Cobb proposes $1.4B FY 2027 budget that holds millage rates

The Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday was presented a fiscal year 2027 budget proposal that would add 29 new positions to county government and keep the same property tax rates.

The budget would come to $1.4 billion, an increase of $84 million over the fiscal year 2026 budget of $1.325 billion.

The primary increases proposed are for water and sewer capital expenses, the creation of a stormwater utility fee, additional employee salaries and benefits and higher costs for employee benefits as well as healthcare and workers compensation claims.

You can read through the budget presentation by clicking here, or view the same information on the slideshow on the bottom of this post. You can also watch a replay of the work session below.

During a work session Tuesday afternoon, Cobb chief financial officer Buddy Tesar said that 20 of the new positions proposed would be funded through the general fund, and nine more in the fire fund.

Most of the new salaries in the general fund would come in the water and sewer department, which also includes stormwater services.

The budget also proposes reducing the amount of water revenues to the general fund from 5 percent to 4 percent.

The general fund is the primary source of revenue for Cobb government, paid through property taxes. The general fund rate of 8.46 mills would be unchanged.

Under the fiscal 2027 proposal, general fund revenues would rise by $29 million, from $646 million to $672 million.

The fire fund rate of 2.97 mills also would stay the same, with expenses proposed to rise from $160 million to $166 million.

Expenditures for claims and liability would go up from $128 million in the current budget to $139 million.

The stormwater utility fee—which went into effect in June after a controversial approval last year—is being budgeted for $17.1 million for fiscal year 2027.

The water and sewer fund would rise from $286 million to $307 million.

The presentation was brief—commissioners didn’t have questions, and Chairwoman Lisa Cupid was absent—with a basic breakdown of spending and revenue categories and what Tesar called “high-level” summaries of major line items of interest.

He also outlined “budget impact items” totaling $7.6 million that commissioners will be asked to approve for the current fiscal year 2026 budget.

Those include $4.5 million for a new medical provider contract with the Cobb Sheriff’s Office for inmate health care at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, and $2 million in increases in step and grade compensation tiers for the Cobb Police Department.

The proposed budget also recommends adding seven calendar clerks in Cobb Superior Court, a part-time position in the Cobb Medical Examiner’s Office, three veterinarian/technician positions in Cobb Animal Services and two positions in the procurement area for the countywide disparity study.

Tesar said the position requests for Cobb Fire are “currently being discussed with Commissioners.”

The budget also requests $500,000 to expand on-demand transit services through CobbLinc.

Since the proposed millage rates would not “roll back” to meet current budget totals, Georgia state law considers that a property tax increase, and Cobb must hold three public hearings on the budget.

They will take place on July 14 at 9 a.m., July 21 at 6:30 p.m. and on July 28 at 7 p.m., shortly before budget adoption.

For more Cobb budget information, click here.

To view the slideshow of the budget presentation, click the middle button below.

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