We’ve just gotten a City of East Cobb feasibility study commissioned by a local group that is claiming a number of “positives” for incorporation, including no additional tax levies above the current Cobb millage rate.
The study, which was conducted by the Center for State and Local Finance at Georgia State University, was paid for by a group called Committee for Cityhood in East Cobb, Inc.
Our previous story here. For a more detailed view of the proposed map above, click here.
The study concludes that not only would a City of East Cobb be financially viable, it would start out with a surplus of nearly $3 million.
Here’s a link to the full report, which was made public on Tuesday.
The research analysis concluded that the City of East Cobb could expect annual revenues of around $48 million and expenses of around $46 million.
The cityhood group is led by Joe Gavalis, a resident of the Atlanta Country Club area, who said the study is just the first step toward having a public dialogue about the possibility of East Cobb becoming a city.
He said “the study’s findings are extremely favorable to East Cobb cityhood.”
The Committee for Cityhood in East Cobb is claiming the benefits of cityhood would include more local control, enhanced police and fire services, better road maintenance and expansion of the East Cobb Government Service Center.
A two-year process would be required to formally pursue cityhood, including passage of state legislation calling for a referendum that would give citizens the final say about forming a new city.
According to the study’s executive summary, State Rep. Sharon Cooper, an East Cobb Republican, contacted GSU. Cityhood efforts also require a state representative and a state senator from the possible new city to sponsor referendum legislation.
“This study is not a budget, it is a feasibility study. It develops revenue and expense estimates based on property tax files, a boundary map and estimated business license revenue,” Gavalis said in a statement.
Georgia law also requires that new cities provide at least three public services. GSU was asked to examine the provision of public safety, fire management, parks and recreation and community development in East Cobb. The researchers noted that the latter category is a broad one, and for this study included zoning and code enforcement.
The GSU study estimates that nearly half of the proposed revenues, $23 million, would come from property taxes. The biggest expense would be public safety, around $19 million, with around $12 million of that for police.
The GSU researchers projected a 142-officer police force, as well as the acquisition of five current Cobb fire stations within the proposed East Cobb municipal boundaries (stations 3, 15, 19, 20 and 21, see fire department maps).
The study compared populations, demographics, home values and other data for the East Cobb cityhood proposal with Alpharetta, Dunwoody, Johns Creek, Roswell and Smyrna (see chart below).
The proposed map, which comprises around 40 square miles, doesn’t include all of what’s generally regarded as East Cobb. It includes only unincorporated Cobb east of I-75 that is in Cobb Commission District 2 (in map at top) and outside of the Cumberland Community Improvement District. Click here for a detailed view of that map.
It includes none of the East Cobb area that is in District 3, which generally lies between Sandy Plains Road and Canton Road.
The population in the proposed city map area amounts to 96,858, which would make the city of East Cobb the second-largest in metro Atlanta. Roswell’s estimated population is around 94,000 and Johns Creek, which incorporated in 2006, is around 84,000.
A city of East Cobb would have an elected mayor and six-member city council and an appointed city manager. Neighborhoods in unincorporated areas could petition to join the city if it is chartered.
Startup plans would estimate the hiring of 35 non-public safety city employees. No public works department is being proposed for East Cobb, but such a city would be eligible for Cobb SPLOST and state funding for road maintenance and improvements.
Previous suggestions for East Cobb cityhood haven’t gotten past the talking stage. Most recently former Cobb Commission Chairman Bill Byrne proposed it during his 2012 campaign to regain his seat, but the idea never took off.
That was right before voters in Brookhaven and Tucker began to organize their own successful cityhood efforts. There hasn’t been a new city in Cobb County, which has six municipalities, since the late 1800s.
The Committee for the City of East Cobb, which has not revealed its parties beyond Gavalis and one other person, paid $36,000 for the GSU study.
Gavalis has been a member of the Cobb Neighborhood Safety Commission, a citizen advisory board, and was reappointed Tuesday by District 2 Commissioner Bob Ott.
According to documents filed with the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office corporations division, the committee registered as a non-profit organization in September and stated that it does not intend to have members.
The only other name listed on the filing forms is the group’s incorporator, G. Owen Brown, who is the president and founder of the Retail Planning Corporation based on Johnson Ferry Road in East Cobb.
Read the full report here
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how the city will fund all of the proposed issues that they are going to make “better than” the county services. How are they going to improve the roads? Contract the work to the county DOT that already does the work? Contract with a private company to do the work? Same with the issue of adding sidewalks, contract to the county or hire outside firms to do the work? The landscaping of the medians I would assume would go to the lowest bid landscaping company, so how does that improve the issues we already are incurring? The $3million surplus would get eaten up very quickly if they want to purchase any land, and build any sort of City Hall and City Green. The complex in Sandy Springs cost $221.7 million and it took more than 10 years for the project to get started. The other two services that the City of East Cobb wants to make better are the Police and Fire. Currently East Cobb is covered by its own precinct and enhanced by the Sheriffs department and 4 other police precincts. We also have specialty teams of Bomb Squad and SWAT. The estimation from the study comes in way low for a budget. Sandy Springs Police budget for FY 2019 is $22.8 million, and they are an established department. City of East Cobb would have to incur a similar budget, plus purchase police cars, uniforms, bullet proof vests guns and all of the radios, and other equipment needed to operate. There is no mention of vehicle maintenance contract for the cars, reserve vehicles, fuel, and capital expenses for maintaining a police station. For the fire department City of east Cobb would be giving up a Class 1 fire department with 30 stations and specialty teams like HazMat and Rescue. The study does mention that the city can purchase the existing fire stations for $5000 each But that is just the building with nothing in it. The city would have to buy at least 5 fire engines at $750,000 each at least one ladder truck at $1 million (2 to keep up the service the county provides) and two rescue trucks at $80,000 each. Plus Hose, and all the equipment to fill the trucks. There would need to be atleast one reserve peice of equipment and there would need to be a vehicle maintenance budget. Sandy Springs budget for the fire department for FY 2019 is $15.1 million and they already have all of this. Plus the City would have to pay into, or build a dispatch center. Sandy Springs also contracts out their Ambulance transport for and additional $1.5 million. Why would we want to invest into all of this when it all already exists? That is my question.
This follow the money stuff is nonsense. The NRA changed the interpretation of the constitution via lobbying.. So what? I don’t really care if a real estate group wants to spend a billion dollars to make East Cobb a city.
@Cy – Answer my questions and I’ll answer your… Why allow other Cobb cities to continue if the largest one would serve no purpose?
Not one county has raised mileage rates due to a new city in their county
You have to spend money to make money. This isn’t pasture land anymore. The amount we pay is not reflected in the services provided. We have to invest in our area to keep growth moving up.
Nice work trying to make this a binary partisan issues… with tired rhetoric and old cliches.
Show me a recent cityhood here locally where people are screaming to be unincorporated again? Sandy Spring booming, Dunwoody, Roswell, Marietta, Smyrna, Alpharetta, Kennesaw… We are SURROUNDED by successful cities that are all MUCH SMALLER THAN US.
Nice work trying to make this a binary partisan issue… with tired rhetoric and old cliches, but that won’t work on me.
Cityhood for East Cobb and Sainly Plains.
David – a large part of my push back is that I smell a rat. That feeling was just supported by the news yesterday that one of the steering committee members publicly withdrew from the process because Joe refuses to release any information, or the names of those backing this proposal. (See the article here on ECN https://www.eastcobbnews.com/east-cobb-cityhood-steering-committee-member-resigns-citing-lack-of-transparency/ ).
Marcellus in Hamlet: “Something is rotten in Denmark”. Even if I were for the city, I’d hesitate to let the process be run and be told “Ignore the man behind the curtain.” I like to know who I’m getting in bed with before I vote.
Second, you and the (only) two or three other respondents who support cityhood have not given the rest of us valid REASONS to form a city and to add another layer of government and bureaucrats to our lives. The services I get from Cobb County at this time are more than sufficient – Fire and TWO layers of policing (Sheriff and Police) do a great job.
And I would hold that your proof by using Sandy Springs and other Fulton County cities is not an even comparison. They got tired of seeing their tax moneys going to the deep hole called Atlanta, and not seeing an appropriate amount of their taxes remaining in their areas. We don’t have that problem in Cobb.
So, care to list some benefits that justify another layer? I’m open to hearing them.
We got some responses from the head of the cityhood group, but he’s not identifying anyone or saying when the public will get more information.
https://www.eastcobbnews.com/city-of-east-cobb-group-leader-declines-to-identify-members-indicate-future-public-dialogue/
The only thing that would sway me is if they fix up some of those eye sores that we have lived with for years. Behind Sandy Plains Road near the intersection of Post Oak Tritt behind the McDonalds all the way to the East Piedmont Road. What a waste of space and looks like a crime zone or rat haven at the moment. There are other areas just like this that sit there. Will it make that happen?
If so, list specific plans and I’m voting yes. Follow the money, that is a joke. Do you think folks who would not benefit would support this plan? That does not mean it is not a good one although at the moment I am not convinced.
@DavidW – In return, explain why ANOTHER layer of government is needed. The benefits you claim “Better roads… We need sidewalks, we need updated intersections.” (Response: More money will be needed than shown – plus I disagree with your claim we need it).
“I’m all for East Cobb building a square/City Hall much like Sandy Springs/Roswell did.” (Response LOTS more money needed for another set of redundant public buildings. Why would you be in favor of spending money like that?).
There is NO WAY that we can expect Cobb County to carve out roughly 12% of their current budget and give it to the new city without looking to replace those revenues. And any sane person knows that doing MORE of the same thing, with a whole new set of bureaucrats, offices, support staff, etc. COSTS MORE. This is NOT a zero sum equation.
The overall premise smells like the promises to pass Obamacare – you can keep your doctor and your costs will go down. How’d that work out for you? Surely you understand economic basics like that. And WHEN your family taxes go up (like with an additional 2% SPLOST to pay for this), you’re then stuck as it can’t be unwound. Will you agree to at least apologize to the rest of us when that happens??
This is the typical hammer looking for a nail. Yes, follow the money, just like the Braves Stadium that was already a lock before the Braves announced they had failed in negotiating a lease with Turner Field and complete plans were released within a week for the entire new stadium and road infrastructure. (Hint, it takes months to draw up the details).
My fear is this is a “Done Deal” already, and we’re being played. Watch for an off cycle ‘referendum’ that gets little to no advance publicity, where 210 people vote, with 114 for and 96 against – just like we had with the SPLOST tax a couple of years ago, when the proponents had previously lost it in the regular election.
Yes, follow the money. First, let’s see a list of everyone who is donating and paying for these studies and plans. After all, if it is a good deal, no one should have to hide out and be secretive.
Do current cities in Cobb, “break up neighborhoods”?
Local Control… Right now west cobb, and 6 other cities in Cobb can vote for East Cobb to get high density housing.
We have no cops in East Cobb… It’s almost comical. Sure they come when you call, but patrols through neighborhoods, traffic enforcement is weak at best.
Better roads… We need sidewalks, we need updated intersections.
I’m all for East Cobb building a square/City Hall much like Sandy Springs/Roswell did.
Lots of people benefits… So what? What’s so crazy and follow the money about the 2nd most populated town in Georgia becoming a real city?
Why are there only two people mentioned as paying $36,000 for this report? Who is supporting Gavalis and G. Owen Brown (CEO of Retail Planning Corp.)? Why is Bob Ott so supportive so early?
Why are they looking to break up neighborhoods?
It sounds like a plan has already been agreed to behind the scenes, just like the planning of Suntrust Park.
There is nothing lacking in the current level of service and there are many many costs not included or accounted for in the study.
Public Safety would go down. The city is planning on staffing fire stations with part time firefighters. Notice there is no mention of staffing levels or compensation for the fire department. Also it does not discuss the cost of police cars for 145 police officers. CCPD has take home cars for almost all of its officers. The report also discusses the purchase of fire stations, but says nothing about the trucks, equipment, supplies, and interior furnishings.
Can you provide any meaningful list of beneficial effects this would have on the citizens who would come under this new city? Why would we do this at all?
Listed in the article above are some “soft” benefits, but no specifics. And we already have those covered very well by the County.
– local control (what does this mean beyond what we already have with Cobb County)?
– enhanced police and fire services (We already have Cobb Police and Cobb Sheriff and Fire and I have no complaints about their high level of service)
– better road maintenance (again, what does “better” mean. Money has to be spent for “better” and it has to come from somewhere, and I have no issues with current road maintenance)
-expansion of the East Cobb Government Service Center (not a reason to form a city).
There are many more questions – including how we justify ANOTHER layer of government, yet say costs and taxes won’t go up. Sorry, we need a lot more information and a lot of discussion before this makes any sense at all.
Can we follow the money, please???? Just who/what group benefits from this being imposed???
We have requested a more detailed map from the cityhood group. Essentially, what they’re proposing is currently unincorporated land in Cobb Commission District 2 that is east of I-75 and does not include the Cumberland CID.
Is there a functional map that can clearly show particular streets that would be included?
At first, of course. But then they WOULD find a need to raise taxes. It’s what governments do.
I have a vital interest in this, because we are in the process of moving into this area. There is nothing lacking in the present level of service. Why is another level of government needed?