Public meetings and presentations offer excellent opportunities to interact directly with your elected officials and find out information about the county.

District Four Commissioner Lisa Cupid will be holding a series of "State of the District" addresses beginning noon Thursday, April 19, at the South Cobb Rotary, Austell Presbyterian Village. The next event will be 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, May 1, at the Cobb Chamber South Cobb Council, Riverside Epicenter and requires a $30 general admission charge for non-chamber members. Click here to register for the chamber event. A third address will be open to the public 7 p.m., Tuesday, May 8, but the location has not been selected yet.

District Two Commissioner Bob Ott will host a town hall 7-8:30 p.m., April 23, in the conference room at SunTrust Park Stadium. Attendees will learn about the county budget, the Cumberland area, District Two and be able to ask questions. Attendees should park in the Red Deck and enter at the Right Field Gate.

Chairman Mike Boyce is seeking public input concerning the new Cobb budget through a series of upcoming town hall meetings throughout the county. The 7 p.m. events are scheduled for June 18 at the East Cobb Senior Center, June 19 at the North Cobb Senior Center, June 20 at the Senior Wellness Center, June 25 at the Freeman Poole Senior Center, June 27 at the West Cobb Senior Center, June 28 at the South Cobb Community Center and July 9 at Sewell Mill Library. Public hearings by the Board of Commissioners are scheduled for July 10, 17 and 24.

Sample ballots are now available for the May 22 General Primary and Nonpartisan Election. To see your personal sample ballot showing just the races you’ll be voting on, login at mvp.sos.ga.gov. For a consolidated sample ballot with all races, even those you are not eligible to vote, go to www.CobbElections.org
 
Voters must choose a ballot:

• Republican General Primary and Nonpartisan Elections
• Democratic General Primary and Nonpartisan Elections
• Nonpartisan Elections only

The last day to register or update your address for the May 22 General Primary and Nonpartisan Election is April 24. Some precincts and polling locations have changed. Be sure your voter registration is up to date so you can vote in the correct precinct.
 

F.A.Q.

What is a General Primary?
The Republican and Democratic parties use a General Primary to select the candidates who will advance to the November Election where they compete against each other and any third party or independent candidates. You can only choose to vote in one party’s primary and both party ballots also include Nonpartisan Elections.

What are Nonpartisan Elections?
The Nonpartisan General Election is used to elect State and county judges. Depending on where you live, your ballot may also show a Nonpartisan Special Election to fill a vacancy on your city council. Please be aware that voters who choose a Nonpartisan ballot, will only be able to vote on Nonpartisan races.
If you have additional questions, contact Cobb Elections at 770/528-2581.

• CANCELLED - new date TBA: Community Development staff is hosting "Doing Business with Community Development" 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 19, at the Senior Services Dinner Theater at 1150 Powder Springs Street in Marietta. Community Development professionals from Business License and Development and Inspections will share information about their divisions and on the process needed to obtain a business license. They will also present information on building permits and inspections for occupying existing commercial structures. Class instructors will be able to answer your questions after the presentation.
   
• Cobb County Purchasing Department, Keep it in Cobb and Cobb County School District staff is hosting "How to Do Business with Cobb County" 5-7 p.m., Monday, April 30. It will be held in the BOC Room on the second floor of 100 Cherokee St., Marietta. Participants will learn about vendor opportunities, meet department representatives, network with local business owners and hear about the Local Vendor Preference. Space is limited, so please RSVP to Inger Eberhart by calling 770-528-3317 or emailing inger.eberhart@cobbcounty.org.

Cobb Community Development Block Grant Office staff is accepting applications for the Phase 35 Emergency Food and Shelter Program. A workshop will be held 2 p.m., Thursday, April 26, at Switzer Library, 266 Roswell St., Marietta. EFSP is a federal program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency. Eligible activities for EFSP include:

• Emergency rent/mortgage/utility assistance
• Mass shelter
• Supplies/equipment
• Served meals
• Support services
• Rehabilitation/repairs

The EFSP application is available online at cobbcounty.org/cdbg. All applications must be submitted to the CDBG Program Office by 4 p.m., Friday, May 11.

• The Keep Cobb Beautiful Community Recycling event is scheduled for 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, April 21, at Jim R. Miller Park, 2245 Callaway Road, Marietta. It will feature recycling for electronics, polystyrene, household textiles, other times and paper shredding. For details, review the event flyer by clicking here.
• The next Keep Cobb Beautiful Medication Disposal event is planned for 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, April 28, at Precinct One, 2380 Cobb Parkway, Kennesaw. Safely dispose of unused and expired medications by bringing them to the event for proper and safe disposal. No needles/sharps or durable medical equipment accepted. Nothing will be accepted at this address by any Cobb County employee before or after the scheduled drop-off day. For details, review the event flyer by clicking here.

For more information on Keep Cobb Beautiful and its activities and events, visit keepcobbbeautiful.org or contact 770-528-1135.

• WellStar staff is also hosting a Community Medication Take Back event 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday, April 28. No questions will be asked and no ID or registration is required. Participants can simply take medications to one of the drop-off locations and receive a free gift. Sharps, liquids and pills will be accepted. The drop-off locations are:
  • Cobb Senior Services, 1150 Powder Springs St., Marietta
  • WellStar Acworth Health Park, 4550 Cobb Parkway, Acworth
  • WellStar East Cobb Health Park, 3747 Roswell Road NE, Marietta
  • WellStar Vinings Health Park, 4441 Atlanta Road, Smyrna

To view the event flyer, click here. For questions about the event, call 770-793-7373.