Brookhaven Mayor John Park led the charge at the Jan. 14 city council meeting to opt in to House Bill 581, state legislation that made changes to the statewide floating homestead exemption.
House Bill 581 limits increases in the assessed value of a primary residence by linking it to an established inflationary average. In order to opt out of the exemption, municipalities must hold three public hearings, advertise in the legal organ a week before each hearing, and adopt a resolution that would be delivered to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office by March 1.
Park said that “opting out of HB 581 would not affect Brookhaven homeowners unless Brookhaven’s current assessment freeze were to be removed in the future.” Homeowners in the city currently have a property tax freeze that Park said is more beneficial than the Georgia State legislature, 3% maximum growth in valuation based on inflation.
“While our school and county taxes have risen substantially, your city taxes are lower than at the city’s inception due to additional exemptions enacted by the council over the past six years. We also enjoy one of the lowest millage rates in DeKalb County,” Park said.
Other municipalities, including Fulton County Board of Education and the city of Tucker, are debating whether or not to opt out of HB 581.
Deputy City Manager Steve Chapman said that HB 581 is trying to preempt local rul. Brookhaven sets its millage rate, essentially to try to limit growth.
The City Council meeting allowed for the first of three scheduled public hearings on the matter. One speaker said his neighbors were waiting until the next public meeting to speak on the matter.
“A lot of people just don’t trust what comes out of the side of everybody’s mouth,” resident Ronnie Mayer said. “Y’all do what y’all are going to do – or the other [council members] did.”
Another resident requested that city make important issues like the homestead exemption more prominent in communication tools, like the Brookhaven Blast, a weekly e-newsletter.
“For the next meeting, if we can just have clarity on the pros and cons … what it would mean for residents who have been here an extended period of time versus new residents who have moved in and are coming in at a different tax point,” said Caroline Lord, president of Cambridge Park Civic Association.
Park instructed city staff to cancel the remaining two public hearings.
“We are very much in favor of not opting out,” said Park. “We want to continue to protect the taxpayers.”
“I had an ulterior motive on this hearing, and that is to brag on our exemption. I have come across so many people that still don’t know about our freeze exemption in Brookhaven,” he continued. “Even though your school taxes and your county taxes will go up as a result of these valuations, your Brookhaven city taxes are frozen.”
Park said his city taxes are about $100 less now than when he first moved to the city.
“I thank the mayor’s leadership in canceling the next two meetings,” Brookhaven City Council Member Madeleine Simmons said. “We want to be respectful of people’s time away from their homes and their families.”
