Today’s topics: negative home equity and court-imposed fees. A south DeKalb County resident questions depressed property values, seemingly omnipresent on that end of the county. Not so up north, he writes, and wonders why. The other column, written by a former DeKalb district attorney, looks at court-imposed fees and fines — what he deems revenue-generators for local governments.

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Carleigh Knight (left) and her sister, Natalie Rogovin, look at Christmas ornaments while shopping at Kudzu Antiques + Modern in Decatur on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

Credit: Natrice Miller