Key points in this article:

• The City of Mableton must make a decision on whether to continue the Six Flags Special Services District, which has been managed by the county since 2017
• The SSD collects a 3.5 mill tax on commercial properties within the district
• The boundaries of the district are mainly in the industrial area below I-20, but also includes Six Flags itself and a section along Riverside Parkway
• Continuation of the district is not a tax increase, or a new tax, as the properties have been paying the tax since the creation of the SSD in 2017
• The funds are used for infrastructure improvements and maintenance, and for public safety enhancements within the district
• The council reached a consensus during the meeting that it wants to proceed with the continuation of the Special Services District
• There is a draft ordinance creating the Special Services District under the management of Mableton that you can read by following this link
• County Manager Bill Tanks said that if notices for the millage rate hearing go out in August, tax collection could begin in October.
• At this point it has to be negotiated with the county whether it will collect the taxes, or if Mableton will collect them

In its May 12 regular meeting, the Mableton City Council heard a presentation from Economic Development Director Artie Jones about the Six Flags Special Services District.

The district has been in place since 2017, but its current term expires on May 31, so the council must decide whether to continue it.

“It leveraged a 3.5 mills tax on commercial properties only,” Jones said. “It generated about $1.7 million up to 2024, and this particular district is going to sunset at the end of this month on May 31.”

“Now these particular funds can only be used within the district and they have to be used for targeted particular services, and it’s not citywide,” he said.

Jones said the entire district falls within the City of Mableton, but not all of Mableton is in the district.

“It’s to support economic development and infrastructure improvements and at the same time enhanced public safety and maintenance in the defined area within the special services district,” said Jones.

Jones stated that the district would have to comply with Georgia laws concerning special service districts, but since the district has been operating since 2017, he doubted there were any conflicts.

After Jones made the presentation, he asked three questions of the city council:

Jones asked the city council three questions:

1. Do you want to move forward with establishing the Special Services District for Six Flags?
2. Do you want the boundaries of the new Special Services District to remain the same as the current Special Services District?
3. If the answer to the first two questions is yes, would you like for staff to move forward with collecting the taxes in-house or finding a contractor to collect them?

City Attorney Emilia Walker-Ashby said she was communicating with the county about whether Cobb could continue collecting the taxes, and if so, what the county would charge the city for managing the collections.

She said that Mableton city staff is capable of collecting the taxes if the council goes in that direction.

City Manager Bill Tanks stated that when the millage rate is set, hearings would be held before taxes could be collected. He said that at earliest if notices went out in August, taxes could be collected for the district starting in October.

Watch the full discussion below