Based on an eligible employee's background, they will be paired with available positions in a local business. In addition to paying the regular salary, each business pledges to provide the new employee $500 or $1,000 over a 6 or 12 month basis. This extra wage serves to help the new employee build up their savings and eventually overcome the debts they may have accumulated during their time unemployed.