COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A group in Mableton has started a petition to call for the city to be dissolved.
The petition cites concerns over taxes, paying for duplicate services and the city’s “long-term financial sustainability.”
Kimberly Houston is the resident organizing the “Dissolve Mableton” petition with the goal of asking state legislators to address their concerns. As of Wednesday, the petition has over 1,800 signatures.
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Mableton became a city when a referendum passed during the November 2022 election and was officially incorporated in 2023.
But Houston and others are concerned about the direction the city has been moving since then.
“Residents were also told that Mableton would operate under a limited ‘City Lite’ model, providing four primary services: code enforcement, parks, planning and zoning, and waste management. Since incorporation, however, the scope and cost of city government have expanded significantly,” Houston wrote to Channel 2 Action News.
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Among the concerns is taxes going up for Mableton property owners later this year. A millage rate of 4.5 would mean the owner of a home worth $350,000 will owe $630 a year, and that will be due this year on Dec. 1.
Channel 2 Action News previously reported in July that the money would be used by the city to build a public safety division, including its own police department. The Cobb County Police Department has been serving the area.
The petition isn’t enough to dissolve the city. That would require legislative approval. The residents hope the petition will encourage state lawmakers to take a look.
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Mableton Mayor Michael Owens sent Channel 2 Action News the following statement in response to the petition.
“I respect the right of residents to petition their government and to express disagreement with the direction of the City of Mableton. That is an important part of our democracy.
At the same time, we have to respect the democratic process that created Mableton.
The people of Mableton had their say in a certified referendum. The General Assembly authorized the incorporation process, Governor Brian Kemp signed the legislation, and on November 8, 2022, voters approved the creation of the City of Mableton. Following that decision, residents elected their mayor and City Council to govern the municipality.
If every election can be reopened whenever a group disagrees with the result, we undermine the very democratic process we say we want to protect.
Mableton’s creation has been tested through the legislative, electoral, and judicial processes. In White v. City of Mableton, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled in the City’s favor in January 2025, affirming the lower court’s decision. All participating justices concurred.
That does not mean Mableton should be immune from scrutiny. The petition specifically calls for the General Assembly to review Mableton’s fiscal, operational, and governance impacts, and I welcome that review if the General Assembly determines it wants to pursue one.
However, we now have two years of independently audited financial statements available on our website that anyone can review. Those audits provide an objective financial record of the City’s financial position and financial activity. In both FY2024 and FY2025, the independent auditors concluded that the City’s financial statements fairly presented its financial position and changes in financial position in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
Mableton was created by a vote of the people. My responsibility as mayor is to respect that vote, serve our residents, and continue building a city that delivers for them."
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