Even without the closures, the library services in Cobb have already taken a hard hit in the ongoing budget crisis. Many libraries that used to operate from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. are only open from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Some are closed for the weekend or midweek, like Lewis A. Ray.

“I loved the library,” says Reed. “I was rewarded ‘Geek of the Month.’ I used to take my kids to story time.”

“Sometimes elected officials think they’re outdated and that closing libraries would be a great way to save money. They don’t realize all of the services being offered,” said Julie Walker.

Cobb is not the only county in Georgia eyeing public services for cost savings. Bibb County, with Macon at its center, has until next week to pass a millage increase, or libraries, public transit, and parks and recreation will all be discontinued. It would be the first of Georgia’s 150 counties to be without any libraries. It would also result in close to 100 layoffs just for the libraries alone. “It’s such a horrendous, short-sided decision,” Walker says.

With the property tax hike come new promises. "I sincerely believe this millage rate will sustain Cobb County well into the future," Commissioner Chairman Mike Boyce said. "Maintaining this lifestyle in Cobb will be an investment for you, your children, and your grandchildren."

According to Cobb County Communications Director, Ross Cavitt, Boyce believes the increase is enough to keep all county services operating, and to begin the process of restoring some services cut during the recession. Yet no one I spoke with feels sure the county will not end up in the same situation as early as next year.

Cavitt also rightly noted how low the millage rate is compared to other counties in metro Atlanta. Unfortunately for Cobb’s poorest citizens, low taxes translate to far less access to public resources than in other corners of the metro area—especially the Atlanta region’s public transit system, MARTA, which operates in every other county adjoining Atlanta.

Cobb’s absence from the system is no accident. It has continually blocked efforts to join Atlanta’s system, and the history of this abstention seems to have, at least in part, been racially charged.

“My understanding was that the Braves Stadium wasn't going to be a burden on families and indeed is for some and a pain in the buttock for others. Not only do some residents get saddled with property tax burden, they have to deal with the traffic that goes with it,” said Chris Smith, another resident of Cobb County. Chris claims their property taxes have doubled since 2017.

It's also important to note here that Cobb County’s public transit is limited and slow. Kate described it in one word: “terrible.” In order to take a bus from the town of Powder Springs, where Guenevere lives, to the nearby city of Marietta, Google Maps suggests a 2 hour and 20 minute bus ride into Atlanta proper and back out without traffic. It also doesn’t account for the likely several mile walk you may need to take to the Powder Springs Park and Ride to board that first bus.

Cobblinc, the county’s transit system, is a bus system that operates with specific, limited destinations, mainly focusing on Marietta and Kennesaw State University.

A Changing Community

Ask many residents, and they're likely to tell you Marietta isn’t what it used to be. The once gleaming city that sits at the center of Cobb County is on the decline.

“This used to be a two lane road,” Kate Raybon’s father tells her as they drive through Marietta. Now it is a stroad covered with strip malls, gas stations, a Target. He tells her the area has “exploded.” But while development in the county has exploded, its wealth has not.

Kate’s family now lives in Asheville, and she is an Intern Analyst at Urban3, a geoanalytics firm we consistently source, including extensive reference in an earlier article in this series.

Marietta was once a center of suburban wealth in the 1960s through 1980s, but poverty has steadily grown. And there have been subtler changes than the widening roads and the strip malls that have sprouted across the physical landscape. According to Guenevere, the demographics have shifted in her nearly 20 years in Cobb. When she moved to the area in the 1990s, she estimates it was at least 75% white. Now it has become much more diverse—something that citizens like Guenevere value.

Marietta is the site of the new stadium and the biggest downtown area in Cobb County. It has more than double the rate of poverty in Cobb County as a whole—19.9% compared to 9.6%. Retail and food service account for more than a fifth of its employment.

Guenevere says many young people are moving out of the area due to the lack of jobs, including her daughter, who has relocated to Savannah. “Young people I know, like my sons’ friends, work at fast food restaurants, boutiques…” She blames the lack of employment services.

Many of Kate’s family members who still live in Cobb County commute to Atlanta for their jobs. Although only 20 miles, highway traffic makes the commute 1.5 hours each way. “They just deal with it,” she said. “I couldn’t.”

In theory, SunTrust Stadium was built next to the intersection of two interstates to alleviate traffic impacts during games, but so far, that hasn’t happened. In an attempt to alleviate congestion, Georgia is building an express tollway above the existing I-75 set to open later this year. Kate’s family calls this “the rich man’s highway.” For a fee, you can avoid traffic in and out of Atlanta.