The possibility of a property tax hike has been revived in DeKalb County, weeks after commissioners voted down a proposed increase.
Commissioner Jeff Rader has e-mailed a resolution to his fellow board members, with the hope of having it discussed at Tuesday’s budget committee meeting.
Rader, who could not be reached Monday, proposes a 3.3 mill increase in the tax rate. The increase will address budget issues and concerns about the county’s bond rating, he said in the e-mail.
The millage rate is the amount of tax charged for every $1,000 of value assessed on a home. If the millage rate increases by 3.3 mills, as currently proposed, the increase would mean homeowners would be taxed an additional $3.30 per $1,000 of the assessed value of their home.
In unincorporated DeKalb, Rader’s proposal would add approximately $200 to the annual tax bill of a home valued at $150,000.
Earlier this year the commission voted 5-2 to cut the budget instead of adopting an increase proposed by county Chief Executive Burrell Ellis. That proposal would have raised the rate by 2.32 mills and added about $140 to the annual tax bill of a $150,000 home.
Ellis on Monday said Rader's new proposal is a “step in the right direction.”
“We’ve now cut well in excess of $100 million in our budget and still we have to close a budgetary gap,” Ellis said of the county's budget. “Realistically, we both have to cut our spending and raise our revenue, and this plan addresses the revenue issue.”
Rader, who voted against the budget cuts, said his proposal will net the county an additional $17.75 million, which would be “reserved for appropriations to capital and operating necessities that may emerge through a comprehensive auditing process.”
He also said this is “the only action the [board] can take unilaterally to address DeKalb’s credit crisis and it effectively rebuts” Ellis’ political criticism of the board’s “efforts to prioritize operational efficiency and restraint in taxation.”
Ellis said he's interested in the details of the plan.
“We’ve always been willing to engage the board in conversation on this issue,” he said. “And this certainly warrants discussion.”
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