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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State Election Board Vice Chair Janice Johnston speaks during an election board meeting at the Capitol in Atlanta on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (Arvin Temkar / AJC)

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC