Voters in Cobb County, Georgia, overwhelmingly prioritized parks and green space back in 2008. Cobb County commissioners', however, are still acting to quell those intentions.
"The Cobb County Board of Commissioners voted 2-3 Tuesday against issuing $24.7 million in park bonds," reports Carolyn Cunningham.
If they had been approved, the "bonds would have been a first step in fulfilling the county’s pledge to fund $40 million in park bonds when this item was approved by 67 percent of Cobb voters on a November 2008 referendum."
The opposing commissioners gave various reasons for their vote, from a reluctance to approve new taxes required to pay off the bonds to a concern about ongoing maintenance and operations costs.
A separate article by Job Gargis provides more details on the commissioners' refusal to issue the bonds—despite the support from two-thirds of county voters during the 2008 referendum that approved the bonds. The original delay in issuing the bonds, back at the time of the voters' approval, was that "the tanking economy would have forced a tax increase to repay the bonds."
An article by Dan Klepal, written before the vote, provides additional context for the commissioners' decision.
Read the full story: Cobb denies $24.7 million for park bonds
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