Six north Fulton mayors will hold a town hall meeting to inform residents how a possible decrease in the amount of Local Option Sales Tax revenue that cities get to keep is looming and could impact services if Fulton County gets its way.
In July, the Fulton Board of Commissioners asked the 15 cities of the county to increase its share of Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) revenue provided to the county to 35%, from 5%.
The mayors of Roswell, Sandy Springs, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton and Mountain Park plan to discuss their concerns during a public forum 7 p.m. Wednesday at Roswell City Hall, 38 Hill Street. Steve Gehlback with Channel 2 Action New will moderate the discussion.
Fulton County commissioners have been invited to attend and participate.
The LOST is a one-penny sales tax that local governments use to pay for such services as police and fire, transportation, recreation and parks, and more.
The mayors of Fulton County have party affiliations that range from a former Georgia GOP chair to a Democratic Socialist, so it’s rare for them to agree on anything political. But the city leaders have banded together against the county government.
“Such a drastic shift in sales tax revenues, $95 million per year, will necessitate raising property taxes on nearly all Fulton County residents and businesses at a time when they can least afford it,” read part of a joint statement from all the mayors. The negotiations in mid-July started out tense with the mayors immediately talking about how both sides may be so far apart that they have to move to arbitration. A couple months later, there have been no signs that the two parties are any closer to a deal.
During a City Council meeting on Monday, Johns Creek Mayor John Bradberry said the parties are currently in mediation and the two negotiating teams were planning to meet soon.
Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul, who is a member of the cities’ negotiating team, has complained that Fulton has not disclosed how the proposed increased in revenue would be used.
During a Sandy Springs council meeting Sept. 6, Paul said that he was planning a public information campaign on behalf of the cities to inform residents on what’s at risk with Fulton’s proposed 600% increase in allocation of LOST revenue.
Sandy Springs could see an $11 million drop in revenue — $33 million to $22 million.
“That money goes away, there’s no question we have to reduce services and reduce them drastically,” Paul said. “By impacting our ability to deliver services, everybody loses.”
