Facing $30 million budget deficit, Cobb County commission gives direction to decrease library, transit funding (Kennesaw: sales, sales tax)

[Gulch]

Commissioners give direction to decrease library, transit funding | News | mdjonline.com

Facing a potential $30 million shortfall in their fiscal 2019 budget, Cobb commissioners Tuesday agreed in principle to support consolidation of county libraries and cuts to the county’s transit system. But specifics of those and other line items that commissioners guided Chairman Mike Boyce and county leadership to begin pursuing were not discussed nor voted on during the second day of the commission’s two-day retreat.

The reductions were among a list of 45 potential budgetary line items — both increases and decreases in expenditures and potential increases in revenues — proposed by commissioners and discussed during Tuesday’s public meeting, held at the Threadmill Complex in Austell. Led by facilitators from the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia, commissioners voted up or down on the line items, getting the approval of three or more commissioners on 25 of them, according to a list of budget items provided by County Manager Rob Hosack’s office Wednesday afternoon.

Though commissioners did not officially take action on the budget items at the retreat, the list is considered to be a part of working materials that will essentially serve as “talking points” that Boyce and county leaders will use going forward to develop the fiscal 2019 budget, according to county spokesman Ross Cavitt.

[fieldm]

Make Cobb Great Again

[primaltech]

Here's a solution:

1. Cut ALL transit funding permanently, fix their budget issue

2. Join MARTA, which would be funded by a new 1% sales tax

Please?

[jsvh]

But the new Braves stadium was supposed to make tax dollars rain from the sky! How could this happen!?

[whodean]

I think the transit funding cut is just the unused Cumberland circulator bus. No great loss.

The library closures is more concerning.

[primaltech]

Originally Posted by whodean

I think the transit funding cut is just the unused Cumberland circulator bus. No great loss.

The frustrating thing is, that circulator WOULD be useful if there was a commuter rail station right there.

[DreamerD]

There are libraries in Cobb County that actually need more funding or perhaps a new location due to demand. One library I can say that this is true for is Kennesaw library. I have been there a few times and I can tell you that they have high demand with not enough workers to meet the demand. They would really benefit from having a much larger building with increased staff. It's a pity that Cobb saw it fit to fund the Braves Stadium through taxpayer money without taxpayers being able to vote on it; instead of trying to support its libraries, its education...they are willing to cut their nose to spite their face. Actually, the people who are in the position to make these changes won't be affected just as the people who vote to start/continue war's children won't be affected because they won't be going to war will they?

[DreamerD]

Originally Posted by jsvh

But the new Braves stadium was supposed to make tax dollars rain from the sky! How could this happen!?

Even if there was such a surplus from the Braves Stadium, they still wouldn't put it towards the libraries. This state, this country is attacking education and people have to fight against it.

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by DreamerD

Even if there was such a surplus from the Braves Stadium, they still wouldn't put it towards the libraries. This state, this country is attacking education and people have to fight against it.

Well, bet an extra $400M would come in handy about now regardless.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by primaltech

Here's a solution:

1. Cut ALL transit funding permanently, fix their budget issue

2. Join MARTA, which would be funded by a new 1% sales tax

Please?

Right out of my mouth haha!

Cobb Linc has $21 Mil. dedicated to it per year. That's 2/3rds of the budget deficit right there, not including the sale value of Cobb Linc's assets that could close the gap for a few years while the county figures itself out.

By contrast, a 1% MARTA tax would be independent of the county's budget, and generate ~$131 Million per year in revenue, or 6 times the Cobb Linc annual funding.