Cobb County will dole out raises of up to 3 percent and add five new positions while slightly decreasing property taxes, according to a draft of the 2014 budget released Tuesday.
Georgia’s third-largest county released its $745 million budget plans for the upcoming fiscal year, showing an overall increase of almost 1 percent.
The small growth is notable given that in recent years local governments across metro Atlanta struggled to balance budgets as the Great Recession took a toll on property taxes and other revenues. That’s led to tax increases and spending cuts in Cobb, DeKalb, Gwinnett and for some Fulton residents.
Cobb’s upcoming budget, which runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, is buoyed by a rise in building-related fees, a change in the state’s car tax system and cost-cutting measures. The county’s general fund, which is the main operating account, is expected to increase by 1.39 percent to $326 million.
“The county is very well managed. We’ve held cost down and we’ve anticipated the economic impact of the past couple years,” said Jim Pehrson, Cobb’s director of finance.
In 2011, the County Commission approved an increase to the tax rate in order to balance the budget. Last month, they voted to slightly lower the general fund rate, in hopes of reducing it each year for the next five years until it returns to the 2010 levels.
via Cobb budget to increase slightly in 2014 | www.myajc.com.
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