Comments on: Your turn on Atlanta’s property-tax increase

By: Kia

Kia — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:25:38 +0000

OMG. Just got my 2009 Atlanta Georgia property tax bill for Fulton county. No state credit. The bill is up 35% [thirty five percent] thats crazy.

By: Kim

Kim — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 15:23:09 +0000

Taxes going up; services going down. The Water Company can’t get an invoice correct if their life dependened on it; crime is so bad, I’m afraid to go out when I want to; property values are down and taxes are going up… Shirley won’t be gone soon enough as far as I’m concerned

By: wilhelm sup

wilhelm sup — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:34:54 +0000

Killing the goose that laid the golden eggs, the politicians and their welfare voters hold more sway than the individuals and corporations that are paying the bills. Atlanta will be more blighted than Detroit soon, because the dumb masses have driven the taxpayer to Texas, Tennessee and Florida. I want to live in a culture where pulling your weight is respected, and not a precursor to having more and more of your labor confiscated.

By: AllBoutDaBenjamins

AllBoutDaBenjamins — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:50:05 +0000

Allyana said it best. Of course City Council’s “Group of 8″ should be thrown out since they’re in Queen Shirley.’s court! There will be a rush of folks moving out of ATL now with the higher taxes in the city and high appraisals in Fulton. What about folks who will be forced out cause they can’t afford the high water and sewage bills along with all those new taxes? Shirley and co will cause Atlanta to have another wave of foreclosures as folks can’t afford to live here and simply bail out. Oh, but keep having your constituent parties on taxpayer dollars…and fresh flowers and trips overseas and the rest of it. Here’s my hot tip: DON’T VOTE FOR A SINGLE INCUMBENT IN NOVEMBER. We need fresh meat in city govt. Take a tip from Atlanta itself, after all… “Every Day Is Opening Day”. Let’s start over! Can it get any worse than to boot all the incumbents? Vote for anyone but the “Group of 8″ tax and spend freeloaders ensconced in City Hall!

By: Allyana

Allyana — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:21:51 +0000

This is great, Shirley! Right when we can afford it least, you sock it to us. Right when we can’t sell our home because the market has hit rock bottom, you make it unaffordable to stay here. Now my taxes are higher than my mortgage payments.

By: Glenn Thomas for Mayor

Glenn Thomas for Mayor — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:09:04 +0000

Informed Citizen, please call me directly to speak about my recommendations and solutions. Thank you. 877-612-3267.

By: Homefries

Homefries — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:23:45 +0000

At least there were enough on the council that had the courage to do the right thing. You don’t get something for nothing–it’s that philosophy that got us in the financial jam that we’re in to begin with.

To those Bush lovin Republicans and Libertarians out there who think you can get something for nothing; put up or shut up. Point out where the waste is, specifically and responsibly, and what can be done to specifically to fix those issues to save money. If you’re arguing that services should be cut, point out where and how much. If you have a good argument you’ll get people onboard and do us all a good service. Vague comments about conspiracies, corruption, and waste are only useful as fodder for hate radio.

By: Informed Citizen

Informed Citizen — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:13:01 +0000

Ange, with all due respect Mary Norwood has been a member of the Atlanta City Council for the last 6 years. If she truly wanted an accounting of the city’s finances, she only needed to introduce a personal paper requesting such and allow her colleagues to vote on it. Since she hasn’t, she just playing politics. She doesn’t even show up at Community Development committee meetings. Showing up is half the battle.

By: Informed Citizen

Informed Citizen — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:10:37 +0000

Glenn Thomas, your 3rd proposal is what has gotten this city in the bind that its in. Instead of firing high-priced executives as you say, how about the next administration hires COMPETENT PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR’S that have the educational background and experience that can get Atlanta out of this rut. By firing executives and hiring more police, you’re shiftin the problem from public safety to Finance (where it already exists), Code Enforcement, Public Works, and Watershed.

There has to be a balance, and there has to be Leadership in the next Mayor. I’m looking at policy Mr. Thomas. Things such as making city departments compete with the private sector for the right to be awarded contracts for projects, privatize solid waste, and address the issue with pensions as in the end it will be the taxpayer holding the bag. Raising my taxes isn’t the only way to address a budget deficit, and its frightening that you and other mayoral candidates failed to seize this issue to offer up diverse policies to completely solve this problem and not kick the can down the road. Or just more rhetoric.

How would you terminate binding contracts, as you claim in your first bullet point?

How would you collect revenue from fines and traffic enforcement when the solicitor’s office and parking enforcement has been decimated through layoffs?

Rhetoric is fine as long as you have a thought out plan to follow through with it. Enough of hope, change, leadership. We need action in this city.

By: Ange

Ange — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:27:28 +0000

I am just sick and tired of the incompetence of our current Mayor and her staff and services. Nothing seems to be getting done correctly from the roads filled with potholes to the unbelieveable lack of proper accounting. I agree wholeheartedly with Mary Norwood and support her for Mayor. She makes an excellent point when she says first account for the spending of money before you even consider raising property taxes.