Juneteenth marks the ending of slavery throughout the nation at the end of the Civil War. On June 19, 1865, nearly two years after President Abraham Lincoln emancipated enslaved Africans in America, Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, with the news. More than 250,000 African Americans embraced freedom by executive decree in what became known as Juneteenth or Freedom Day.
Cobb County Government offices will be closed Wednesday, June 19, in honor of the holiday.
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!
Outgoing Cobb commissioner Jerica Richardson said “we’ve found as many compromises as possible” for the long-planned Lower Roswell Road traffic project.
Despite community pleas in opposition and a local district commissioner saying it’s not needed, the Cobb Board of Commissioners voted along party lines Tuesday to start on the long-planned Lower Roswell Road traffic project.
The 3-2 vote for a $7 million contract also was matched by similar votes to begin condemnation proceedings with two property owners and to begin preliminary utility relocation work.
Nearly $11 million has been budgeted in 2011 Cobb SPLOST funds for the project, which would add turn lanes, install a multi-use trail and make other changes along Lower Roswell between Woodlawn Drive and Davidson Road.
It’s been delayed for more than a decade, including in February, when a first vote was tabled by commissioners following community opposition.
The project would take two years to complete, and business owners told commissioners in February the median remains “a bad idea.”
Cobb commissioners approved a conceptual plan in 2022. Further public feedback prompted DOT later in 2022 to redesign the project, including removal of a planned bike path and expanding a multi-use trail.
DOT officials said the project is necessary primarily to reduce crashes in the area.
The board’s three Democrats, including Jerica Richardson of District 2 in East Cobb, voted in favor on all three matters, while the two Republicans voted against.
One of them, JoAnn Birrell of District 3 in East Cobb, said there’s a reason one of her former colleagues—now-retired District 2 Commissioner Bob Ott—never brought the Lower Roswell Road project to a vote.
She said feedback she’s received against the project is “overwhelming,” estimating that to be 10-1 from messages, open houses and at meetings.
“I can’t support this,” Birrell said, “especially putting businesses out. It’s taken 14 years to come back.”
There have been numerous delays and redesigns, and objections from business owners to a median on Lower Roswell between Johnson Ferry and Davidson.
Keli Gambrill, a Republican from District 1 in North Cobb, said she doubted there’s enough funding left from a SPLOST 13 years ago to complete the Lower Roswell Road project.
She held up the proposed Cobb Mobility SPLOST project list, noting that the estimated costs totaled on that list exceed the estimated $11.2 billion that would be collected if the referendum passes in November.
Among the bus routes that would be added would be one along Johnson Ferry Road between Merchants Walk and the Dunwoody MARTA Station.
“This whole project flies in the face of promises made‚yes by a previous board to the business owners in that area,” Gambrill said. “I don’t think the county is being honest with the citizens . . . not knowing what the M-SPLOST is also planning to do with this area.”
Richardson said the two issues are not related, and that “we’ve found as many compromises as possible” to accommodate business owners.
A citizen opposed to the project, Leroy Emkin, said there have been 27 crashes along that area of Lower Roswell in the last decade, according to DOT figures, suggesting that roughly six crashes a year shouldn’t justify a median.
But Cobb DOT Director Drew Raessler has repeated previous statements that there were 40 crashes from 2009 and 2016 that could have been prevented with a median.
Pamela Reardon, an East Cobb resident running to succeed Richardson, blasted the vote afterward, saying that the 30 businesses that will be affected “have not had a voice, even though this board says they have.
“This is a useless project. It’s a waste of time. It’s a waste of money.”
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“Let’s give the voters the opportunity to decide,” Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said.
Cobb commissioners voted along party lines Tuesday to place a long-term transit sales tax referendum on the November general election ballot.
It will be up to voters to decide if they want to tax themselves for 30 years and collect nearly $11 billion to build out a comprehensive bus-centered system, including restoration of previous routes in East Cobb that were eliminated more than a decade ago.
The commission’s three Democrats voted in favor of putting the Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax on the ballot, while the two Republicans voted against.
If approved, the one-percent tax would increase the amount of sales taxes paid in Cobb from six to seven percent. Cobb DOT would build out a countywide bus transit system, including high-capacity routes and transfer stations, adding 108 miles.
Here’s how the referendum will be worded on the November ballot:
The Atlanta Regional Commission estimates that Cobb’s population in 2025 will approach one million.
Those in favor of the tax say that relieving congestion and providing transportation for those without vehicles is necessary for economic and quality of life, especially seniors and those who are financially challenged.
Among the priorities is re-establishing a bus route through the heart of East Cobb, from Marietta and along Roswell Road to the Johnson Ferry Road area, where a transit center would be built.
Bus routes to Roswell and the MARTA Dunwoody Station would link with the East Cobb transit center in the Merchants Walk area, according to the project list (you can read it here).
Chairwoman Lisa Cupid, in calling the opportunity to expand public transportation in Cobb “transformational,” implored her colleagues to let citizens decide their future.
“What it comes down to is do we perceive that the future is worth it?” Cupid said. “That the opportunity is worth it? Yes, the details do matter, but the opportunity and the vision also matter.”
But Commissioner JoAnn Birrell of District 3 in East Cobb repeated her objection to the duration of the tax, compared to other Cobb SPLOST collections ranging from four to six years.
“I can’t support binding not just future boards for 30 years but citizens, kids and grandchildren,” she said. “They’ll be paying that.”
Cobb DOT Director Drew Raessler explained that the 30-year length of the cost is due to the substantial operational costs that will be involved, and that the longer collection period would qualify for federal matching funds.
In order to provide “sustainable funding,” he said, a transit program needs “to have that consistent resource,” Raessler said.
If the tax is approved, Cobb would take out revenue bonds totalling $11 billion to get the program started. Once the collections roll in, the major routes would be built out and the bonds be repaid. With federal funds, Cobb could spend nearly $15 billion overall for the transit expansion.
Raessler estimated that most of that work would be finished within the first decade. Cobb would be able to fund all transit operations with the sales tax, instead of paying for the Cobb Community Transit system costs as it does now, through the county’s general fund.
Earlier this year, the MDJ reported that ridership across the overall Cobb bus system has plummeted from 3.7 million annual trips in 2014 to just under 1 million trips in 2022, and that the decline began well before COVID-19.
The county estimates that average daily ridership on the transit system could surpass 40,000 by 2025, near the end of the sales tax period. Currently, that figure is only around 3,000 riders a day.
Citizens spoke in public comment periods on both sides of the issue, but most of the supporters addressed the board before the vote, and opponents against (commissioners hold two separate public comment periods, and speakers speak in order of when they sign up).
Jim Kerr of East Cobb, who has lived in a home near Wheeler High School for 52 years, said “it’s time to think long-term about transportation in Cobb County.”
He said that while he will benefit little from a decision to approve a sales tax for transit, “I know that Cobb is becoming older and more diverse and that’s not going to change . . . Not in my backyard fails to recognize that we are all in this together. ”
Kennesaw resident Alicia Adams said a 30-year tax poses too much uncertainty, especially for people struggling to pay their bills now.
Alicia Adams of Kennesaw, who is legally challenging her disqualification for the District 2 commission race, said wasn’t speaking for or against the tax, but sympathized with citizens who are struggling with those making ends meet.
“Right now, there are a lot of families that can barely make their rent and pay for groceries,” she said. “And you’re asking them to pay additional money.
“Do I care about those who can’t get around? The seniors? Yes, I care,” she said. “But we’ve got to do it in a way that’s not invasive.
“Are we willing to put our children, our future at stake for 30 years of uncertainty?”
Cobb DOT officials will soon roll out public information and “education” sessions before the referendum. It also must provide a ridership survey ahead of the vote, as directed by the ATL, the Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority.
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!
The Cobb Transit Tax Advisory Board has endorsed putting a referendum on the November ballot for a 30-year transit tax in Cobb County.
Cobb commissioners on Tuesday are expected to take action on an agenda item to ask voters for approval of what’s being called the Cobb Mobility SPLOST (Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax).
The advisory board’s endorsement, plus a recommendation from the ATL, the Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority this week, were the final requirements before commissioners can formally consider putting a referendum to the public.
Another prerequisite was releasing a project list for the proposed 30-year, one-percent sales tax, which would collect an estimated $11 billion to build out a countywide bus transit system, including high-capacity routes and transfer stations.
Among the priorities is re-establishing a bus route through the heart of East Cobb, from Marietta and along Roswell Road to the Johnson Ferry Road area, where a transit center would be built.
Bus routes to Roswell and the MARTA Dunwoody Station would link with the East Cobb transit center, according to the project list (you can read it here).
There hasn’t been a public bus route in East Cobb since a previous Roswell Road route, and another linking to Dunwoody, were discontinued in the early 2010s when commissioners made recession-related budget cuts.
If the referendum is approved, it would restore bus service to East Cobb that was eliminated in county government budget cuts during the recession.
At the time, that route, bus line No. 65, had one of the lowest ridership figures in the Cobb Community Transit system.
The only CobbLinc route in the East Cobb area for now is along Powers Ferry Road.
Cobb DOT officials haven’t estimated any ridership numbers for the proposed routes.
But last month, commissioners approved the spending of $23,000 for a consultant to provide ridership projections. Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. also is being paid $287,000 by the county to develop an education program for the public ahead of the referendum.
Earlier this year, the MDJ reported that ridership across the overall Cobb bus system has plummeted from 3.7 million annual trips in 2014 to just under 1 million trips in 2022, and that the decline began well before COVID-19.
But commissioners are likely to approve placing the referendum on the Nov. 5. Democrats hold a 3-2 majority, and the two Republicans have said a 30-year tax is too long.
ATL required Cobb to conduct a ridership survey, and at this week’s meeting projected an average ridership of more than 40,000 a week, a substantial increase from current figures.
In remarks this week at the ATL meeting, Lamberton said that “sadly, without that requirement, there is no doubt in my mind that the County would not provide those projections—which I regard as bizarre given the scope and length of the proposed tax increase. I say this because I and other concerned citizens have repeatedly been asking for that information and have been completely stonewalled by the County.”
He wanted a different firm from Kimley-Horn to do the projections, citing a conflict of interest.
“My concern is that data can be manipulated to produce ridership forecasts designed to support specific agendas such as persuading the public to endorse an increased sales tax over the next 30 years,” he said.
Cobb has cited Atlanta Regional Commission estimates that the county will have a population of more than one million people by 2050, compared to more than 766,000 in the 2020 census.
As Brad Humphry, a a mobility member of Commissioner Jerica Richardson’s citizen “cabinet” said last fall at a town hall meeting in East Cobb, “We’re in the transit environment that was envisioned 30 years ago.
“The opportunity is now to envision the transit system of the future.”
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 officials said Tuesday that more than 12 million gallons of wastewater were released from the Cobb County Water System’s Northwest Water Reclamation facility last week that “did not fully” meet its standards.
A release said that 6.46 million gallons were released on May 21 and another 5.7 million gallons on May 22, but that the wastewater had been treated and “will not impact drinking water supplies.”
Cobb Water officials on Tuesday declared the wastewater to be below standards, per Georgia Environmental Protection Division criteria, after receiving routine compliance sampling results, but they didn’t elaborate.
“CCWS operations staff are investigating the cause but report that the plant is operating normally,” according to the release, which added that upstream and downstream water quality testing has begun in the discharge location around the lake.
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 offices will be closed in observance of Memorial Day, May 27. Many county services will remain available online through cobbcounty.org. Memorial Day is a solemn time when we remember and honor those who died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Memorial Day ceremonies in Cobb:
• Pay your respects at noon Monday at the Marietta National Cemetery, 500 Washington Avenue NE.
• Powder Springs Memorial Day Ceremony will be at noon Monday at the Veteran’s Memorial in front of the Powder Springs Library, 4181 Atlanta Street, Powder Springs.
• Smyrna Memorial Day Ceremony is scheduled for 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. Monday at the Veterans Memorial next to City Hall, 2800 King Street SE, Smyrna.
• Acworth Memorial Day Ceremony is 10 – 11 a.m. Monday at Cauble Park, Patriots Point, 4425 Beach Street, Acworth.
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 commissioners on Tuesday approved spending $23,000 for a consultant to provide ridership projections for proposed projects listed for the county’s transit tax referendum that’s on the November general election ballot.
Along party lines, commissioners voted 3-2 to authorize Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. to do the ridership projections. They also voted to formally submit the project list for the Cobb Mobility SPLOST (Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax) to the Transit Link Authority of metro Atlanta, a prerequisite for the referendum.
The proposed 30-year, one-percent sales tax would collect an estimated $11 billion, primarily for building out a high-capacity bus transit system in the county, and increase other transit operations.
They include restoring a two-pronged bus line between the Marietta Transfer Station and the Roswell Road-Johnson Ferry area, and from there to the Dunwoody MARTA Station.
Another local bus route would connect East Cobb and Roswell, but route specifics haven’t been released.
There also would be an East Cobb Transit Center constructed, but a specific site has not been determined.
Nor were details included in the project sheet (you can read it here) that would designate a Northeast Cobb microtransit zone.
If the referendum is approved, it would restore bus service to East Cobb that was eliminated in county government budget cuts during the recession.
At the time, that route, bus line No. 65, had one of the lowest ridership figures in the Cobb Community Transit system.
Cobb DOT officials haven’t estimated any ridership numbers for the proposed routes.
Earlier this year, the MDJ reported that ridership across the overall Cobb bus system has plummeted from 3.7 million annual trips in 2014 to just under 1 million trips in 2022, and that the decline began well before COVID-19.
A total of $6 billion from the referendum would be used to build out and expand “high capacity” transit, including the East Cobb route.
Most of the projects on the newly released list are in South Cobb and areas of the county along the I-75 corridor, including Marietta and around Town Center and Kennesaw State University, as well as the Cumberland area and Truist Park.
Also on the project list is a proposed shuttle that would run between the Cumberland area and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
During their discussion, Republican commissioners JoAnn Birrell and Keli Gambrill said they weren’t clear whether the transit resolutions needed four of five votes from the commission to be approved.
Commissioners adopted new rules in March requiring a four-fifths vote for resolutions, but the county attorney’s office said that any item coming before the vote needs only a simple majority.
Other more formal resolutions need a fourth vote, but Birrell and Gambrill—both of whom oppose a 30-year-transit tax—voted against both measures Tuesday.
Kimley-Horn also is being paid $287,000 by the county to develop an education program for the public ahead of the referendum.
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 property tax notices have gone out this week, and assessments are going up again.
The Cobb Tax Assessor’s Office is holding special information sessions starting next week to provide assistance and information to taxpayers who may be thinking of appealing their assessments.
The first of those sessions takes place Tuesday, May 14, from 6-8 p.m. at East Cobb Library (4880 Lower Roswell Road). Another session there takes place at the same time on June 4.
Sessions continue during the appeal season in June, including on June 3 and 10 at the Mountain View Regional Library (3320 Sandy Plains Road) from 6-8 p.m.
Cobb Tax Assessor Stephen White is projecting a 7.5 percent increase in the Cobb tax digest from 2023, when it rose by 13 percent.
The estimated Cobb tax digest is expected to surpass $60 billion for the first time, following a record 2023 tax digest of around $55 billion.
“The real estate market is still moving forward in Cobb County,” but not as much as the last two years, White said in an interview with Cobb government spokesman Ross Cavitt (you can watch it here).
Cobb properties to be revaluated this year are indicated in blue. For a larger view, click here.
“I don’t see them as accelerating as fast as in the prior years.”
That may not be much of a consolation for homeowners who have seen their assessments skyrocket in recent years, and without a millage rate rollback by the Cobb Board of Commissioners.
“Instead of going through 65 miles an hour last year, we’re going through 35,” is how White described the somewhat cooling effect of the assessments.
The digest projection guides commissioners during the budget process, which takes place over the summer. The Cobb government fiscal year 2025 runs from Oct. 1, 2024 through Sept. 30, 2024.
The 2024 assessment notices are based on valuations during calendar year 2023.
For the county as a whole, the average home sales price last year was $477,783, an increase from $457,065 in 2022.
But that average price jumped even higher in the two years before that, from $346,715 in 2020 to $400,799 in 2021.
By comparison, the 2019 average was $319,454.
State law requires counties and cities to provide annual updates on the fair market value of residential and commercial properties.
Revaluations take place in selected neighborhoods (seen in the blue on the map), and White said that figure this year is 140,000 properties.
White said only a small number of taxpayers—less than 3 percent—file appeals, and he anticipates fewer numbers will do so this year.
Property owners can find their assessment notices on the Cobb Tax Assessor’s website.
Each notice has a deadline date to make an appeal, and those appeals should be postmarked by no later deadline to appeal date.
Taxpayers also go go in person to the Cobb Tax Assessor’s office, 736 Whitlock Avenue, Marietta, to file an appeal.
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!
As of May 6, 2024, we have a new billing system with a new Customer Self-Service portal.
This portal has enhanced features including the ability to submit online requests for: senior discounts, water service, payment plans, leak adjustments, general adjustments, etc. To make online requests please visit our new Customer Self-Service Portal: https://ccw-css.cobbcounty.org.
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!
The Cobb County Water System is currently transitioning to a new online customer account service system. ALL online services, including billing and payment systems, will be unavailable from Monday afternoon, April 29 through Monday, May 6. During this time, we will have no access to customer accounts. For more information, visit cobbcounty.org/water/customer-service/request-service.
You can still make a cash or check payment in person at 660 South Cobb Drive, Marietta. This payment will not be applied to the account until the new system is available. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
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!
Attention high school students interested in getting more involved in their community — The Atlanta Regional Commission offers an exciting opportunity just for you. The Model Atlanta Regional Commission (MARC) is a youth leadership program designed to explore the planning challenges facing our region. Through engaging activities and discussions with peers who share your interests, you’ll delve into topics like transportation, sustainability, and community development.
MARC is open to rising 10th and 11th graders who live or go to school in the 11-county Atlanta region (Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, and Rockdale counties, as well as the city of Atlanta).
Apply now before the May 3 deadline. This program is completely free, but spots are limited, so don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity.
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!
The Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday voted unanimously to name the county government’s main office building on the Marietta Square in honor of late Cobb County Manager David Hankerson.
Commissioners also issued a proclamation to Hankerson’s family during their Tuesday business meeting, and the Atlanta Braves contributed an honorary jersey with his name, and signed by the team.
Hankerson was the Cobb County Manager for 24 years. During his tenure, Cobb continued its designation with AAA national bond ratings, completed the construction of the East-West Connector and opened the new Atlanta Braves stadium and The Battery Atlanta.
Hankerson also started the Public Safety Make-A-Wish 5K and was instrumental in developing the county’s Safety Village.
“David truly loved Cobb County,” Hankerson’s widow, Janet Hankerson said. “Knowing David, he is looking down upon us with a big smile on his face acknowledging this proclamation.”
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 Director Helen Poyer (holding check) with staff. Cobb government photos.
Submitted information and photos:
It was the best of times; It was more of the best of times as the Cobb Library System celebrated being named the 2023 Georgia Library of the Year by the Georgia Public Library Service. In honor of the award, the Board of Commissioners proclaimed April 11, 2024, as Cobb County Public Library Day.
There was even more to celebrate because it’s also National Library Week. We celebrate that Cobb’s libraries provide more services than ever before. They are resource centers, education centers, creative centers and community centers where everyone can come and interact.
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 commissioners on Tuesday will consider a request to relocate an 1840s-era cabin off Post Oak Tritt Road to the Hyde Farm facility in East Cobb.
An agenda item states that the badly deteriorating Power-Jackson Cabin would be moved to Hyde Farm off Lower Roswell Road near the Chattahoochee River, where it would be restored as part of a continuing 19th century working farm.
Cobb PARKS said it’s recommending that Leatherwood Inc., a Tennessee-based company that restored 13 structures at Hyde Farm in 2014, perform the restoration of the Power-Jackson Cabin.
The cost to do so would be $321,000 in 2011 SPLOST funds earmarked for Hyde Park restoration projects. Commissioners would have to vote separately to approve that contract.
“As a collaborative community effort, moving the cabin to and restoring the cabin at Hyde Farm honors the history of Cobb County by saving this valuable historic asset,” the agenda item states.
Cobb Landmarks, a Marietta-based historic preservation non-profit, has raised more than $65,000 to pay for relocation expenses for the Power-Jackson Cabin.
Hyde Farm, which includes 136 acres and 42 acres run by the county, is where another Power family cabin exists. Last year, commissioners approved a resolution for the county to submit an application for Hyde Farm to be included on the National Register of Historic Places.
A property near Hyde Farm, the George Abner Power House, which also dates to the 1840s, is owned by Cobb Landmarks and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.
The Power-Jackson Cabin, possibly built before 1840 by farmer William Power, is located on 13 undeveloped acres on Post Oak Tritt Road near McPherson Road that was part of a recent zoning case.
Landowner Kenneth B. Clary sought rezoning for a single-family subdivision, but issues over the cabin and possible Power family burials complicated the issue.
Clary later withdrew the rezoning request, and his family agreed to allow Cobb Landmarks to remove the cabin.
Last week Cobb Landmarks said it’s working with University of West Georgia to perform dendrochronology (the study of tree rings) on the logs, which could help determine when the trees were cut down to construct the cabin.
“This is part of our ongoing effort to better understand and preserve the cabin,” Cobb Landmarks said.
The full agenda for Tuesday’s meeting can be viewed by clicking here; the meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta).
You also can watch on the county’s website and YouTube channels and on Cobb TV 23 on Comcast Cable.
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!
The Cobb Water System sent out the following message Monday morning:
We’re currently transitioning to a new online customer account service system. ALL online services, including billing and payment systems, will be unavailable from Monday afternoon, 04/01/2024 through Thursday, 04/04/2024. During this time, we will have no access to customer accounts.
You can still make cash or check payments in person at 660 South Cobb Drive, Marietta. We apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you for your patience.
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!
Days after the Cobb Board of Commissioners voted to delay imposing a stormwater fee, the chairman of the Cobb Board of Education blasted the proposed changes, saying they would they would be “grossly unfair” to taxpaying school parents.
Randy Scamihorn
Republican Randy Scamihorn said in “Just the Facts,” his occasional column, that the fee would “add to the monthly bills of hardworking parents and, again, apparently, schools across our county.”
The Cobb Water Sytem’s proposal would switch how customers are charged for stormwater services.
Currently, the charges are based on the amount of water consumption. The county wants to charge according to the amount of impervious surfaces of a building and property.
While homeowners have been most vocal in protesting what they call a “rain tax,” the impervious surface change would mean that commercial and institutional customers would be paying a larger share than they do now.
That prompted protests from the Cobb Chamber of Commerce last week.
Scamihorn wrote that “for our families who already live on a tight budget, this additional ‘fee’ on their already strained finances is grossly unfair.
“I’ve raised the impact this fee would have on our schools a number of times with district leaders,” Scamihorn wrote.
“Unfortunately, our staff does not have enough information from the Commissioners to know how much money would be taken from classrooms, but they know it would mean fewer dollars for teachers and students. We also know our schools could have been made legally exempt, but they weren’t.”
The Cobb County School District posted the message on social media channels and sent out a separate e-mail with Scamihorn’s remarks Friday.
Cobb government spokesman Ross Cavitt told East Cobb News Friday that as far as he knows, any specifics of the financial impact to the Cobb County School District haven’t been discussed, including a fee exemption.
Cavitt added it “that it is an irresponsible use of taxpayer dollars to allow an elected official to express a personal opinion through taxpayer-funded communications channels.”
After a contentious, hours-long hearing on Tuesday, Cobb commissioners voted to delay taking up a stormwater vote, and called for more public hearings to take place in August.
Among the issues is the uncertainty over how much more commercial and institutional customers would be charged for stormwater services.
Cobb Water System Director Judy Jones has indicated in various presentations that a majority of residential customers would pay between $2 to $4 a month for a dedicated stormwater utility fee and the commercial and institutional customers would pay up to $21 a month.
Those institutional customers include churches, schools and other non-profit organizations.
“After consulting with our legal team, we believe this bizarre ‘stormwater fee’ will be imposed upon schools, as well as the thousands of acres on which your schools are built,” Scamihorn wrote.
“The reality is that every school dollar taken for stormwater management is a dollar taken away from our children’s futures. . . . I know I speak for the majority of the Board when I point out that the latest proposal being brought forward by Cobb Commission Chair Lisa Cupid is fraught with problems for our schools and our parents.
“I’m not telling you how to vote; I’m telling you what is and isn’t good for our schools and Cobb’s children.”
On the Cobb school district’s Facebook page, some citizens pushed back against Scamihorn’s comments.
Laura Judge of East Cobb, a Democratic candidate for the Post 5 school board seat, noted that talks with commissioners about the stormwater fee have been “bipartisan, heated and long. That’s why one of my hopes as a future board member is to work with the other layers of government. Not start a blog bashing them.”
“I hope that as a possible member I can say that if our board chair is concerned, now the commission vote has been delayed, he’ll reach out to our commissioners and the school community to set up an education townhall about this rainfall fee.”
Another commenter found it ironic that Scamihorn was complaining of “yet another threat to dollars that belong in the classroom” when he signed off on spending $50 million for special events center for the school district, amid an “ongoing staffing and maintenance budget burden. . . . What a joke, Mr. Scamihorn. What an absolute joke.”
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“What we have is a really great start,” Commissioner Jerica Richardson said in pushing for a delay on a stormwater fee vote.
After hours of often contentious public comment from citizens and business leaders and a lengthy discussion among themselves, the Cobb Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to delay action on a stormwater fee in the county.
The clock was approaching midnight when the 5-0 was cast, as commissioners decided to hear more from the public as county officials make revisions and develop other materials for implementation.
The vote included two more public hearings in August, with tentative action scheduled for Aug. 27.
Despite pleas from Chairwoman Lisa Cupid to address the matter now, she later made a motion to table following District 2 Commissioner Jerica Richardson’s insistence that stakeholders sessions be conducted to go over what she called “a big issue . . . but it’s complex.”
She’s been at the center of efforts to address stormwater issues in the wake of September 2021 floods that damaged the homes and properties of many East Cobb residents, some of whom were left to pay for repairs themselves.
Richardson said it’s important for the county to be proactive, rather than reactive, to stormwater issues. “It’s only going to get worse if we don’t do something,” she said.
But, she added, “what we have is a really great start.”
The stormwater proposal would change how residential and commercial customers are billed—currently based on water usage—to the amount of impervious surface on a property.
The dedicated stormwater fee would be used to upgrade aging pipes and clear an extensive backlog of orders. Cobb Water System Director Judy Jones said the $8.4 million annual budget for stormwater services isn’t enough to do that, and to hire crews to do the work.
The typical stormwater fee would range from $2 to $12 a month for most residential customers, in addition to their existing water and sewer charges. Roughly two-thirds of residential customers would pay $4 or less a month, according to her presentation.
Commercial and institutional customers could pay up to $21 a month.
Since an initial public hearing two weeks ago, commissioners have been getting an earful from citizens, including at several town halls across the county.
On Tuesday, they renewed their calls at least for a delayed vote, saying what the county has presented isn’t adequate. Others threatened to take action with their votes in the upcoming primaries.
On occasion there was heckling and interruptions, and Cupid issued numerous warnings. At one point, she called for a recess and threatened those making outbursts with being removed from the meeting room.
“Table this, and better educate the citizens,” South Cobb resident Dani Wilson said. “May 21 [primary day] can’t get here fast enough.”
Becky Klein
East Cobb resident Becky Klein, whose property was heavily damaged by the 2021 floods, said she had to make $100,000 in repairs to her home and property after a stormwater pipe in her yard that fed into Sope Creek failed, creating a sinkhole and crushing a culvert.
Klein said the county declared it wasn’t responsible and that a stormwater plat of her property was incorrectly omitted from the county’s records.
“I do not agree that the county can pick and choose which pipes to maintain,” she said. “Please table this; voting yes would cause further hardship for this.”
Other complaint referenced taxing and spending matters by the county that included last year’s budget without a millage rate rollback; a referendum in November for a 30-year transit tax; and commission redistricting maps that are currently before the Georgia Supreme Court.
“This isn’t a Republican or Democratic issue, it’s not a black-white issue, or a male-female issue,” said Sheila Edwards of South Cobb, who is challenging Cupid in the Democratic primary. “It’s a common-sense issue.”
More recently, the Cobb Chamber of Commerce asked for a delay in a vote on a stormwater fee and for the Cobb Water System “to provide data and information on the impact of the stormwater fee on commercial property owners.”
The Chamber said in the letter it was not consulted beforehand by the county, and noted that commercial property owners are required to maintain their own stormwater facilities, unlike many homeowners.
“We fear that the current proposal will discourage private commercial development, harming our community’s ability to attract jobs and investment,” the letter said. “We also fear that a stormwater utility will drive up the cost for redevelopment making it even more difficult to spur redevelopment in areas of Cobb County such as South Cobb and our major commercial centers.”
During a discussion period, Commissioner JoAnn Birrell of District 3 in East Cobb said “this isn’t ready for a vote tonight. It needs some more work.”
She’s been opposed to a stormwater fee as long as the county diverts a fraction of water system revenues—currently 6 percent, or $15 million—to the general fund.
Jones said of that $15 million, only around $500,000 are from stormwater revenues.
Cupid said the stormwater proposal isn’t a “panacea,” but repeated a claim she’s made often, dating to. her time as a district commissioner in South Cobb.
“The argument will be that it’s not the right time,” she said. “This has been on the table for almost two decades and we’ve seen stormwater issues continue to get worse. It further places the burden on our future.”
When Richardson initially called for a delay, Cupid told her “we’ve been discussing this for two years.”
Richardson replied, “I understand . . . but I’m passionate about this. We have to make sure that [citizen input] is incorporated into what we’re voting on.”
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Cobb County Government offices will be closed Friday, March 29. 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, March 31, for Easter.
Information and many services remain available 24 hours a day online at cobbcounty.org.
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 commissioner JoAnn Birrell—who has expressed opposition to the measure—and Cobb Water System director Judy Jones presided at the Tim D. Lee Center.
Some of the several dozen or so citizens who attended occasionally interrupted. A question-and-answer period was at times difficult to keep under control.
Amid cries of “rain tax” and concerns over a service fee being imposed when Cobb voters will be asked to approve a 30-year transit tax in November, the sense of anger was evident.
“You’re coming for our money!” shouted East Cobb resident Hill Wright, who’s been a vocal critic of the stormwater fee and is part of a group opposing it called CobbTaxRevolt.com.
He added that “they”—meaning county commissioners—”want us to pay, instead of them prioritizing their spending.”
Hill Wright
A few others apologized to Jones, telling them she wasn’t the person they’re upset with.
Jones patiently explained that stormwater charges are included on water and sewer bills, and for the need to bill them separately so that the aging system can be upgraded and properly maintained.
The fee has been suggested since damaging floods in 2021 that affected many homeowners in East Cobb, some of whom were saddled paying for expensive repairs.
“The way we’re charging now, residential customers are paying more than commercial customers,” she said. “I’m trying to fix that. But I have to have more money to do that. The way we do it now is not equitable.”
Cobb commissioners will be asked next Tuesday to do that, and to approve a dedicated fee that Jones said could range from $2 to $12 a month for most residential customers. Roughly two-thirds of residential customers would pay $4 or less a month, according to her presentation.
The proposed code amendments include basing that charge on the amount of impervious surfaces, which she said would mean commercial customers typically would be charged more.
Stormwater services are handled by the water department to the tune of $8.4 million a year, a figure Jones said isn’t enough to do what’s needed.
“It takes money to do this work,” she noted, adding that her own department doesn’t have dedicated stormwater repair crews. They’re contracted out, but some private companies on occasion decline the work.
The Cobb Water System for years has transferred some of its revenues to the county general fund—currently 6 percent, around $15 million.
Birrell said she cannot support a fee as long as that continues, and East Cobb resident Larry Savage blamed her colleagues.
“The Board of Commissioners refused to fund this thing because they had other priorities, and that has to change,” he said.
He was followed by East Cobb civic activist Debbie Fisher, who said that “we’re being taxed enough already.”
She rattled off other factors, such as increased density, for growing stormwater problems, mentioning the new MarketPlace Terrell Mill multi-use development on Powers Ferry Road, as well as county spending on outside consultants, among other expenses.
“And yet, you want us to pay more,” she said, calling it “the big steal.”
Looking at Jones, Fisher—a Republican appointee to the Cobb Elections Board—mentioned the three Democratic commissioners by name, saying they’re “the people who should be up there taking the shots.”
Other town halls on the stormwater fee are being held this week in elsewhere in Cobb before the commissioners’ vote next Tuesday. That also includes a final public hearing on the issue.
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Cobb citizens spoke out on Tuesday against a proposed stormwater fee they said unfairly burdens homeowners and is being rushed with limited time for public input.
During a public hearing following presentation of proposed code amendments, a number of East Cobb residents turned out to oppose a proposed fee based on impervious surfaces, generally ranging from $2 to $12 for residential customers, and typically more for commercial customers.
Some called the charge, added to their water and sewer bill and that would go into effect in August, a “rain tax,” although proponents of the measure have been calling it a fee.
The fee has been suggested since damaging floods in 2021 that affected many homeowners in East Cobb, some of whom were saddled paying for expensive repairs.
Cobb Water and Sewer pays for stormwater maintenance to the tune of $8 million a year, but says it lacks staffing and resources to handle demands on an aging and growing stormwater system.
“The county is going forward with this burdensome rain tax without committing these future funds properly,” East Cobb resident Jan Barton said during the public hearing. “We have an aging infrastructure that the county is requiring homeowners to remedy.
‘”This is wrong on so many levels.”
One of the code amendments would transfer responsibility for maintaining retention ponds in new subdivisions to that development’s homeowners association, and away from the county.
Richard Grome of the East Cobb Civic Association said that some homeowners will be paying twice if they live in a subdivision where they already are paying for private stormwater measures.
He said the proposed solution to stormwater upkeep seems “rather dictatorial and heavy-handed in its language” and asked that some of the code amendments be held for further study.
That was a sentiment echoed by others.
“I think you’re rushing through this very, very fast,” Marietta resident Don Barth said. “The little time we have to get involved is not enough.”
Hill Wright of East Cobb, who organized citizens over the flood damage in 2021, spoke at the hearing. He also sent out a release later saying that “while Cobb County is collecting its rain tax from residents, Cobb County will mandate homeowner associations collect money from the same homeowners to maintain the stormwater infrastructure in their neighborhood. Not Fair.”
Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said during the hearing that citizens are already being charged for stormwater expenses through their water bills, “based on how much you drink, instead of how much your property may be contributing to stormwater.”
She said the new fee would be a “more equitable way to charge.”
Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell will holding a town hall on the stormwater issue Thursday from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Tim D. Lee Senior Center (3332 Sandy Plains Road).
She and commissioner Keli Gambrill have said they oppose a new fee, calling it a tax, and Birrell objects to new charges as long as the water department transfers some of its revenues (around 6 percent) to the county’s general fund.
Commissioners will hold another public hearing and a vote on the code amendments March 26.
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He was followed by East Cobb civic activist Debbie Fisher, who said that “we’re being taxed enough already.”
