- Stay Connected
Follow us
Sandy Springs officials tell school board not to raise taxes
By Amy Wenk
amywenk@reporternewspapers.net
Some Sandy Springs officials are urging the Fulton County Board of Education not to raise property taxes.
Mayor Eva Galambos and Dist. 2 Councilwoman Dianne Fries said they were against the board’s proposal to raise the tax rate by one mill during a July 27 public hearing at Dunwoody Springs Elementary School in Sandy Springs.
The next public hearing on the millage is set for Aug. 3 at 11 a.m. at the school district’s Administrative Center, 786 Cleveland Avenue. The board will vote on whether to raise the millage rate the same day at 6 p.m.
“I do not think in this economic climate it makes any sense for any governmental entity to raise property taxes,” Galambos said.
Fries told the board to “get the fat out of the whole administrative” department and not to cut programs for the students. “Cobb County didn’t raise their millage rate. I hope you don’t,” she said.
After the public hearing, Dist. 7 School Board Member Julia Bernath, who represents some Sandy Springs schools, said “We certainly appreciate their comments … but we’ve been faced with no other choice because of cuts in other places.”
The school board proposes to raise the millage from 17.502 to 18.502 to generate $28.7 million for its 2011 budget, which it approved June 22. The board needed to close a budget gap of about $100 million. It cut band and orchestra from elementary school and fired employees, among other things.
If the board raises the millage, owners of a home assessed at $150,000 would see an increase of approximately $58 on their next property tax bill. Property taxes are figured by multiplying the assessed value of a property by the millage.
Facebook Comments:
4 Responses to Sandy Springs officials tell school board not to raise taxes
Reporter_News
July 27, 2010 at 3:03 pm
Sandy Springs officials tell school board not to raise taxes http://bit.ly/aS78B3 #sandysprings
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Pingback: Tweets that mention Sandy Springs officials tell school board not to raise taxes | Reporter Newspapers -- Topsy.com
Old Spartan
July 30, 2010 at 9:29 am
Our City of Sandy Springs officials need to understand that our property values in Sandy Springs are inextricably linked to public school performance. The good news is that performance of our Sandy Springs public schools has been consistently improving. I would not be surprised to reach the point in the near future when North Springs and Riverwood are considered two of the top schools in the state but the recent budget cuts could harm that positive trend. Sandy Springs elected officials need to get with the program and do more to support our public schools because doing so is good for the city, good for the residents and good for our property values.
I recall that when we had a significant surplus in Sandy Springs our elected officials seemed unconcerned about returning any surplus to taxpayers. Instead they paid $8M for the former Target store that has been empty now for two years costing us the forgone interest on that $8M (as much as $400,000 a year) and costing Fulton County Schools the taxes that site would have generated (around $40,000 per year) if the Target property were still on the tax roles and appraised at the $8M (doubtful) that Sandy Springs paid for it.
I appreciate the principle behind Mayor Galambos' and Councilwoman Fries' opposition to a rate increase but Sandy Springs needs to do a better job of supporting our public schools and they must also recognize that every time the Council votes to remove property from the tax roles (Holy Spirit athletic field, the Target building for example) they are also reducing funds available to public education.
Old Spartan
July 30, 2010 at 2:29 pm
Our City of Sandy Springs officials need to understand that our property values in Sandy Springs are inextricably linked to public school performance. The good news is that performance of our Sandy Springs public schools has been consistently improving. I would not be surprised to reach the point in the near future when North Springs and Riverwood are considered two of the top schools in the state but the recent budget cuts could harm that positive trend. Sandy Springs elected officials need to get with the program and do more to support our public schools because doing so is good for the city, good for the residents and good for our property values.
I recall that when we had a significant surplus in Sandy Springs our elected officials seemed unconcerned about returning any surplus to taxpayers. Instead they paid $8M for the former Target store that has been empty now for two years costing us the forgone interest on that $8M (as much as $400,000 a year) and costing Fulton County Schools the taxes that site would have generated (around $40,000 per year) if the Target property were still on the tax roles and appraised at the $8M (doubtful) that Sandy Springs paid for it.
I appreciate the principle behind Mayor Galambos’ and Councilwoman Fries’ opposition to a rate increase but Sandy Springs needs to do a better job of supporting our public schools and they must also recognize that every time the Council votes to remove property from the tax roles (Holy Spirit athletic field, the Target building for example) they are also reducing funds available to public education.