Fulton property owners oppose tax hike proposal

Fulton County resident Devin Barrington-Ward questioned how the Board of Commissioners could propose a millage rate hike when residents are struggling to afford the daily cost of living. (Provided by Fulton County) Fulton County taxpayers resoundingly told the Board of Commissioners they cannot afford a property tax increase during millage rate hearings on July 9. On a 4-3 vote by commissioners at their June 18 meeting, the millage rate proposal was set at 9.87 mills. That would raise an additional $78.9 million in property tax revenue compared to what county finance staff proposed. The 8.87 millage rate staff proposed would raise an additional $7.89 million in taxes and fund the budget the commissioners passed in February. Residents claimed that inflation and high housing costs that make it too expensive to live in the county. “Do y’all not understand a property tax increase when inflation is high as hell, when interest rates are brutal, when rent is through the roof, when wages can’t even keep up with the cost of groceries is absolutely crazy,” said Devin Barrington-Ward, a Fulton County resident and community organizer with the Black Futurists Group. “People are drained, and instead of throwing us a lifeline, you’re looking for our wallets.” Sandy Springs City Council member Jody Reichel spoke to the commissioners as an elected official and as a property owner. “Instead of combing through the budget for savings, you’ve asked residents to pay more of a burden,” Reichel said. “You’re telling seniors on fixed income, young families scraping to get by, and small businesses barely hanging on that they need to pay for your lack of restraint.” Related stories:• Fulton commissioners set tax rate ceiling higher than staff proposal• Fulton Commission finally approves 2024 millage rate South Fulton resident Amber Hawk said her homeowners’ insurance has more than tripled this year. A millage rate increase would raise costs even more. “That’s going to make it virtually impossible for my family to stay here, even with us working 40-plus hours a week. It feels like you guys are trying to push us out of our community,” Hawk said. Dorothy Harp, a 75-year-old Atlanta resident, lives on a fixed income. She said property taxes should be abolished for seniors aged 65 and up. “We do not need an increase in the millage rate that’s going to knock the seniors like myself out of my home. I’ve been living in that house 40 years, and I’m sick of paying the county property tax,” Harp said. Grove Park resident Mike Russell, who wants the commission to do a full rollback on property taxes, told a story about a woman in the neighborhood who can’t afford to get her plumbing fixed. Another resident down the street from Russell’s house lost power for 30 days last summer after a tree fell on his house. He didn’t have the $10,000 needed to fix it. “These people are just barely surviving,” Russell said. “I somehow get the impression that maybe some of you want to put these people out of their house so the developers can snatch them up for pennies on the dollar, so they can go build better, bigger houses.” Three-decade Fulton resident Patrick O’Connor was one of the few residents backing a millage rate increase, but an increase far below the more than 12 percent increase that commissioners have proposed. He suggested the commission adopt a 4 percent millage rate increase for 2025 and a 3 percent increase in 2026 for updates in the justice system. Brian Allen, vice chair of the Libertarian Party of Fulton County, spoke against the proposed millage rate increase. He agreed with Commissioner Mo Ivory, who said taxes can’t be lowered at the same time government spending increases. “The problem is that she, along with several of the rest of you, has reached the wrong conclusion. The solution is not to increase taxes, but rather to cut government spending,” Allen said. Barrington-Ward described research from Georgia Tech’s School of Public Policy that showed commercial properties in Atlanta are routinely assessed far below their market value. That included Symphony Tower at 1180 Peachtree Street, which sold for $465 million in 2022 but was appraised at $193 million for tax purposes. Tax incentives of $75 million to Microsoft for a data center and $10 million for an Elon Musk data center for X (formerly Twitter) upset residents who have learned of the proposed property tax increase. “There’s no way that we’re living in the same reality where you all have the money to give that away and tax incentives but then ask us for more money,” Barrington-Ward said. After Wednesday night’s second public hearing and after the third public hearing on Aug. 6, the commissioners will vote on the final millage rate later that day. The millage rate they adopt can be no more than the 9.87 mills proposed, though it can be lower. The post Fulton property owners oppose tax hike proposal appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.