Cobb Taxpayer Group Files Complaint with State

Contributed by The Cobb Taxpayers Association.

The Cobb Taxpayers Association (CTA) president, Lance Lamberton, submitted a complaint on Thursday with the Georgia Department of Law, claiming that the Cobb County School District was in violation of state law by using taxpayer money and taxpayer supported facilities to explicitly advocate for passage of SPLOST IV, which was ratified by the voters in a specially held election in Cobb County on March 19, 2013.

In the complaint, Lamberton stated:

The Cobb County School District explicitly called for passage of SPLOST IV using taxpayer supported and paid for communications, which included a newsletter, The Mt. Bethel Bugle, which urged a “yes” vote (attached). This newsletter was put in folders, given to students by teachers whose salaries are paid for by taxpayers and transported to the student homes on school buses, also paid for by taxpayers.

In addition, an E-mail News Blast was sent out by Walton High School on February 6, 2013 stating: “Support SPLOST IV.”  Two Dickerson Middle School E-mail blasts were sent out from and by the school stating: “Vote Yes for E-SPLOST on Tuesday, March 19.”

"We have no objection to advocates for the E-SPLOST using their own resources to support it,” Lamberton said. “But using taxpayer money to advocate for the continuation of a sales tax is clearly against the law and a violation of the public trust, and the entity responsible for such violations should be held to account.” 

“All we are asking is that they play by the rules, without any special favors or dispensations, compliments of the taxpayer,” Lamberton added.

CTA is a local grass-roots organization of approximately 200 members and supporters, whose goal is to ensure county and local government provides the best quality services at the lowest possible cost by putting the interests of the taxpayers at the forefront when implementing tax and spending policy.
For more information on CTA, visit cobbtaxpayer.com