Beltline money will go to Fulton County library renovations

Millions of dollars that Fulton County is owed from the Beltline’s Tax Allocation District has been repurposed.

The county had originally earmarked $27 million to be paid by the Beltline over the life of the TAD to help pay for a new Central Library.

Earlier this year, though, Fulton Commissioners decided they would rather renovate the existing library than build a new one.

Wednesday, commissioners agreed unanimously to spend the Beltline money on construction and renovation projects throughout the library system. The money can go only to capital projects, and cannot pay for events and staff.

Fulton has opened eight new libraries in recent years, and has plans to renovate 24 libraries by the end of 2019. The openings and expansions have been paid for with $275 million voters approved in 2008.

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