Dekalb Raising Taxes - How does it affect City of Decatur home taxes? (Dunwoody: sales, house prices)

[oakhurstlauren]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

As a City of Decatur property owner, I can tell you that DeKalb taxes comprise about 13-14% of my total tax bil.

This, it is not going to affect COD that much.

[BringBackCobain]

I read in the Dunwoody Crier that Dunwoody is going to be disproportionately affected by the increase. I would assume an appreciating and expensive city like Decatur would be similar.

In any case, I think Ellis is making a huge mistake. This is exactly the momentum Brookhaven cityhood advocates need to drum up the support to incorporate. I would guess that after this passes, we will see North Druid Hills begin to think about becoming a city, more areas petition for annexation into Decatur (if you are going to pay through the nose anyway, why not at least have good schools?), and Tucker re-thinking its decision to remain unincorporated.

[atlantamoi]

Yeah... I live in a terrible school district so this increase is even more painful.

[spacelord75]

Originally Posted by BringBackCobain

I read in the Dunwoody Crier that Dunwoody is going to be disproportionately affected by the increase. I would assume an appreciating and expensive city like Decatur would be similar.

In any case, I think Ellis is making a huge mistake. This is exactly the momentum Brookhaven cityhood advocates need to drum up the support to incorporate. I would guess that after this passes, we will see North Druid Hills begin to think about becoming a city, more areas petition for annexation into Decatur (if you are going to pay through the nose anyway, why not at least have good schools?), and Tucker re-thinking its decision to remain unincorporated.

Actually Dunwoody and any other cities will be impacted less from a mil standpoint, but were generally screwed by not seeing the property assessment decrease that other areas did. Places like Brookhaven are going to feel this hard.

[oakhurstlauren]

Originally Posted by BringBackCobain

I read in the Dunwoody Crier that Dunwoody is going to be disproportionately affected by the increase. I would assume an appreciating and expensive city like Decatur would be similar.

Why would one assume that? Just for the sake of arguing? I don't have all the millage rate increases in Dekalb, I can't find it anywhere broken out by category, but an increase of 26% of about 12% of your tax bill equals just about squat.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by oakhurstlauren

Why would one assume that? Just for the sake of arguing? I don't have all the millage rate increases in Dekalb, I can't find it anywhere broken out by category, but an increase of 26% of about 12% of your tax bill equals just about squat.

Dunwoody will be hit harder, to some degree, than CoD, since CoD has it's owbn school system and Dunwoody does not. But, it's probaly fair to say that the Crier, true to their default setting, is blowing/will blow this out of proportion to make Dekalb look as bad as possible.

[oakhurstlauren]

Here is a link (http://www.commissionerrader.com/reader-county-news/items/public-hearings-on-rate-increase-set-for-july-5-12.html - broken link) to percentage increase before any exemptions. Decatur is 2nd least affected (7.2%). Dunwoody is unfortunately at the top of the list (17.55%).

[gumboula]

Originally Posted by lastminutemom

Except most in N. DeKalb did not see a drop in appraised value. (If you did, you are one of the few.) So, instead of the 97 dollar increase that CEO Ellis keeps talking about -- many are facing increases of 400-800 dollars.

Did your appraised value drop?

I am in the "City of Brookhaven" (haha); unincorporated Dekalb, just south of Dunwoody. My appraised value plummeted. (I think they were sick of hearing my voice last year when I appealed. I am usually quite civil, but I pretty much yelled at the appraiser/assessor.) I am actually a bit relieved to hear that my experience was not common because I was convinced there was a conspiracy afoot to lower assessments to make the increased millage more palatable, with plans to increase assessments without decreasing the millage in a couple of years. That will still be the likely end result, but perhaps not the conspiracy I thought.

[BringBackCobain]

Originally Posted by JPD

Dunwoody will be hit harder, to some degree, than CoD, since CoD has it's owbn school system and Dunwoody does not. But, it's probaly fair to say that the Crier, true to their default setting, is blowing/will blow this out of proportion to make Dekalb look as bad as possible.

Even if that was the case, does the Crier even need to make DeKalb look bad? The absolute trainwreck that is DeKalb government doesn't need any help in making itself look bad. In addition to its joke of a school board, DeKalb is one of the most bloated bureacracies in the metro. This tax increase is the largest in its history. Instead of raising taxes, why doesn't Ellis lay-off his team of body guards?

[RoslynHolcomb]

I'm absolutely furious. Our taxes were already high, this just put us over the edge. I have no idea where we're going to get an extra $500. And no, our appraisal didn't go down. What with the school situation I'm seriously about ready to sell while we've still got some equity. Seems to me that we're only digging a deeper hole trying to live here. These people are crazy.