City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the City of Roswell Mayor and Council meeting on Monday, June 8th, 2026. I'm Mayor Mary Robichaux, and I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce my colleagues and council members present. Mayor Pro Tem and Council Member Sarah Beeson. Council Member Jennifer Phillippe. Council Member Aaron Brumley, Council Member Chris Zak, Council Member Alan Sells, and Council Member Christine Hall are both out with excused absences. I'll now turn it over to City Administrator Randy Knighton to explain how the meeting is run. Mr. Knighton.

Thank you, Mayor Robichaux, and welcome to everyone. We appreciate your attendance. uh... this evening in accordance with ship section chapter three point seven zero the city code the city council show hold regular public meetings and the purpose of the city council meetings are for the public to participate in speak on the agenda items which constitute formal decisions by the elected body these items are published on the uh... agenda which can be accessed via the city website prior to the meeting we do ask if you would like to speak on any agenda item that you would please uh... fill out a comment card, which can be found at the rear of the room, and provide that to the city clerk for an accurate record of the meeting. We appreciate everyone's attendance again tonight. We look forward to a very successful meeting. We encourage everyone always to visit roswell365.com for a calendar of events. Thank you again, and Mayor Robichaud.

Thank you. We'd now like to invite Ryan McDermott, pastor of Restoration Church, to deliver the invocation, please.

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the opportunity to gather here today. Lord, we are grateful for this city, for its families, businesses, schools, first responders, and all those who work each day to make our community stronger. Today we ask for your wisdom and guidance upon our mayor and council members. Grant them clarity in their decisions, integrity in their leadership, and humility as they serve the people entrusted to their care. Help them to lead with courage when difficult choices must be made, and with compassion for those whose lives are impacted by those decisions. Lord, we pray for unity in our community, in a world often marked by division. Help us to listen well, treat one another with respect and seek the common good. May this meeting be conducted with wisdom, civility, and a sincere desire to serve. We also remember those who protect and serve our city, our law enforcement officers, our firefighters, emergency personnel, educators, and public servants. Bless them, protect them, and strengthen them as they carry out their responsibilities. Finally, we ask your blessing upon every family that's represented within this community. May our city be a place where people flourish, where neighbors care for one another, and where future generations can thrive. We thank you for your faithfulness and for your grace. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Thank you. I'd now like to invite Roswell resident Joe Zerkas up to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Next is the consent agenda. City Clerk Long, are there any speakers on any of the items on the consent agenda?

Mayor, there are no speakers for the consent agenda.

Does any council member have comments or questions regarding the consent agenda? Do I have a motion? Council Member Zack, do I have a second? Council Member Brumley, all in favor, please raise your hand. Passes unanimously. Next is the regular agenda. There's actually only one item on the regular agenda. But this item is being deferred to the next mayor and council meeting on June 22nd, 2026. City Clerk Long, would you read the item?

Yes, this is approval of a modification of zoning conditions with concurrent variances for the civic and retail development known as Boeing and 92 located at 1340 Woodstock Road, ZMCC 0126-00001.

As I said, this item is going to be deferred till June 22, 2026. May I have a motion for deferral? Council Member Beeson may have a second. Council Member Phillippe. All in favor, please raise your hand. Passes unanimously. Next on the agenda is the City Attorney's Report. City Attorney. Cusack, please read the first item.

Yes, Mayor. This is an approval of a resolution for the City of Roswell to join in and participate in an amicus brief in the Chang v. City of Milton case in support of the City of Milton's legal position in that case. Just by way of background, the Chang v. City of Milton case was a tragic situation in Milton where a young man went off the lanes of travel and ultimately passed away, but it's The case has brought in a lot of municipality questions on what the duty of a municipality has in lanes of travel. The case went up to the Georgia Supreme Court and defined a municipality's duty applies to the normal lanes of travel. There was a second open question on sovereign immunity and whether a judicially created waiver of sovereign immunity for municipalities is still open, and the Georgia Supreme Court has signaled a willingness to take up this question. It would put, if the Court of Appeals rules in favor of the city of Milton, then the counties and cities would be on same equal footing on this sovereign immunity question, the sovereign immunity can only be waived by the General Assembly. That currently does not exist for cities, it exists for counties. So there is that waiver of sovereign immunity for cities, which is not a great legal position for the city to be in. So we are asking for this support of this amicus brief so that the city, this question ultimately can make its way to the Supreme Court and hopefully there is some good case law here that overturns this in favors of all the cities so that we are on the same footing as counties when it comes to waivers of sovereign immunity.

Thank you. City Clerk Long, are there any speakers for this item?

Yes, Mayor. There is one speaker, Joe Zerkas.

I think I was going to be one of two people to come up to this podium today. I just wanted to ask a clarification for Mr. Kizak that this is a kind of continuation of our amicus filings on this case and that it's not, we're just now getting involved, that we've been involved in this case beforehand and we're just continuing that after the remand from the Supreme Court.

That's correct. We joined in as an amicus party at the Supreme Court. ultimately the Supreme Court, Georgia Supreme Court ruled in favor of what the city's positions were. And so now it's remanded on a second question back to the Court of Appeals. I imagine this probably makes its way to the Supreme Court after the Court of Appeals, depending on if it goes in bonk or not. But it's a continuation of the position of the cities and in support of, I guess the Georgia Municipal Association and the other cities are very much in support of this question being taken up and ultimately being ruled in the manner consistent with the counties.

Thank you.

City Clerk Long, are there any other speakers?

There are no other speakers.

Does council have any comments or questions regarding this item? Do I hear a motion? Council Member Beeson, do I have a second? Council Member Phillippe, all in favor, please raise your hand. Motion passes unanimously. City Attorney Cusack, please read the last item on the City Attorney's report.

Thank you, Mayor. I just have a recommendation to go into closure at 5.30 p.m. on Monday, June 22, 2026 to discuss personnel litigation and or real estate.

Do I have a motion?

I don't want to.

Council Member Zach. Do I have a second? Council Member Brumley. All in favor, please raise your hand. Motion passes unanimously. Being that there are no other items, this Mayor and Council meeting of Monday, June 8th, 2026 is adjourned.