UPDATE: Cobb Mobility SPLOST Town Hall meeting cancelled

UPDATED, SATURDAY, OCT. 30: Richardson’s office sent out a message Friday evening that the town hall meeting has been cancelled and that it will be rescheduled.

From the office of District 2 Cobb commissioner Jerica Richardson: New Cobb Commissioner Jerica Richardson

Join us on Nov. 2 from 6 – 8 p.m., for our Cobb Mobility SPLOST Town Hall at the Sewell Mill Library & Cultural Center amphitheater. It is located at 2051 Lower Roswell Rd, Marietta, GA 30068.
The purpose of this town hall is to provide information on Cobb Mobility SPLOST, including:

•   How this differs from the SPLOST referendum approved by voters in November 2020
•   The referenda options available
•   Initial investment options identified based on data and public input from the 2021 Comprehensive Transportation Plan Update (in progress)
•   Public involvement opportunities to provide input on these options

Some background:

A call for a Cobb Mobility SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) referendum for November 2022 is being considered by the Cobb Board of Commissioners.

Like the existing Cobb government SPLOST approved by voters in 2022 and Cobb school SPLOST to be voted on Nov. 2, this sales tax would also charge one-percent on a purchase, but only to fund transit projects, for a maximum of 30 years.

Local jurisdictions also can impose a one-percent sales tax for up to five years for surface transportation projects. In Cobb that’s being done under the county government SPLOST.

In 2012, Cobb voters soundly rejected an Atlanta regional transportation sales tax (called a T-SPLOST).

Public transit in East Cobb is sparse compared to the rest of the county; the only CobbLinc service is along Powers Ferry Road, connecting Marietta to the Cumberland area. A bus line from Marietta to Sandy Springs was eliminated in the 2009 recession due to low ridership.

The county information sheet on the Cobb Mobility SPLOST indicated that it is expected to be drafted in January 2022, followed by an estimate of generated revenue and the development of a project list, most likely to be compiled by county commissioners.