SPLOST passes, Mableton says no: what Tuesday's unofficial results mean

Good morning, Cobb.

Every number below is unofficial. Cobb's elections board is set to certify the results Monday, Nov. 9, and the legal deadline is 5 p.m. that day. Until then, totals can still move as provisional, military and overseas ballots are counted. Results are as of 11:03 p.m. Tuesday, with all 148 precincts in on election night.

The SPLOST renewal (every Cobb ballot): passed, unofficial, with about 62% voting yes.

The penny sales tax keeps going. A new six-year program starts Jan. 1, 2028, and runs through 2033, with an estimated $1.15 billion for roads, sidewalks, parks, libraries, public safety buildings and 911 technology across the county and its seven cities. Cobb's total sales tax stays at 6%. It's a renewal, not a new tax.

Source: Cobb County SPLOST page

Mableton's redevelopment powers (Mableton voters only): failed, unofficial, with about 48% voting yes.

Mableton doesn't get those powers, which would have let the city create tax allocation districts. Under the state law that put the question on the ballot, the act is repealed Jan. 1, 2027. The margin was about 1,100 votes.

Source: HB 1213, as signed

Turnout, by the numbers (unofficial):

What to watch: certification Mon Nov. 9, and Dec. 1 if any race on your ballot goes to a runoff.

Sources: Cobb unofficial results / East Cobb News / Cobb County

(Next-week-and-beyond pointers.)

Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra at The Brickyard - Fri Nov 6, doors 6 p.m., show 6:30-10 p.m., 129 Church St., Marietta Square. A seven-piece band from Oslo playing what fans call "Nordicana," bluegrass crossed with Nordic folk, on fiddle, dobro, banjo, mandolin, guitar and accordion. Singer Rebekka Nilsson was IBMA's 2022 Momentum Vocalist of the Year. North Georgia trio The Lonely Few opens. The Third Door co-hosts. All ages. As of Tuesday morning, general admission showed sold out on the ticket page, with a waitlist open. Visit Marietta / tickets

Taste of Kennesaw - Sat Nov 7, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., downtown Kennesaw. Free admission, more than 30 food vendors, a beer garden and two stages of music all day. Plan around road closures from 11 p.m. Friday through 11:59 p.m. Saturday on parts of Cherokee St., Main St., J.O. Stephenson Ave. and Watts Dr., which council approved 5-0 on Oct. 19, per draft minutes. JRM Management / Draft minutes

Silent Night at Cobb Energy - The Atlanta Opera stages Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell's Pulitzer Prize-winning opera about the real 1914 Christmas truce, when French, British and German soldiers put down their weapons on Christmas Eve to sing carols and play soccer. Sat Nov 7, Tue Nov 10 and Fri Nov 13 at 7:30 p.m.; Sun Nov 15 at 3 p.m. The run spans Veterans Day. Parking is $20, card only. Cobb Energy Centre

Día de los Muertos Festival - Sat Nov 7, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sun Nov 8, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Woodstock Arts Event Green, 113 Elm St., downtown Woodstock, about 30 minutes from Kennesaw. Free. The lineup includes singer Sofi G, loteria games, Mariachi Buhos de Oro, a salsa class and local art and food vendors, and it wraps with a movie. Bring something for the community ofrenda to honor someone you've lost. Park free in the City Center East deck at Arnold Mill Rd. and Chambers St. Woodstock Arts

(Agendas = proposed. Minutes and official records = decided. Draft minutes = draft minutes. Press-only = reported.)

If a hydrant in your neighborhood isn't owned or maintained by the Cobb County Water System, the code update commissioners adopted Oct. 27 now spells out what it needs. The code names townhouses and condos, and the East Cobb Beacon reports apartment complexes are covered too:

Cobb Fire now has clear authority to enforce these rules on private hydrants at homes, townhouses and condos. The adopted text doesn't give an effective date. If your HOA or property manager hasn't mentioned this, ask who owns your hydrants. Cobb County, adopted Ch. 54 text

Commissioners approved the indoor recreation plan for the former Walmart Neighborhood Market at 3101 Roswell Rd. in the Olde Mill shopping center on Oct. 20, 4-0 on consent with Commissioner Erick Allen not present, per the minutes. They approved it at a lower commercial zoning (NRC) than the CRC the applicant asked for. The tenant is a joint franchise of The Pickle Pad and Crave Social Eatery, with 12 courts, four golf simulators, an arcade and a kitchen and bar in about 47,000 square feet, aiming to open in January, reported, per East Cobb News. Minutes

Powder Springs City Council approved Wood Partners' rezoning (PZ 26-028) for about 15 acres at 4451 Lewis Rd., near Oglesby Road and C.H. James Pkwy., 5-0 on Monday, per the city's official vote record. Minutes aren't posted yet. The plan calls for 251 apartments in four-story buildings, 24 townhomes and at least 2,500 square feet of commercial or office space, reported, per NickO Report. The city's proposed motion listed 13 conditions, and the city's record says the applicant accepted them. Which conditions council adopted won't be confirmed until the minutes post. The proposed list included road improvements from the traffic study before anyone moves in, and a cap on building permits until some of the commercial space is ready. Vote record / Proposed conditions

Reply and tell us: did you vote early, by mail, or on Election Day, and how long was your wait? One line is fine. We read them.

See you next Thursday.
The Cobb Insider