The unanimous vote to table the issue came during Monday night’s council meeting.
City spokeswoman Jennifer Bennett said the city would schedule a meeting with residents of Wards 2 and 3 in January. Ward 2, in the northeastern part of the city, is represented by Councilwoman Andrea Blustein, and Ward 3, in the north-central part of the city, by Teri Anulewicz.
“A group came in from an area of the city that is one neighborhood that has traditionally covered wards 2 and 3,” Bennett said. “With the changes proposed, they want to see it put back the way it was or looked at again. They had in the past indicated they wanted to be in one ward.”
The city council moved the next public hearing and vote to Feb. 4.
Redistricting is needed to balance the wards’ populations in a city that saw a 25 percent population between the 2000 and 2010 censuses, and now has about 52,000, said City Administrator Eric Taylor.
“To keep with federal voting requirements, the city is to be as balanced as possible across all seven wards,” he said at the Dec. 3 City Council meeting at the first public hearing for the new redistricting maps.
The most dramatic shift is in Ward 7, represented by Ron Fennell, which grew to 12,000 residents but must be pared back to 5,600.
“I’m going to lose 5,000-plus residents,” Fennell said Dec. 3.
On Tuesday, Fennell said there is plenty of time to hear from homeowners and others.
“The next election is not until 2015 for the city council seats,” he said. “We’re just trying to be expeditious but deliberate in making sure we hear from everyone impacted under the new redistricting plan.”
In other action on Monday, the city council approved new noise regulations, made hospital authority board appointments, and approved a name change for an apartment complex at 1021 Church St. Riviera Apartments will become Pine Hills Apartments.
Council’s consent agenda included renewing a contract with the Georgia Municipal Association for 2013 worker’s compensation insurance coverage; approval to spend $17,120 in grant funds for an ultraviolet disinfection system for Wolfe Pool, from Aquatic Consulting and Equipment; and approval to use council chambers on Jan. 31 for the annual Laurel Hill Homeowners Association meeting.
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Businesses are not willing to deal w/ this mayor & cities zoning dept.
Allowing homes in the 200k hurts many existing neighborhoods. Allowing a mega elementary will impede anything quality coming to Belmont (too late).
20 million to widen Concord Road & divide Smyrna Heights will turn neighborhood into rental, rundown area.(too late).
Cutting every oak tree in sight makes Smyrna ugly & lowers quality of life.(too late).
Allowing this mayor to demand a private business along run down South Cobb, that he can't have his business cobalt blue,.. is bullying & unacceptable.
This mayor & city are well aware & instigating the ONE person (who I feel is now a threat), to continue to cyber stalk me online. If they think this is the way to run a city,.. I say ,.. just look around, it's not helping.
Smyrna looks like an empty lit up circus at Market Village and filled w/ rundown uncared neighborhoods at every turn.
"The further a society drifts from truth the more it will hate those that speak it." George Orwell
These wonderful women representing their negleted neighborhood were bullied and talked down to by the mayor. They stated their neighborhood has always been negleted by the city. They said they see the streetlights & sidewalks in the 'better' neighborhoods.
They have a better gauge of what's wrong in Smyrna, than anyone sitting in elected seats. The total disreguard for Smyrnas many older neighborhoods is clear to residents & passers through. Instead of supporting them & the residents, the city turns its back & waits for them to deteriorate to the point they can be razed & gone forever.
Once again, this mayor has shown his disdain and visible agitation for the folks he is supposed to nuture & represent.
The aggresive, arrogant behavior of this mayor & the yes men he has surrounded himself is exactly why Smyrna is not a community, but rather a cold, hard, government run institution.
The cities that are so relaxing, charming, calming, thriving, vibrant , green, bikeable, walkable, business friendly & livable are cities run by mindful, caring, smart, community oriented leaders of character. The list of good cities that are building a future are Roswell, Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Decatur, Woodstock, Milton, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Alpharetta , Johns Creek & many 'intown' Atlanta neighborhood communities.
Smyrna's lack of honesty, lack of support of its citizens & lack of support to help its older neighborhoods flourish, and lack of ability to bring new businesses in.. can no longer be hidden behind the embellishments & grandiose fairy tale press releases.
The reason he has been elected is voter ignorance, voting for the name they recognize, and never really getting involved in their community or the political system.
MK will never impact the uninformed voter who will never pay attention. Never impact or improve much alone towards getting better government. If there was enough money involved, those wishes would become policies.
For those of you who criticize a citizen speaking out truthfully, be careful of what you wish for. If you are a Smyrna resident, and are not concerned with the appearance of your community, you are the problem. Tim Lee was my commissioner before he became chairman, and was arrogant and hostile to citizens exercising their first amendment rights. Yet, in spite of continued horrendous policies, he was re-elected chairman. It is possible in our country to be totally incompetent and elected president.