By Madi Sutter

The Mableton City Council unanimously approved a portion of its planning and zoning ordinance in its October 23 council meeting. 

The Council passed an ordinance establishing the City of Mableton Planning Commission and Board of Appeals and for Other Lawful Purposes, following an initial read of the ordinance in May. The planning and zoning ordinance in its entirety is intended to serve as an interim guiding document as the city finalizes its comprehensive plan.

The ordinance passed in last night’s meeting created two commissions – the planning commission and board of appeals. 

District 5 Councilmember T.J. Ferguson spoke in his capacity as a Mableton resident during the public comment session, urging residents to come forward to share their thoughts and have conversations during council meetings so they can be considered in councilmembers’ decision-making. These and other public comments came after Rob Hosack of IBTS presented the substantive changes made to the ordinance from the first reading of the ordinance on October 9. 

Following the confirmation of the adoption of the planning commission, those commission members were confirmed in the meeting and are as follows: 

• Robin Meyer, appointed by Mayor Michael Owens 
• Donte Philpot, appointed by District 1 Councilmember Ron Davis
• Undriss Miller, appointed by District 2 Councilmember Dami Oldapo
• Jeanette Hardee, appointed by District 3 Councilmember Keisha Jeffcoat 
• Carl Valenzano, appointed by District 4 Councilmember Patricia Auch
• Cheryl Davis, appointed by District 5 Councilmember T.J. Ferguson 
• Vinis Walker, appointed by District 6 Councilmember Debra Herndon

Also appointed in the Council’s meeting was Mableton’s first ever Community Development Director. Juliana Njoku was unanimously appointed to the position. 

Board of Ethics appointees were not confirmed in last night’s meeting, as those appointments were deferred to the council’s next meeting following further discussion in the council’s executive session. 

The next city council meeting will be on Wednesday, November 13th at 6:30 p.m. 

Madi Sutter has been reporting on city events from local council meetings to K-12 education for over four years. As a graduate of Emory University, she developed a love for Georgia politics and communities. She received her Masters degree in Journalism in 2022 from the University of Missouri at Columbia and currently resides in Little Rock, Arkansas. When she’s not covering Cobb County events, you can find her with a book in one hand and a coffee in the other on her porch.