Lee: 'We believe we do a good job'

Not surprisingly, Cobb Commission Chairman Tim Lee was singing the county’s praises at a recent meeting where he discussed a new economic redevelopment plan that will be unveiled in February 2012.

Lee explained that Cobb is the third largest county in the region, but has the smallest operating budget of any county its size. He also bragged on Cobb’s services, which he thinks are more numerous and better than the services offered by neighboring counties.

Lee said Cobb’s low millage rate and property tax combined with its AAA credit rating make it an attractive place to do business.

“That bond rating enables us to save millions of dollars over the course of the years in interest because we buy tax anticipation notes in spring to get us through the year,” he said. “We collect taxes at the end of the fiscal year, so we have to borrow money at the beginning of the year to operate for the year until we collect the taxes. And that rate is usually way below one percent and our triple-A bond rating helps us accomplish that. We believe we do a good job.”

However, Lee hopes to sharpen Cobb’s competitive edge with a new economic development plan that will be unveiled in February 2012. He said Cobb is working with the Cobb Chamber of Commerce on an economic development plan that targets six specific areas for growth potential over the next 10 years.

“It is also the six targeted areas, which our workforce, which is the best educated workforce in the Southeast, best fit the job descriptions of the industries,” he said. “It’s going to be a real focused effort. We’re not going to waste time going after companies that sound good or look good that we don’t have the workforce for. We’re going to go after those that we think are growing industries.”

Lee said that in the changing market, Cobb now has to compete with other markets in the region like Birmingham, North Carolina, Texas and Tampa instead of just competing with neighboring counties like Gwinnett and Fulton.