Olens' final day in office will be March 30, the last possible day he could resign to allow for a July 20 special election to fill his seat, he said.
"I'm going to miss the county and the employees, but I'm still living in Cobb and will continue to stay involved. They're still scheduling me meetings, even in May," Olens said with a laugh.
Olens was first elected as a commissioner in 1999 and has been the county's chairman since 2002. He said he would continue to serve on several community boards, such as the Cobb County United Way Campaign Cabinet and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs Board, which Governor Sonny Perdue appointed him to in August 2003. Olens, who is known for his active involvement in the community as chairman, said giving up the high post would give him more time to focus on his campaign and his career as an attorney.
"I'm officially unemployed and I was on the county's insurance plan so we had to get on COBRA," Olens said. "But honestly, I'm going to stay involved. I love this community and its people, and that's not going to change."
Commissioner Woody Thompson had kind departing words for the chairman.
"I would like to thank you for all you have done. It's been a pure pleasure to work with you as a colleague - most of the time," he said, garnering a smile from Olens and a few laughs from the audience. "You are a great encourager and leader and we wish you well."
During the board's regular meeting:
n Support Services Agency Director Virgil Moon and Financial Director Brad Bowers asked the board to approve the issuance of bonds to fund the new parking deck, which will be built to facilitate parking needs on the Marietta Square and those that will arise with the building of the new Cobb Superior Courthouse that is under construction.
The $10.7 million parking deck will begin construction May 3 at 191 Lawrence Street, across the street from the new courthouse. Moon said the deck is expected to be finished by February 2011, in conjunction with the opening of the new courthouse. The motion to approve the bonds as well as refinance the remaining $2.39 million in outstanding bonds on the Cherokee Street parking deck was approved 5-0. Bowers said refinancing the bonds would save the county more than $250,000.
n The board adopted the Powers Ferry Master Plan, which has been in development since May 2009, with a 5-0 vote. Planning Manager Dana Johnson said the plan was developed to map out initiatives such as new roadways, enhanced multi-use trails and enhanced street crossings for future use. The plan also addresses the need for redevelopment in the northern corridor of the area, which he said currently, has a 72 percent rental occupancy rate. The plan will now go before the Atlanta Regional Commission to be included in the Delk/Franklin Livable Centers Initiative program.
n The county's economic development office was merged with the Cobb Chamber of Commerce with a 5-0 vote.
County Manager David Hankerson said the county historically worked with the chamber in a joint effort toward economic development, before splitting in 1989. Hankerson said the chamber's new focus on tourism and economic development would benefit from the merger, as it launches its marketing efforts, and that it will be beneficial to the county and chamber to have one single point of contact.
"Through my nine years as chairman, it became abundantly clear that this was needed," Olens said. "All of our sister jurisdictions in the game have this item's model. There is no question (the split) has had some negative consequences."
n The board approved a $1.5 million project funded by state and federal grants that will install solar panels on the roof of two T-Hangar buildings at McCollum Field with a 5-0 vote. The project, which will generate 135 kilowatts of energy, will become the largest renewable energy installation on any general aviation airport in the Southeast, Airport Manager Karl Von Hagel said.
n The board approved 5-0 the issuance of General Obligation Tax Anticipation Notes for 2010, which Bowers said has been occurring since the early 1980s.
Bowers said the county has to issue TAN's to provide services to its citizens during the last half of its fiscal year, as the county does not collect property taxes to fund those services until after the close of its fiscal year.
"The county's AAA rating is still intact, so with a superior credit rating and low risk, this becomes very attractive to investors," Bowers said, which then results in a low interest rate.
Bowers said the county received 11 bids this year, two more than last year, and Wells Fargo had the lowest bid with a 0.2727 percent interest rate. Bowers said the fiscal year 2009 interest rate was 0.46 percent.
"That speaks highly of our financial department," Olens said. "In this economy, when there are questions about whether or not our country will retain its AAA rating, it's special because we are one of the few jurisdictions where that is intact. We have no choice but to issue these because we operate in arrears, but that interest rate is mind boggling."
n During the board's zoning hearing Tuesday afternoon, the board approved all items except for one, which asked for permission for a group of college students to continue living together in a single family home in east Cobb. Neighbors on West Somerset Court expressed opposition and the petition was denied 5-0. County code does not allow more than two unrelated people to live in a residence.
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I agree you can't turn around economic disparities in a few years. But you can at least recognize the problem as a priority, shed light on the issue, exert leadership and try to do something. Neither the County Commission nor School Board have faced up to that responsibility because the voters don't care. Comparing Cobb's fiscal shape to surrounding counties sets a very low bar to begin with. In about three years you won't be able to make that claim any more.