Cobb County leaders have rolled out a fiscal-year 2027 budget proposal that holds the line on millage rates but still trips Georgia’s tax-increase alarm. The spending plan keeps rates flat on paper while funding existing services, targeted pay bumps and capital projects, which means officials must now formally advertise the proposal and sit through extra public hearings before anything becomes final.
The draft budget leaves the county general fund rate at 8.46 mills, the county fire rate at 2.97 mills and the Cumberland Special Services District II at 2.45 mills. Those figures make up a large share of the non-school portion of many local property tax bills, according to Cobb County Government. Finance staff told commissioners the current levels are needed to keep public safety operations running, maintain infrastructure and cover higher personnel costs.
Even with those millage numbers unchanged, a county release shows the proposal comes in about 4 percent above the calculated rollback rate, which state law treats as a tax increase and not just a status-quo renewal, as reported by 11Alive. County staff told the board that higher property reassessments pushed this year’s tax digest upward, creating the gap between a true rollback and the proposed levy.
What 'rollback rate' means
Under Georgia’s truth-in-taxation rules, the rollback rate is the number that would bring in roughly the same total tax revenue on this year’s digest that last year’s rates would have generated without any reassessments. Any proposed rate above that threshold triggers a formal notice and public hearings, according to LegalClarity. In practical terms, that is why a millage rate that stays flat on a page can still mean a bigger bill when your home’s value climbs.
Hearings, timeline and how to weigh in
Cobb has set three public hearings on the proposal: July 14 at 9:00 a.m., July 21 at 6:30 p.m., and July 28 at 7:00 p.m., all in the Board of Commissioners meeting room in the David Hankerson Building at 100 Cherokee Street in Marietta, as reported by East Cobb News. After the final hearing, the Board is expected to vote on whether to adopt the millage rates as proposed. Officials say residents can speak in person at the meetings or submit written comments in advance.
What this could mean for homeowners
One mill equals $1 of tax for every $1,000 of assessed value, so even modest growth in assessments can translate into hundreds of additional dollars for some homeowners, a key reason the rollback calculation matters for taxpayers, as explained by LegalClarity. Residents can plug their numbers into the county’s online calculator and keep an eye out for the final tax digest in July to see how reassessments may affect their specific bills. The estimator is available from the Cobb County Tax Commissioner.
Commissioners will take public testimony at the scheduled hearings before deciding whether to lock in the proposed millage rates at their final meeting later this month. This page will be updated after the Board’s decision.
