Anti-East Cobb Cityhood group calls renewed effort 'Jaws 2'

A week after a new push for East Cobb Cityhood was launched, a group that organized against the first effort in 2019 is again expressing opposition.

In an e-mail sent out Thursday night, the East Cobb Alliance said the new cityhood effort, which includes state legislation filed on Monday, is a “process [that] appears to be putting the cart before the horse.”

That was a reference to the cityhood group not having a financial feasibility study prepared before the bill was filed, as was the case in 2019.

The Committee for East Cobb Cityhood, which includes some individuals from two years ago, said it will be commissioning a study, which is required by law.

“How can one decide a city is financially feasible enough to justify a legislative action to file a bill to form a proposed city…when no feasibility study has been completed to see if the numbers will work?,” said the East Cobb Alliance message.

“What if the feasibility study comes back and it’s not financially feasible? Wouldn’t that be embarrassing?”

In 2019, advocates for cityhood in Mableton had legislation filed before a feasibility study was conducted; like the East Cobb bill it was eventually abandoned and has not been resurrected.

The East Cobb Alliance formed during 2019, after cityhood leaders began holding town hall meetings, and participated in an issues forum on the matter in November of that year, before cityhood leaders abandoned their effort.

There are also proposed new cities of Lost Mountain and Vinings with bills filed this year in the legislature that also will have feasibility studies done.

The East Cobb Alliance has nearly 1,000 followers for its Facebook page, where it has been announcing updates, as well as a petition to oppose the new cityhood effort.

East Cobb Alliance members have been against cityhood for several reasons, claiming it will add an extra layer of government that will cost citizens more in taxes.

In the Thursday e-mail, the East Cobb Alliance labeled the new cityhood effort as “Jaws 2,” making a reference to the popular movie series: “Those land sharks who put forth the Proposed City of East Cobb two years ago are back at it again, infesting the waters of East Cobb with their ‘this layer of government we’re adding is so paper-thin, you will hardly notice it,’ yet again!”

The new cityhood bill calls for “city light” services—planning and zoning, code enforcement and parks and recreation, instead of police and fire, the main services proposed two years ago.

The East Cobb Alliance message claims that “once a city forms, though, a city council and a mayor can do whatever they want including adding police, fire, a development authority (yeah, like we need another one of those in Cobb County), and whatever else a small group of elected politicians decide they want to do in secret on behalf of their friends and family.”

The East Cobb Alliance is inviting citizens to fill out an online survey to express their thoughts about the new cityhood movement, and says it will actively fight against the latest initiative.

State Rep. Matt Dollar’s bill, if passed by the legislature next year, would call for a November 2022 referendum and would include a smaller area of East Cobb than his 2019 legislation.

The proposed City of East Cobb would have around 55,000 residents and includes much of the Walton High School attendance zone.

Dropped from the 2019 proposed map are areas around Wheeler High School, as well as some of the Pope and Lassiter clusters.