At Issue: Is DeKalb adequately addressing water billing problems?

Any time we have gone to a casino in any other state, there are always Georgia license plates in the parking lot, mostly DeKalb County. I know a young man who got on the Internet and gambled away $50,000 in one night while his wife was sleeping. The Georgia Lottery website says you can buy tickets online. So what is the difference? It only makes sense to me, to be able to go up the street and play on a machine. You don't have to pay for a motel room, food and gas. It usually costs us about $200 just to make the trip. Just like Prohibition days, if a person wanted to drink, they could make their own alcohol. If a person wants to gamble, they are going to gamble, no matter what! — Martha Eubanks

We’re almost into 2017. By all means, build the casino. Anyone that don’t want to play, don’t go. —

In my opinion, it's a crap shoot. It can be a tremendous asset for revenue and especially for the schools. I can see there could be a risk, but after, all it is gambling, so why not give it a try? I enjoy the "casino" atmosphere every once in a while, as I go to Vegas at least two times a year, and would rather keep my moderate money in Atlanta area. I say, YES, give it a chance, and also bring back horse racing to Georgia; it is very inexpensive entertainment for the whole family. I love this dying sport, and it belongs in the South. — Terry Blankenship

What has scientific research shown happens in states where casino gambling has been legalized? For example, has there been an uptick in personal bankruptcies or divorces after such legalization has taken place? If so, how big are those increases? How much did state revenues increase from such legalization? If you really want to cover this issue, you need to see what research tells us happened in states that legalized casino gambling. People can opine and argue all they want, but let the facts, supported by strong evidence, speak for themselves. — Lou X. Orchard

Bring it on! Looking forward to a new Atlanta casino. — James L. Johnson

David Ibata for the AJC

LAST WEEK: IS DECATUR’S HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION FOR SENIORS A GOOD IDEA?

State Bill 343, which if approved by voters on Nov. 8 will create an exemption from Decatur school taxes (excluding school bond taxes) for homeowners over 65. It’s hoped this exemption would help maintain a semblance of racial and age diversity while slowing the replacement of seniors by families with school-aged children. City Schools Decatur’s enrollment has nearly doubled in the last 15 years, and has grown by 7 to 12 percent each year since 2009.

But school officials admit they really don’t know if taxes will increase for those ineligible from the exemption, and there is no income cap included in the exemption. The bill does include a five-year sunset provision meaning the exemption could be revised after that duration.

We asked readers their opinion.

Here are some responses:

Yes, this proposal is a good idea. I am glad the AJC finally mentioned that there is a 5-year sunset provision for this provision. The purpose is to begin tracking the amount of lost tax revenue over this period. With the continued increase in property values in Decatur and the addition of more condos and townhomes, the tax base will continue to grow. I oppose the idea of an income cap. Where do you draw the line and say that one person pays no tax and someone who makes $5 more pays tax? A better plan would be to give all seniors a fixed $200,000 or $250,000 exemption. In this way long-time seniors living in small homes would see a much lighter tax burden and seniors in million dollar homes or more would continue to pay a substantial amount. I have lived in my small home for 38 years and it is currently valued at nine times what I paid for it. If it wasn't already paid for, I would be struggling. If Decatur is serious about diversity and not just paying lip service to wanting seniors and minorities, they need to do something about tax relief. I know they want to limit the growth in the school population. SB343 will not cause an undue burden on the school system in 5 years. — Linda White

We would like to see what it would take to initiate this type of exemption in the city of Atlanta. We have lived in the city for about 25 years and are now retired. Taxes continue to escalate and push seniors on fixed incomes out of the city. There were rumors last year this type of Bill was being heard by the city but was tabled because the board said that the city could not afford it. We believe that this was done before they even considered the number of people over 65 and how much it would even affect the city's base revenue. — Stephen and Barbara Kilgo

To answer your question: No, a tax exemption for seniors is not a good idea. All homeowners and landlords should pay a school tax, because all benefit from it. As a senior, I receive a tax exemption on my residence, but the saving is more than offset by the huge devaluing of my property because of our locality's notoriously substandard schools. It is an economy I do not want. Can you imagine what your home would be worth and what sort of neighborhood you would have in a county with bad schools—or no schools? Like roads and police protection, schools are an indispensable benefit to property owners. Every tax exemption passes the cost of government to other taxpayers. Others pay more because I pay less. Without some reasonable justification, this is manifestly unfair. Being older is not of itself a reasonable justification. As a demographic group, we seniors are the wealthiest segment of American society and, in most cases, the most able to pay. As for the poor seniors among us, being too old to work is no different from being too disabled to work, too young to work, or working but earning too little to get out of poverty. Poor seniors, like other poor people, should receive an exemption via a means test, not an age test. The argument is often raised that seniors no longer have children in school. Yet all adults were educated at the expense of others, both parents and childless individuals, by the preceding generation. There is no limit to this kind of hair-splitting about who should pay for what. We all enjoy the inestimable benefits of living in an educated society, and we must preserve those benefits for our grandchildren (who are, in many cases, still in school). Why is it so hard these days for people of means to face up and pay their dues? Enough mean-spirited rationalizing about the role of government and whether the poor deserve our help! When we pay our share we feel better about ourselves, which is cheap at any price. — James Eason

I am over 65 and a Decatur homeowner. I can't say whether the SB 343 proposition is good or will cause financial problems. The economic and sociological factors are too fuzzy now. But I disagree with what I see as one underlying premise: seniors should not pay school taxes because they don't have children attending a school. Decatur schools benefit all citizens, not just parents with children in those schools. Plus, those of us whose children attended Decatur schools did not pay the full cost while they were attending. So, for two reasons, at least, seniors should continue to support Decatur schools financially. Exemptions may be appropriate for low-income taxpayers, but that points to a fundamental problem with property taxes: they are not based directly on ability to pay. Property taxes are an anachronism. We need another source of revenue or another method of determining property tax liability. — Shelton Jones

Decatur has not offered significant school tax relief for seniors like other communities, and many Seniors struggle paying their taxes. It seems the only thing that changed Decatur's mind in this matter was the flood of students into Decatur schools, many caused by seniors moving away from this expensive tax area, and families with children replacing them. Many seniors who have been paying Decatur school taxes for decades no longer have children in school, and deserve tax breaks, regardless of income. It might be a thoughtful idea to apportion future school taxes according to how many children each family has in the school system. Those who use the system the most would pay their "fair share." — Steve Miller

I support the referendum for property tax relief from school tax for seniors in Decatur. In full disclosure this item affects me directly as it will, if I apply for it, lower my property tax bill for the City of Decatur. While that is important to me, there is also another reason I am for this initiative. I believe it will have a direct impact on the ability of seniors in Decatur to remain in their homes longer. There are those who say this is a permanent change and they have not ever seen a tax exemption removed, but this one is very different as it sunsets in 5 years. For this exemption to be extended there are a number of key milestone decisions that must be meet. 1. The school board must ask the city commission to pass a resolution for extension. 2. The city commission must pass a resolution asking the legislature to pass a bill allowing the commission to call for a referendum by the public. 3. The legislature must pass the bill and the Governor must sign. 4. Both the School Board and the Commission must then agree to call the referendum. The commission’s decision to do this will certainly be dependent on the details of the legislation. It is quite likely that it will be substantially different than this referendum. 5. The voters in Decatur must then go to the polls and support the initiative. These are major steps that must be taken in public for the exemption to continue.

While it is true that we do not know what the impact of this exemption will be, we do have a pretty good idea. Within the first three years we should know exactly what the impact is. This information will allow us to make a decision based on real results. The procedure outlined above that requires numerous public meetings and discussions about any extension will give us ample opportunity to make changes in the exemption or discard it completely.

I say lets give this a chance, see what the real impact is and decide if we want to do this again. Vote yes on the property tax relief for Decatur seniors. –Bill Floyd (DeKalb Municipal Association managing director and former Decatur mayor).

Bill Banks for the AJC

Equipment malfunctions, imprecise billing systems and human mistakes are causing excessive water bills in DeKalb, according to a report from the county. In some cases, homeowners are receiving bills of more than $1,000 and disputing the charges with the county government.

County officials identified reasons for these problems at a recent town hall meeting attended by more than 200 people: Unread meters, water meter malfunctions, water meter misreads, incorrect multiplier (meters may incorrectly read 10 gallons as 100 gallons), multi-cycle billings (readings for multiple billing cycles instead of a single billing cycle can cause billing at a higher rate) and customer service.

A second town hall on the issue will be held 6:30 to 8 p.m. Nov. 10 at Maloof Auditorium in Decatur.

And recently, DeKalb placed a moratorium on some shut-off orders while the billing issues are being worked out. Are officials doing all they can to fix the problems or are the current measures too little, too late?

Send your comments to communitynews@ajc.com.