City of Austell residents’ 911 calls are now being answered by Cobb County’s Department of Emergency Communications (DEC). The change from Austell running a separate 911 service to the county taking over those duties began on March 13.
The transition was made following a request by the City of Austell and the approval of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners at its March 12 regular meeting. An intergovernmental agreement (IGA) was put into effect. You can read the agreement by following this link.
According to the text of the approved agenda item, Austell made the request “due to budget constraints and staffing challenges.”
“We are honored to extend our services to the Austell community and welcome the Austell Police and Fire departments as our public safety partners,” said Cobb DEC Director Melissa Alterio. “The citizens of Austell should not even notice this transition has occurred.”
Cobb DEC will receive the revenue the City of Austell collected from the state distribution of 911 funds; the city collected approximately $200,000 in 911 fees in 2023.
According to the news release from the county, the addition of Austell’s 10,000 calls a year to the county’s more than 900,000 call volume should not significantly impact Cobb 911 operations.
About the City of Austell
The smallest city in Cobb County with a population of just under 8,000, the City of Austell was incorporated on September 4, 1885.
The original city limits of the town were a circle with a radius of one-half mile from a railway terminal used by the Georgia Pacific Railway Company and the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad Company.
The U.S. Census Bureau provides the following quick facts about the city:
| Population | |
| Population estimates, July 1, 2023, (V2023) | NA |
| Population Estimates, July 1, 2022, (V2022) | 7,896 |
| Population estimates base, April 1, 2020, (V2023) | NA |
| Population estimates base, April 1, 2020, (V2022) | 7,710 |
| Population, percent change – April 1, 2020 (estimates base) to July 1, 2023, (V2023) | NA |
| Population, percent change – April 1, 2020 (estimates base) to July 1, 2022, (V2022) | 2.4% |
| Population, Census, April 1, 2020 | 7,713 |
| Population, Census, April 1, 2010 | 6,581 |
| Age and Sex | |
| Persons under 5 years, percent | 4.3% |
| Persons under 18 years, percent | 26.6% |
| Persons 65 years and over, percent | 8.9% |
| Female persons, percent | 55.7% |
| Race and Hispanic Origin | |
| White alone, percent | 28.7% |
| Black or African American alone, percent(a) | 62.9% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent(a) | 0.0% |
| Asian alone, percent(a) | 0.0% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, percent(a) | 0.0% |
| Two or More Races, percent | 5.2% |
| Hispanic or Latino, percent(b) | 7.0% |
| White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent | 25.3% |
| Population Characteristics | |
| Veterans, 2018-2022 | 292 |
| Foreign born persons, percent, 2018-2022 | 8.0% |
| Housing | |
| Housing units, July 1, 2022, (V2022) | X |
| Owner-occupied housing unit rate, 2018-2022 | 60.3% |
| Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2018-2022 | $199,700 |
| Median selected monthly owner costs -with a mortgage, 2018-2022 | $1,337 |
| Median selected monthly owner costs -without a mortgage, 2018-2022 | $371 |
| Median gross rent, 2018-2022 | $1,443 |
| Building permits, 2022 | X |
| Families & Living Arrangements | |
| Households, 2018-2022 | 2,844 |
| Persons per household, 2018-2022 | 2.85 |
| Living in same house 1 year ago, percent of persons age 1 year+, 2018-2022 | 95.9% |
| Language other than English spoken at home, percent of persons age 5 years+, 2018-2022 | 11.0% |
| Computer and Internet Use | |
| Households with a computer, percent, 2018-2022 | 96.8% |
| Households with a broadband Internet subscription, percent, 2018-2022 | 94.7% |
| Education | |
| High school graduate or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2018-2022 | 84.2% |
| Bachelor’s degree or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2018-2022 | 21.8% |
| Health | |
| With a disability, under age 65 years, percent, 2018-2022 | 7.7% |
| Persons without health insurance, under age 65 years, percent | 22.4% |
| Economy | |
| In civilian labor force, total, percent of population age 16 years+, 2018-2022 | 70.3% |
| In civilian labor force, female, percent of population age 16 years+, 2018-2022 | 64.9% |
| Total accommodation and food services sales, 2017 ($1,000)(c) | D |
| Total health care and social assistance receipts/revenue, 2017 ($1,000)(c) | 524,040 |
| Total transportation and warehousing receipts/revenue, 2017 ($1,000)(c) | 29,462 |
| Total retail sales, 2017 ($1,000)(c) | D |
| Total retail sales per capita, 2017(c) | NA |
| Transportation | |
| Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16 years+, 2018-2022 | 30.0 |
| Income & Poverty | |
| Median household income (in 2022 dollars), 2018-2022 | $64,071 |
| Per capita income in past 12 months (in 2022 dollars), 2018-2022 | $28,245 |
| Persons in poverty, percent | 8.3% |
| Businesses | |
| Total employer establishments, 2021 | X |
| Total employment, 2021 | X |
| Total annual payroll, 2021 ($1,000) | X |
| Total employment, percent change, 2020-2021 | X |
| Total nonemployer establishments, 2021 | X |
| All employer firms, Reference year 2017 | 219 |
| Men-owned employer firms, Reference year 2017 | 104 |
| Women-owned employer firms, Reference year 2017 | 64 |
| Minority-owned employer firms, Reference year 2017 | S |
| Nonminority-owned employer firms, Reference year 2017 | 101 |
| Veteran-owned employer firms, Reference year 2017 | S |
| Nonveteran-owned employer firms, Reference year 2017 | 172 |
| Geography | |
| Population per square mile, 2020 | 1,299.8 |
| Population per square mile, 2010 | 1,102.5 |
| Land area in square miles, 2020 | 5.93 |
| Land area in square miles, 2010 | 5.97 |
| FIPS Code | 1304252 |
| Population estimates, July 1, 2023, (V2023) | NA |
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