Cobb Budget Plan Includes Tax Increase

MARIETTA, GA — Struggling to keep existing services running and hoping to restore past cuts, Cobb County's commission chairman has presented a budget plan that includes a property tax increase.

Chairman Mike Boyce presented the plan on Friday. The $453 million budget would include a 1.7 million property tax increase over the 2018 budget year. It must still be approved by the entire board. A vote is expected on July 25.

"The real question is what kind of county do we want to have going forward," Boyce said on his weekly CobbTV show. "Do we want to have a county with a high quality of life serviced by the best staff in Georgia? Or do we want to live in a mediocre county staffed and funded by a sub-par budget?"

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Boyce said the proposed budget would keep all of Cobb's parks, libraries, senior centers, and animal services open. It also would begin restoring services that have been cut in recent years, including hiring more police officers.

Boyce said the county has managed to keep its millage rate low for years by defunding positions, delaying vehicle replacements, putting off building repairs and reducing services. Even with the 1.9-mill increase, Cobb will still have a lower millage rate than most metro Atlanta counties, he said.

Before the planned July 25 vote, Boyce will hold a series of budget town hall meetings to hear from Cobb residents.

"This budget process is a conversation," Boyce said. "And we owe it to them to make them part of this conversation. And most importantly, when they speak, the board hears them."

Other highlights of the proposed budget:

• Hiring additional police officers and purchasing body cameras
• Restoring eliminated DOT maintenance positions and increasing right-of-way mowing contracts
• Phasing in the restoration of library hours, including Sunday hours at regional libraries
• The county is actively selling properties deemed unnecessary

"Cobb's residents know who we are and they expect the best and we need to give them the best," Boyce said. "And to do that we need to step up to the plate and acknowledge what the true cost of doing government is, and what the true cost is of making Cobb County a place to safely work, live and pursue your dreams."

More information on the FY2019 budget, as well as town hall meeting times and locations, can be found on the county's budget website.

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