Mayor Owens outlines 2026 expansion plans for Georgia's 12th largest city

Mableton mayor outlines 2026 expansion plans

The city of Mableton is entering the new year as a fully functional municipality following a foundational 2025 that saw the city’s workforce quintuple and its legal status finalized.

MABLETON, Ga. - The city of Mableton is entering the new year as a fully functional municipality following a foundational 2025 that saw the city’s workforce quintuple and its legal status finalized.

What we know:

Mayor Michael Owens said the city of 80,000 residents is now looking toward expansion after a year spent establishing essential services and securing Qualified City Status from the Department of Community Affairs. To achieve that designation, Mableton had to implement planning and zoning, business licenses, sanitation, and code enforcement.

Mableton, now the largest city in Cobb County and the 12th largest in Georgia, grew its staff from 12 to 60 employees over the last year. The city also moved into new offices, adopted a city flag, and began operating under its first official budget. Owens noted that the city is currently adhering to its established financial plan.

Legislative milestones in 2025 included the adoption of several new city ordinances, specifically an anti-littering ordinance and a safe and healthy housing ordinance.

What they're saying:

"We were able to go into 2025 and really set the foundation of our city. We’re gonna go into 2026, really looking to scale and mature what we’re able to do in this city," Owens said.

What's next:

As the city transitions into 2026, the administration plans to launch a Municipal Court, a Downtown Development Authority, and a Visitor and Tourism Authority. However, growth brings fiscal challenges. While Mableton relies on Cobb County for public safety, the city currently lacks a general property tax to fund those services.

"We’ve talked about having a special service district that we establish in the city specifically for law enforcement," Owens said.