East Cobb Snobs was recently contacted by supporters of the East Cobb Cityhood to share what East Cobb Cityhood means to them.
NOTE: Below is the information offered from the supporters of Cityhood and in no way reflects the opinion of East Cobb Snobs.
Are you for or against city-hood in East Cobb?
A committee in East Cobb is developing a plan to designate our community as an incorporated city. This means that some of the decisions that are currently made by the Cobb County Board of Commissioners could have a new and separate governing body, a local “city” government.
What would change?
The services that the “city” of East Cobb would provide would be Planning and Zoning, Parks and Recreation, and Code Enforcement. The plan was scaled back in 2019, after discussing the idea with current residents. The new version of the plan is called “city-lite.” Meaning that there would only be a mild shift in responsibilities to this new governing body. In the state of Georgia, a city must provide at least three services to be considered for incorporation.
Other incorporated cities
East Cobb is following a similar model to several cities within Fulton County. The first city to incorporate was our neighbor, Sandy Springs. They voted to become a city in 2005. The new incorporated city took on the responsibilities, and tax dollars, from Fulton County. Since that time, Johns Creek, Dunwoody, Milton and Chattahoochee Hills have also seceded from Fulton County and created their own city government.
Reaction to the plan
The results of the experimental city movement have been mixed. So is the reaction to the city-hood movement in East Cobb. We took a poll on our East Cobb SNOBS Facebook page, and many of our followers also feel uneasy about the plan. According to a recent sampling, 95% of our fans were against it. They are concerned about how the plan might increase taxes. Our fans also believe that cityhood has not had a positive outcome in Sandy Springs.
What is next for the plan?
State Representative Matt Dollar submitted an East Cobb cityhood bill to the state legislature. It is scheduled to be considered at the Georgia General Assembly in 2022. If it passes, a referendum would be held in November 2022. Any registered voter within the proposed city boundaries will be able to vote.
East Cobb Snobs wants your opinion! Weigh in here: https://bit.ly/eastcobbcity