Proposed DeKalb city LaVista Hills’ finances questioned

The proposed city of LaVista Hills may not be as financially sound as portrayed by a University of Georgia study.

The UGA study relied on current DeKalb County property tax rates, but the legislation authorizing LaVista Hills capped its tax rates at a lower level, resulting in lower estimated revenue for the city.

Instead of a $1.7 million surplus projected by UGA, LaVista Hills would have had a projected deficit of about $114,000 under its maximum tax rate in 2014, according to an analysis by Russell Carleton, a researcher who lives in the LaVista Hills area and who is opposed the cityhood proposal.