Cobb County commissioners voted 4-0 on June 23 to send a six-year renewal of the county's one-cent sales tax to voters on the November 3 ballot, asking residents to keep funding roads, libraries, court facilities and parks through 2033. The measure, known as SPLOST, is projected to generate roughly $1.15 billion for capital projects across unincorporated Cobb and its seven cities.
According to Atlanta News First, Cobb has relied on recurring SPLOST cycles since the 1990s, and the current six-year tax is set to expire in 2028. The special local option sales tax charges a one-cent levy on purchases, and county leaders say the renewal would not raise the overall rate residents pay. As reported by East Cobb News, Chairwoman Lisa Cupid was absent when the board adopted the resolution placing the referendum on the ballot.
How the Money Would Be Split
Of the $1.15 billion expected between 2028 and 2033, $794.5 million would fund unincorporated county government projects, while $355.5 million would be divided among Cobb's seven incorporated cities based on population, the outlet reports. Mableton is slated to receive the largest municipal share at $97.1 million, followed by Marietta at $78.2 million, with the rest spread down to smaller allocations among the remaining cities.
The current 2022 SPLOST has already outperformed expectations, generating approximately $928.8 million in revenue as of May 2026 against an original six-year projection of $750 million, per the same report. That overperformance helped shape the larger revenue estimate attached to the new measure. If voters approve the renewal, Cobb's total sales tax rate would hold at 6%, tied with Gwinnett County for the lowest in Georgia, while neighboring Fulton County sits at 7.75% and Atlanta reaches 8.9%.
A New Courthouse and a Contested Library Move
The single largest line item is $174 million for a new State Court building, according to Atlanta News First, which would rise on a parking lot between Haynes Street and Waddell Street in Marietta, just a couple of blocks from the current courthouse. Cupid told the outlet that judicial services and the number of judges in Cobb are growing, and that the courthouse needs more space to keep pace. Cobb has grown by more than 100,000 people since 2010, the station notes, a trend commissioners cite as driving demand across the capital project list.
The plan also includes a new aquatic center, two new fire stations, and the relocation of the East Cobb Library, currently housed in a strip center. East Cobb News reports the library relocation carries a $20 million price tag, moving the county's second-busiest branch out of leased retail space that has cost nearly $400,000 annually since 2010 and into a county-owned site. Library officials had originally asked for a 28,000-square-foot building, but commissioners capped the new branch at 17,000 square feet to manage costs, the outlet notes.
Roads, a Detention Center Infirmary and Senior Services
Within the $794.5 million unincorporated county package, $130.1 million is earmarked for road resurfacing, the single largest countywide infrastructure commitment in the proposal. Another $60 million would build a new medical infirmary at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, while $8.2 million would expand the Tim D. Lee Senior Center, according to East Cobb News's reporting.
Previous SPLOST cycles funded fire training facilities, a police headquarters and the Milford Recreation Center, Atlanta News First reports, underscoring how the recurring tax has shaped county infrastructure for decades. Cupid said voters expect roads without potholes and libraries they can actually get to, framing the referendum as a continuation of that pattern rather than a new financial commitment.
County Hosts Open Houses as Vote Nears
To help residents understand the ballot measure, Cobb County scheduled six drop-in informational open house sessions between September 14 and October 27 at community centers around the county, opting for walk-in sessions over structured town halls so staff could answer specific resident questions.
Cupid has been direct that passage is not guaranteed, telling Atlanta News First the tax could come in close to $1 billion depending on how collections perform. If voters reject the renewal, property taxes would face upward pressure to address deferred maintenance, East Cobb News reports.
A Different Political Climate Than 2024
This capital renewal arrives in a markedly different atmosphere than Cobb's last major sales tax fight. In November 2024, county voters rejected a 30-year Mobility SPLOST transit tax by a 62% to 38% margin, a defeat Hoodline previously reported that Gwinnett County voters mirrored with their own transit measure the same year. State lawmakers responded in 2026 by introducing legislation that would impose an eight-year freeze on counties attempting to re-pitch transit-only sales tax measures after a loss, with sponsors citing SPLOST fatigue among suburban residents as a driving motivation.
County officials have been careful to distinguish this capital renewal from that failed transit tax, emphasizing it maintains Cobb's existing 6% rate rather than layering on something new. The proposal also folds in previously announced projects, including a $65 million Animal Services facility on Al Bishop Drive near Marietta that officials said in July would depend on capital SPLOST funding for construction.
