Cobb County could lose nearly $15 million in federal COVID-relief dollars if 10 lagging projects can't spend down their budgets by Sept. 30. That's money all Cobb taxpayers funded through the American Rescue Plan Act, and East Cobb's District 3 Commissioner JoAnn Birrell was in the room as county staff laid out the problem.
Deputy County Manager Bill Volckmann told the Cobb Board of Commissioners at its Tuesday, Aug. 4 work session that 10 of the county's 99 ARPA projects have spent less than 80% of their allocations, leaving approximately $14.9 million unspent with less than two months until the federal deadline. Any money not spent by Sept. 30 must be returned to the U.S. Treasury.
The county originally received $147.7 million in ARPA funds, approved by Congress in 2021 to help local governments respond to the pandemic. Interest earnings of about $19.6 million brought total allocations to roughly $167.3 million. As of Aug. 4, Cobb had spent about $123 million of the more than $160 million allocated across projects, according to the Marietta Daily Journal.
South Cobb Health Complex is the biggest problem
The South Cobb Public Health Complex dwarfs the rest of the watch list. The planned facility at 490 Riverside Parkway has spent just 1% of its approximately $9.7 million ARPA allocation, leaving about $8.5 million unspent.
Volckmann flagged the health complex as the one project he most wanted on commissioners' radar. The project's estimated cost has ballooned from $18 million to roughly $25 million. Commissioners approved design and program-management contracts in April 2026 and selected Hogan Construction Group as construction manager in July 2026, but the project is still in pre-construction.
The proposed fix: swap the money
Volckmann's solution is to shift the expiring federal grant dollars away from the health complex to projects that can actually spend them before the deadline, then redirect approximately $7 million in unrestricted interest earnings to keep the health complex funded. Interest earned on ARPA funds is not subject to the Sept. 30 deadline.
He told commissioners the swap would not require new county tax dollars. "No general fund dollars, no property tax dollars. None of that. This can all be contained within the ARPA program and the ARPA interest program," Volckmann said.
The full watch list
The 10 projects below the 80% spending threshold, with their spending percentages as of Aug. 4:
- South Cobb Public Health Complex — 1%
- Cobb & Douglas Public Health, epidemiology program — 12%
- Cobb & Douglas Public Health, septic system repairs — 49%
- Habitat for Humanity, affordable housing — 56%
- Cobb & Douglas Public Health, opioid reduction program — 61%
- Cobb & Douglas Public Health, public health outreach — 65%
- Cobb Economic Development, strategic plan — 70%
- Cobb & Douglas Public Health, infant public health program — 70%
- Center for Family Resources, rental assistance — 73%
- Vision to Learn, vision care for school children — 75%
Volckmann said county staff and consulting firm Deloitte are holding regular meetings with each watch-list recipient, all of whom have monthly spending targets. He noted that every project except the health complex has made "significant progression." Habitat for Humanity's 36-home development on Hiram Lithia Springs Road is expected to submit a large volume of invoices as construction materials are purchased, which should push its percentage up before the deadline.
What it means for East Cobb
None of the 10 watch-list projects are explicitly located in East Cobb. But the ARPA dollars belong to all Cobb taxpayers, and the interest-earnings strategy affects the county's broader fiscal flexibility.
Of the county's 99 ARPA projects, 47 have already fully spent their allocations and another 31 are between 90% and 99% complete.
Volckmann said he plans to meet individually with each commissioner before bringing a formal reallocation proposal back to the board. No date has been set for that vote.
