East Cobb Cityhood Deemed 'Financially Feasible': GSU Study

EAST COBB, GA — The proposed city of East Cobb was deemed financially feasible, and would even operate on a budget surplus, without imposing new taxes and with a lower property tax rate than Cobb County, according to a new feasibility study released by the Committee for East Cobb Cityhood.

The study, conducted by Georgia State University's Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, also indicates the following proposed services for the estimated 50,406 residents of the proposed city: police, fire, planning and zoning, and code enforcement — a difference from the initial cityhood bill proposed in 2019.

A copy of the study can be found online at eastcobbga.com.

State Rep. Matt Dollar, a Republican, first advanced an East Cobb cityhood bill in 2019 — but legislation was never filed in 2020 after the movement died down, the Marietta Daily Journal reported. The initial proposal included double the amount of residents, and only included police and fire services, but not planning and zoning or code enforcement.

Dollar told the MDJ Friday that the study has been submitted to a committee in the Georgia House, with the proposal set to be voted on during the 2022 legislative session. If it passes, it will be voted on by residents in the proposed city limits sometime in 2022.

This isn't the first cityhood bill up for consideration in the 2022 session, or the first cityhood feasibility study for a proposed new Cobb County city. A bill proposing a city of Vinings has also been filed for the 2022 legislative session, and the University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute of Government completed a feasibility study deeming Vinings "fiscally feasible."

Additionally, there will be a virtual information session at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday with Dollar and state Rep. Sharon Cooper, who are co-sponsors of the East Cobb cityhood legislation, and the East Cobb Cityhood Committee. To register, visit this link.

Budget breakdown

By establishing its own public safety department, the proposed city would then be able to claim the 2.86 mills that Cobb County collects for fire services, which would become the millage rate (or property tax rate) for East Cobb residents.

That's why property taxes make up the largest form of revenue at $15.66 million, with utility franchise fees bringing in the second most amount of revenue at $3.3 million.

Other revenue sources such as licenses and permits, insurance premiums, intergovernmental revenues, alcoholic beverages and public safety services total an estimated $27.7 million in overall annual revenues, with estimated annual expenses of $24.65 million. This leaves a budget surplus of roughly $3 million.

However, if cityhood leaders decide to have the city also take over parks and recreation within its city limits, that surplus could be nearly diminished. Adding parks and recreation would cost taxpayers between $1.8 million and $2.5 million, the MDJ reported.

Additionally, East Cobb city officials would buy two existing Cobb County Fire Department stations — No. 20 at the East Cobb Government Service Center and No. 15 on Oak Lane near Johnson Ferry Road — that are within the proposed city boundaries, according to the study.

The study did not indicate how many employees would be needed for the proposed police and fire departments, but did say around 50 total employees would be on staff citywide.

City demographics, government

The proposed city of East Cobb would have a similar geographic size as the city Marietta at roughly 25 square miles, and most of its 50,406 residents (17.2 percent) would be age 65 and older, while Marietta's population age 65 and older is 12.9 percent.

Here's a breakdown of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics for the proposed city and other comparison cities:

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Census Quickfacts (2019-20); CSLF calculations based on East Cobb property and demographic estimates

The proposed city council would be made up of four council members plus a mayor, the study indicates, but it does not clarify if council posts would be at-large — meaning they would represent the whole city — or if they would represent specific districts.

A PDF of the full East Cobb cityhood feasibility study can be found below:

Related:

• Vinings Cityhood Considered 'Fiscally Feasible': UGA Study
• Second East Cobb Cityhood Online Town Hall Scheduled Thursday
• East Cobb Cityhood Virtual Town Hall Slated For Wednesday Evening
• East Cobb Cityhood Opponents Launch Website
• East Cobb Cityhood Movement Hires Lobbyist: Report