Voters veto Mableton redevelopment powers

Mableton voters shot down a ballot measure which would give the city redevelopment powers under Georgia’s Redevelopment Law in Tuesday’s election.

The Mableton measure failed with 51.98% of voters, 14,933 ballots, siding against redevelopment powers and 48.02%, 14,796 ballots, cast in its favor, according to unofficial results.

Results are not official until certified by the Cobb Board of Elections on Nov. 9.

Redevelopment powers would allow the city to carry out community redevelopment, create tax allocation districts (TADs) and issue tax allocation bonds to boost redevelopment.

TADs work by freezing property values inside a determined district at a base level. As developers then build developments, increasing property values, tax revenue above the base goes into a fund where it is used to repay bonds or fund public improvements.

Once the cost of the redevelopment is fully paid, the TAD ends and all tax revenue is returned to the city.

Mayor Michael Owens previously told the Journal redevelopment areas could include the Six Flags and I-20 gateway area and Floyd Road commercial strips.

In a statement, Owens recognized the choice of voters not to grant the Mableton City Council redevelopment powers.

“While this tool would have allowed our city to implement Tax Allocation Districts (TADs) to accelerate commercial corridor revitalization, we hear and respect the decision of the voters,” he said.

Owens said the city’s commitment to revitalizing commercial corridors, tackling blighted properties and attracting sustainable, responsible development has not changed.

“This vote simply clarifies the path forward: we will continue to pursue smart growth using our existing economic development tools, active public-private partnerships, competitive grants and direct collaboration with Cobb County and our local business community,” he wrote.

State representatives Terry Cummings, D-Mableton, Mekyah McQueen, D-Smyrna, Gabriel Sanchez, D-Smyrna, Michael Smith, D-Marietta, Jordan Ridley, R-Woodstock, and Solomon Adesanya, D-east Cobb, sponsored the bill enabling the city to call for the referendum.

Cummings told the Journal she thought the redevelopment powers would have been beneficial to the city’s continued development, but is not surprised the measure did not succeed.

“When you look at everything that’s been going on out here, you have the timing and the trust factor... at some of the recent town halls that were going on residents were really questioning whether granting redevelopment powers was kind of premature, No. 1, since the city is still so young,” she said.

She said residents are also feeling financial uncertainty after the City Council recently imposed a new tax, set at 4.5 mills, to pay for the city’s Public Safety Division.

“I think that no matter how people try to explain the TAD, it was seen as an additional tax,” she said.

Cummings said she sees the denial as a temporary setback rather than an overall loss.

“But I do think that it’s worth continuing the effort and everybody has to see the value in it,” she said.

She also noted there is no reason Mableton cannot try another referendum to gain redevelopment powers in the future.