With no agreement reached between the Fulton County government and Fulton’s 14 cities on how to divvy up billions of dollars in sales tax dollars over the next decade, the negotiations will move into mediation, according to county Commission Chairman John Eaves. The 15 governments will share the cost of hiring a local judge to act as mediator, Eaves said, declining to name the judge or speculate on costs.
The county’s 1-cent local option sales tax, paid by anyone who spends money in the state’s largest county, brings in about $220 million per year. The negotiations will decide how that money gets returned to taxpayers — through the county government or through taxpayers’ respective cities. If mediation fails, a Superior Court judge could make the call, under a process set up by state law.
