Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has signed legislation calling for a May 24 referendum on East Cobb Cityhood.
Final passage of HB 841 took place on Tuesday in the Georgia House, and the bill was sent to the governor’s office to be signed into law.
Eligible voters inside the proposed East Cobb city limits will decide on incorporation on the same day as the Georgia general primary.
The ballot language included in the bill will ask voters the following question:
“Shall the Act incorporating the City of East Cobb in Cobb County according to the charter contained in the Act be approved?”
If the referendum is approved by a majority of the voters, elections for a mayor and six city council members will take place on the Nov. 8 general election, with the beginning of city operations and a two-year transition to start in January 2023.
The East Cobb legislation is the first of four cityhood bills in Cobb County to be considered in the current legislative session.
The proposed City of East Cobb would have roughly 60,000 people in a 25-square-mile area centered along Johnson Ferry Road, from Shallowford Road south to the Chattahoochee River and from the Fulton County line west to a line roughly along Murdock Road and Old Canton Road. Click here for a larger version of the map.
On Thursday, the Georgia Senate passed similar legislation for Lost Mountain in west Cobb, and is set to vote on a bill for a referendum for Vinings.
A Mableton cityhood bill is still in the House.
All four Cobb cityhood bills call for May referendums, instead of November.
That sparked protests by Cobb government officials, who said they haven’t had time to assess the financial and service impacts.
On Tuesday, they addressed Cobb commissioners as part of a county “cityhood awareness campaign.” The major claim is that more than $45 million would be lost in county revenues if all four cities are created.
More than 200,000 people—nearly a quarter of Cobb’s population—live inside the proposed new cities.
Cobb has had its current existing cities—Marietta, Smyrna, Acworth, Kennesaw, Austell and Powder Springs—for more than a century, after Mableton briefly became a city and then went unincorporated.
Lost Mountain, Mableton and Vinings are proposing “city light” services that are focused on planning and zoning.
East Cobb is proposing planning and zoning, code enforcement and public safety services, and possibly parks and recreation.
At Tuesday’s commission work session, the heads of Cobb’s public safety agencies questioned the East Cobb financial feasibility study conclusions and expressed concerns about staffing, equipment, response time and training for the proposed East Cobb police, fire and 911 services.
The Committee for East Cobb Cityhood said it is planning an in-person town hall meeting for the general public soon, but has not set a date.
Related:
- Cobb officials question East Cobb police and fire proposals
- East Cobb Cityhood bill gets final passage in Ga. legislature
- Cobb government, Cityhood advocates ramp up talking points
- East Cobb Cityhood bill passes Senate; returns to House
- Editor’s Note: Why the rush with Cobb Cityhood bills?
- Democrat announces campaign for Ga. House special election
- East Cobb Cityhood bill passes Senate committee
- Cupid speaks out on cityhood, redistricting issues
- Cobb Republicans file bill to redistrict county commission seats
- East Cobb Cityhood bill sponsor resigns from legislature
- Cobb Republicans file school board redistricting bill
- East Cobb Cityhood bill passes Georgia House
- East Cobb News Cityhood page
- East Cobb News Politics & Elections guide
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