The Marietta Daily Journal – Commissioners mum on tax deal for

MARIETTA — Most Cobb commissioners support Chairman Tim Lee’s denial of tax incentives for a wealthy developer’s $103 million project, but some are more hesitant to criticize property tax breaks handed out by a board whose members they appoint.

Real estate magnate John Williams is financing a mega-development, called Riverwalk, which will include 236 condos, 14 three-story townhomes and a 10-story office tower by the Cumberland Mall.

The development didn’t meet the county’s requirements of creating 25 jobs and contributing $500,000 to the tax digest and was denied a waiver of permit and licensing fees, but the Development Authority of Cobb County is moving ahead with a waiver of property taxes.

The committee that denied the fee waiver was made up of high-ranking staffers, including County Manager David Hankerson and Faye DiMassimo, director of transportation, along with Lee.

But in the same letter in which Lee denied the request for permitting waivers he encouraged developers to continue their quest for tax abatement from the Development Authority. That authority’s board is appointed by the commission.

“To that end, I want to express the county’s support of your efforts as they relate to working with the Development Authority of Cobb County as well as the Board of Tax Assessors to secure other incentives for this project as they determine are appropriate,” Lee wrote.

Lee said his letter was a “courtesy” and he doesn’t know what criteria the Development Authority used to judge the tax abatement it has promised.

“I don’t know what they looked at,” Lee said. “I wasn’t at the meeting. I have no idea why they did what they did.”

At least one commissioner says Lee wasn’t speaking for him when he suggested developers should seek property tax abatement from the Development Authority.

“We were never consulted about it,” said Commissioner Bob Ott, who represents southeast Cobb. “So I think it’s his opinion, I don’t know if it’s necessarily anybody else’s because we were never asked.”

via The Marietta Daily Journal – Commissioners mum on tax deal for.