no tax cut proposed Cobb FY 2024 budget

Despite another year of double-digit growth in the county tax digest, the Cobb government fiscal year 2024 budget proposal does not include a reduction in property tax millage rates.

Cobb budget officials presented a fiscal year 2024 budget proposal of $1.2 billion on Tuesday to the Cobb Board of Commissioners (you can read it here), a $43 million increase from the current fiscal year budget of $1.16 billion.

The budget proposal holds the line on the general fund millage rate, which funds most county government operations, at 8.46 mills.

Because that millage rate is not proposed to be rolled back to reflect current revenue and tax digest levels, the state considers that a tax increase and the county must advertise and hold public hearings.

Those hearings will take place on Tuesday, July 11 at 9 a.m., Tuesday, July 18, at 6:30 p.m. and on Tuesday, July 25, at 7 p.m., when the board is scheduled to adopt the budget and set millage rates.

For the second year in a row, the fire fund millage rate that funds fire and emergency services would go up slightly, to 2.99 mills.

Cobb Chief Financial Officer Bill Volckmann said some of the increases in additional revenues in the proposed budget stem from rising tax assessments.

The Cobb Board of Tax Assessors on Wednesday approved the 2023 county tax digest of $58.1 billion, which is up 15.7 percent from last year.

While that figure combines the assessed value of all commercial, residential and other real property in Cobb County, homeowners are feeling the pinch of skyrocketing assessments, and as the average price of a home has surpassed $400,000.

The Cobb Board of Education in May adopted a fiscal 2024 budget that included the first reduction in school property taxes in 15 years.

At an East Cobb Civic Association meeting in May, Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid was asked by East Cobb News if she was pondering similar relief.

She said she had been hearing from many citizens about their assessments, and said “she couldn’t say” if she would be proposing a cut.

“I could do it and look good,” Cupid said, “but somebody’s going to have to pay the price.”

The proposed FY 2024 budget includes 34 new positions across county government, compared to 147 in the current budget.

Nineteen of those new jobs would be funded through the general fund, and six of them are state-mandated. Four more are for the county’s family advocacy center.

Another 15 jobs are outside of general fund, seven in fire, and in 911.

Volckmann said the fire and emergency services department is struggling to maintain operating revenue due to salaries and benefits for personnel, and that there aren’t capital expenses that are a factor.

This is the second year of Cobb’s 2022-24 biennial budget process, and some agencies are proposed to have double-digit increases in spending.

A total of $198 million is being earmarked for agencies overseen by elected officials (Board of Commissioners, Sheriff, District Attorney, courts), an increase of 35 percent from fiscal 2023.

Administrative costs are up to $111 million, or nearly a 20 percent jump, and the overall public safety budget is $97 million, or 17 percent higher than the current year.

Budgets for public services (parks, libraries, senior centers, etc.) would go up by 10 percent, as would the budget for support services, which includes facilities and property management, technology and information services and fleet management.

The other proposed millage rates include the Debt Service (Bond Fund) millage at 0.00 mills; the Cumberland Special Services District II millage rate at 2.45, and the Six Flags Special Service District millage rate at 3.50.

You can watch the full budget presentation below.

Related:

• Register officially appointed as Cobb public safety director
• Cobb commissioners condemn Neo-Nazi protest at synagogue
• East Cobb resident reappointed to Cobb Development Authority
• Ex-commission chair joins Cobb Taxpayers Association board
• Cupid ‘can’t say’ if she’ll propose Cobb millage rate cut