Welcome

We have an election underway, and as of Wednesday, February 5th, the 200,000 people of Cobb’s District 2 lost representation. I’ll get into both issues in a special edition of What’s Happening In The District below.

This week’s The Big Story will dive into the 2024 Georgia House Bill 581, which provides for homestead exemptions across the entire state. Some municipalities are choosing to remain opted in, and some, including Cobb County, are discussing opting out.

Last week, I attended Commissioner candidate forums for Districts 2 and 4. The huge turnout for both was truly inspiring! An active community is an empowered community. Thank you, as always, for staying engaged and subscribing to this newsletter.

What’s Happening in the District: Special Edition

The election!

Advance voting is underway this week for the Cobb County Board of Commissioner races in Districts 2 and 4. Advance voting ends this Friday, February 7th and Election Day is on Tuesday, February 11th.

Check out the most recent Future Of Cobb newsletter to find out more about how to find out where you live, where to vote, and why this matters to the entire county.

District Two is now unrepresented.

As discussed in August’s edition of The Big Story, there have been several lawsuits concerning the Cobb Board of Commissioners district maps. As of Wednesday, February 5th, Commissioner Jerica Richardson, who served as the de facto Commissioner during this Special Election period, is now out of office. Her last legal option was an appeal to the Supreme Court of Georgia, which chose not to hear the case. This decision has ended Commissioner Richardson’s representation of District 2, leaving 200,000 residents without representation until a new commissioner is sworn in this May.

There is much to say about the circumstances leading to this conclusion and the dangerous precedents set. For now, however, I want to take a moment to thank Jerica Richardson for her years of service.

My wife and I have lived in the same house in Cobb for 20 years, all in District 2 until very recently. Thanks to her extraordinary level of community engagement, Commissioner Richardson is the first Commissioner I have met in all those years. We met during the fight against the proposed creation of a City of East Cobb and have remained in contact ever since.

Over the past three years, I have had the privilege of serving on her Community Cabinet, initially as East Cobb Liaison and later as Cabinet Lead. This Cabinet, which she established, brought together some of Cobb’s finest community leaders, each with expertise that contributed to meaningful changes in the district. We had representatives focused on Veterans, Seniors, Nonprofits, Faith-based organizations, Infrastructure, Transportation, Education, Youth, and Economic Development, as well as liaisons in East Cobb, Smyrna, Vinings, and Marietta, to name a few.

Her relentless commitment to creating sustainable outcomes for the community inspired us to dedicate countless hours to bringing her vision to life. As a result, the community is now stronger and better off than when she first took office. Her legacy includes the new community leaders who emerged during her tenure and answered the call for public service.

Thank you, Commissioner Richardson, for your years of service and inspiration. We all look forward to seeing the continued impact you will have on the world around you.

Community Spotlight 

Cobb’s United Military Care, featured here last September, is holding a movie screening that covers a topic that has been discussed quite a bit lately, including a recent well-written piece in the MDJ: homelessness.

From United Military Care’s website:

Join Us for the Red Carpet Premiere! Be among the first to experience this powerful film on February 27, 2025, at United Military Care’s exclusive event in partnership with Robert Craig Films and Regal Avalon in Alpharetta.

Inspired by true events, this gripping drama follows a group of individuals, including Veterans facing homelessness. A poignant exploration of hope, humanity, and resilience, the film highlights the harsh realities of life without a permanent home and underscores the truth that homelessness can happen to anyone.

Please visit UnitedMilitaryCare.org for more details, including a link to purchase VIP tickets.

The Big Story 

I've had several people reach out to me about the new statewide homestead exemption in the local news, so here's an attempt to boil this down to the basics - and explain what it means to Cobb.

In 2024, Georgia enacted House Bill 581 (HB 581), introducing a statewide homestead exemption to limit the annual increase in taxable home values to the inflation rate. This measure's proponents state that this protects homeowners from significant property tax hikes due to rapidly rising property assessments. Under HB 581, the assessed value of a homestead property cannot increase by more than the inflation rate each year, providing homeowners with more predictable property tax bills.

HB 581 also includes a provision allowing local governing bodies to opt out of this exemption if they determine it could create a negative outcome for its constituents. The opt-out process requires public hearings and passing a resolution by March 1, 2025.

Cobb County has chosen to opt out. Why? Cobb County already offers a floating homestead exemption, which delivers more significant benefits to taxpayers than the new state-mandated exemption. By opting out of HB 581, the county aims to maintain its current exemption system, preserving essential public services funding.

Cobb County’s statement:

“The Cobb County Board of Commissioners today announces its intention to opt out of the statewide adjusted base year ad valorem homestead exemption for Cobb County, Georgia.  Cobb County Incorporated and Unincorporated taxing jurisdictions will not be affected, as Cobb County’s existing Homestead Exemption for County M&O will remain in place.

House Bill 581 was passed by the Georgia General Assembly during the 2024 legislative session and an enabling constitutional amendment (HR 1022) was subsequently approved through a statewide ballot question during the November 2024 election. Within HB 581, O.C.G.A. § 48-5-44.2 provides for a statewide floating homestead exemption which applies to counties, consolidated governments, municipalities, and local school districts.

While the homestead exemption automatically applies to all local governments and school districts, these jurisdictions may opt out of the homestead exemption for their jurisdiction by following certain procedures by March 1, 2025. Cobb County currently has a floating homestead exemption which provides a greater benefit to taxpayers.”

BOC Meeting Recap 

The Cobb County Board of Commissioners held their regular meeting on January 28th at 7:00 PM, beginning with several notable presentations. The Board honored the Mount Paran Christian School Varsity Cheerleading Team for securing their 13th consecutive state championship, recognizing their athletic excellence. Additionally, proclamations were presented to highlight January as Human Trafficking Prevention Month and to acknowledge Charles Clayton of the Cobb County Department of Transportation for his work with the Krimson Community Foundation. A public hearing was also conducted to discuss the opt-out of the statewide adjusted base year ad valorem homestead exemption and the employment of consulting firms for Master Task Order Contracts.

The consent agenda addressed a range of community-focused initiatives, including grant funding for victim assistance programs and stormwater infrastructure resiliency projects. The Board approved an agreement with the City of Kennesaw to sell county-owned property and authorized an intergovernmental agreement to maintain the I-20 interchange landscaping. Public safety enhancements included purchasing rescue equipment, ballistic vests, and forensic software for law enforcement. Economic development efforts were supported through workforce training grants and funding for the Mableton Workforce Development Center.

The regular agenda featured extensive infrastructure and transportation projects. The Board approved multiple road resurfacing contracts for different county regions, alongside agreements for preliminary engineering design on key bridge replacements and sidewalk expansions. Additional investments in transportation included new CCTV cameras for incident management, traffic signal improvements, and enhancements to the Cobb Parkway Pedestrian Bridge. The meeting concluded with the announcement of the Vice Chair for 2025, the appointment of Keli Gambrill to the Airport Advisory Board, and the recommendation of a new Support Services Agency Director.

Important Dates

February 11th: Cobb District 2 and 4 BOC Primary Election Day

February 11th: Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting

February 18th: Board of Commissioners Zoning Hearing

February 25th: Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting