Submitted information:
The Cobb County Board of Commissioners announces its intention to increase the property taxes it will levy this year, over the rollback millage rate, by 4.07 percent in the County Maintenance & Operations (General) Fund.
Each year, the Board of Tax Assessors is required by Georgia law to review the assessed value for property tax purposes of taxable property in the county. When the trend of prices on properties that have recently sold in the county indicate that there has been an increase or decrease in the fair market value of any specific property, the board of tax assessors is required by law to revalue such property and adjust the assessment. This is called a reassessment.
When the total digest of taxable property is prepared, Georgia law requires that a “rollback” millage rate must be computed according to specific instructions issued by the Georgia Department of Revenue. This “rollback” millage rate would have produced the same total tax revenue on the current year’s digest that last year’s millage rate would have produced had no reassessments occurred.
The 2026 proposed millage is higher than the recently computed “rollback” millage rate. Therefore, before the Cobb County Board of Commissioners may set the final 2026 millage rates, Georgia law requires that three public hearings be held to allow the public an opportunity to express their opinions on the increase.
The Cobb County Board of Commissioners (BOC) is proposing to maintain millage rates. The General Fund M&O will be set at 8.46; the Fire millage rate will be set at 2.97; and the Cumberland Special Services District II millage rate will be set at 2.45. Although these millage rates are not increasing from the prior year, Georgia law requires the County to advertise a “Tax Increase” in the press and on the County’s website because the tax digest has increased.
All eligible property owners who have claimed the homestead exemption for the 2026 tax year will see no change in their County M&O tax bill, as long as the property owner made no changes to the property that affect its taxable value. The floating homestead exemption maintains the net taxable value of the primary residence. When the millage rate remains unchanged from the prior year, the assessed tax for County M&O also remains unchanged.
All citizens are invited to the public hearings on this tax increase to be held at the Board of Commissioners meeting room located at 100 Cherokee Street, Marietta, Georgia on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at 9:00 AM, Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at 6:30 PM and on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at 7:00 PM.
The Board of Commissioners will adopt the 2026 Property Tax Millage Rates for its three tax districts (General, Fire, and Cumberland Special Services District II) following the third public hearing at the BOC Meeting on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at 7:00 PM.
Related:
- Cobb proposes $1.4B fiscal year 2027 budget that holds millage rates
- 2028 Cobb SPLOST referendum to be put on November ballot
- Cobb school district sues county over tax-collection fees
- Citizens urge Marietta City Council to scuttle data center
- Citizens to protest data center plans on Bells Ferry Road
- Cobb sends out 2026 tax assessments with notice changes
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