Brookhaven voters go to the polls July 31 to decide whether to start a new city. In anticipation of the vote, the Brookhaven Reporter has asked local leaders who favor or oppose the creation of the city to explain their reasons. Last issue, the Reporter published a guest column by city proponent J. Max Davis of Brookhaven Yes. In this issue, we present a statement from city opponent Charles Konas of No City Brookhaven.
The proposed city of Brookhaven will begin with a deficit on day one. This is based on the very Carl Vinson Institute Study for Brookhaven commissioned by Rep. Mike Jacobs (R-DeKalb County) and the actual 2011 tax revenues.
The county requested that Vinson Institute update their study with the new, lower 2012 tax revenue figures to provide the most current and accurate information to voters but the institute declined. Why did the institute decline? Why won’t Rep. Jacobs and Brookhaven Yes demand that this study be updated so that we have all of the facts?
There’s plenty of time to still do this very easy calculation. Is it because they already know the answer? What are they hiding?
The county recently released the current property tax revenue data for the Brookhaven area, showing a $495,902 drop in revenue. This means that from day one, the proposed city will be operating at a $360,554 deficit. I believe it will only get worse. When was the last time that government got smaller and more efficient?
No City Brookhaven is a non‐partisan grassroots organization without any ties to the county or any other organization. We are your neighbors working together for the purpose of presenting the facts and providing accurate information to our community about cityhood. We are not running for office and none of us have any aspirations for political office or power.
It is simply not true for the proponents to tell us we will pay lower taxes in a new city. The truth is there is no tax savings. In unincorporated DeKalb County, homeowners receive a credit for county government taxes through a countywide penny sales tax called the Homestead Option Sales Tax, or HOST. The amount of the credit to homeowners depends on the amount of sales tax revenue. In 2011, the HOST credit given to property owners in unincorporated Dekalb County was 46 percent. This year, the HOST credit for homeowners is more than 50 percent, effectively cutting our county taxes by half.
Since the city of Brookhaven’s millage rate is 3.35 mills and since homeowners will lose their HOST credit on city taxes, your taxes will go up in a city of Brookhaven.
The proponents love to compare the proposed city of Brookhaven to Dunwoody but there isn’t any comparison.
Dunwoody boasts one of the highest grossing malls and largest office markets in the southeast. Brookhaven has nothing to compare to this. Dunwoody has a 40 percent commercial tax base compared to Brookhaven’s 27 percent. The median income in Brookhaven is 33 percent less than that of Dunwoody. The poverty rate in Brookhaven is three times higher than Dunwoody. It worries me that people who try to tell me that they know better, can’t see these glaring differences. Are they blinded by their political ambition?
The city hasn’t even been approved and the politicians haven’t even been elected, but they are already telling us where city hall will be, what the city will be and how they will run it. So much for a local voice in our new government. Sounds more like government to the people than government of the people. And you thought DeKalb County was bad.
The proponents bring all of these outside politicians to our neighborhoods to tell us how wonderful their new cities are. Well, maybe I’m missing something, but I wouldn’t expect any of those politicians to come here and tell us that they make a mistake. But I have heard from a lot of citizens in those cities who now have their doubts about whether it was the right thing.
The Internet is full of blogs from people that don’t like their cities and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reported on many disgruntled citizens in these newly formed cities.
In every new city, the “yes” people went on to run for mayor and city council. So you have to ask, are these people trying to help you form a new city or really just running for office. Who can you really trust and why do we need another layer of government and more politicians.
I’m not happy with my current government, but I know that more politicians and government is not the answer. This is why I am voting “no” on July 31.
Charles Konas is co-chairman of No City Brookhaven. A 27-year resident of unincorporated DeKalb County, he lives in the area being considered for a new city called Brookhaven.