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LOCAL
THURSDAY, JUNE 7 - 13, 2018 • Page 8
DCSD sues Atlanta over Emory annexation
BY DEREK SMITH
derek@dekalbchamp.com
DeKalb County School
District (DCSD) is seeking to
void a city of Atlanta ordinance
approving the annexation of
Emory University, the CDC
and other commercial and
residential areas located on
744 acres in DeKalb County,
according to a lawsuit filed
June 4.
According to the lawsuit,
the annexation will absorb all
taxable property into Atlanta
Public Schools (APS), causing
DCSD to lose “a significant
portion of its funding”
and “ [impair] its ability to
adequately fund” DCSD
schools. The lawsuit names
both the city of Atlanta and
Atlanta City Council president
Felicia Moore as respondents.
According to DCSD
superintendent Stephen
Green, DCSD agreed to
the terms of the annexation
in September 2017 with a
provision stating the process
would not affect the school
boundaries of DCSD or APS.
The court filing asserts that
an original ordinance was
introduced to Atlanta City
Council in July 2017 that stated
the annexation would not
extend the boundaries of APS.
That version of the ordinance
was read before the city
council at two regular meetings
according to the lawsuit.
According to the filing, on
Nov. 29, 2017, the Atlanta City
Council zoning committee
introduced and passed a
substitute ordinance that
extended the boundaries of
APS to include properties
in the proposed Emory
annexation area. That
REDUCE
REUSE
RECYCLE
ordinance was passed by
Atlanta City Council on Dec. 4.
The lawsuit asserts that
passage of the new ordinance
violates Atlanta city regulations
for passage of ordinances as
the change was not adequately
communicated to the
stakeholders and the public
at large. The complaint seeks
an immediate injunction
against the expansion of APS
boundaries into the annexed
area, and a permanent
injunction invalidating the
annexation ordinance.
Green sent a letter to
stakeholders of the annexation
in December seeking a solution
that would avoid litigation.
In an interview June 4, Green
told The Champion that since
December, DCSD officials
have met with representatives
of Atlanta mayor Keshia
Lance Bottoms and Green
met with APS superintendent
Meria Carstarphen in March.
Green said Carstarphen sent
him an email “discontinuing
and disengaging” further
conversation.
DCSD estimates that more
than $2 million in tax revenue
will be transferred from DCSD
to APS because of the change.
In December, Green called
the tax transfer “especially
egregious” and said the
annexation will not result in
the transfer of a significant
number of students from
DCSD to APS. The lawsuit
estimates the total number of
affected students to be between
seven and nine.
According to Green, the
amount of money transferred
is not equivalent to the transfer
of obligation, and the change
will make it significantly
harder for DCSD to serve its
102,000 students.
“We have 100,000 students,
70,000 of them qualify for free
or reduced lunches.” Green
told The Champion. “We need
every cent we can muster to
properly serve them.”
Stephen Green DCSD superintendent
CITY OF DORAVILLE
NOTICE OF PROPERTY TAX INCREASE
The City of Doraville has tentatively adopted a millage rate of 10.451
which will require an increase in property taxes by 29.6 percent. The
proposed millage rate is 1.5 mills more than the prior year millage rate
of 8.951 mills.
All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearing on this tax
increase to be held at the Doraville City Hall located at 3725 Park
Avenue, Doraville, GA 30340 on June 11,2018 at 6:00pm.
Times and places of additional public hearings on this tax increase are
at the Doraville City Hall on June 11,2018 at 11:30am and on June 18,
2018 at 6:00pm.
This tentative increase will result in a millage rate of 10.451 mills, an
increase of 29.6 percent over the rollback rate. Without this tentative
tax increase, the millage rate will be no more than 8.064 mills. The
proposed tax increase for a home with a fair market value of $175,000
is approximately $167.09 and the tax increase for a non-homestead
property with a fair market value of $700,000 is approximately $668.36.
CITY OF DORAVILLE
NOTICE OF FIVE YEAR HISTORY
Pursuant to the requirements of O.C.G.A. Section 48-5-32 does hereby publish the following presentation of the current year’s
tax digest and levy, along with the history of the tax digest and levy for the past five years. All citizens of Doraville are invited to
CURRENT 2018 TAX D
GESTAND F
VE YEAR LEVY
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
Real & Personal
395,990,311
416,515,498
582,014,025
586,820,583
675,554,262
766,035,610
Motor Vehicle
15,906,220
14,025,040
9,332,050
7,001,920
6,360,280
4,056,520
Mobile Homes
0
0
0
0
0
0
Timber 100%
0
0
0
0
0
0
Heavy Duty Equipment
4,530
0
0
2,222
0
4,496
Gross Tax Digest
411,901,061
430,540,538
591,346,075
593,824,725
681,914,542
770,096,626
Exemptions
35,478,708
37,551,588
64,281,530
62,253,978
76,694,898
67,597,072
Net Tax Digest
376,422,353
392,988,950
527,064,545
531,570,747
605,219,644
702,499,554
Net Millage
9.00
8.75
8.50
8.371
8.951
10.451
Net Tax Levy 100%
3,387,801
3,438,653
4,480,049
4,449,779
5,417,321
7,341,823
Net Increase/(Decrease)
309,313
50,852
1,041,395
30,270
967,542
1,924,502
Net Levy %
Increase/(Decrease)
10.05%
1.50%
30.28%
0.68%
21.74%
35.52%