Decoding the Talk from the Joint Town Hall (Part 1)

Matthew Stover
Feb 5
3 min read

If you watched the February 4 joint town hall with Mableton Mayor Michael Owens and Cobb County Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid, you likely left with two things: an appreciation for their open and honest conversation, and a realization of just how complicated our city’s transition really is.

This post is the first installment of a plain English, two-part series designed to clear the air on the language used during the town hall.

Part 2 will take the main points from the town hall to show how Mableton is moving toward independence. We’ll look at our new partnership with Cobb County and explain how these changes will affect your daily life as a resident.

But first, we need to define the five terms that took center stage.

1. The Millage Rate (The "Price Tag" of a City)

In Plain English: A millage rate is the tax rate used to calculate your local property taxes.

Technically, a "mill" is 1/10 of 1 cent—which works out to $1 of tax for every $1,000 of your property’s assessed value.
How it Works: The County currently charges 8.46 mills. If your house has an assessed value (different from market value), of $200,000, your property tax from the county would be around $1,692 ($200 x 8.46).

2. The General Fund (The "Shared Pot")

In Plain English: Every Cobb County resident contributes to the General Fund, whether they live in the City of Mableton or an unincorporated area.
This fund is primarily supported by county property taxes; it is where a significant portion of that 8.46 mills mentioned above is directed.

3. SSD: Special Service District (Paying for "Extra")

In Plain English: An SSD is a specific pot of money used to pay for services that only people or businesses in a certain area receive (like the Fire District or the Police District).
Many residents in South Cobb are familiar with the Six Flags SSD. Within this district, commercial properties are assessed a 3.5 mill tax to support infrastructure maintenance and public safety enhancements in that specific area.

4. IGA: Intergovernmental Agreement (The "Contract")

In Plain English: An IGA is a formal business contract between two governments. In this case, the City of Mableton and Cobb County. This is where Mableton "outsources" some of its work.
This explains why we still see Cobb County police cars and fire trucks. The Mayor explicitly identified Police, Fire, and 911 as the major services Mableton currently "buys" from Cobb through these contracts.

5. SDS: Service Delivery Strategy (The "Divorce Decree")

In Plain English: The SDS is a state-mandated agreement between a county and its cities. It is a "Master Plan" that determines which government is responsible for services like zoning, libraries, and parks.
It is essentially a map that clearly states which government provides which service (and who pays for it) to ensure there is no overlap or "double taxation."

Why These Terms Matter for Our Future

I hope that understanding these five terms gives you more context into exactly what was being discussed during the town hall.

More importantly, I hope you feel more confident as you move forward and listen to our local elected officials speak about upcoming changes.

In the next part of this series, I'll discuss elements like the incoming $9.5 million police budget and the critical February 28th deadline for deciding how our city will operate its future.

Watch out for Part 2!