The prospect of paying more taxes on her Stone Mountain home next year doesn’t trouble Viola Davis.
That’s unusual, considering the registered nurse has long led the Unhappy Taxpayer and Voter organization in DeKalb County and been a vocal critic of government spending. But to her, the increase in county taxes that CEO Burrell Ellis included in his recommended 2013 budget Friday — a proposed 1.69 mill, which would add about $49 more a year to the county tax bill for a home valued at $200,000 — appears to cover exactly what she and other residents repeatedly say they want.
The proposed tax hike would pay for 25 more police officers, give low-paid county workers a one-time pay increase and help make up for the loss of at least $25 million in taxes and fees expected to come with the incorporation of Brookhaven.
“As long as you explain why you are increasing taxes, and you can justify it, the average taxpayer will understand and be supportive,” Davis said. “This is the first time everyone seems to agree on our priorities.”
This year, for the first time, Ellis and county commissioners plotted the $562.7 million budget proposal together. The cooperation was critical in trying to plug a projected $36 million shortfall, much of due to Brookhaven taxes being taken from the coffers, but also because of an expected 3 percent drop in property values countywide. That decline would be on top of the 25 percent plunge in property values since 2008.
Facing that, residents seemed resigned to a tax hike next year. Some, including Davis, openly wondered what services would also be reduced to make ends meet.
The proposed spending, though, does not include any service reductions. Officials instead want to cut spending by $22.8 million by hiring private vendors to handle some services, such as ambulance response, and from a one-time refinancing of bonds.
Those cuts, combined with a tax hike, allow for some service increases. In addition to hiring more police officers, instead of closing the north precinct as discussed earlier, the proposed budget calls for spending $600,000 towards the construction of a new animal shelter and $1.5 million to pay for a 3 percent raise for county workers earning below $37,700 a year. About 40 percent of the county’s 6,500 workers fall under that level, which the county considers a “living wage” for a family of four.
“No one ever wants a tax increase and that is something that will be looked at,” said Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton, a member of the board’s budget committee. “But your budget has to reflect your policy, and this is the policy we have.”
Commissioners are expected to continue to make adjustments to the proposal. The board has until February to adopt the 2013 budget but will not set the millage rate until July.
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