State Senate Passes East Cobb Cityhood Bill Along Party Lines, But Now It Returns To House

EAST COBB, GA — The state Senate passed a bill proposing the city of East Cobb on Thursday, but a minor change made to the bill is sending it back to the House for approval before it can be signed into law.

State senators made an amendment to the cityhood bill in its last committee hearing, specifying that council members of the proposed city would have to live in the district they represent.

If the House approves the change, the bill will head to Gov. Brian Kemp's desk for a signature, which would then trigger a voter referendum during the May 24 primary.

"Ultimately, here in the General Assembly we do not create cities, we only create the opportunity for the citizens in those areas to vote," state Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell, said Thursday, according to the Marietta Daily Journal.

The Republican-led state Senate approved the bill largely along party lines in a 31-18 vote, despite objections from some Democratic legislators and county officials who claim the process was rushed. County officials say they don't know all the financial affects of adding another incorporated city to the roster.

The initial bill proposed a November vote, but lawmakers moved the timeline up to May so city council and mayoral elections could take place in November. Two of Cobb County's other cityhood referendums — Vinings and Lost Mountain — would also take place in May, if approved by the state legislature.

In a state House hearing regarding the Vinings and Lost Mountain cityhood bills, legislators circulated a letter from Cobb Elections Director Janine Eveler, who asked that the referendums be pushed back to November to assist with the elections office's workload.

But State Rep. Ginny Ehrhart, R-West Cobb, said she spoke to Eveler Monday morning and said November was just a preference, the MDJ previously reported. Ultimately, the state Senate and House did not entertain moving the vote back to November.

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.

Read more:

• 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