Gov. Brian Kemp will not appoint a transition committee for the city of Mableton, Cobb County Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said in a news release after she spoke with him Wednesday.
The governor has the option of appointing a transition committee for new cities to aid in the separation process with the county. But in this case, voting in the Mableton elections starts in less than two weeks, and the city will soon have its own elected representation.
Some officials and residents were confused when cityhood movement leaders established a website calling themselves the Mableton Transition Committee. The county initially communicated about the city’s transition with individuals with the Mableton Yes group, which advocated for cityhood prior to the November election.
“When the city passed, we did exchange communication with the head of that transition effort,” Cupid said. “We realized that we needed to halt that communication and wait.”
The county appointed county manager Jackie McMorris to be the county’s point person to aid in the city’s transition. The new city’s leaders will have to work with the county to establish tax and service agreements.
“The transition to a city is not an overnight process, but there are some administrative things that are required of us as a county to communicate with the city council in their early days,” Cupid said.
The city’s first officials will establish a plan, determine which services to provide and create a city budget, and they can also appoint a city manager, clerk, attorney and municipal court judge.
Cupid is holding a town hall meeting on Feb. 16 with Commissioner Monique Sheffield and county staff to discuss the transition period and answer questions residents may have about the process.
About the Author
