February 25, 2007

Spanish documents cost cities thousands in Cobb County Georgia

Posted by D.A. King at 1:37 pm - Email the author   Print This Post Print This Post  

From the Marietta Daily Journal today: ( Great balanced reporting from Amanda Casciaro other area papers should take note)

Spanish documents cost cities thousands

By Amanda Casciaro
Marietta Daily Journal Staff Writer

MARIETTA – The influx of Hispanic immigrants into Cobb has sparked debate over everything from illegal immigration to translation of several public safety and code enforcement documents into Spanish.

Cobb and its cities each have addressed document translation differently, with Smyrna and Marietta leading the pack in taxpayer money set aside to help the growing Hispanic population understand common municipal rules and procedures.

Traffic tickets in Marietta, for example, are printed in English and Spanish, and Cobb has spent about $15,600 in the past two years translating and printing public safety and homeland security pamphlets.

“The important thing for us is to get compliance with our laws and ordinances,” said Marietta Mayor Bill Dunaway. “We need to communicate with whomever is here. With code enforcement, for example, we print documents in Spanish. We’re looking for compliance; we’re not looking at enforcing immigration laws.”

Marietta boasts the largest Hispanic population of Cobb’s six cities, where nearly 10,000, or 17 percent of the city’s 63,136 residents are Hispanic. Smyrna is No. 2 with 5,657, or about 14 percent of the city’s nearly 47,000 residents are Hispanic.

Smyrna translates code enforcement notifications, a guide to city ordinances and public safety coloring books into Spanish for school-aged children.

Aside from traffic tickets, Marietta translates waste collection schedules and homeland security pamphlets.

“The important thing for us is to get compliance with our laws and ordinances,” said Marietta Mayor Bill Dunaway. “We need to communicate with whomever is here. With code enforcement, for example, we print documents in Spanish. We’re looking for compliance; we’re not looking at enforcing immigration laws.”

Marietta boasts the largest Hispanic population of Cobb’s six cities, where nearly 10,000, or 17 percent of the city’s 63,136 residents are Hispanic. Smyrna is No. 2 with 5,657, or about 14 percent of the city’s nearly 47,000 residents are Hispanic.

Smyrna translates code enforcement notifications, a guide to city ordinances and public safety coloring books into Spanish for school-aged children.

Aside from traffic tickets, Marietta translates waste collection schedules and homeland security pamphlets.

Cobb has contracted for independent Spanish translation services for an Emergency Action Guide, pamphlets that list common code violations, burning regulations and “Eyes on Cobb,” a brochure that highlight common signs of terrorism.

“The issue is not about catering to illegal immigrants,” Cobb Commission Chairman Sam Olens said. “The issue is compliance with federal law and ensuring public safety. Those are the issues to where we’ve provided materials in Spanish.”

An executive order President Bill Clinton signed in August 2000 requires federal agencies provide translations so those with limited English proficiency can have “meaningful access consistent with, and without unduly burdening, the fundamental mission of the agency.”

All Cobb cities make homeland security, terrorism and public safety brochures printed at the expense of the federal government available at city halls.

Marietta, Smyrna, Cobb and Acworth, which posts rules at Lake Acworth and the beach in Spanish, go beyond federal mandates and Spanish translators in the courtroom.

“It’s just directional, informative things,” Acworth Mayor Tommy Allegood said. “Outside of our community, we have a large Hispanic group that uses a lot of our parks and recreation facilities. We just want to make sure we’re being responsible and others who are coming are going to be responsible to treat our parks and recreation facilities the way they should be treated.”

Austell, where about 11 percent, or 563, of the population are Hispanic, no Spanish translation aside from federal mandates are provided.

The same is true in Kennesaw, where and 6 percent, or 1,343, of the city’s roughly 27,000 residents are Hispanic.

“We’re not a foreign country. I don’t have anything against foreign languages, obviously, but it creates a problem for us if we don’t have people speaking English,” Austell Mayor Joe Jerkins said. “I like to see them here. They work hard and they’re good citizens, but they need to learn the language.”

Kennesaw Mayor Leonard Church said because his city doesn’t have a large Hispanic population, translation services outside of routine police and court work isn’t needed.

“Especially in traffic enforcement out on the road, if people don’t understand what’s going on, we have to have someone there. We have to be able to communicate with them so that’s why we have people who are bilingual in that area,” Church said. “If (translations) become something we need to do, I’m sure we will. But right now, we don’t. I don’t know; that could change.”

Smyrna Mayor Max Bacon, whose city provides the most in translation services aside from Marietta, said helping residents understand has nothing to do with enforcing immigration law.

“I’ve had people call me and say, ‘Why are you printing this information in Spanish? I don’t appreciate it,'” Bacon said. “Especially with issues that deal with fire, health and safety, I’m more than obligated. I certainly wouldn’t want to be burdened with the thought that someone lost their life because we didn’t print it. I think I have a moral obligation that if I know we have a large population, we need to let them know the laws in their language.”

A push by the Cobb Republican Party to make English Cobb’s official language would eliminate any document translation aside from what’s federally required Cobb and its cities adopt it.

“I think the core of it, really, is dealing with the illegal versus legal question,” Cobb Republican Party Chairman Anthony-Scott Hobbs said. “If you’re here legally, there shouldn’t be that much of an issue with you learning English. If you’re here illegally, one, you’re breaking the law, and two, you’re living under the veil of secrecy and not learning the language.”

Spanish translations, opponents say, aren’t about safety; they’re about being politically correct.

“I think that it’s a politically correct pandering move on the part of any government involved,” said anti-illegal immigration advocate D.A. King of east Cobb. “I would wonder if decades ago, any of the documents were printed in Polish, Celtic, Greek or Italian. This is a government effort that will slow any promise of assimilation.

“It’s a huge mistake, not to mention a waste of taxpayer dollars.”

Members of the Hispanic community disagree, saying municipal governments can’t expect immigrants to speak perfect English upon arrival, and safety should come first.

Not providing Spanish translations when necessary “shows more of a feeling that you’re not welcome here as opposed to opening arms and saying, ‘You know what, we’ll work with you,'” said Dan Vargas, a leader in the county-sponsored Cobb Hispanic/Latino Initiative. “I think it has to come from both sides. I think Latinos have to reach out and want to learn the language – and people need to understand there are others here who want to work, want to live the American dream like everybody else. You don’t need obstacles in your way to do that.”

Marietta Daily Journal Staff Writer Michael French contributed to this report.

acasciaro@mdjonline.com, mfrench@mdjonline.com