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Elections

Friday, May 10, 2013

Tom Price Declines U.S. Senate Bid

The 6th District Congressman will run to keep his House seat.

U.S. Rep. Tom Price, (R-Roswell), who represents East Cobb and Northeast Cobb in Congress, will not be running for the U.S. Senate in 2014. He told The Marietta Daily Journal Friday he will be seeking re-election instead to his 6th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. "Our assessment at this point is the House is the battleground for politics in this country right now,” Price was quoted as telling the newspaper. “The president has identified it as the place where he wants to wage that battle, and he believes that taking the House is what will allow him to have an unfettered run at this agenda, and we’ve got to stop that.” Price has been one of the most vocal critics of Democratic President Barack Obama, and was considered a …

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Ira

2:24 pm on Sunday, May 12, 2013

I agree Hooray. I am very pleased with Mr Price as my congressman and am glade he will continue to represent us in Congress.   more ›

Monday, April 22, 2013

SPLOST Complaint Cites East Cobb Schools

The Cobb Taxpayers Association claims the Cobb School District violated state law by using public money to advocate for passage of SPLOST IV.

Contributed by the Cobb Taxpayers Association: The Cobb Taxpayers Association (CTA) president, Lance Lamberton, submitted a complaint on Thursday with the Georgia Department of Law, claiming that the Cobb County School District was in violation of state law by using taxpayer money and taxpayer supported facilities to explicitly advocate for passage of SPLOST IV, which was ratified by voters in a specially held election in Cobb County on March 19, 2013. In the complaint, Lamberton stated: The Cobb County School District explicitly called for passage of SPLOST IV using taxpayer supported and paid for communications, which included a newsletter, The Mt. Bethel Bugle, which urged a “yes” vote (attached). This newsletter was put in folders, …

Priscilla Pond DiNatale

10:21 am on Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Five East Cobb-area high schools are among 11 Cobb County schools included in The Washington Post's list of America’s Most Challenging High Schools. Walton High School had the highest ranking of the Cobb County schools, coming in at No. 3 on the state list and No. 163 on the national list. this isn't about PTA or any other thing except ignorance of The Cobb Taxpayers Association (CTA) president, …   more ›

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Cobb School SPLOST Extension Passes

Cobb voters approved Tuesday's referendum to continue sales tax collections through 2018.

The Cobb Education SPLOST will continue through 2018. Cobb voters on Tuesday approved a referendum that would continue collecting the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for school construction and maintenance projects for another five-year period. With all 153 precincts reporting, a total of 23,248 votes were cast in favor of the SPLOST extension, or 57.3 percent. There were 17,317 votes against, or 42.7 percent, according to figures reported by the Georgia Secretary of State. The Cobb Ed SPLOST IV, as it has been called, would collect $717.8 million for the Cobb County School District and $55.4 for Marietta City Schools between Jan. 1, 2014 and Dec. 31, 2018. "Schools win, kids win, economic development wins, property values win. It's…

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Brian

4:42 am on Sunday, March 31, 2013

A blanket statement about those who don't want to pay taxes but want to reap the rewards of land value increases is not a personal attack. It's quite the opposite. I'm really not angry :-) But if I seem annoyed lately, I'm really tired of hearing a few people make inane religious arguments because it's SPAM and borderline trolling. These comments add noise that sensible people have to sift …   more ›

Readers Split on Cobb SPLOST

See what some of your neighbors had to say about today’s vote on continuing Cobb’s one-cent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for schools.

If Patch readers’ opinions are any indication, we may not know which way today’s vote will go until the last ballot is tallied. A Patch poll that ran from 5 a.m. until 7 p.m. Monday was split right down the middle on how respondents said they would be voting today—or had already voted during advance balloting. Today’s election will determine whether or not the county’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) for school maintenance and construction projects will continue for the Cobb County School District and Marietta City Schools once the current SPLOST ends on Dec. 31. Both sides of the SPLOST issue shared their thoughts in the comments stream on Monday’s story. Patch reader Larry H was among those wanting to ax the tax: “As a …

Monday, March 18, 2013

East Cobb SPLOST Project List

Details of proposed school maintenance and construction work subject to Tuesday's Cobb Education sales tax referendum.

On Tuesday Cobb voters will decide whether to extend the current Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) for school maintenance and construction projects in the Cobb County School District and Marietta City Schools. The Cobb Education SPLOST IV, if passed, would collect a penny on the dollar from Jan. 1, 2014 through Dec. 31, 2018. The Cobb County School District would receive $717.8 million and Marietta City Schools $55.4 million. The attached PDF files, compiled by the Cobb County School District, include descriptions of the work that would be done at all schools in the Lassiter, Pope, Sprayberry, Walton and Wheeler High School districts. Among the major projects slated for East Cobb schools are the following: Two unspecified elementary school …

Where Do You Stand on Cobb’s SPLOST?

Cobb County voters on Tuesday will determine whether or not the county’s one-cent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for schools will continue. Tell us how you will vote on the matter and why.

Proponents and opponents have weighed in. But we want to know what you think. Though Cobb residents have had a few opportunities to cast ballots early, Tuesday is the official election day where voters will determine whether or not the county’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) for school maintenance and construction projects will continue for the Cobb County School District and Marietta City Schools. Ahead of Tuesday’s vote, we want to hear your answer to this question: The Cobb Education SPLOST IV, if passed, would continue the one-cent sales tax for the two school districts when the current SPLOST III collection period ends on Dec. 31. SPLOST IV would run from Jan. 1, 2014 through Dec. 31, 2018 and would be set to collect…

stephen m george jr mpa

7:38 pm on Monday, May 13, 2013

The problem is the more you give em the more they want ...I say do like the rest of us and do with what you have to do with ...!   more ›

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Final Push for Cobb Education SPLOST

Tuesday's referendum is expected to be close as the sales tax extension gets a key endorsement.

With advance voting completed, all that remains for the Cobb Education SPLOST IV referendum is Tuesday's final day of voting. Voters will decide whether to continue to tax themselves one penny on the dollar for school construction and maintenance projects. The proposed collection period, which would begin Jan. 1, 2014 and conclude on Dec. 31, 2018, would generate $717.8 million for the Cobb County School District and $55.4 million for Marietta Public Schools. Supporters of the referendum say extending the SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) is the most affordable method to pay for needed capital projects. Opponents who held a rally on the Marietta Square last weekend believe the project list includes too many unnecessary …

Eddie Scarbrough

4:06 pm on Monday, March 18, 2013

One of the great benefits of the SPLOST program is that a lot of the money comes from non-Cobb residents that spend money in our county for recreation, dining and shopping. The other option with the bonds puts the entire burden on Cobb taxpayers.   more ›

Monday, March 11, 2013

Satellite Advance SPLOST Voting This Week

Four additional locations will be open from Monday through Friday for the Cobb Education sales tax referendum.

Advance voting for the Cobb Education SPLOST IV referendum expands to four satellite locations this week. Satellite advance voting takes place Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the following locations: Advance voting also continues this week at the Cobb Elections Main Office, 736 Whitlock Ave. The hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The formal Cobb Education SPLOST referendum date is March 19. There will be no advance voting on Monday, March 18. Voters also may choose to vote by mail, and requested ballots also will be mailed starting today. Voters can apply for a ballot on the Cobb Elections website and have it mailed to them. A sample ballot also is available on the Cobb Elections website, but that feature has been …

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Frank

10:27 am on Monday, March 11, 2013

Crowd???? 20-30 people there at most - or in other words an estimated 0.004% of Cobb's population. So... the head of the Tea Party would rather that capital improvement funds be derived from property tax with interest payments rather than using a "fair-tax" (i.e. consumption tax) strategy. With property tax, the full burden falls on Cobb property owners. With SPLOST, some portion of the revenue …   more ›

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Pro-SPLOST Group Releases Video

The United 4 Kids Campaign also will produce commercials leading up to the March 19 education sales tax referendum.

Two Cobb County business owners are featured in a new video released this week in favor of the March 19 Cobb Education SPLOST IV referendum. The United 4 Kids Campaign is working on passing the sales tax extension, which would fund $772 million in construction and maintenance costs for the Cobb County School District and Marietta City Schools between 2014-2018. The speakers in the video are Jay Cunningham of Superior Plumbing and John Loud of Loud Security Systems, both based in Kennesaw. They repeat many of the points made by school district officials and others in support of the SPLOST referendum, especially the Cobb district's debt-free status and the county's property tax exemption for homeowners age 62 and over. "Vote yes for …

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Cobb Ed SPLOST Foes to Hold Rally

The Cobb Taxpayers Association is organizing Sunday's event at the Marietta Square.

Opponents of the upcoming Cobb Education SPLOST IV referendum announced today they will hold a rally this weekend. The Cobb Taxpayers Association said a "Rock the E-SPLOST" rally will take place from 12-1 p.m. Sunday at the Marietta Square. Among the speakers are former Cobb Commission Chairman Bill Byrne, who lost his bid to return to his old job in last year's elections and Kim Euston, the former chairwoman of the Cobb Board of Education's Facilities and Technology Committee, which conducts SPLOST oversight. Also fighting the Education SPLOST extension is the Cobb-based Georgia Tea Party. “This rally represents the culmination of a tremendous grassroots effort to defeat the E-SPLOST,” CTA president Lance Lamberton said in a statement. “…

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30082

12:16 pm on Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Why is it bunk to improve our schools?   more ›

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