East Cobb Government

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

by

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.

Related:

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up and you’re good to go!

Server outage affecting some Cobb government online systems

by

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.

Related:

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up and you’re good to go!

Cobb libraries enable wireless printing from mobile devices

by

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.

Related:

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up and you’re good to go!

Projected 2025 Cobb tax digest cools off to 2 percent growth

by

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.

Related:

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up and you’re good to go!

 

 

Cobb Police Precinct 6 to have ribbon-cutting ceremony

by

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.”

Related:

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up and you’re good to go!

Cobb County government releases 2024 annual report

by

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.

Related:

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up and you’re good to go!

Cobb Tax Assessors board names new director, chief appraiser

by

Submitted information and photo:

Cobb Tax Assessors board names new director chief appraiserOn Wednesday, the Cobb County Board of Tax Assessors appointed Christine Stinchcomb as the new Director and Chief Appraiser of the Tax Assessors Office.

Stinchcomb brings over 25 years of experience in property tax services, beginning her career at the Paulding County Tax Assessors Office before serving as a manager with the Georgia Department of Revenue. Most recently, she held the position of Commercial Division Manager at the Cobb County Board of Tax Assessors Office.

She succeeds Stephen White, who was recently promoted to Support Services Director for Cobb County Government.

The Chief Appraiser is a state-mandated position responsible for ensuring the proper functioning of the Tax Assessors Office and overseeing the appraisal of every parcel in the county at least once every three years.

A Cobb County resident, Stinchcomb has two grown sons.

Related:

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up and you’re good to go!

Cobb opts out of property tax law; starts 2028 SPLOST process

by

Cobb opts out of property tax law; starts 2028 SPLOST process

After hearing the pleas of citizens to opt out of a new state law capping property taxes, the Cobb Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to do just that.

By a 4-0 vote, commissioners voted against adopting HB 581, a law passed by the Georgia legislature in 2024 designed to limit property tax increases at the local level.

Georgia voters later approved a Constitutional amendment that tied property tax increases to the previous year’s inflation rate.

But citizens speaking during public comment and commissioners agreed at Tuesday’s meeting that the current homestead exemptions in Cobb are more beneficial.

Commissioner JoAnn Birrell of District 3 in East Cobb said that she received 215 messages in support of opting out of the law, and only two in favor of it.

“What we’ve had in place is better for the citizens and is beneficial for taxpayers,” she said to loud applause right before the vote.

Cobb’s decision follows similar action by the Cobb Board of Education, the Marietta City Council and Marietta Board of Education and city governments in Smyrna, Powder Springs, Acworth and Kennesaw.

Local governments have until March 1 under the new law to decide whether to opt out.

But speakers claimed Tuesday that HB 581 was altered by lobbyists to trigger automatic tax increases that elected bodies could do nothing about.

Some called HB 581 is “a shameless con” and others called it a “joke.”

Resident Ann Parsons called it “a politician’s dream. More money. No consequences.”

Chairwoman Lisa Cupid made the motion to pass the opt-out resolution, saying that “we feel the pain of our citizens who are here” and “we are fortunate to live in Cobb” because of the existing homestead exemptions.

In other action Tuesday, commissioners voted 4-0 to begin a process that would call for a referendum in 2026 to renew the Special Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), which collects a one-percent sales tax to fund county construction, maintenance, improvements and technology operations.

The current SPLOST ends at the end of 2027.

The resolution passed Tuesday did not indicate how long the next SPLOST collection period might be, nor did it provide an estimate for how much money would be raised.

Birrell asked deputy county manager Jimmy Gisi if it was “premature” to ask for those details.

He said it would be, because the county first must meet with officials from Cobb’s cities as well as county staff to begin developing a project list.

The maximum SPLOST collection period is six years.

The proposed timeline leading up to a 2026 referendum (click here) would include meetings with the other cities this year, followed by an Oct. 1 deadline for a draft project list to be submitted.

In early 2026, the county would conduct public input and town hall meetings, with commissioners to approve the final project list next April.

Commissioners also would have to vote separately to hold a referendum in November 2026.

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up and you’re good to go!

 

 

 

 

 

Cobb Medical Examiner identifies ‘cremains’ at funeral home

by

Cobb Medical Examiner identifies 'cremains' at funeral home

Nearly a year after a fire partially damaged a now-closed funeral home in Northeast Cobb, the Cobb Medical Examiner’s office has identified the cremated remains of at least 57 individuals at that building.

Cobb government said in a release Wednesday morning that Medical Examiner Christopher Gulledge has posted a list of those people whose remains were taken from the former Norman Medford Peden funeral home on Canton Road.

The funeral home had closed and the building had been scheduled for a foreclosure auction on April 23, 2024 when the fire broke out. Initial reports indicated there were no remains of any deceased.

But the county said that remains were recovered at the funeral home in November and turned over to the Cobb Medical Examiner’s Office.

“We hope to provide answers to any family with lingering questions about a loved one’s passing,” Gulledge said in the release. “Our office has worked tirelessly to identify these cremains using various methods, and we are committed to reuniting them with their families.”

His office said that if any cremains may belong to a loved one, survivors should contact the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office at 770-590-6596 or via email at gillian.fletcher@cobbcounty.org.

Individuals have May 30 to claim the cremains.

Related:

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb asked to consider holding SPLOST referendum in 2026

by

Cobb asked to consider holding SPLOST referendum in 2026

Cobb County officials will present the Board of Commissioners with a proposal on Tuesday to consider holding a referendum in November 2026 to continue collecting the county’s Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax (SPLOST).

The current 2022 SPLOST, which collects a one-percent sales tax to fund county construction, maintenance, improvements and technology operations, expires at the end of 2027.

The proposed timeline leading up to a 2026 referendum (click here) would include meetings with officials from Cobb’s seven cities this year, followed by an Oct. 1 deadline for a draft project list to be submitted.

In early 2026, the county would conduct public input and town hall meetings, with commissioners to approve the final project list next April.

Commissioners also would have to vote to hold a referendum and the county would have to publicly advertise it.

The proposed process is similar to the current and previous SPLOST approvals.

The resolution attached to Tuesday’s agenda item (click here) doesn’t indicate a length for the 2028 SPLOST, nor does it estimate an amount to be collected. Typically they’ve been for five- and six-year periods since first being approved to start in 2011.

The six-year, $750 million 2022 SPLOST was approved in 2020, and includes $329.8 million—more that half of all revenues—for transportation and road improvement projects.

Of those new road projects, the big-ticket item in East Cobb is $3.9 million for intersection improvements at Post Oak Tritt Road and Holly Springs Road. Another $2.4 million would be used for Canton Road corridor improvements.

Another project on the 2022 list is the development of Ebenezer Downs Park on Ebenezer Road, at a cost of around $3 million.

Also on the project list are renovations and improvements at Fullers Park, Sewell Park, Terrell Mill Park, the Mountain View Aquatic Center. additional amenities at East Cobb Park and video surveillance cameras at the Mountain View Regional Library.

Tuesday’s presentation will come during the regular agenda portion of the meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. in the second floor board room of the county office building at 100 Cherokee Street, Marietta. You can view the full agenda by clicking here.

You also can watch the hearing on the county’s website and YouTube channels and on Cobb TV 23 on Comcast Cable.

Commissioners also will hold a final public hearing and will be asked to vote on a measure to opt out of a new state homestead exemption law.

A number of local governments and elected bodies, including the Cobb Board of Education, have opted out of the law, which caps the rate of property tax increases, saying current homestead and exemptions are more beneficial to parents and taxpayers.

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up and you’re good to go!

 

 

 

April deadline nears to file for Cobb homestead exemption

by

Johnson Ferry-Shallowford master plan

Submitted information:

It’s time to apply for homestead exemptions. A homestead exemption is savings on property taxes available to homeowners who meet certain qualifications, such as residency.

Use the online form at cobbtax.org/property/exemptions.php to submit a 2024 Homestead Exemption application. Applications must be received, or USPS postmarked, by April 1 to be accepted for this tax year.

Other exemptions you can apply for include disability, state veterans disability, state senior age 65, Cobb County School Tax exemption for homeowners over 62 and more.

To learn more and apply, click here.

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up and you’re good to go!

Former Cobb Tax Assessor named to new county role

by

Stephen White, who has been the Cobb Tax Assessor since 2013, has been appointed the Cobb Support Services Agency director.

He was appointed Jan. 27 by the Cobb Board of Commissioners and begins his new role on Feb. 17.

He succeeds Sharon Stanley, who has retired.

Cobb Support Services oversees a number of county departments, including information technology services, procurement, property and fleet management and the tax assessor’s office.

White has been with the tax assessor’s office since 2005, starting as a senior appraiser, and was named a deputy chief in 2010.

As assessor, he oversaw daily operations of the office and the compilation of the county tax digest.

Richardson removed from office after appeals court rejection

by

Cobb approves $7M Lower Roswell Road construction contract

Cobb Commissioner Jerica Richardson is no longer in office after the Georgia Court of Appeals declined to hear her appeal.

Richardson, a one-term Democrat whose tenure representing District 2 expired at the end of 2024, is no longer a “de facto” commissioner, as she described herself in taking up the appeal last month.

A Cobb Superior Court judge ruled on Dec. 31 that Richardson could no longer serve, due to Cobb residency requirements.

Her district lines were changed in 2022 during reapportionment and drew her out of her East Cobb home, triggering a legal battle lasting more than two years.

On Wednesday, Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid issued a statement saying that “I respect the decision of Georgia’s Court of Appeals and look forward to moving beyond the divisive issues of the past few years.

“Unfortunately, this process has temporarily left residents of one district without their commissioner on the board. However, our intent from the beginning has been to uphold the rights of our citizens and ensure that those they elect have the opportunity to serve.”

For the time being, the five-member commission is down to four members, and will likely stay that way until the end of April, at the conclusion of special elections for District 2 and District 4.

Updated, 10:30 pm:

Here’s what Richardson posted on social media Wednesday night:

I stand by my statement that it is unacceptable for 200,000 to go unrepresented and for our legislature to have the legal authority to systematically remove elected officials. For the last four years, this office has been under attack by the entire state infrastructure because change is scary for so many. Unfortunately, the unknown is exploited so that power can be transferred from the hands of many to the hands of few.

Early voting in those primaries began on Saturday. District 2 formerly included some of East Cobb, which is now mostly in District 3.

Cobb government spokesman Ross Cavitt said Wednesday there wouldn’t be an interim appointment to fill the District 2 seat, since the special elections fall outside a 180-day window for such action.

District 2 includes some areas of East Cobb near I-75, as well as most of the city of Marietta, Smyrna and the Cumberland-Vinings area.

The special elections were ordered by another Cobb judge following May 2024 primaries that followed “hone rule” maps approved by Cupid, Richardson and Monique Sheffield, the other Democratic commissioner, that differed from the legislative maps signed into law.

Court rulings rejected the “home rule” maps, since the Georgia Constitution requires that county redistricting be approved by the legislature.

District 3 Commissioner JoAnn Birrell, a Republican, said last month that “it’s time to put an end to ignoring the Constitution and the laws of this state and the county and go back to the real business of the county at hand.”

Richardson hasn’t commented on the appeals court’s decision not to hear her appeal. Her colleagues declared her seat vacant in December, but she had the right to appeal.

But when Richardson resumed her seat in January, she was adamant that it was important to fight a “precedent” in the legislature not honoring a local delegation redistricting map.

“This fight was never about me but about protecting American values,” she said.

Commissioners meet for their first business meeting without Richardson on Tuesday, with split 2-2 partisan lines.

More from Richardson’s statement:

“To my community: In many ways we won the minor battle- I was able to serve a complete term, although tumultuous, as a result of bold leadership and constant action from an empowered and educated community. I hope that the legacy of this office is to know if we take ownership of our government, we can accomplish so much and fight off some of the most terrible threats to our safety and stability. While there is much to be proud of, the warfront is bigger than the battle. This precedent is set, and our state delegation now has a legal, but undemocratic power. We must not cease in our fight to reinstate checks and balances. That is true from the top of our government all the way to the bottom. No one should be above the law, and everyone should be equally protected by the law. That is this nation’s moral high ground and we cannot lose it. I may be out of office, but I am not out of ideas, nor am I out of a community. We will continue to stand up for what is right and pull together to accomplish the impossible.

“As I have mentioned before, there is an election underway to choose my successor. A lot is at stake, and we need people in office who are going to go beyond the bare minimum. That means, as a voter, more than the bare minimum is required from you. Get to really know each of the candidates. Challenge them on the challenges we face today. Ask them how they are going to tackle all of facets of the job. This is your representation, and if the last few weeks have demonstrated anything — elections have consequences.

“Thank you for the opportunity to serve you.”

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

 

AARP Foundation-Tax Aide offering free tax filing services

by

Submitted information:AARP free tax preparation sessions

Once again, AARP Foundation Tax-Aides will be helping low to moderate income households prepare and file their 2024 taxes at no charge.

This year, appointments are available at Gritters Library, South Cobb Library, and the Senior Wellness Center on Mondays, East Cobb Library on Tuesdays, Wolfe Recreation and Ward Recreation on Wednesdays, Mountain View Library and Switzer Library on Thursdays, and Robertson Community Center on Fridays.

Appointments are needed. You can find the nearest location by going to https://www.aarp.org/money/taxes/aarp_taxaide/locations/ and entering your zip code.

TaxAide volunteers will confirm appointment requests made by email or in person. Membership in AARP is not required but appointments are required. Bring your 2023 returns and 2024 tax documents, your social security card or other identification documents for yourself and all dependents. For direct deposit refunds, you must have a valid check.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb Library System releases Black History Month book list

by

Submitted information:Cobb Library System releases Black History Month book list

February is Black History Month! We’ve compiled a booklist for all ages to help celebrate the importance of black history and of the contributions of African Americans to our history and culture.

Click on a title to find it in our catalog; and find many more titles at cobbcat.org.

Check out our Black History Month reading challenge on Beanstack! Sign up today on the website or app (Apple Store or Google Play). Log your reading and complete fun activities to earn badges!

Children’s Picture Books

Children’s Nonfiction

Children’s and Preteen Chapter Books

Books for Teens and Young Adults

Adult Fiction

Adult Nonfiction

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cupid’s upcoming community meetings include NE Cobb location

by

Submitted information:Cobb commission special elections scheduled as dispute lingers

Chairwoman Lisa Cupid will host a series of community meetings in the next few weeks addressing items before the Board of Commissioners including House Bill 581 and the Unified Development Code, and also community involvement opportunities.
The meetings will also have representatives from Cobb departments to share information with you about upcoming initiatives, events and more.
Join us for these informative sessions:
  • Jan. 29 – Wednesday, 7 – 9 p.m., Smyrna Community Center (Magnolia Room) 1250 Powder Springs Street, Smyrna
  • Jan. 30 – Thursday, 7 – 9 p.m., Cobb Civic Center, 548 South Marietta Parkway SE, Marietta
  • Feb. 4 – Tuesday, 7 – 9 p.m., South Cobb Recreation Center, 875 Riverside Parkway, Austell
  • Feb. 8 – Saturday, 10 a.m. – noon, Ron Anderson Recreation Center, 3820 Macedonia Road, Powder Springs
  • Feb. 12 – Wednesday, 7 – 9 p.m., Northeast Cobb Community Center, 880 Shaw Park Rd., Marietta
  • Feb. 18 – Tuesday, 7 – 9 p.m., North Cobb Senior Center, 3900 S. Main Street, Acworth
To learn more about HB 581 in Cobb County, please visit our website here https://bit.ly/40u2JpJ

Cobb government closings, observations for MLK holiday

by

Cobb MLK holiday service

Submitted information:

Jan. 20 MLK Day events in Cobb:

Cobb County NAACP hosts its annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration, Mission Possible: Protecting Freedom, Justice, and Democracy in the Spirit of Nonviolence365, 10 a.m. – noon Monday, Jan. 20 at the Jennie T. Anderson Theatre, 548 S. Marietta Parkway, SE, Marietta.

Acworth – Annual MLK Jr. Day of Service Celebration includes breakfast, a unity walk, a service ceremony and community service projects. Sign up for service projects here.

Austell – MLK Day of Service – Keep Cobb Beautiful Adopt-A-Mile – 8:30 a.m. at Riverside EpiCenter, 135 Riverside Parkway, Austell. Make an impact in the community by participating in a roadside cleanup with Keep Cobb Beautiful. High school students: Earn community service hours while making a difference. Bring your family, friends, and neighbors to this community volunteer event and help us create a cleaner, brighter environment for everyone. For questions, email yamos@riversideepicenter.com.

Kennesaw – Community Volunteer Day, 9 a.m. – noon at Smith Gilbert Gardens, 2382 Pine Mountain Road, Kennesaw. Garden entryway beautification project. Project coordinators will lead volunteers in cleaning up the front entryway off Pine Mountain Road into the Gardens and plant new annuals. Register here.

Marietta will celebrate the enduring legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a parade and ceremony organized by Cobb County Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Al Tariq Temple No. 245, and Al Tariq Court No. 228.

This celebratory parade will trace a route that allows participants to pay tribute to Dr. King’s vision of unity and equality. Participants will begin at 350 Lemon Street at 1 p.m. and march to the Marietta Square.

Metro Atlanta – Hands On Atlanta MLK Days of Service opportunities – find events and volunteer in metro Atlanta

National parks – Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a free entry day at all national parks, including Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb government seeks opting out of homestead exemption law

by

Cobb government seeks opting out of homestead exemption law

The Cobb Board of Commissioners will hold three public hearings by the end of February after announcing it plans to opt out of a new Georgia ad valorem homestead exemption law.

The county is one of several local jurisdictions—including the City of Marietta and Marietta City Schools—that is pursuing the opt-out.

HB 581 was passed by the Georgia General Assembly in 2024, and state voters approved enabling legislation in a November referendum to establish a statewide floating homestead exemption.

Those exemptions apply to counties, school districts and municipalities, and would place a cap on property tax rates based on an inflation rate set by the Georgia Department of Revenue.

In a release sent out Wednesday by Cobb government, the county said it declared its intent to opt out of the new law because the county “currently has a floating homestead exemption which provides a greater benefit to taxpayers.”

The statement did not elaborate. Cobb offers a floating homestead exemption to property owners that does not change as long as their own their home.

The rate on a floating exemption in the new law would be set to the previous year’s rate of inflation and locks in a home’s valuation for up to three years.

Local bodies can also impose an additional sales tax to make up for lost revenue from a capped tax rate under HB 581.

The law was passed following concerns about dramatic property tax rate increases due to soaring assessments during periods of high inflation.

In passing the fiscal year 2025 Cobb budget in July, commissioners declined to “roll back” the general fund millage rate despite concerted pleas from the public.

HB 581 contains an opt-out clause for local jurisdictions, but they must adopt a resolution to do so after holding three public hearings that must also be publicly advertised.

They also must announce their intent to seek the opt-out by March 1. The Cobb County School District has not announced whether it may also seek the same process.

The biggest chunk of local property tax rates in Cobb are for school taxes. In Cobb, homeowners over the age of 62 can apply for a senior exemption.

In announcing its intent to opt-out of HB 581, Marietta City Schools said this week that “the legislation could result in significant funding reductions for local school systems, potentially impacting classroom instruction, teacher retention, and school programs. Opting out of the exemption will allow the Board of Education to continue making financial decisions that align with the needs and priorities of the Marietta community.”

 

The dates Cobb commissioners have set for those hearings are Tuesday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m.; Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 9 a.m. and Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.

The board is scheduled to vote on the opt-out resolution at its regular meeting on Feb. 25.

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up and you’re good to go!

Richardson resumes seat as Cobb commission drama continues

by
Richardson resumes seat as Cobb commission drama continues
“This fight was never about me but about protecting American values,” Commissioner Jerica Richardson said.

The day after filing a last-gap appeal to stay in office for a little while longer, Jerica Richardson took her familiar seat on the dais of the Cobb Board of Commissioners Tuesday.

After a Cobb judge ruled on Dec. 31 that she must vacate her seat, the District 2 commissioner got a reprieve on Monday when she appealed that ruling to the Georgia Court of Appeals.

That means that the ruling by Judge Ann Harris to vacate the seat is stayed during the appeal. The Georgia Court of Appeals has 30 days to decide whether to hear the appeal.

Richardson was appealing a decision by her colleagues last summer to vacate the seat after Harris ruled that she did not live within the boundaries of District 2 and therefore was ineligible.

On Tuesday, she cast votes from a short roster of agenda items and introduced a new assistant.

Richardson’s term expired on Dec. 31, as did the term of District 4 Commissioner Monique Sheffield. But special elections have been called after another court ruling invalidating 2024 primaries in those races after county-observed “home rule” electoral maps were ruled unconstitutional.

But a two-year drama over those maps, and who’s legally qualified to serve on the board now, continues.

At the board’s first meeting of the year Tuesday, all four district commissioners read from prepared statements.

Richardson, a Democrat who was drawn out of her East Cobb home in legislative maps passed in 2022, said she was continuing her legal battle because of “precedent”—Republican Cobb lawmakers pushing through maps not submitted by the county delegation—and for being reapportioned during the middle of her term.

The Georgia Constitution delegates county reapportionment only to the legislature. Cobb’s “home rule” claims to draw electoral maps, Harris ruled last fall, violated that Constitution.

Richardson labeled herself a “de facto commissioner” as the appeal continues, and with her successor to be determined by the end of April (She unsuccessfully ran for Congress last year).

“Some would say that’s unacceptable, to take this seat on the dais,” she said. “I would say that having 200,000 people not represented for nearly half the year is unacceptable. I would say that the right of the General Assembly to remove elected officials at any point in their term is unacceptable. I would say that overturning elections is unacceptable.”

She said that “this fight was never about me but about protecting American values.”

Richardson’s old District 2 included a portion of East Cobb. But most of East Cobb is now represented by District 3 Republican JoAnn Birrell.

While she still thinks it’s unfair that Richardson was redrawn out of her seat, Birrell said the court rulings have been clear that she’s no no longer eligible to serve.

“When will this stop? Enough is enough. Taxpayers should be furious of the time spent and the cost involved by the county in these actions.”

She said she didn’t it was right for Richardson to continue to serve past the end of her term and because the courts have ruled her to be ineligible.

“It’s time to put an end to ignoring the Constitution and the laws of this state and the county and go back to the real business of the county at hand.”

Republican Commissioner Keli Gambrill of North Cobb said “Welcome of Cobb County’s J 6″—a reference to the January date in 2021 when supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol to stop the Electoral College process.

Gambrill, whose initial lawsuit challenging the “home rule” maps was thrown out due to a lack of standing, objected to the Cobb County Attorney’s Office unilaterally concluding that one commissioner is “ruled de facto.”

“There are no laws that govern de facto status, those have only been awarded by judges based on legal challenges,” she said.

“Because of an unconstitutional home rule resolution, the chair of the Cobb Board of Commissioners is now extending the term of commissioners.”

Sheffield is a Democrat who won her primary in May and has qualified for the special election in District 4 in South Cobb.”

She said that during the two years of the home rule maps, commissioners made a number of important decisions, including the current fiscal year 2025 budget with improved salaries and benefits for public safety personnel.

“Were there any gaps in the efficiency of the county?” she said. “Were we able to move the county forward? For me that answer is yes.”

She disputed assertions that she was wrongfully occupying her seat past the end of her term, saying state allow allows for a continuation until a special election is decided.

“The role is temporary and tied to a proper transition,” in this case a special election meant to bridge a gap, Sheffield added.

Democratic Chairwoman Lisa Cupid, presiding over her first meeting since being re-elected in November, didn’t offer her thoughts, but said “the public was due an explanation as to why we are here the way we are today.”

You can watch all the comments on the issue on the video below, starting around the 20:00 mark.

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up and you’re good to go!

Cobb government seeks feedback in ‘brand equity’ survey

by

From Cobb County government:Cobb County Government logo

We’re conducting a survey to understand how the community perceives the value of Cobb County Government services. Your feedback will help us evaluate the strengths of our image, identify areas for improvement, and ensure we continue to meet the needs of the community.

The survey, located here, should take just a few minutes to complete, and your responses will remain confidential. We greatly appreciate your input!

Related:

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up and you’re good to go!