Mableton approves financial hardship relief program for public safety assessments

Mableton residents facing financial hardship could get more time to pay their public safety district assessments under a new relief program approved by the City Council.

The Mableton City Council voted Tuesday during a special-called meeting to establish the Public Safety Special Service District Senior and Financial Hardship Relief Program.

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The program is designed to help qualifying property owners, particularly seniors and households living on fixed incomes, by offering installment payment plans and possible relief from late-payment penalties.

“Tonight marks a significant step forward for the City of Mableton,” Mayor Michael Owens said. “Our City Council has demonstrated that we can support the needs and costs of keeping this community safe while standing with our most vulnerable neighbors.”

Who can qualify?

The program is open to qualified Mableton property owners, with priority given to:

• Homeowners 65 and older who are experiencing documented financial hardship.
• Households primarily relying on fixed income, including Social Security, SSI, SSDI, pensions or veterans’ benefits.

Residents may also qualify by providing documentation of certain financial emergencies, including involuntary job loss or significant wage reductions, major medical debt or illness, disability, the death of a primary household earner or emergency expenses related to natural disasters, displacement or major property damage.

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The city’s Public Safety Special Service District is funded through annual property assessments to support public safety operations.

Payments are currently due Dec. 4. Under the new program, qualifying residents would be able to make monthly installment payments through early April 2027.

“We truly recognize that there are residents having hard financial times,” Owens said. “This program is meant to help alleviate the strain from an additional cost.”

The program does not forgive the underlying assessment. Qualifying residents will still be responsible for paying the principal amount and any accrued interest.

Late-payment penalties, however, may be waived on a case-by-case basis under applicable Georgia law and the Mableton City Code.

The city says additional information about how to apply, when applications will open and other program details will be announced through Mableton’s website and communications channels.

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