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‘Divisive and spiteful’ legislation to appease
north would devastate all of Fulton
A spate of bills under consideration in the 2013 Geor
gia Legislature that appear to appease voter frustration in
north Fulton County would, in reality, devastate all of Fulton
County and its residents.
I would like to address two House bills in particular.
HB 541 proposes to double the homestead exemption in
Fulton County from $30,000 to $60,000 over three years.
HB 604 would suspend the board’s ability to increase the
tax millage beyond the roll-back rate until Jan. 1, 2015, af
ter which any increase in the millage would require the af
firmative votes of five of the members of the Board of Com
missioners.
Sounds good, doesn’t it? Who doesn’t appreciate what
amounts to a tax cut? But this legislation comes with a hefty
price.
Passage of these bills would mean a loss in county reve
nue of almost $50 million and that would mean drastic cuts
in county services, including those provided by Grady Me
morial Hospital.
Here are the facts regarding HB 541:
• Fulton County already has the highest homestead
exemption rate in Georgia.
• Approximately 80 percent of Fulton County’s reve
nue comes from property taxes.
• 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, most businesses and many homeowners in north
Fulton will pay more in taxes.
Here are the facts regarding HB 604:
• Fulton County has not increased its millage since
1991 despite the Great Recession and revenue policy changes
from the General Assembly.
• Fulton County is the only large county in metro At
lanta that has not increased its millage rate since the begin
ning of the 2008 economic downturn. Cobb, Gwinnett and
DeKalb counties have all increased their millage rates.
Moreover, Fulton County has
managed within its budget by re
ducing spending by $61.1 million
from 2007 to 2012. The Board of
Commissioners reduced spend
ing by $8.7 million from 2012 to
2013.
What would the loss of millions
of dollars in county revenue mean
to you?
First and foremost, it would
mean a reduction in funding to
Grady hospital, which provides
trauma and health-care services to
Georgians throughout the state.
The county provides $50 million
to Grady every year, and there’s no question funding would
have to be cut.
These cuts are likely to hurt business by forcing delays in
processing real estate records and civil litigation.
Tax assessments and appeals also may take longer to settle.
It also would likely mean cuts in hours or closing of libraries.
The justice system would suffer, which could hurt our
ability to get out from under the federal consent decree. The
prosecution of criminal cases will slow, and long overdue ju
venile justice reform may be delayed. This could mean we are
forced to build a new jail, a very costly endeavor (think hun
dreds of millions of dollars).
There is more at stake here than money. Georgia is a
“home rule” state. As I see it, that means the state constitu
tion grants cities, municipalities and counties the ability to
pass laws to govern themselves. In my opinion, this legisla
tion violates that rule and I don’t think we really want to set
that precedent.
I acknowledge we have problems to solve within Fulton
County. We are at a crossroads. I am ready and willing to ne
gotiate county parity and equal representation as long as we
tackle these issues in the spirit of togetherness.
Divisive and spiteful legislation is not the way to solve our
differences and will only hurt the very residents we are here
to serve.
John Eaves is chairman of the Fulton County Board of Com
missioners.
JOHN
EAVES
GUEST COLUMN
On the record
Read these articles from our other editions online at ReporterNewspapers.net.
“Yesterday, someone asked me, Are you are saying that ACA
would be like a private school?’ My answer was, ‘No, we are cre
ating a charter school, and charter schools are absolutely pub
lic schools.”
—Matthew Kirby, chairman of the Atlanta Classical Academy
founding board of directors. Tire charter school would be located
in Buckhead.
“I guess I’m in Brookhaven now, which I shudder to even
say. I moved to an unincorporated area.”
— Brookhaven resident Denise Bailey discussing the incorporation
of the new city.
“The next year is critical for accreditation. Then, I think we
need to address long-term issues.”
—John Coleman a 31-year-old Brookhaven resident with a
Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard University.
Coleman is one of six people appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal on
March 13 to hold seats on the DeKalb County School Board.
“There are so many things wrong with this.... This really con
cerns me. I am so angry right now.”
—Dunwoody Councilwoman Adrian Bonser discussing a rewrite
of the city’s ethics ordinance.
8 | MARCH22—APRIL4, 2013 | www.ReporterNewspapers.net
