Economy fuels proposed DeKalb tax cut
Property taxes in DeKalb County will be cut for the first time in 11 years, according to Interim DeKalb CEO Lee May’s proposed budget unveiled today.
The budget also provides start-up funding for police body cameras, beefs up reserve funds and raises overall annual spending to $1.33 billion, a 5 percent increase.
The tax reduction amounts to $50 in yearly savings for the owner of a house valued at $300,000, or $34 in savings on a $200,000 home.
The economic recovery along with rising property values have created a windfall for the county’s tax collections, allowing it to reduce tax rates.
“It’s a sign of the economy turning around,” May told the commission this morning. “The economy is growing at a very exciting pace.”
May’s proposed mid-year budget, which is pending for approval before the DeKalb Commission, envisions reducing rates in unincorporated areas by 0.4 mills, from 21.21 mills to 20.81 mills. The county’s tax bill for city residents would vary.
May wants to dedicate $1 million for police body cameras in an effort to improve accountability in the wake of officer-involved shootings in DeKalb and across the country. This money is enough to provide body cameras to roughly half of the county’s police force.
The budget would also achieve a long-term goal of keeping at least one month’s worth of operational spending in a savings account. By the end of the year, the county would have $57.5 million in reserve, which could pay for 1.2 months of government operations.
Several other government functions would receive additional funding:
- $1.5 million to retain 22 firefighter positions that would have been lost to attrition.
- $1.1 million to preserve current staffing levels in the DeKalb Sheriff's Office.
- Nearly $1 million for parks.
- $208,000 in restored funding to the DeKalb District Attorney's Office.
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.
