2026-02-16 February 16, 2026 Mayor and Council Meeting Minutes - FINAL
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February 16, 2026 7:00 PM City of Smyrna Mayor and Council Meeting 2800 King Street SE Council Chambers Page 2 of 16 Public comment during this portion of the Agenda must be limited to matters on the Agenda for action. If you wish to be heard, please sign up with the City Clerk, come to the podium when called by the Mayor, state your name and address for the record and make your remarks. The time allotted for each speaker is as follows: Public Hearing - Five (5) Minutes 6. Proclamations and Presentations A. PRC2026-003 Proclamation in recognition of Georgia Arbor Day Citywide Councilmember Susan Wilkinson read and presented the following proclamation: A Proclamation By The Mayor of the City of Smyrna Whereas: The first Arbor Day was celebrated in 1872 in Nebraska as a special day for planting trees and has grown to thousands of celebrations in communities across our nation each year; and Whereas: Community partners, families, and friends will be joined together at local Arbor Day ceremonies to recognize the benefits of trees and urban forests; and Whereas: Trees will be planted across the state creating a lasting legacy for future generations; and Whereas: Trees improve water quality and quantity, reduce the erosion of precious topsoil, increase property values and economic vitality in business areas, provide shade, cleanse the air, create habitat for wildlife, and add beauty to communities; and Whereas: Trees promote outdoor recreation which improves human health and well- being and reduces "Nature-Deficit Disorder" in children by encouraging more activity and connection to the natural world; and Whereas: All of Georgia benefits from forestry, which contributes billions of dollars annually to our state's economy and provides employment for more than 100,000 people; and Whereas: The City of Smyrna has been a Tree City for 23 years due to the celebration of Arbor Day; now Therefore: I, Derek Norton, Mayor of the City of Smyrna, Georgia do hereby proclaim February 20, 2026, as ARBOR DAY in Georgia and encourage our citizens to plant trees thus leaving a legacy for present and future generations. Olivia Wise from Keep Smyrna Beautiful accepted the proclamation and stated: We celebrate Arbor Day as a day to celebrate and recognize the many benefits of trees. In Georgia, we celebrate this day in February because it's the ideal time for planting. Every year, Keep Smyrna Beautiful honors this tradition by planting a tree, and this year, we're excited to plant several trees at North Cooper Lake Park next to the Smyrna Community Garden on Friday, February 20th at 12pm. We will be planting a total of eight trees this year, four native trees: two fringe trees, an Eastern redbud tree, and a serviceberry tree. We’re also planting four fruit trees: two fig trees and two apple trees. Planting native trees supports the local ecosystem and pollinators while the fruit trees will provide free fruit to the community garden and park visitors. In addition to the tree planting, KSB will offer free tree seedlings through our Adopt-a- Tree program at the event including southern catalpa and bald cypress trees.