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Unite this community in peace, respect, and hope for the future. May your guidance be upon this city, and may we continue to be a people who seek justice, love, mercy, and walk humbly before you. Bless Smyrna, bless this council, and bless the United States of America as we strive to be a nation that honors you. In your holy name we pray. Amen. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with unity and justice for all. Thank you, pastor. We appreciate you being with us tonight. you can stay for the whole meeting, but you sure don't have to. So, we're gonna give you an out if you need it. Um, next is we don't have any agenda changes tonight. Uh, next on the mayoral report, I have a special recognition I want to make. But first, I want to go over a couple of the things that have happened since our last uh time we met. We now have the FIFA World Cup matches uh downtown. You may have seen the big tent and the big screens. uh started last Thursday and goes through the duration of the tournament. Uh how many people did you say came for the the the first couple of games matches? Sorry, matches during the during the day. The first one with Mexico, we had just under 400 people. The US men's team played Friday night and there was over 1500 people. But the coming game this this coming Friday will be against undefeated US versus undefeated Australia. and we're expecting it to be completely packed. So, it's it's a lot of fun to be an official watch site and bring that to the city of Smyrna. Uh we also had our first concert, Guardians of the Jukebox, and the the green was filled with folks.

Um everybody had a great time. We had great weather. Our next concert uh in our summer concert series will be July 11th, and it'll be the Yacht Rock review um downtown on the Village Green. You mentioned the Friday uh FIFA match coming up with with the US. Also, we've got a Junth celebration. Uh Councilman Oglesby will tell us more about it in his comments, but that there's committee has put a lot of work into it. Um Councilman Oglesby has put tons of energy into making this. This is our second annual Junth celebration and uh he's got a great lineup. We expect a lot of people to be down there and should be. We just got to everybody do a a good good weather uh prayer for us please. It doesn't look tremendous at the moment but a lot of days between now and then. And then I want to take a moment of personal privilege. Uh we had two teams this last weekend from our Smyrna Little League Brinkley Park go down and win state championships and bring them back to Smyrna, Georgia. The first one was our sevenu team. That's the first time they that you that age group has played in uh in the state tournament. So they won their district, won their sectional and that's coach pitch and they went down there uh to Augusta and and won a state title. And then very special our nine Smyrna Blue Allstars went down to Warner Robbins and won the state tournament for the third consecutive year. Okay. They're the first team to ever do that from the city of Smyrna and we did some research and we think that that's the first team ever in the state of Georgia to win their consecutive age group titles three years in a row.

So, uh you know, they played in the big u the big stadium down there in Warner Robbins in front of tons of people and you'd have thought they won the World Series. But I'm so pleased my son Jack is on that team. Uh those boys worked really hard. They practiced almost every day from like May 15th through um through district and sectionals. And they had a game uh they got rained out on uh on Friday, so they had to play two on Saturday. And I don't know how many of y'all been to Warner Robbins, but it's hotter than the surface of the sun down there, right? So they played two games and then the second game they had uh bases loaded against them in a bottom of an inning where if the other team scored they would have lost. Bases loaded, nobody outs. Nobody out. And they got out of it. and then came and won it in extra innings and then went on to win this the state championship. I couldn't be more proud and we'll have them here at a council meeting and uh appropriately honor such a great achievement for our boys. But I'm I'm so pleased about what's coming out of Brinkley Park. We got a ton of youth talent everywhere uh but particularly in our little league baseball. So that was a fun moment. All right, now to to important things here. We have a remarkable achievement um to recognize and that's the um achievement of Eagle Scout by William Dawson Poppy. William, a little bit about William. He earned his Eagle Scout rank on April 21st, 2026. Come on up. Come on up with your family. Bring your family up with you. He's continuing the tradition in the Poppy family. He is a thirdgeneration Eagle Scout. His father David, grandfather Paul, are also Eagle Scouts and great examples.

I'd imagine we have a Eagle Scout on our city council, uh, Travis, who's Lindley, who's traveling today. But, uh, I know how hard that is to achieve and what a commitment that is. Williams Eagle Project. Let's see. Let's see. Williams great-grandfather, Odin Poppy, earned the coveted Silver Beaver Award as an outstanding adult scout leader. Williams Eagle Project benefited Camp Twin Lakes. He built three CHA, which stands for creative hands-on activity carts, one for each medical lodge, one for each medical lodge at each camp, Rutled East, Rutledge West, and Winder. At Twin Lakes, several camps will host medically fragile children. The activity carts are heavy duty carts stocked with fun indoor activities to engage the kids when they're being cared for in the medical lodge instead of the camp activities such as zipline, rock wall, horseback riding, or fishing. William is a 2026 honors graduate from Campbell High School. He's earned a significant leadership and academic scholarship and will be attending Hampton Sydney College in the fall of 2026 as a biology premed major. We couldn't be more proud of you in this city for your accomplishments. And everybody, please give William a round of applause. [applause] We'd love for you to say something if you'd like to step right up to the mic. Just say thank you. Uh thank you so much for doing this. Yeah. Yeah. We're Y'all want to say anything? No. Thank you, sir. No. All right. All right. Well, we like to recognize those that go above and beyond uh in our city and uh thank you for representing us so well and for your commitment. All right, we have two proclamations uh this evening. The first is a proclamation in recognition of Junth, this Friday, June 19th, 2026. And I will turn that over to Councilman Oglesby. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. a proclamation by the mayor of city of Smyrna in recognition of Junth June 19th 2026.

Whereas Junth also known as freedom day or emancipation day is celebrated each year on June 19th in the United States to commemorate the end of slavery. And whereas though the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued on September 22nd, 1862 with an effective date of January 1, 1863, it had minimum immediate effect on most slaves day-to-day lives, particularly in Texas, which was almost entirely under Confederate control. And whereas Junth commemorates June 19th, 1865, the day Union General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops arrived in Gav Galveston, Texas to take possession of the state and enforce the emancipation of his slaves. And whereas Junth is the oldest known celebration of the ending of slavery, the celebration of June 19th was coined Junth and grew with more participation from descendants. Junth today celebrates African-American freedom while encouraging self-development and respect for all cultures. And whereas on June 17, 2021, the Junth National Independence Day Act was signed into law, which established Junth as an official federal holiday. And whereas the city of Smyrna approved the observance of Junth as an official city holiday in 2022. In recognizing the holiday of Junth in the city of Smyrna, we acknowledge the challenges, success, tribulation, and perseverance of all those who live during these periods in our history. And whereas the city of Smyrna will host its annual Junth festival on June 19th, 2026, a communitywide celebration that honors the significance of this day through fellowship, education, music, and cultural expression. Now therefore, I, Derek Nord, mayor of the city of Smyrna, Georgia, do hereby proclaim June 19th, 2026 as Junth in the city of Smyrna and encourage the community to join the commitment for anti-racism, racial, and social justice by encouraging a day of reflection, recognition, and acknowledgement and healing. What's coming up? A lot of fun.

All right, we're going to celebrate on June 19th here on the green starting at 6 PM with a lot of music and food and dancing, kids zones. This is a celebration. We're celebrating freedom and you know what? What other thing to celebrate especially this year, right, for this for the country. So, we're extremely excited. We have a little something for everybody. We're going to pray the weather's great and if the weather's not great, we're still going to party. All right, so come on out and we, you know, and enjoy the fun. It's free. Thank you, Mr. Oglesby. Appreciate all your hard work making such a good event come together. Thank you. All right. Next, we have a proclamation in recognition of America 250. And we have this is sponsored by the Fielding Lewis chapter, National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution. And we have several members here tonight. Nan Bennett, Eva Garrett, Emily Hewitt, Anita Mashburn, Trish Mosley, Mary Nimsgarn, Andrea Riddle, Dolly Stratton, and Melissa Tanner. And I think u Mr. Welch is going to handle that proclamation this evening. Then we'll come down and get pictures with you. And I'd love for y'all to say anything after he's done if you'd like to. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. a proclamation by the mayor of the city of Smyrna in recognition of America 250. Whereas on July 4th, 2026, our nation will commemorate the semiqu quintessential anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. And whereas the journey toward this historic milestone provides an opportunity to reflect on our nation's past, honor the contributions of all Americans, and look forward to the future generations who will carry forward the ideals of democracy and individual liberty that make the United States a unique nation within the world community. And whereas the National Society Daughters of American Revolution DR is a non-political women's service organization established in 1890 whose members are lineal descendants of patriots of the American Revolution.

And whereas through the leadership of the president general, daughters across the nation will over the next three years illuminate our legacy by commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States of America with intention and purpose reflecting on the values of liberty, democracy, and the sacrifices made by those who came before us. And whereas from the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party in 2023 through the 250th anniversary of the signing of the treaty in Paris in 2033. Daughters are celebrating our rich our nation's rich history and diverse experiences by honoring all men and women who achieved American independence. These patriots believing in the noble cause of liberty fall valiantly to it. Establish a new nation. Now therefore, I, Derek Norton, mayor of the city of Smyrna, Georgia, do hereby recognize and support this commemoration and encourage all residents of the city to reflect upon our nation's history, honor the sacrifices of our founding patriots, and participate in activities that celebrate and preserve the enduring ideals of freedom, freedom, and democracy. In witness whereof, I have adhered to, set my hand, and cause the seal of the city of Smyrna to be affixed upon this 15th day of June in the year of our Lord, 2026. Derek Norton, I'm sorry. Thank you so much. I'm Melissa Tanner. I'm the regent of the Fielding Lewis chapter and these are wonderful chapter members that are with us today. Um I won't name them all but I would like to acknowledge our America 250 chair Trish Mosley and um along with our first and second vice regent and so many members registars board members we are so thankful and honored to get to be with you all today as we've the daughters of the American Revolution been looking for this America 250 business for a long time [laughter] and so this is this is a big celebr celebration that we have been working for toward for many years.

And so we are thankful uh the whole United States gets to celebrate all of those uh Revolutionary War soldiers and those that uh provided for the uh for the patriots during that time. So, thank you. Thank you for the honor of getting to be here with you today. We appreciate all y'all do. I'm going come down there and get a photo with y'all. Which way are we going? All right, y'all. Andrea, your first mayor. Oh, yes, ma'am. Hey, listen. No, no, no, no. I'm just telling them protocol while he was back here, y'all. Y'all, come on. of course. Appreciate y'all. Appreciate that. Thank you. Thank you. Yes. Yes, ma'am. Good to see you. We in the right spot. What do you feed this boy? He gets so tall. I didn't know what to say. Of course. You bet. Y'all have a good evening. He was throwing me off. I was reading. I was like, "Oh, All right. Now, we're going to move on. We don't have any community development items, privilege, license, or show cause. So, we're moving on to formal business. And I'm just going to ask as we get through this, as excited as this big crowd may get, just hold your applause until the end. Formal business. Item A, approval to amend contract with Rebuilding Together Atlanta for administration of the city's CDBG home repair grant to allow to allocate an additional $125,000 to the program. Extend the contract termination date to June 30th, 2027, and authorize a mayor sign and execute all related documents. Mr. Jones, the background, please. Uh, mayor, the city entered into an agreement on June 3rd, 2022 with rebuilding together Atlanta for the administration implementation of the home repair grant. So, it's made to assist lower income homeowners providing grant funding for housing rehabilitation projects. The city together with Rebuilding Atlanta um desire to continue the program and assist qualified homeowners.

The sixth amendment to the contract will allocate an additional $125,000 in community development block grant CDBG funds for the program. Recommend approval to amend the contract. And I'll just say that partnership with that group has been phenomenal. There have been I don't know how many how many Smyrna residents they've helped. I think we're up to in in 30 or 40 homes now. and um the council has participated in different events at different times and I know citizens have and some of our staff. It really makes a difference in these people's lives. So, I'm I'm just thrilled that we're going to continue with them and and make the project or make the program even better. Uh any discussion from council? All right, Glenn, you want to make a motion? I was gonna make the motion. I'll second Susan. Well, however youall want to do it. We got dueling seconds. Uh you let you're gonna let Susan. Okay. All right. Good. Uh and so we've got a motion by Mr. Pickkins to approve, second by Miss Wilkinson. Everybody, please vote. And that's approved. 6. Item B, approval of contract renewal and rate increase for record and towing service for the city of Smyrna with barrow wrecker service for the recovery of disabled city of Smyrna vehicles and to provide record towing and storage of disabled motor vehicles in violation of city, county or state law or federal motor carrier safety violations with the renewal extension through June 30th, 2027 to align with the fiscal year and authorize the mayor to execute all related items. Mr. Jones isn't this just mimicking what the fees are from the from the county. Yes, sir. It's we're taking the Cobb County rates and applying them and they just changed theirs. So, that's what we're doing, too. Uh, any discussion? All right. I'll entertain a motion. Motion to approve.

Motion to approve by Mr. Welch. Second by Mr. Gold. Everyone, please vote. And that's approved. 6. Item C is the approval for the renewal of the professional service agreement with the city of Smyrna government affairs consultant, Mr. Castravetti, in the amount of $72,000 beginning July 1st, 2026 and continuing until June 30th, 2027 and have the mayor sign and execute all related documents. And what this item doesn't say is that former councilwoman uh Terry Anolawitz is part of that lobbying team and that really raises uh cashist stock. Mr. Mr. Jones, any other background? Um, I would just add that that they this consultant has been serving as a city government affairs consultant since 2020. Um, and the council is proposing to continue that professional engagement of the government affairs consultant to represent the city of SM for the Georgia legislature. Recommend approval. Any discussion? All right. Entertain a motion. So moved. Move approval by Mr. Gould, second by Miss Hines. Everybody, please vote. Whoops, it went away. Approved 6. Thank you. Um, item D, authorization to approve the city of Smyrna acquiring 84 square feet of land or a 12T x 7 foot water easement from Campbell High School for the city of Smyrna to be able to access and maintain its water meter and infrastructure that is located off the rightway there. Mr. Jones, any background, please? Yes, sir. This is a cleanup item. So, we installed uh infrastructure off the rideway onto this property without an an easement. So, we're going to clean this up, put an easement on there, and allow the city going forward to be able to access and maintain the meter and the necessary infrastructure located off the rideway. Pretty straightforward. Is there any discussion or questions from council? I'll entertain a motion on item D. Move approval by Mr. Pickkins. Do I have a second? Second by Mr. Welch.

All those in favor, please vote. And that's approved. 6. Uh item E, authorization to approve WK Dixon & Company LLC and Ardura Company to begin phase one, which is task order number six of a citywide multi-year multi-phase storm water wershed master plan project and an amount not to exceed $21,100 to be funded from the fiscal year 26 operating budget engineer engineering professional services line item and authorize a mayor to sign and execute all documents. Mr. Jones background please. So this is a a request for we have a need for the development of comprehensive citywide storm water master plan. So this effort will include multiple subwaterershed evaluations which we've already conducted. We've had those prioritized. Uh the stormwater master plan will serve as a strategic tool for prioritizing capital improvement expenditures on storm water management and it also will identify infrastructure deficiencies and establish a long-term framework for storm water management. We've worked with public works, the engineering department on this request. Recommend approval. Thank you, Mr. Jones. Any discussion or questions from the council. Okay. Entertain a motion on item E. So moved. Approval by Mr. Gold, second by Miss Wilkinson. Everyone, please vote. That's approved. 6. Item F, approval of the 2028 special purpose local option sales tax intergovernmental agreement with Cobb County. Mr. Jones, any background there? Uh, yes, sir. Mayor, the CFO and I attended a meeting with Cobb County uh late last week to discuss this with the other cities and the county. Approval of the 2028 spots renewal will go before voters in November of 2026. So, county commission will vote to authorize the referendum in the upcoming weeks, but prior to that vote um to authorize referendum, they're required to have all intergovernmental agreements with the participating local governments already in place. The agreement has been reviewed by the city attorney and staff recommends approval of the 2028 sponsor.

Just as a refresher for those watching, the The splast has been renewed every six years for gosh I don't know I don't know how long but it it's a penny uh that helps us you know fund lots of park and wreck stuff projects that you come to enjoy um transportation infrastructure road paving you know there's a lot of non sexy stuff in there but there's also a lot of parks amenities and things that y'all have come to enjoy. and it just it it's a a great program and we have a lot of exciting projects in our project list this year. So, um with that, any uh any other comments or questions from city council? All right, y'all. Quiet tonight. Entertain a motion on item F. He beat you, Mr. G. Moved by Mr. Pickkins. Uh second by Mr. Gould. All those in favor, please vote. And that's approved. 6. Got two more items on formal agenda. Uh both professional services. Item G, approval of the proposed agreement with Croy Engineering uh for professional services for program management for the 2022 splast as requested for the fiscal year 2027 in the amount of $625,000 for the project as outlined in the attached proposal. Mr. Jones, any background and any um any overview of those projects? This agenda item and the one to come are companion documents. So as as mentioned, this is for professional service agreement for the 2022 program management services. Cory does a good job for us in managing that. This proposal will incorporate the terms and conditions of the professional service agreement for Smyrna's 22 SPL program dated June 7th, 2021 between Cory Engineering and the city of Smyrna. Both public works and finance recommend approval of the agreement. Any discussion or questions from council? All right. Anybody want to make a motion? Motion to approve. Motion to approve item G by Mr. Welch.