In the first meeting of 2021, the Acworth Board of Aldermen approved a program that will give $200 incentives to city employees to take both shots of the COVID-19 vaccine. If an employee gets both shots by June 30, 2021, they will receive a $200 gift certificate.

The board also approved appointments, and chose Brett North as the new Mayor Pro Tem.

Acworth’s city ordinance states that a Mayor Pro Tem “shall assume the duties and powers of the mayor upon the mayor’s disability or absence. The mayor pro tempore shall always be entitled to vote, even when presiding.”

Mayors Pro Tem are chosen annually.

North and board member Tim Houston have also been appointed 2021 voting delegates to the Cobb Municipal Association.

The CMA exists so all six cities within Cobb County can communicate and coordinate with one another on governmental matters.

“Each city appoints two voting delegates for any business matters that come before the association,” board member Tim Richardson explained.

The current board members of the Acworth Downtown Development Authority, Tree Commission and Planning and Zoning Commission have all been reappointed for the year.

These boards are made up of city volunteers who regularly make recommendations to the mayor and aldermen after studying the issues within their respective commission or authority.

As members are reappointed, the city’s directory is updated.

Thursday, the board also approved a motion to allow the Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration to go forward with the elections of the city mayor and alderman posts four and five for the 2021 elections.

Qualifying fees for the elections were also established with this vote. The fees are to be published in the Marietta Daily Journal, which is the “legal organ” of Cobb, Richardson said.

The elections for mayor and posts four and five are this November.

As board terms are staggered in the city, elections for aldermen posts one, two and three are up for election in 2023.

Municipal elections are held every two years in Acworth. Those elected stay on their posts for four years, Richardson said.

The Acworth Art Festival was authorized to be held April 10, 2021, and April 11, 2021 by the board. Mayor Tommy Allegood will sign the contract with Splash Festivals to hold the festival.

The festival will be at Main Street and Lemon Street. Employees from the Acworth Parks, Recreation and Community Resource Department and police will help with the event.

Since 2012, Splash Festivals has helped put on the Acworth Art Festival. Because of the popularity of the festival throughout the years, Splash Festivals no longer needs the financial assistance of the city’s tourism bureau and Acworth DDA to hold the festival

The mayor simply signs the contract to allow the company to put it on.