The current General Fund operating budget for fiscal year 2014 is $360,424,627. Fiscal year 2015 operating budget will get adopted on August 26, 2011.

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 2013 tax digest and general obligation debt outstanding at September 30, 2013, the County is currently utilizing only 0.82% of its debt limit. The County chooses to pay cash for a substantial amount of capital improvements rather than issue general obligation bonds.

The current General Fund operating budget for fiscal year 2014 is $360,424,627. Fiscal year 2015 operating budget will get adopted on August 26, 2014.

The County’s primary source of revenue is property taxes. Other significant sources are licenses and permits, intergovernmental revenue, charges for services, and fines and forfeitures.

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 W&S 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 7 and 10 percent and the actual amount transferred was less than the budgeted amount in 7 of the last 12 years, and equal to the budgeted amount in three of the twelve years. Team Cobb regularly evaluates the tax digest throughout the year to determine the actual transfer rate.

The 2021 budgeted transfer is 8 percent. This transfer helps to fully fund a multi-year public safety plan unanimously adopted by the Board of Commissioners in 2014, as well as ongoing public safety improvements that have been approved in the ensuing years. This plan has put more than 80 additional officers on the street and implemented policies and practices that ensure Cobb County has the ability to recruit and retain of the best and brightest.

• Cobb County 2010-2021 Water Transfer Rate Chart

Cobb’s policy has been to maintain a 1/10th reserve (10%) for the General Fund.

Revenue bonds, capital lease payables, and notes payable.