East Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell is challenging a proposed expansion of Cobb County's on-demand transit service, calling for a public referendum on transit spending as the Board of Commissioners prepares to vote Tuesday, Aug. 25, on two resolutions that would move the plans forward.
"I think anything transit should be a referendum," Birrell said.
The resolutions on the board's 7 p.m. agenda at 100 Cherokee St. in Marietta would approve federally required Title VI service equity analyses for two CobbLinc Go microtransit proposals: extending the existing south Cobb zone into northwest Mableton and launching a two-year pilot in Acworth and Kennesaw. They do not finalize the expansions. Separate contract votes, expected in September, would commit funding and authorize service to begin.
Cobb County Department of Transportation Director Drew Raessler told the Marietta Daily Journal that the resolutions authorize staff to proceed but that a contract must still come before the board.
What the expansions would look like
The south Cobb proposal would add roughly six square miles to the existing 23-square-mile CobbLinc Go zone, extending into northwest Mableton along Austell Road, Floyd Road and Veterans Memorial Highway. About 16,103 additional residents would gain access.
The north Cobb pilot would cover 31 square miles in portions of Acworth and Kennesaw, including both downtowns, Kennesaw State University, Cobb County International Airport and Town Center Mall. It would run weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. at $1.50 per trip, with free transfers to local bus routes. Approximately 63,130 additional residents would be served.
In December 2025, Georgia awarded a $3.63 million grant to help fund the north Cobb pilot. Cobb County must match at least $620,000 in local funds.
Equity findings spark debate
The Title VI analysis for the south Cobb expansion found no disparate impact on minority populations. The north Cobb analysis did flag a disparity: minority access would increase 13.8% compared with 30.2% for non-minority populations, slightly exceeding CobbLinc's 23-percentage-point threshold. The county plans targeted outreach and ridership monitoring to address the gap.
Birrell also questioned whether the $1.50 fare should be open to all riders or restricted to seniors and people with disabilities who need it most.
Commissioner Monique Sheffield pushed back at the Aug. 11 public hearing: "Transit is a service, much like parks, much like senior services … We have close to 800,000 citizens in this county. Everybody's not going to utilize all of the same services, but that does not mean we turn a deaf ear to and a blind eye to those who need those services."
Ridership growth and cost
CobbLinc Go has operated in south Cobb since October 2023, averaging nearly 2,300 trips per month during its first 18 months. That compares with about 630 monthly trips on the former Flex Service it replaced. The pilot costs approximately $1.1 million annually, with 60% covered by state and federal grants and 30% from county funds.
No existing bus routes would be cut.
About 62% of Cobb voters rejected an $11 billion Mobility SPLOST transit sales tax in 2023, and Republicans in the Georgia General Assembly passed legislation in 2026 blocking the county from holding another transit referendum until 2032.
The Tuesday meeting will stream live on CobbTV and the county's YouTube channel. If the resolutions pass, contract votes could come before commissioners as early as September.
