Mableton residents debate $21 million public safety plan, demanding transparency

Mableton's agreement with Cobb County for police services has expired, but county and city leaders say people living in the area should not expect changes to patrols or 911 response.

Cobb County leaders addressed the issue Tuesday afternoon during a press conference at Cobb County Police Headquarters.

Police Chief Dan Ferrell said more than 100 Cobb County police officers have been deputized through the Cobb County Sheriff's Office to continue providing police services in Mableton.

"We continue the exact same services that we had before," Ferrell said. "So that ensures that we don't have a disruption in services or procedures or what the expectations are from the community."

While both sides agree police protection continues, city and county leaders remain divided over what is preventing a new long-term agreement.

Mableton Mayor Michael Owens said the dispute centers on the city's municipal court. Owens said Mableton has already hired staff and created a functioning court and wants certain cases heard there.

"We've already hired a chief judge, a solicitor. We have a court administrator. We have a functioning court," Owens said.

Owens said he wants to create a special service district that would specifically allocate taxpayer funds to public safety. He said the special service district would cost $21 million annually. 

"When money goes into fund through that special service district, that money has to be used for public safety," Owens said. "Which is completely different than money going into a general fund which is where your property taxes go because it can go almost anywhere from that point." 

However, Owens said Mableton does not have a property tax. 

Owens said he and the city council believe public safety is more than just police services. 

"It also includes quality of life through our code enforcement, it also includes emergency preparedness and emergency management, it also includes issues around court and physical safety and protection of our assets."

However, some Mableton residents expressed concerns about the proposed plan. 

"There's been a lot of flowery — and it's just the way I feel about it — a lot of flowery suggestions of what benefits we're going to get out of this, but the bottom line is how much does it cost," said one Mableton resident.

"What is the urgency," said another Mableton resident. "I'm excited about this city growing and I know that it's gonna grow and be a beautiful location in the future, but what is the urgency of doing public safety now when we're all standing in a rented facility?"

Several residents who spoke also expressed their concerns when it comes to transparency. 

"When our constituents show up and tell us 'We don't have enough information,' 'We don't know,' that's where I and our council, we have to regroup, and we have to make sure we put out even more information," Owens said. 

Owens said he still wants to move forward with the public safety plan. 

"When you get together constituents from across different districts, different age groups, different backgrounds, there are going to have different ideas about how the city has to work," Owens said. 

Cobb Chairwoman encourages partnership

Cobb County Chairwoman Lisa Cupid disagreed, saying the city should have secured the necessary resources before standing up those services.

"You don't put the cart before the horse and then hold others accountable for your own decision that you've made to create that construct," Cupid said. "If they wanted a court, they would have ensured that they had the resources to do that."

According to Chairwoman Cupid, there was nothing impacting anybody's bottom line. 

"If they have any city ordinance that is being enforced that has revenue attached to it, they will be the recipient of whatever fees are associated with their ordinances," Cupid said. "But any other prior ordinance that the county was enforcing as a county ordinance, that remains with the county." 

Cupid said the agreement helps all of them to be able to move forward. 

"I cannot ask for anything more than just a willingness beyond this agreement to work together," Cupid said. "And to realize that while Mableton stands itself up to have its own police department, this partnership will last far beyond any one year agreement or even one service."

For now, both sides say people living in the area should continue to see police patrols and receive a response when they call 911.

County leaders said the current arrangement is temporary while discussions continue over a long-term solution. They said the goal remains either reaching a new agreement with Mableton or for the city to eventually create its own police department.