By Madi Sutter

The Mableton City Council held an initial reading of its Solid Waste Management Ordinance in its December 11 meeting and approved several other resolutions and appointments. 

The Ordinance creating Chapter 12, Solid Waste Management of the City of Mableton Code of Ordinances, would establish procedures for the collection, disposal and recycling of solid waste in the city. Mayor Michael Owens said the goal of the Ordinance would be to protect residents’ ability to choose their waste management vendor rather than allowing a single large hauler to monopolize the city contract. 

Wednesday’s meeting was the first reading of the ordinance, which will be followed by a public hearing at least two weeks after the initial reading. The council and city attorney will then have time to incorporate public feedback, with a vote for adoption planned for the council’s January 22 meeting. 

During Wednesday’s meeting, several appointments were also confirmed, including Dr. Michael Q. Fité to the Board of Cobb & Douglas County Public Health and Corey Ferguson to the Mableton Development Authority. 

Also nominated by the Mayor and approved by the council was the appointment of Alejandro Ferrell as the city’s inaugural Director of Code Enforcement. Later in the meeting, the council also approved the purchase of three fleet vehicles for the code enforcement department. 

Also approved in Wednesday’s meeting was the resolution recognizing and authorizing the Cobb Housing Authority to operate the Turnkey Program. The program is a down payment assistance effort available to program-qualifying home purchasers in the city predicated upon the Cobb Housing Authority continuing to direct that fees that would otherwise accrue to Cobb Housing Authority for mortgages originated within the city limits of Mableton being transferred to the City of Mableton.

The next city council meeting will be on Tuesday, January 7 at 6:30 PM.

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.