East Cobb Cityhood Bill Clears General Assembly, Headed To Governor's Desk

EAST COBB, GA — The Georgia House of Representatives passed an amended version of the East Cobb cityhood bill on Monday in a 96-62 vote, which would establish a voter referendum in a little over three months for the proposed city.

Now, the bill — House Bill 841 — will head to Gov. Brian Kemp's desk for final approval. Once signed, it would set a May 24 voter referendum for residents in the proposed city's boundaries.

You can view a map of the proposed city at eastcobbga.com.

The House already approved the cityhood bill in late January, but state senators made an amendment to the bill specifying that council members of the proposed city would have to live in the district they represent.

The House version didn't have the same language, so once the Senate passed the bill last week, it was sent back to the House.

This is the first of four cityhood bills in Cobb County that's passed the state legislature this year. If all four proposed cities — East Cobb, Vinings, Lost Mountain and Mableton — are approved by the General Assembly and voters, Cobb County officials say it could affect the county's budget by more than $45 million each year, East Cobb News reported.

The Vinings and Lost Mountain cityhood bills passed the House and are headed to the state Senate, while the Mableton bill is in a House committee.

Cobb's Republican lawmakers have pushed for the East Cobb cityhood bill, while Democratic lawmakers and county officials expressed concern over the "rushed" process and the early voter referendum. Voters were initially set to vote on the proposed city in November, but legislators moved it up to May.

The proposed city of East Cobb would have a similar geographic size as the city of Marietta at roughly 25 square miles, centered around Johnson Ferry Road. If approved by voters, the proposed city would have a population of more than 50,000 people and become one of the three largest cities in Cobb County.

Cobb County officials are hosting a special virtual work session Tuesday at 6 p.m. to go over cityhood issues, including the effects on the county's finances and services. It can be viewed on the Cobb County government's YouTube channel.

Read more:

• East Cobb Cityhood Bill Clears State Senate, But Returns To House
• East Cobb Cityhood Bill Passes State Senate Committee
• Vinings, Lost Mountain Cityhood Bills Pass Georgia House
• East Cobb Cityhood Referendum Could Move Up To May
• East Cobb Cityhood Bill Passes Georgia House Of Representatives
• East Cobb Cityhood Deemed 'Financially Feasible': GSU Study