Biennial Budget - FY 25/26
Frequently Asked Questions
The adopted General Fund budget for fiscal year 2024 is $583,493,227. Fiscal year 2025 budgets will be adopted on July 23, 2024.
Georgia law requires that the total amount of any county’s general obligation debt shall never exceed 10% of the total assessed value of all taxable property in the county. Based on the County’s 2023 tax digest and general obligation debt outstanding on September 30, 2023, the County is currently utilizing only 0.00% of its debt limit. The County chooses to pay cash for a substantial amount of capital improvements rather than issue general obligation bonds.
The adopted General Fund budget for fiscal year 2024 is $583,493,227. The expenditures are categorized as:
| Personnel | $388,003,055 |
| Operating | $117,777,001 |
| Capital | $18,226,600 |
| Debt Service | $22,490,830 |
| Transfers Out | $33,544,291 |
| Contingency | $3,451,450 |
| Total General Fund Expenditures | $583,493,227 |
The County’s primary source of revenue is property taxes. Other sources comprising the top five revenue sources are, in descending order for FY2024, are: other taxes, charges for services, transfers in, licenses and permits.
Cobb County Policy allows for up to 10 percent of prior year water fund revenues to be transferred, annually, into the general fund. The General Fund includes the operating costs of County services such as police, parks and recreation and libraries. This fiscal strategy ensures a diverse General Fund revenue stream that minimizes potential risk should the economy ever take a downturn.
In Cobb County, this strategy dates back to 1985 when Water & Sewerage bond documents allowed for a transfer of up to 10% of prior year revenues. The County did not start transferring funds to the General Fund until 1998. Since 2009, the budgeted transfer amount has ranged between 6 and 10 percent. Team Cobb regularly evaluates the tax digest throughout the year to determine the actual transfer rate.
The 2024 budgeted transfer is 6 percent. This transfer helps to fully fund ongoing public safety improvements that have been approved in the ensuing years. This plan has put additional officers on the street and implemented policies and practices that ensure Cobb County can recruit and retain of the best and brightest.
It is the goal of the County to achieve and maintain an unassigned fund balance in the General Fund of not less than 25% of the General Fund current year adopted budget.
Revenue bonds, capital lease payables, and notes payable.