At a town hall meeting in August (East Cobb News post here), East Cobb commissioner Bob Ott said he was reviewing operations at the East Cobb Government Service Center to find cost savings.
That was in response to a proposal by East Cobb’s other commissioner, JoAnn Birrell, to close the East Cobb Library (which didn’t happen when the commission adopted the FY 2018 budget a couple weeks ago), and due to a $21 million budget gap.
The review has been complete, and Ott said on Friday that he is proposing a restructuring of the East Cobb Government Service Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road) that he will present formally at a commission meeting Tuesday.
In his weekly e-mail newsletter, Ott said he is recommending to close the business office only at the government center (where you pay property taxes and water bills and apply for business licenses).
Everything else will remain open—the Cobb police and fire precincts, the community rooms and the tag office. In his proposed changes, Ott wants to transfer the services provided at the business office (except for the water bills) across the hall to the tag office. Here’s what he’s sharing with the public for now:
“As a result of discussions between staff and Carla Jackson, Cobb County Tax Commissioner, those services will be available in the tag office. So, if you pay your property taxes or renew your business license at the government center you will still be able to just in a different location. Some have expressed concerns about potential lines and wait times. This year when I renewed my vehicle registration there were only three people in the line so I don’t anticipate long lines after the restructuring.
“The only service which will not be available at the tag office is paying your water bill. Currently, there are approximately 150 people using that service which makes it hard to justify $200,000 in expenses. Additionally, everyone can pay their water bill online if they don’t want to mail in their payment.
“As you can see, for most in East Cobb the restructuring will mean little change.”
There is a proposal at Tuesday’s commission meeting to divert nearly $95,000 from the government service center operations to fund increased operating expenses of the soon-to-open Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center.
The agenda item (pp. 238-240) includes the addition of one full-time and five part-time staff for the new facility, which is replacing the East Marietta Library and is slated to open in December. There also are four new staff positions listed under the Cobb Parks and Recreation budget for cultural center operations.
The commissioners did not include funding for the new library when they adopted the budget, saying they would return to resolve the issue this month. The transfer of $94,491 from the government service center budget would make the proposed new library funding total $284,227 for FY 2018.
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