East Cobb Government

Cobb government to move county website to .gov domain

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Cobb government to move county website to .gov domain
A Cobb government spokesman said the new county website will look and function the same, “except for the last three letters!”

After recent ransomware attacks on the Cobb government website, the county is moving it to a more secure online location.

The county announced Monday that starting June 2, what had been cobbcounty.org. will be housed at cobbcounty.gov, “ensuring that county services remain secure, transparent, and easily accessible to the public.”

But the county said plans have been in the works for nearly a year to migrate to the .gov domain, after being contacted by the federal government.

County Manager Jackie McMorris said in a county release Monday that the .gov domain—which is used by many federal, state and local government agencies—will enable Cobb to take “an important step to strengthen cybersecurity and enhance public confidence in our online services. Residents can trust that when they visit our website, they are accessing official government information and services.”

The .gov domains are reserved for verified government entities, “reducing the risk of fraud and phishing attacks,” the county release said, and also are prioritized in search engine results.

E-mail security also is beefed up at .gov, and official Cobb government addresses will use @cobbcounty.gov, “improving protection against phishing and spoofing.”

In addition to providing information about county agencies, the site allows citizens to view meeting agendas, conduct online library searches, register for recreation and arts classes and pay water and property tax bills.

Cobb government officials acknowledged a ransomware attack earlier this month, but aren’t commenting on reports that the website was hacked by a global cybercrime gang that’s taken down other government sites.

The county said it declined a third-party ransom demand following the March data breach, which it said affected 10 individuals, but didn’t elaborate on what data was stolen or compromised, and that the FBI has been notified, but didn’t indicate how that agency may be involved.

The county said on May 2 only that “Cobb County’s network is secure, and it remains safe to do business with us.”

Cobb said that its current website had more than 8 million visits in 2024 and that the old address will be accessible for a limited time and that citizens should update their bookmarks now.

The county also urged residents to use the @cobbcounty.gov e-mail address when contacting county agencies and employees “as soon as possible.”

Cobb spokesman Ross Cavitt said in response to a question from East Cobb News that “this does not require any significant capital expenses and has been an ongoing project in ITS [Information Technology Services] over the past year to implement the change. There is no budgetary impact requiring [Board of Commissioners] approval.”

He said the new site will look and will be organized just the same, “except for the last three letters!” Cavitt added that there will be a new website design coming later this year.

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Cobb commissioners split on funding for MUST cooling center

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Cobb commissioners split on funding for MUST cooling center
“I don’t think it’s the role of government to do this,” Commissioner JoAnn Birrell said.

On a party-line vote Tuesday, the Cobb Board of Commissioners approved spending $108,000 for the MUST Ministries summer cooling center.

The vote was 3-2, with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed.

The item was on the board’s consent agenda, but was moved to the regular agenda for the purposes of having a discussion.

GOP commissioners JoAnn Birrell and Keli Gambrill said they weren’t opposed to the cooling center, but said the county shouldn’t be funding charities.

“I don’t think it’s the role of government to do this,” Birrell said. “We do it for one [non-profit], we get a lot of requests from others. I would like to revisit this if it’s going to be in the budget this year.”

This will be the second year in a row that Cobb is directly providing funding to MUST for the cooling center, which is open to the homeless when temperatures exceed 90 degrees during daytime hours.

Likewise, Cobb has funded MUST operations for heating assistance during the winter. The funds have come from a $500,000 allotment to the Cobb Emergency Management Agency.

According to an agenda item (you can read it here), $40,000 of the cooling center funding is earmarked for families to stay in hotels “to ensure they stay together.”

Another $25,000 is to go for additional security at the MUST Hope House venue at 1297 Bells Ferry Road, with the rest to provide additional food, cleaning supplies, staffing and transportation from South Cobb (you can read the agreement here).

Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid, a Democrat, said there is “misinformation” being spread about Cobb funding charities, said “this is an initiative of the county, and not of MUST.

“We’ve had conversations with a number of partners because of concerns about people being outside during extreme temperatures,” she said. “It’s not necessarily to fund MUST operations, but they’re coming in and asking us to partner.”

She said the amount of effort to place homeless people in county facilities in the winter and summer was overwhelming, and that “MUST was able to step up.”

Marietta resident Christine Rozman, a frequent speaker at board public comment sessions, said before the vote: “We shouldn’t be paying for charities.”

Gambrill said that she’s “heard a lot of discussions today about grants and conversations, but I was never included in these conversations and that is why I don’t support this.

“It’s not that I don’t support helping people in need, but we are essentially giving MUST a heads-up over other non-profit agencies which as a government we should not be doing. We should be treating them all equally.”

Cupid said she has had “multiple meetings” with members of Cobb faith communities who have expressed concerns about how to care for the homeless during extreme weather situations and “that helps us in determining that this was something we wanted to do.”

Cobb EMA director Cassie Mazloom said that MUST offers security, “which is so important” and that it “makes it a more pleasant atmosphere and a more safe atmosphere for everyone.”

Tuesday’s meeting was the first for District 2 Commissioner Erick Allen, a Democrat and former Georgia legislator, who last month won a special election to serve the area that includes most the Cumberland-Smyrna area and along the I-75 corridor.

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Cobb accepting applications for opioid abatement funds

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Submitted information:Cobb County Government logo

The Cobb County Opioid Abatement Advisory Council is now accepting applications from eligible organizations seeking funding to combat the opioid crisis through prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction initiatives.

Funded by national opioid settlement agreements, the Cobb County Opioid Abatement Fund supports evidence-based programs that directly address the impact of opioid misuse in the community. The 2025 application cycle opens May 8 and will remain open through July 11.

Applications are welcome from government agencies, nonprofit organizations, healthcare providers, and community partners serving Cobb County. Funding may support projects in the following categories (including, but not limited to):

  • Treatment Services: Projects that expand access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), increase detox and treatment bed capacity, support treatment for justice-involved individuals, and promote telemedicine, mobile treatment units, and maternal health services.
  • Prevention Programs: Youth education, public awareness campaigns, safe prescribing education for physicians, and family- or community-based prevention initiatives.
  • Recovery Support Services: Programs offering peer recovery coaching, sober living support, housing and employment assistance, post-overdose care (“warm hand-offs”), and transportation to recovery programs.
  • Harm Reduction Strategies: Distribution of naloxone and fentanyl test strips, overdose prevention education, and creation of centralized naloxone access points.

Applicants must demonstrate a measurable impact, evidence of community collaboration, and alignment with national and state opioid response strategies.

Interested organizations are encouraged to review the application guidelines and submit proposals via the Cobb County website: https://www.cobbcounty.org/communications/info-center/opioid-abatement-assistance

For questions or more information, please contact the Cobb County Opioid Abatement Advisory Council at OpioidAbatement@cobbcounty.org.

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Cobb Chairwoman to hold 2025 State of the County address

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Submitted information:

Cobb County residents are invited to the 2025 Community State of the County Address with Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 14, at the Riverside EpiCenter, 135 Riverside Parkway, Austell.

Cupid will highlight Cobb’s progress and share her vision for the county’s future. The event will include light refreshments and offer opportunities to connect with local leaders and fellow community members.

This annual address brings residents together to reflect on the county’s achievements and discuss what’s ahead. All are welcome to attend and be part of Cobb’s continued growth and success.

RSVP here to attend.

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Allen takes office as Cobb commission elections certified

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Allen takes office as Cobb commission elections certified
Cobb County government

Shortly after the April 29 special elections for the Cobb Board of Commissioners were certified on Tuesday, the newest member was sworn into office.

Erick Allen took the oath as the new commissioner in District 2, which formerly included some of East Cobb and now comprises much of Smyrna/Cumberland/Vinings and along the Interstate 75 corridor.

A former legislator and Cobb delegation chairman and former head of the Cobb County Democratic Central Committee, Allen succeeds Jerica Richardson, whose office was vacated in January, shortly after her term was expired.

Since then, the five-member board has operated with four members.

Special elections in District 2 and District 4 for the Cobb commission were ordered by a Cobb judge after May 2024 primaries were invalidated due to electoral maps that were ruled to be in violation of the Georgia Constitution.

Those maps were drawn by Allen, then the chairman of the Cobb legislative delegation, but never received a vote.

First-term Democrat Monique Sheffield easily won re-election to District 4 in South Cobb as Democrats regained a 3-2 majority.

Allen will have a ceremonial swearing-in celebration on Monday, May 12 at the Jennie T. Anderson Theatre at the Cobb Civic Center at 6:39 p.m. The event is free and is open to the public.

His first meeting as a commissioner takes place the next day, Tuesday, May 13.

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Cobb government acknowledges ransomware attack on networks

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A cybercrime gang known for conducting ransomware attacks on computer systems around the world is saying it cracked Cobb County government’s networks recently that led to 10 individuals being affected, according to a published report.

Our investigation is ongoing. We will continue to notify any additional affected individuals as necessary. If we determine that specific personal information is at risk, Cobb County will provide those individuals with credit monitoring and identity theft protection.We also urge all residents to remain vigilant. Monitor your financial accounts closely and immediately report any suspicious activity to your financial institution. Currently, there is no evidence that any individual has experienced harm due to this incident. Finally, we want to reassure the public that Cobb County’s network is secure, and it remains safe to do business with us. Please note that this remains an active law enforcement investigation, and there may be questions we are unable to answer at this time.
A cybersecurity website said it found this graphic on the dark website of a cybercriminal organization claiming it hacked Cobb government networks.

But Cobb government said Friday afternoon it hasn’t been able to confirm the identity of the culprits, and “we will not speculate on information allegedly found on obscure parts of the internet.”

Cobb announced the data breach on March 21 as it began to investigate, and said last week that it believed that “an unauthorized actor” gained access to its computer systems.

A statement from Cobb spokesman Ross Cavitt Friday afternoon said that Cobb has acknowledged that there was a ransomware attack, adding that “we immediately followed established protocols, took our systems offline, and restored operations shortly thereafter.”

A third party issued a ransom demand, “which we declined,” Cavitt continued. “We refuse to support or enable criminal enterprises, even when faced with difficult choices. While we understand this may offer limited comfort to those affected, standing firm sends a clear message: bad actors will not profit from this crime.”

A website called Comparitech, which says it’s a British-based “pro-consumer” entity that helps individuals and organizations improve online security and privacy, published a story Friday saying that the cybercrime group, Qilin, claimed responsibility for the Cobb government network attacks.

The Comparitech report showed a graphic (above, at right) of what Qilin listed on its dark site about the Cobb attack, with some identifications covered, and said that 150 GB of data had been stolen.

According to Comparitech, Qilin “is a Russia-based hacking group that mainly targets victims through phishing emails to spread its ransomware” and began in 2022.

The report said Qilin has claimed 17 attacks in 2025 and there are 161 other unconfirmed claims “that haven’t been acknowledged by the targeted organizations.”

Qilin is a Chinese word for a unicorn and is a famous figure in Chinese mythology, signfiying good fortune, peace, and prosperity.

Also known as Agenda, Qilin is a ransomware-as-a-service criminal operation that works with affiliates to encrypt the data of hacked organizations, then demands a ransom.

The Comparitech report said that recent attacks include a local government data breach in West Haven, Conn., in which more than 4,000 people were notified.

A municipal court in Cleveland, Ohio said Qilin demanded $4 million in an attack in February, according to Comparitech.

On Friday, Cavitt didn’t say how much of a ransom was demanded of Cobb government.

Cobb said the 10 individuals affected by the data breach last month have been contacted, but didn’t elaborate on what data was stolen or compromised, and that the FBI has been notified, but didn’t indicate how that agency may be involved.

In Friday’s statement, Cavitt also said the following:

“Our investigation is ongoing. We will continue to notify any additional affected individuals as necessary. If we determine that specific personal information is at risk, Cobb County will provide those individuals with credit monitoring and identity theft protection.

“We also urge all residents to remain vigilant. Monitor your financial accounts closely and immediately report any suspicious activity to your financial institution. Currently, there is no evidence that any individual has experienced harm due to this incident.

“Finally, we want to reassure the public that Cobb County’s network is secure, and it remains safe to do business with us. Please note that this remains an active law enforcement investigation, and there may be questions we are unable to answer at this time.”

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Cobb to hold public meeting on 2023-28 strategic plan

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Submitted information:Cobb strategic plan hearings set

Chairwoman Lisa Cupid’s office will host a series of meetings to educate residents about Cobb County’s strategic plan for the future. The first of the “All In” Cobb Policy Discussions, Effective and Efficient Government, will take place 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Thursday, May 1, in the Board of Commissioners’ meeting room, 100 Cherokee Street, Marietta. The county finance director and various county leaders will delve into how Cobb government operates and the resources it requires to run smoothly.

Sign up to attend here.

An additional meeting notice includes the following:

“Cobb’s strategic plan identifies effective and efficient government as a strategic outcome area. Our finance director and various county leaders will delve into how our county operates and the resources it takes to make Cobb the best it can be. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn and engage with fellow community members. We value the input of all here in our County and your participation helps us ensure that our practices are consistent with our most important stakeholders: our residents.”

The 2023-28 strategic plan (you can read through it here) is an outline of priorities, strategies, and themes to guide the county over a five-year period.

The draft includes seven topic, or “strategic outcome” areas—community development, economic development, governance, housing, infrastructure, mobility and transportation and public safety.

That draft, released last year, includes a recommendation to develop a process to “evaluate and adapt land use policies that promote exclusionary zoning and inhibit a variety of housing options across the County.”

Exclusionary zoning is the practice of allowing only certain kinds of zoning categories in certain areas, and has come up frequently in communities across the country—especially suburban ones—in regard to affordable housing in recent years.

When we posted this notice last year, we added that the-then Biden Administration issued comments about exclusionary zoning claiming that such practices “drive up housing prices, poorer families are kept out of wealthier, high-opportunity neighborhoods. This, in turn, leads to worse outcomes for children, including lower standardized test scores, and greater social inequalities over time.”

Cupid has mentioned affordable housing frequently, including at a contentious town hall meeting in 2022 in East Cobb when she said that “people who work here should be able to afford to live here.”

There’s no such language suggesting or proposing a ban in the Cobb strategic plan draft, which goes onto to recommend that other strategies to address affordable housing include setting a countywide housing mix goal, and to ensure that a proposed Unified Development Code, should that be approved, “enable a variety of housing types.”

The proposed UDC also has become something of a hot-button topic but is very slowly making its way through the drafting process (a draft issued in November can be found here).

In February, the county’s consultant for the UDC made a presentation suggesting a new planned development category for major mixed-use projects, and public meetings are scheduled this spring on the first two installments of the draft.

No specific meetings have been announced.

To RSVP for Thursday’s strategic plan meeting click here.

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Cobb County government says data breach affects 10 people

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Cobb County government said Thursday that a cybersecurity hack has affected 10 individuals, including three county employees.Cobb County Government logo

The county said it’s begun notifying individuals “whom we believe had information accessed and copied from a limited number of Cobb County systems by an unauthorized actor.”

A release sent by the county Thursday morning also said the Federal Bureau of Investigation has been notified, but didn’t indicate how that agency may be involved.

The county also didn’t say what information or data may have been compromised, and that it “varies by individual. We are providing these individuals with guidance on how to protect themselves, and, in select cases, we are providing identity theft protection and credit monitoring if their case involves certain types of information.

“We will notify any additional potentially affected parties as necessary and where required.”

Last month, the county’s IT department noticed “unusual activity” on its servers, which were taken offline for a few days to detect the breach.

“Unfortunately, these incidents are all too common today, and no one is immune,” the Cobb release Thursday said. “Today, Cobb County systems are operational and serving constituents’ needs. Our vendors and partners have restored connections to our network. We are moving rapidly to help our community while the investigation is still underway.”

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Cobb school board, commission announce FY ’26 budget process

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Cobb school board, commmission announce FY '26 budget dates
The Cobb Board of Education will hear a tentative fiscal year 2025 budget proposal Thursday.

Spring and summer in Cobb County is also budget season for Cobb government and the Cobb County School District.

The Cobb Board of Education will be presented with the district’s fiscal year 2026 tentative budget on Thursday, and will hold a public budget forum Thursday evening.

The budget presentation takes place at a work session that starts at 1:30 p.m. The budget public forum starts at 6:30 p.m., and the board’s monthly voting meeting starts at 7 p.m.

All meetings Thursday take place in the board room of the CCSD Central Office, at 514 Glover St. in Marietta. An executive session will follow the work session.

The final budget hearing is scheduled for May 15, also at 6:30 p.m., shortly before the board is scheduled to adopt the budget.

In July, the school board adopts a property tax millage rate after the final Cobb tax digest is issued.

The Cobb school district’s fiscal year runs from July 1-June 30 of each year.

The current district FY 2025 budget of $1.8 billion was adopted last year that held the property tax rate at 18.7 mills and included broad employee raises.

(Here’s the full district budget calendar.)

Watching the Funds-Cobb, a citizens financial watchdog group, has been critical of the district’s budget process, saying it doesn’t provide the public with adequate time to examine or speak to the budget.

The budget hearings take place the day the budget is presented, and the day it is to be adopted. The group has suggested having hearings somewhere in between those dates.

“Yes, the district holds the legally required public hearings—but they defy the spirit of the law,” the group posted on its Facebook page in late March. “It’s all for show.”

For most homeowners, school taxes comprise around two-thirds of their property tax bills. Seniors 62 and older can claim a general exemption from school taxes.

The Cobb Board of Commissioners will be presented a proposed fiscal year 2026 budget at a work session on June 24.

Public hearings on the budget and millage rate will take place on July 8 at 9 a.m., July 16 at 6:30 p.m. and July 22 at 7 p.m., with adoption scheduled for the latter date.

Last month commissioners were presented with a wish list by county department heads that would add 290 employees (much of it for public safety agencies) and $92.7 million to a budget that would add up to $1.3 billion.

Last July commissioners also held the property tax rate but spending went up $63.7 million, despite pleas from residents to roll back the millage.

Cobb government’s budget details can be found here.

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Cobb government offices, libraries closed for Good Friday

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Submitted information:

Cobb County Government offices will be closed Friday, April 18. The Good Friday holiday allows our staff members additional time to spend with their friends, family and loved ones for the holiday weekend. Cobb Libraries will also be closed Sunday, April 20, for Easter. Information and many services remain available 24 hours a day online at cobbcounty.org.

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Georgia tax filing date extended to May 1 by state, IRS

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Tuesday is April 15, or Tax Day for most individuals and businesses.Georgia tax filing date extended to May 1 by state and IRS

But in Georgia, there’s been an extension granted to file certain state and federal income tax returns.

The Georgia Department of Revenue granted the extension in the wake of Hurricane Helene last fall.

In October, the state set a new deadline of Thursday, May 1, following an emergency declaration in all 159 counties of Georgia by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The highlights of the extension, as GDOR announced it at the time:

The May 1, 2025, extension date applies to individuals and businesses that have a 2024 income tax return normally due during March or April 2025; calendar year corporations whose 2023 extensions run out on October 15, 2024; quarterly estimated income tax payments due on January 15 and April 15, 2025; and quarterly payroll tax returns normally due on October 31, 2024, January 31, 2025, and April 30, 2025. 

Affected taxpayers who had a valid extension until October 15, 2024, to file their 2023 income tax return will now have until May 1, 2025, to file their return. Because income tax payments related to these 2023 returns were due on April 15, 2024, however, those payments are not eligible for this relief.

The extended deadlines for filing and payments do not apply to information returns in the W-2 and 1099 series; or to Forms 1042-S; or to employment and excise tax deposits. However, penalties on deposits due on or after Sept. 24, 2024, and before October 9, 2024, will be abated as long as the tax deposits are made by October 9, 2024. It also does not apply to International Fuel Tax Agreement interest or scheduled payments which are the result of a taxpayer entering into an Installment Payment Agreement since those liabilities were due prior to the disaster relief. 

The Department is also extending limited relief for sales and use tax, excise tax, and other miscellaneous taxes. The relief includes quarterly and monthly returns and payments originally due in the month of October 2024 (e.g., September 2024 sales and use tax returns due October 21, 2024). These returns and payments are now due on Wednesday, November 20, 2024. 

More details here.

Likewise, the Internal Revenue Service granted an extension to May 1 in Georgia for certain individual and business tax returns.

All returns must be received or postmarked by May 1 to be considered filed in time to avoid late penalties.

Georgia is one of nine states with tax extensions, due to FEMA emergency declarations. All taxpayers in Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina also have until May 1, while taxpayers in certain locations in Alaska, New Mexico, Tennessee and Virginia also have an extra two weeks to file.

In Los Angeles, where wildfires destroyed thousands of home this winter, taxpayers will have until October to file their returns.

 

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Gritters Library closed Monday for transformer installation

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Submitted information:

Gritters Library located at 880 Shaw Park Road in Marietta, Georgia will be closed Monday, April 14 due to a transformer installation. We expect the library to reopen on Tuesday, April 15 for regular hours. Stay updated by visiting cobbcounty.org/library.

Nearby libraries include Mountain View Regional Library (map) and Switzer Library (map).

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Cobb libraries offer ‘perks’ program with local businesses

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Cobb libraries offer 'perks' program with local businesses

Submitted information and photo:

Cobb County Public Library announces the launch of the CCPL Perks Program during National Library Week, offering exclusive discounts to library cardholders at popular participating Marietta Square businesses.

With over 480,000 cardholders, Cobb County Public Library serves a large and diverse community, and now, library cardholders can receive a 10% discount at participating Marietta Square shops, restaurants, and service providers simply by presenting their library card. The CCPL Perks Program is designed to encourage library membership, support small businesses, and strengthen connections between the library, local businesses, and the community.

Funded by the Georgia Public Library Service 2025 Marketing Grant, this program is part of a broader effort to expand library services and benefits throughout Cobb County. While the pilot program begins in Marietta Square, the Cobb County Public Library aims to expand the CCPL Perks Program across the county, including those areas near its 15 library locations.

Participating Marietta Square Businesses Offering Cobb Library Card Discounts

The following Marietta Square businesses are the first official CCPL Perks Partners, providing a 10% discount to Cobb Library cardholders:

  • Marietta Proper,  9 W Park Square, Marietta, GA 30060, Cozy brunches with gourmet coffee, curated wine selections, and small plate pairings reminiscent of the Great Gatsby era.
  • Hamp & Harry’s, 168 Roswell St NE, Marietta, GA 30060, Delicious small plates and craft cocktails in a vibrant, neighborhood restaurant.
  • Warm Hugs Bakery, 156 Roswell St NE, Marietta, GA 30060, Cupcakes, cheesecakes, cookies, brownies, and traditional Turkish confections like baklava.
  • Sweet Treats Ice Cream, 134 S Park Square NE, Marietta, GA 30060, Soft-serve ice cream with customizable toppings, hot chocolate, and a variety of candies.
  • Bomb Babes, Pop-up with assorted gourmet cake bombs, cupcakes, and more. Find them at The Local Exchange at the Marietta Square or look for their next pop-up shop here:

New businesses will be added to the CCPL Perks Program regularly. Visit the Cobb Library’s website for an updated list of Perks Partners.

Are You a Local Business in Cobb County? Join the CCPL Perks Program!

The Cobb County Public Library invites local businesses throughout Cobb County to join the CCPL Perks Program and benefit from increased visibility and community engagement. Interested businesses can sign up or learn more by contacting Allyson at allyson.eads@cobbcounty.org or by visiting cobbcounty.org/library/services/perks.

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Cobb delays Columns Drive median tree-cutting after protests

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ECN photo

Plans by the Cobb Department of Transportation to cut down trees in medians along Columns Drive are being delayed, after residents in the East Cobb community publicly complained to county officials over the weekend.

Cobb officials said Monday they won’t be moving ahead with the tree-cutting for now, after more than 1,000 people signed a petition in protest, entitled “STOP Cobb County’s Plans to Cut Down Trees on Columns Drive Median.”

Cobb DOT had planned to remove and replace oak and magnolia trees along most of the medians on Columns Drive, which runs along the Chattahoochee River from Johnson Ferry Road to the Cochran Shoals unit of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.

Cobb DOT cited the “significant maintenance” costs of maintaining the trees, some of which had reached the end of their lives, and safety hazards stemming as a result, after consulting with the county arborist.

Instead, the county will be re-evaluating to see which trees “pose an imminent risk to the travelling public,” and only those will be cut down, Cobb officials said in a statement Monday.

The petition was sent to the four sitting commissioners and other county officials, including with Cobb DOT.

Cobb DOT said several trees along Columns Drive have fallen in recent weeks. (Cobb Government photo)

The petition reads in part:

“We are local residents, runners, and cyclists whose daily lives have been graced by the majesty and beauty of the Oak and Magnolia trees along Columns Drive. These trees serve as an emblem of natural heritage, significantly enhancing the local aesthetic while also providing myriad environmental benefits. Regrettably, the Cobb County last week approved plans to cut down these mature trees, purportedly to reduce maintenance costs.

“We adamantly believe this decision would lead to a tragic loss of a Cobb County treasure that is not easily quantifiable in monetary terms.”

Both Cobb officials and Commissioner JoAnn Birrell said in statements to East Cobb News that initial plans were to cut trees in 11 of the 18 medians along Columns Drive, which is a popular pedestrian and biking path, and to replace most of them.

The cost of that work was to have been $215,000, with the funding coming from a contingency fund for former Commissioner Jerica Richardson.

“This project remained a priority, as three trees have fallen within the last month,” according to the county statement from Cobb DOT director Drew Raessler. “Work was originally scheduled to begin next week. However, we do understand the community concerns that have been raised.

“The plan is for [Cobb DOT] Road Maintenance to work with an arborist to scale the project down by identifying just the trees that pose an imminent risk to the travelling public. Just those trees will be removed and replaced with trees that match the character of the corridor.”

Columns Drive also is susceptible to flooding during heavy rains, and leaves and other tree debris can contribute to clogging up drains. Portions of the road were closed in September after flooding that was caused by the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

One of the signatories to the petition is resident Jeff Cohen, who told East Cobb News Monday that “the commissioners were discussing flood prevention and came up with this looney idea, rather than just cleaning the drains more often. We were blindsided.”

Before the county announced a delay in tre-cutting, other East Cobb community entities brought the matter to light.

Big Peach Running Co. on Johnson Ferry Road posted a message on its Facebook page urging signatures for the petition, as “our beloved Columns Drive is facing a challenge that could change its scenic charm. . . . These trees not only beautify our running, walking and cycling route but also provide essential environmental benefits. Let’s unite to preserve the natural heritage of our community.”

Raessler said in the statement that “we’re still working on the details of the revised scope of the work on Columns Drive and we will share those details when completed.”

Cobb delays Columns Drive median tree-cutting after protests
ECN photo of a tree in Columns Drive median at the intersection of Atlanta Country Club Drive.

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Proposed Cobb FY 2026 budget would increase by nearly $100M

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Cobb Republican Party chooses new chairwoman and officers

Cobb government finance officials on Tuesday presented an overview of the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget that would increase spending by nearly $100 million.

During a Cobb Board of Commissioners work session, Chief Financial Officer William Volckmann said the formal budget budge tproposal would come to a little more than $1.35 billion, based on requests from department heads.

That’s up $92.7 million from the adopted FY 2025 budget of $1.27 billion, with $74,3 million coming from the general fund.

(You can view current and recent budget details here; updated FY 2026 information also will be posted at that link.)

Much of the additional funding would pay for 290 new requested positions across the government, primarily in public safety, as well as increases in costs for pensions, health care and other employee benefits and insurance.

The biggest single increase in funding by department is the Cobb Sheriff’s Office, which is requesting 113 new full-time positions for a total budget of around $27 million.

Volckmann didn’t break down how many of those positions would be for patrol officers and support staff.

“This is quite a big budget request,” said Commissioner Keli Gambrill, who asked for a breakdown of positions within the Sheriff’s Office that may provide duplicative services.

The second-largest jump comes from Cobb Police, which is asking for an additional $8.8 million, with $5.8 million earmarked for 17 new full-time positions.

Information technology spending would go up by $6 million, and $5 million more is being requested by the library system, with most of that funding for capital improvements, Volckmann said.

The Cobb County Water Fund—which is separate from the general fund, the main source of government operations—would increase by nearly $12 million, primarily for additional maintenance and infrastructure costs for water, sewer and stormwater management.

Water revenues are derived from water and sewer bills paid by commercial and residential customers. Commissioners voted in December to approve water and sewer rate increases through 2029, at an additional 3.5 percent each year.

For the last two years, commissioners have adopted budgets of $1.2 billion and $1.27 billion, largely due to significant increases in the county tax digest.

The current FY 2025 budget was adopted with growth in the tax digest coming to more than 7 percent.

But last week, the Cobb Tax Assessor’s Office projected digest growth of only 2 percent for 2025.

Commissioners have come under fire from citizens both years for not “rolling back” the property tax rate to offset the additional revenues.

Tuesday’s presentation was the kickoff to a formal budget presentation at the end of June.

He said before then, commissioners will receive detailed binders with the budget proposals and will be able to discuss revenue projections before prioritizing requests.

Public hearings on the budget proposal and county millage rates will take place on July 8, 15 and 22, with adoption scheduled for the latter date.

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Server outage affecting some Cobb government online systems

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Submitted information:Cobb County Government logo

Some Cobb County services remain impacted by a server outage prompted by an unscheduled maintenance operation over the weekend. Residents may find certain online services unavailable, and email communications may be slow or delayed.

Departments are open during regular hours, and the county’s phone system is operating normally. The county’s court system was operating today, although specific filing systems and non-cash payment services may not be available. Residents with questions about the status of cases should contact the appropriate court for information.

Anyone wishing to schedule a building inspection should call the Community Development Department at 770-528-2060 rather than attempting to schedule online.

Cobb County Information Technology Services detected unusual activity on a county server, prompting a maintenance operation over the weekend that required taking multiple servers offline. Restoring these servers has taken longer than anticipated, impacting various county systems. Services are being brought back online gradually, but we do not yet have a timeline for complete restoration. The website, bill pay services, and phone service are operating normally.

During normal business hours, please contact 770-528-1000 or email information@cobbcounty.org for further assistance.

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Cobb libraries enable wireless printing from mobile devices

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Submitted information:

Print from any of our public computers or wirelessly from your device! Black and white prints are $0.15 per page. Color printing is $0.50 per page.

Print from a Laptop (from home or in the library)

  • Save the file you want to print to your computer.
  • Go to our SmartALEC online printing service webpage and log in with your library card number and PIN.
  • After you log in to the printing service webpage, upload the file you want to print: click [1] Select a file to upload, choose your file, then click [2] Upload.
  • Visit any of our libraries and use the print release station to complete printing.

Print from a Mobile Device

If you are printing with SmartALEC for the first time, you’ll need to enter your library card number and PIN on the SmartALEC online printing service webpage before using the app.

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Projected 2025 Cobb tax digest cools off to 2 percent growth

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Highland Pointe, East Cobb real estate sales

After a heated rise in the real estate market over the last two years, the projected tax digest for Cobb County is expected to cool off a bit.

Outgoing Cobb Tax Assessor Stephen White announced in a county release Tuesday that expected growth in the tax digest this year will be 2 percent.

That’s down from 8.52 percent last year and a record digest of $60 billion.

The 2025 tax digest projection, which is set by the Cobb Board of Tax Assessors, would come to $62 billion.

The tax digest is official assessed value of all taxable properties in the county, including residential, commercial and personal property.

Local governments base their budget and millage rates on the tax digest, which is formalized in July.

(Here’s more information on the tax digest and related details.)

White and new Cobb Tax Assessor Christine Stinchcomb detailed the 2025 projection in the video below; White said that one of the main reasons for lesser growth in the tax digest is that the number of reassessed properties this year will be substantially lower than in 2024.

In addition, the average home sale price in Cobb grew by only $20,000 last year, hovering just under the $500,000 mark.

By contrast, in May 2024, that average was $533,557, an all-time high.

In 2020, the average home sale price in Cobb was $346,715.

“Just two years ago, the average price of a home in Cobb County increased by $50,000; this year, it’s only $20,000—so things are changing,” said White, who recently was named Cobb Support Services Agency director.

He said that’s a result of the local real estate market, especially the residential sector, slowing down.

White added that not just the number of reassessments are down this year, but also the rate of the increase in assessments also has gone down, but he did not elaborate.

The Cobb tax digest grew by double-digit figures in both 2022 and 2023, primarily due to sharply rising asssessments that prompted citizen outcry.

The Cobb Board of Commissioners has not reduced its general fund millage rate in that time. The Cobb Board of Education did slightly, in 2023.

Full tax assessments will go out in May; the final tax digest is issued in July, as Cobb commissioners consider the fiscal year 2025 budget and just after the Cobb school board finalizes its fiscal year 2025 budget, which goes into effect on July 1.

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Cobb Police Precinct 6 to have ribbon-cutting ceremony

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Cobb Police Precinct 6

The Cobb Police DUI Task Force has been working out of a new precinct building in Northeast Cobb that will eventually include some patrol beats and other functions.

On April 4 there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Precinct 6, located near the Mountain View Aquatic Center, followed by tours that are open to the public.

The event, which lasts from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. (3141 Hong Way) is a culmination of a years-long process to build and staff a new precinct.

According to Cobb officials, the total price tag for the construction will be $8.2 million. That includes an additional $500,000 coming from discretionary funding via District 3 Commissioner JoAnn Birrell. In 2023, commissioners approved $7.7 million to complete a project that was initially budgeted for $5 million in 2016 Cobb SPLOST funds.

But construction cost increases delayed the opening of Precinct 6.

When commissioners approved the additional $2.2 million in spending in 2023, the building was only 60 percent complete, with most of the interior build-out still to come.

Work was halted altogether after groundbreaking in 2021, as construction costs for a number of county projects skyrocketed.

That prompted some creative financing activities, notably including the new Gritters Library/Northeast Cobb Community Center replacement.

After the Precinct 6 ribbon-cutting, some Cobb Police officers and administrative personnel will be working during daytime hours at the Precinct 6 building.

Cobb spokesman Ross Cavitt told East Cobb News that “Cobb PD is studying its precinct beats and will eventually reconfigure beats in Precincts 1, 4, and the new 6 to have six beats running out of the new precinct. That process is expected to take 12-18 months.”

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Cobb County government releases 2024 annual report

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Cobb County government releases 2024 annual report

Cobb County Government’s annual report is typically a compendium of positive news about how citizens’ taxpayer dollars are spent.

The county released its 2024 report last week (you can download and read it here). The highlights include such activities as the opening of the new Gritters Library, the hiring of 75 new police officers, the opening of a family advocacy center in the Cobb District Attorney’s Office and various road and transportation projects.

In the introduction, under one of the county’s proudest continuing accomplishments—the 27th consecutive year Cobb has earned a Triple A credit rating—Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid slipped in this item:

“Accepting a judicial ruling regarding district lines, after asserting home rule to follow maps of our local delegation”

That sentence came under a subhead entitled “integrity” but didn’t elaborate.

The Board of Commissioners currently is down to four members because of that matter, the “home rule” redistricting flap that led to former District 2 Commissioner Jerica Richardson’s seat being declared vacant in what turned out to be a two-year dispute.

Cobb judges ruled more than once that Richardson, Cupid and Monique Sheffield—the board’s Democratic majority from 2021-24—violated the Georgia Constitution in observing maps that were drawn by the county’s legislative delegation and not the legislature.

The controversy also prompted special elections that are currently underway to succeed Richardson, an East Cobb resident, and in District 4 in South Cobb (which Sheffield has represented), because the “home rule” maps were used in 2024 primaries.

Im January, after her term had technically expired, Richardson declared herself a “de facto” commissioner, but the Georgia Court of Appeals declined to hear her final appeal to stay in office until her successor was elected.

There’s early voting this week in a Democratic runoff for District 2, which includes several precincts in the East Cobb area.

The general election for those races will conclude on April 29.

Cobb Elections is estimating that the special elections are costing taxpayers more than $1.5 million, a number not included in the annual report.

Here’s more of what Cupid included in her introduction to the annual report:

INNOVATION

  • Opening the first Family Advocacy Center in Georgia through our District Attorney’s Office
  • Introducing microtransit through “CobbLinc Go” in South Cobb

INTELLIGENT

  • Debuting findhelp.cobbcounty.gov to list helpful services ranging from mental health to housing
  • Supporting police by launching our Community Assistance Response Team

INCLUSION

  • Releasing recommendations to improve disparity in procurement
  • Funding our first year of inclement weather shelter for those in need
  • Increasing voter participation and enhancing student voter initiatives

INVESTMENT

  • Holding the county’s first sustainability forum and obtaining a $550 million grant to improve recycling and to update vehicle charging stations
  • Opening the new, expanded Gritters Library with onsite workforce development
  • Connecting with more than 500 businesses, obtaining $640 million in business investment and awarding $50,000 in small business grants

Our successes highlight our shared power when we serve the public good. Each accomplishment helps us to be a thriving, innovative, and safe community that enhances the quality of life for the well-being of all.

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