DeKalb County predicts it will lose money to city of Tucker
Creation of the city of Tucker could remove as much as $5.9 million from DeKalb County per year in an extreme scenario, according to county estimates.
Tucker's impact on the county could be as low as $1.1 million as long as the city doesn't form its own police force, the county's analysis shows. Tucker's supporters have planned a small government that continues to rely on DeKalb police, though future city leaders could decide to start a city police department.
County commissioners learned about the financial implications of Tucker’s cityhood during a presentation last week about DeKalb’s upcoming 2016 budget.
The city of Tucker, which voters overwhelmingly approved during a Nov. 3 referendum, will take control of several services and associated revenue streams when it incorporates next year. As a result, DeKalb’s government may have to shrink.
Tucker plans to initially provide several basic services: parks and recreation, code enforcement and planning and zoning.
About the Author
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
