Tax break deal for Atlanta Hawks facility questioned
A tax incentives deal for the Atlanta Hawks will help the team build a practice facility in Brookhaven, but the agreement also calls for the Hawks to make payments back to the city's economic development agency.
That’s a problem for officials with DeKalb County’s government and public school system, who object to the $11 million tax incentive arrangement.
DeKalb Commissioner Jeff Rader calls the payments to the city’s development authority a “kickback,” and school Superintendent Steve Green says tax money is needed for educating students.
Brookhaven officials say they'll negotiate with the county and the school system on how the payments should be distributed.
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.
