Cobb
Meetings set on proposed penny tax
Cobb County will hold seven public meetings on a proposed 2016 SPLOST 9 a.m. July 8, 10 a.m.-noon July 17 and 7 p.m. July 22 at the Cobb Board of Commissioners meeting room, 100 Cherokee St., Marietta. Each of the four Cobb Commission Districts will also have meetings July 9-July 16 in east Cobb, Mableton and Powder Springs. Information: www.cobbcounty.org or www.cobbSPLOST.org.
Tucker McQueen for the AJC
Forsyth
Forsyth citizens academy gearing up
The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office is accepting applications for its next Citizens Law Enforcement Academy. The free 10-week course kicks off July 28 at the Forsyth County Public Safety Building, 3520 Settingdown Road, Cumming. Information: hjplager@forsythco.com or 678-513-5880.Mark Woolsey for the AJC
Cherokee
Construction underway on Holly Springs Park
Construction has started on the J.B. Owens Park project in Holly Springs, with brush clearing and two homes on the 33-acre property demolished. The $1.2 million project will include walking and jogging trails, bridges and a playground when completed next spring. Mark Woolsey for the AJC
Fulton
Roswell approves budget
The Roswell City Council has given final approval to the 2015 budget. The $112.1 million document going into effect July 1 keeps the city’s mill levy steady at 5.455. Highlights of the budget include $27 million allocated for public safety, $10 million in capital investment added to the city’s current $70 million program, and $16.3 million for parks and recreation.
Mark Woolsey for the AJC
DeKalb
Government task force to meet
The Task Force on DeKalb County Operations meets 6 p.m. July 2 at the Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive.
The committee was created to explore and study issues affecting quality of life.
The issues include studying the impact of annexations and the creation of new cities, the effectiveness of the current county governance structure and ethics and transparency in county operations, and the equitable distribution of proceeds from the Homestead Option Sales Tax between unincorporated and incorporated portions of the county.
Kent A. Miles for the AJC
Charter cluster issue in school board runoff
The rejected petition for a “charter cluster” that would have included several schools in and around Druid Hills, was a focal point of a school board election forum Thursday.
The event, hosted by the civic group Leadership DeKalb, drew all six remaining candidates in the heated election for three seats on the DeKalb County school board. All seven were up for election, but these three — in electoral districts three, four and five — were the only seats with an indecisive outcome in the May primary.
Voters will have a final say at the July 22 runoff election.
In each of the three electoral districts, one candidate supported the cluster proposal while the other questioned it. The plan would have put Druid Hills High School and its feeder schools under an independently operated charter organization. Ty Tagami
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