Residential, Business and Motor Vehicles Affected by Millage Rate Increase

The Cobb Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 Tuesday to approve a property tax increase that will go into effect for tax bills due in October.

The measure increases Cobb’s millage rate from 9.6 to 11.11 mills, a 15.7 percent increase.

Property owners inside the Smyrna city limits will only see their county tax bill rise to 8.05 mills, not 11.11 mills.

Residents were given the example of a $105 increase per $200,000 in home value, but Stefani Balli, administrative coordinator for county Finance Director Jim Pehrson, told Northeast Cobb Patch that the millage rate increase affects all classes of property, including:

• Residential.
• Personal.
• Commercial.
• Public utilities.
• Motor vehicles.
• Mobile homes.
• Timber.
• Heavy-duty equipment.

In addition to residential property taxes, the taxes on motor vehicles and construction equipment will increase. The cost of doing business in Cobb will increase, and business owners could pass the added expense on to consumers.

Commissioners Bob Ott, who represents Smyrna and parts of East Cobb, voted against raising the millage rate increase.

He said on Wednesday that he wanted to wait on a millage rate vote for the completion of duties by the Citizen Oversight Committee he advocated last fall that is closely reviewing county finances and spending.

"I'm concerned that in six to eight months, if we're not careful, we're going to be where we were in April," Ott said.

That's a reference to the painful budget decision the commission made to impose 10 percent across-the-board cuts, including employee furloughs, to make up for a $30 million shortfall on top of more than $21 million in reductions to balance the fiscal year 2011 budget.

Commission chairman Tim Lee is expected to unveil a budget next month, with a likely vote by the commission at the end of August.

- Patch editor Wendy Parker contributed to this story.