Fulton court OKs Atlanta’s $19 million settlement over trash fees
The Superior Court of Fulton County recently issued a preliminary approval of the city of Atlanta’s effort to settle a lawsuit from condominium owners seeking relief from annual garbage fees.
The court’s final approval hearing will occur March 30. The court issued its preliminary approval on Dec. 14.
The city’s annual frontage fees for trash pick up and street sweeping increased to a range of $500 to $12,000 per property for commercial or multi-family developments, according to a complaint filed in Fulton Superior Court in February last year.
But the lawsuit alleges the fee is “an illegal tax, rather than a reasonable fee for any solid waste collection services provided by the City.”
The city denied that the fees are an illegal tax and that it engaged in wrongdoing. In October last year, the City Council passed a resolution to let the city’s chief financial officer deposit settlement money into an escrow account to refund the McKillips family and their attorneys, as well as other settlement class members.
Residents can call 1-888-428-6604 or visit CoAWasteFeeClassAction.com to see if they quality for a settlement payment.
About the Author
Wilborn P. Nobles III covers Atlanta City Hall for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He began covering DeKalb County Schools for The AJC in November 2020. He previously covered Baltimore County for The Baltimore Sun and education for the Times-Picayune in New Orleans. He interned at the Washington Post. He graduated from Louisiana State University.
