ATLANTA — Fulton County Commissioners voted 6-1 against a proposed 13% property tax increase on Wednesday, ensuring that property taxes will not rise this year.
The decision came after intense debate among commissioners and residents, with concerns about the financial burden on homeowners and the need for costly updates to the county jail.
Dorothy Harp, a Fulton County resident, expressed her worries about retirees on fixed incomes.
“Our checks don’t go up. Our checks stay the same thing, and we got to rob Peter to pay Paul,” Harp said.
John Bradberry, Mayor of Johns Creek, argued that Fulton County has a spending problem rather than a revenue problem, noting a trend of residents leaving due to the tax burden.
Fulton County Commission Chair Robb Pitts assured that the county is in good financial shape, attributing the stability to solid financial planning by the commissioners and the finance department.
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The proposed tax increase was initially suggested earlier this year when Fulton County faced a tight budget, partly due to a consent decree requiring updates to the jail.
Despite the concerns, new financial estimates showed that the county’s finances are better than expected, allowing commissioners to avoid raising the millage rate.
Bradberry highlighted a trend of people moving out of North Fulton.
“There is definitely a trend among people that say, ‘Hey, I wanted to move across the border,’ and they do that because they’re voting with their feet because that’s what their wallets require,” Bradberry said.
“We haven’t had a millage rate increase in quite some time, and that’s from good and solid financial planning on the part of the board of commissioners and, more importantly, on behalf of our finance department,” Pitts said.
However, the possibility of a tax increase next year remains, as the federal court monitor may require costly jail repairs that taxpayers would need to fund.
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