Homestead, property tax concerns
March 20 — Hey Norcross, this is Rough Draft reporter Hayden Sumlin with your weekly newsletter focused on what’s happening in the city.
🌱 Today is the first day of spring! Bye-bye freezing temperatures! Let’s talk about this week’s Norcross news.
💸 Norcross officials – whose city operating budget amounts to a fraction of some neighboring metro Atlanta cities – are growing concerned that state legislation affecting homesteads and property taxes will slash city revenue. While it’s not clear what specific changes will pass, House Bill 1116 would cap increases to property taxes at 3% or the rate of inflation, whichever is higher, for all property types, including residential and commercial. Catch the story below!
Now, for some local happenings:
🐣 Norcross is hosting an Easter Egg Hunt on April 4, at Rossie Brundage Park. Norcross residents can register here.
🎾 The Greater Atlanta Christian boys tennis team won the 2026 National High School Championship in late February at the United States Tennis Association’s National Campus in Orlando.
🚨 Two men face federal charges for trafficking fentanyl after a Drug Enforcement Administration bust in Norcross, WSB-TV reports.
🎥 Movie Monday returns on March 23 with two showings of “Spectre,” featuring Daniel Craig as James Bond, at 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at the Norcross Cultural Arts & Community Center.
👔 Registration is open for the April 23 Hispanic Business Outreach event at the Norcross Cultural Arts & Community Center, hosted with the City of Peachtree Corners.
Have a great weekend,
Hayden
👪 There are so many new opportunities for young families at Congregation B’nai Torah in Sandy Springs. Plus, your first year of membership is free! Come check out an upcoming event or join us for Tot Shabbat.
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Norcross City Council discusses funding for public safety building, proposed homestead cap
👮 The Norcross City Council discussed financing the new $26.9 million public safety building, set to be completed in mid-August, through a bond issuance.
While no action was taken at the work session, elected officials seemed to agree that the best course of action was to commit $20 million in existing funds to the project and borrow $6 million over a 20-year term.
The council also discussed concerns about state legislation proposed in House Bill 1116 involving a homestead cap that could see a reduction in tax revenue coming into the city’s coffers.
💰 Read more about the financing plan and revenue constraints here.
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Norcross City Council explores options for historic library
📚 At its March 16 public work session, the city council discussed the use of the historic Norcross Library, which it acquired from Gwinnett County in December 2024.
Council Member Bruce Gaynor said the historic building that housed the county’s first library is “at a point where we can start to use it.” Gaynor said residents have asked about using the building as a community space for organized card games and small group activities.
The building at 65 North Peachtree St. is a Greek Revival structure built in 1921, modeled after libraries built through Andrew Carnegie’s philanthropic efforts. More than 100 years later, Norcross has invested $230,000 to make it available to the public.
🏤 Read more about programming at the historic home here.
👪 There are so many new opportunities for young families at Congregation B’nai Torah in Sandy Springs. Plus, your first year of membership is free! Come check out an upcoming event or join us for Tot Shabbat. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Southwest Gwinnett Chamber’s monthly Coffee Connections draws local professionals
☕ Local professionals from several different industries gathered at Atlanta Tech Park in Peachtree Corners on March 19 for the Southwest Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce’s Thursday-morning networking event, Coffee Connections.
The morning networking events are held at least twice a month, typically toward the end of the month following the Thursday Thought Leaders series. The next casual meet-and-greet, free to members and guests, is on March 26 at 8:30 a.m.
The hour-long gatherings encourage attendees to converse with one another, introduce themselves to the group, and see how they and their businesses can help someone in the room.
📈 Read how the new chair of the chamber board leveraged connections to expand his business.
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