What Price Will You Really Pay for East Cobb Cityhood?

 

 

 

 

⇒ MORE TAXES

• City residents would pay both city taxes and county taxes – more than you are paying now
• The city council will raise the millage rate by 3% on January 1, 2023
• County taxes will need to rise to cover the shortfall from new cities 
• The city council can add special assessments for projects at will

⇒ HIGHER INSURANCE RATES 

• The new city will have less fire protection
• That means the city’s ISO safety rating will drop
• That means insurance rates for homes and businesses goes up

⇒ FRANCHISE FEES

• The city will collect franchise fees for electricity, gas, and landline phones – you already pay cable franchise fees to the county
• Cobb EMC and Georgia Power customers will pay 4% and 2% more respectively

⇒ AND…MORE FINANCIAL PITFALLS NOT INCLUDED IN THE FEASIBILITY STUDY

• Cost of police, fire and safety equipment (cars and trucks and engines)
• Training of police, fire, and safety personnel
• Cost of a new 911 System 
• Cost of pay raises and retirement pensions for city officials
• Costs for parks and recreation
• Costs to maintain city roads – deliberately omitted from the Feasibility Study
• Sales taxes on new city services
• Reprinting business stationary, cards and other collateral material 

New cities in Georgia have always increased their taxes compared to what the feasibility study estimated. Click here to see the comparison of feasibility estimates to the actual taxes levied.