The charges against Fulton County by North Fulton legislators are that the county is bloated, unresponsive and unrepresented. Let me first set the record straight on a few things.
Fact: A considerable percentage of Fulton’s budget goes to constitutionally mandated services such as the jail, courts and Board of Registration and Elections. You, the people of Fulton County, elect or appoint through your local political parties who you think are the best people to lead those services. If you feel those services are lacking or poorly managed, you, the voter, have the power to enact change, whereas the Board of Commissioners does not and the Legislature should not.
Fact: Fulton has the second-lowest overall government expenditures per capita of the major metro Atlanta counties — lower than both Gwinnett and DeKalb counties, despite having twice the number of service facilities such as libraries.
Fact: Fulton has managed within its budget by reducing spending by $61,076,505 from 2007 to 2012. The Board of Commissioners reduced spending by $8.7 million from 2012 to 2013.
And most important:
Fact: Fulton is the only large county in metro Atlanta that has not increased its millage rate since the beginning of the Great Recession. In fact, Fulton hasn’t raised its property tax rate since 1991.
HB 541 proposes to double the homestead exemption from $30,000 to $60,000 over three years. HB 604 would suspend the board’s ability to increase the millage rate beyond the roll-back rate until Jan. 1, 2015. After that date, any increase in the millage rate would require the affirmative votes of five of the members of the Board of Commissioners.
Sounds good, doesn’t it? Who doesn’t appreciate what amounts to an ongoing tax cut? But this legislation comes with a hefty price tag. Passage of these bills would mean a loss in county revenue of almost $50 million dollars. That would mean drastic cuts in county services, most importantly those provided by Grady Memorial Hospital.
Here are the facts regarding HBs 541 and 604:
Fact: Fulton already has the highest homestead exemption rate in the state of Georgia.
Fact: Approximately 80 percent of Fulton’s revenue comes from property taxes.
Fact: Doubling the homestead exemption would shift the burden of property taxes to commercial property owners and homeowners with more valuable homes. If the county is forced to do a revenue-neutral millage-rate adjustment, businesses and many homeowners in North Fulton will shoulder the tax burden.
The loss of almost $50 million dollars would, without doubt, mean a reduction in funding to Grady, which provides trauma and health care services to Georgians throughout the state. We will all suffer greatly if Grady is adversely impacted. The question will be, who will step up to fill the void if funds are lost?
There is more at stake here than money. Georgia is a “home rule” state, embracing the conservative principle of local control. The state constitution grants cities, municipalities and counties the ability to pass laws to govern themselves. I believe this legislation violates that rule, and I don’t think we want to set that precedent.
I acknowledge we have challenges within Fulton County. I am ready and willing to negotiate county parity in services and equal representation as long as we tackle these issues in the spirit of togetherness. Divisive and overreaching legislation is not the way to solve our differences and will only hurt the very residents we are here to serve.
