SMYRNA - In what Commissioner Bob Ott said was the first joint town hall meeting between the county and a city, Ott joined forces with Smyrna leaders Thursday night to update the public on key issues.

Approximately 100 residents and 30 city and county employees packed the Smyrna Community Center.

Smyrna Mayor Max Bacon gave updates on three of the city's major - but stalled - developments.

"Belmont Hills has been tough, but they've cleared the site and it's fenced and they're getting bites from interested parties, but nothing has been confirmed yet. But there is a lot more interest now than there has been. Jack Halpern just has a different way of finding funding sources," Bacon said.

Bacon said Publix is still very interested in the Jonquil Plaza, but the owner has said the project needs to be developed all at once and the funding to make that happen is not yet there. Bacon confirmed that a Kroger would be at The Crossings at South Cobb Drive and Concord Road, with construction on the 93,000-square-foot grocery store beginning in six to eight months.

Ott said the county is looking at introducing another Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax option to the voters when the current SPLOST expires in 2011. He said the new SPLOST could be split up with 25 percent going toward upgrades and necessary repairs for parks and recreation fields; 10 percent to retire the county's $55 million debt; and 65 percent for road projects.

Brian Patterson took issue with $200,000 being spent on a mixed-use trail in Smyrna when teachers' positions are being cut, but Bacon and Ott advised him that it is illegal for money from SPLOST to go toward anything other than the projects approved through the SPLOST program.

"Sixty-seven percent of your tax bill goes toward the school system, and no one up here has control over how that money is spent. That is up to the Cobb County School District school board members to determine," Ott said.

Bacon added: "By law, SPLOST money can only be used for SPLOST projects approved by the voters. We can't just write a check to the school system, and I'm not about to go to jail to do that."

Ott also announced that on Thursday, Cobb Department of Transportation Director Faye DiMassimo met with school district officials and made formal agreements to coordinate all school-related road and campus transportation projects.

Anna Hogan, an employee of Teasley Elementary School, whose county road and school district campus project delays spawned the agreement, asked what many residents may be wondering: with this economy spiraling downward, what is the future of our schools?

Dr. Grant Rivera, who is in his first year as principal of Campbell High School after leaving a lauded tenure as principal at South Cobb High School, fielded the question.

"With budget cuts, things become difficult because 91 percent of the system's budget goes toward salaries. From 2003 to 2009, the system had to cut $197 million from its budget. This year alone, the county is forced to cut $137 million. But Campbell's teacher to student ratio will only go up from around 1:28 to 1:30. So we are fortunate in that respect," Rivera said.

Ward 4 Councilwoman Teri Anulewicz addressed rumors of the city potentially gaining a new elementary school in the near future. She said she has been told the school would potentially open in the fall of 2012, but the process has been "vague and frustrating" as no location for the school has been set yet.

Resident Frank Millen praised city and county officials for their work, and asked about recent water hikes in metro Atlanta. He asked why the county was not experiencing the same sort of dramatic rise in water rates.

"The Cobb Water System is one of only three in the nation with a AAA rating, and it's because things have been happening along the way to keep the system what it is," Ott said. "Rates have been gradually raised to fund tunnels and keep everything up-to-date rather than having to do everything at once."

Sandra Hembry referenced some residents' recent initiatives to have Cobb Sheriff Neil Warren removed from his position after the sheriff issued an arrest warrant for illegal immigrant and Kennesaw State University student Jessica Colotl, and asked for the county's position on Warren.

"The Board of Commissioners has a very good relationship with the sheriff, at a time when many county commissioners are suing their sheriffs and the sheriffs are suing commissioners. The sheriff's job is to uphold the law, and he is doing that, so we support him," Ott said.

Ott said the idea for a joint town hall originated when he, Smyrna Mayor Max Bacon and Councilman Wade Lnenicka had their quarterly lunch to discuss ways to coordinate county services with the city.

Alex Backry, who has spoken at several City Council meetings, asked the mayor and council why no town hall meetings have been held in almost 20 years, when other Cobb cities host one every four months.

"We've had 30 to 40 meetings with neighborhood groups, which have been very effective, but public comment during a council meeting is not the time to debate issues or to get attention," Bacon said. "There are other ways of addressing us, and City Council meetings should be your last resort."

The two-hour long forum included very few heated moments, but Bacon closed the meeting by saying: "I've lived here my whole life, and things have changed and everything isn't perfect, but if you don't like Smyrna, move."