At its regular meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, the Mableton City Council appointed Jason Gaines as chairman of the Mableton Development Authority.

Gaines already served as chair of the South Cobb Redevelopment Authority, which became the Mableton Development Authority when the Georgia legislature amended the enabling legislation for the authority in May of 2024.

The revised bill that passed the Georgia House and Senate described the purpose of the Mableton Development Authority as follows:

The revitalization and redevelopment of the development area as defined in this Act develops and promotes, for the public good and general welfare, trade, commerce, industry, and employment opportunities and promotes the general welfare of the state by creating a climate favorable to the location of new industry, trade, and commerce and the development of existing industry, trade, and commerce within the City of Mableton and the State of Georgia. Revitalization and redevelopment of the development area by financing projects under the Act will develop and promote, for the public good and general welfare, trade, commerce, industry, and employment opportunities and will promote the general welfare of the state. It is therefore in the public interest and is vital to the public welfare of the people of Georgia, and it is declared to be the public purpose of this Act to so revitalize and redevelop the development area.

Gaines is no stranger to planning initiatives in Mableton. In 2017, as the Cobb County planning division’s manager, he participated in the public input sessions for the Veterans Memorial Highway/Mableton Parkway Design Guidelines.

His personal profile, included with the council meeting agenda packet, states:

Jason Gaines currently serves as the Director of Planning for W&A Engineering, a consulting firm specializing in civil engineering, landscape architecture, planning, and economic development.

Prior to joining W&A in October 2023, Jason spent nearly 20 years working in local government serving communities across the Atlanta Region.

His leadership has been instrumental in developing comprehensive plans, small area studies, writing and administering zoning regulations, managing economic development incentive programs, and other related duties.

Jason’s journey from front-line service to leadership roles demonstrates his commitment to smart, responsible community growth. His deep understanding of both operational and strategic aspects of local government operations will help ensure seamless collaboration between the City of Mableton and the Mableton Development Authority.

The packet lists his experience in planning in Cobb County as follows:

Planning & Economic Development Division Manager – Cobb County, Georgia

As the Planning & Economic Development Division Manager, Jason was responsible for budgetary and administrative oversight of a 12-person staff.

Amongst numerous other accomplishments, Jason performed:

Long-Range Comprehensive Planning: Jason was responsible for maintenance of Cobb County’s Comprehensive Plan, which is the long-term growth and development strategy for the County.

Economic Development: Through existing County programs, Jason’s team provided more than $200,000 in incentives to businesses expanding in or relocating to Cobb.

He also worked with local Economic Development partners to help create a small business grant program that provided a total of $50 million to over 3,000 businesses in Cobb impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic

Gaines has a Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from Georgia Tech.

He will serve as chairman of the Mableton Development Authority until 2027.

Below is the resolution appointing Jason Gaines to the chairmanship:

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A RESOLUTION APPOINTING CHAIR OF THE MABLETON DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY AND FOR OTHER LAWFUL PURPOSES

WHEREAS, the City of Mableton (“City”) is a municipal corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the State of Georgia;

WHEREAS, the duly elected governing authority of the City is the Mayor and Council (“City Council”) thereof;

WHEREAS, the Mableton Development Authority is a body corporate and politic created by Ga. Laws 1982, p. 3772, as amended by 2011 Ga. Law Senate Bill 266 and 2024 Ga. Law House Bill 1330, vested by law with powers granted under the laws of the State of Georgia;

WHEREAS, the purpose of the Mableton Development Authority is to revitalize and redevelop Mableton as defined by 2024 Ga. House Bill 1330. Further, the purpose of the Authority is to develop and promote, for the public good and general welfare, trade, commerce, industry, and employment opportunities and promote the general welfare of the state by creating a climate favorable to the location of new industry, trade, and commerce and the development of existing industry, trade, and commerce within the City and the State of Georgia;

WHEREAS, state statutes creating the Mableton Development Authority and the by-laws of the Mableton Development Authority state that, “The Chair shall be one of the members of the authority appointed by the governing body of the City of Mableton and shall be designated by such governing body as the chair of the authority;”

WHEREAS, the City Council through this Resolution desires to appoint the Chair of the Mableton Development Authority for a period commensurate with the person’s term on the Mableton Development Authority; and

WHEREAS, this Resolution is enacted to safeguard and promote the public health, safety, and the general welfare of the City.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the governing authority of the City of Mableton, Georgia, as follows:

Section 1. The City Council hereby:

• Appoints Jason Gaines to serve as the Chair of the Mableton Development Authority until October 1, 2027.
• Jason Gaines will serve at the pleasure of the City Council.
• In the event the City Council does not appoint a Mableton Development Authority Chair after October 1, 2027, Jason Gaines may continue to serve as Chair until a replacement is appointed by the City Council.

Section 2. It is hereby declared to be the intention of the City Council that:

• All sections, paragraphs, sentences, clauses, and phrases of this Resolution are or were, upon their enactment, believed by the City Council to be fully valid, enforceable, and constitutional.
• To the greatest extent allowed by law, each and every section, paragraph, sentence, clause, or phrase of this Resolution is severable from every other section, paragraph, sentence, clause, or phrase of this Resolution. No section, paragraph, sentence, clause, or phrase of this Resolution is mutually dependent upon any other section, paragraph, sentence, clause, or phrase of this Resolution.
• In the event that any phrase, clause, sentence, paragraph, or section of this Resolution shall, for any reason whatsoever, be declared invalid, unconstitutional, or otherwise unenforceable by the valid judgment or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction, it is the express intent of the City Council that such invalidity, unconstitutionality, or unenforceability shall, to the greatest extent allowed by law, not render invalid, unconstitutional, or otherwise unenforceable any of the remaining phrases, clauses, sentences, paragraphs, or sections of the Resolution.

Section 3.

The City Attorney and the City Clerk are authorized to make non-substantive editing and renumbering revisions to this Resolution for proofing and renumbering purposes.

Section 4.

The effective date of this Resolution shall be the date of adoption, unless provided otherwise by the City Charter, state and/or federal law.

BE IT SO RESOLVED, this ________ day of ____________________, 2025.

ATTEST: CITY OF MABLETON, GEORGIA:

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Susan D. Hiott, City Clerk

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Michael Owens, Mayor

APPROVAL AS TO FORM:

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Emilia Walker-Ashby, Interim City Attorney