Cobb County voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to renew a 1% sales tax expected to raise $1.15 billion over six years for roads, transit and other capital projects.

Three county leaders made the case for that renewal at a Cobb Chamber of Commerce panel Monday, Aug. 31, calling transit investment essential to economic growth. Commissioner Erick Allen, Cumberland Community Improvement District Executive Director Kim Menefee and Town Center CID Executive Director Tracy Styf each pointed to the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) as the county's primary infrastructure funding tool, the Marietta Daily Journal reported.

The official election notice filed Aug. 5 lists transit capital improvements and transportation infrastructure in the Cumberland and Town Center districts among eligible project categories. Cumberland borders unincorporated East Cobb at its southern tip, near I-285; Town Center, in northwest Cobb near Kennesaw, is farther away. If approved, collections would begin Jan. 1, 2028, replacing the current SPLOST when it expires Dec. 31, 2027.

Menefee pointed to the new I-75 ramp at Akers Mill Road, which opened in January 2025, as proof that SPLOST dollars already ease congestion for Cumberland-area commuters.

Styf said the Town Center CID wants to renovate George Busbee Parkway to add space for bikes and pedestrians. County documents estimate the project would receive about $2.4 million if the renewal passes. Styf said the improvements would give people more ways to get around and reduce traffic.

Allen said better transit would let companies recruit talent beyond the Monday-through-Friday commute window. He called residents' "mindset" the biggest obstacle to expanding transit in the county.

"I think the challenge is the mindset," Allen said. "One of the things that I've really come to appreciate and learn, but also want to help lead people through, is that it's not so scary for growth."

The panel came days after the Cobb County Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 on Tuesday, Aug. 25, to expand the CobbLinc Go microtransit pilot to Acworth and Kennesaw, adding service to more than 100,000 residents. Allen voted in favor. The county Department of Transportation said 90% of the expansion's funding comes from a trust and grants, Atlanta News First reported.

The SPLOST renewal is a different question than the 2024 Mobility SPLOST proposal, which would have added a new tax to fund $11 billion in transit over 30 years. About 62% of Cobb voters rejected that measure, Axios reported in March. The November renewal continues an existing tax and funds a broader mix of capital projects.

Cobb County has scheduled six public open houses on the renewal between September and October; county officials say the sessions won't follow a town hall format. The nearest East Cobb-area session is Wednesday, Sept. 16, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Tim D. Lee Senior Center, 3332 Sandy Plains Road in Marietta. A full schedule is on the county's website.