DeKalb homeowner to school board: ‘We have no more money to give.’ Expect many others to agree.
UPDATE at 6 p.m.: Getting word that new property assessments in DeKalb showing big jumps in some areas despite collapse of housing market. A neighbor saw a $300,000 jump — $400,000 to $700,00 — and has not added onto her house. Is there a glitch in the assessments? Anybody else seeing that sort of rise in their house’s value?
A DeKalb homeowner sent this strong letter in response to the DeKalb school board’s proposal to raise taxes. I thought I would share it here.
I expect the school board members will be getting a lot of similarly unhappy responses to their plan to dig the system out of its financial hole by a tax increase, teacher furloughs, a shortened school year and larger class sizes. Here is the letter:
Here we go again. DeKalb County, this time the school system, is in trouble and we property owners and taxpayers are asked to put in even more money. Our family loves the public education system, we are both government employees, too, but the taxes in this county have gotten way out of hand. We have voted in favor of the additional sales tax each time to help the schools and voted yes to virtually every request by the school board. But please, no more increasing property taxes!
Over the last few years, the county has eliminated the school property taxes for much of our elderly population under the idea they have “already paid their share,” as though suddenly they have no interest in an educated population. This current elderly generation is better off than any that has ever gone before and will almost certainly be better off than the ones to come! In the past 10 years, our personal property taxes have already gone up 71 percent without any change in the structure of our home.
Call it what you will, the county just increased property taxes significantly last year, and refuses to decrease property values, and now the county CEO and the school board both want to increase taxes, too. Please stop.
Please don’t do this. Is this one reason folks start moving to other counties? In the long run, these increases are just hurting the county as it shows no ability to tighten its belt as any good family would rather than just taking more out of every person’s bank accounts.
All these raises have happened while property values were dropping precipitously the last few years. For us personally, one of our salaries is frozen, and the other, the teacher, keeps getting no “changes in the contract amount,” but without increases and at the same time, increasing the length of the school day and not paying for various workdays when the teachers have to work any way.
While one might say, well this is not the school board’s doing, it is indeed its concern. School board members must look at the overall picture of what your population is facing. The board and others have chosen or approved poor superintendents who were being chased away by their former systems and then paid them extravagant salaries renewing contracts just before termination; allowed corruption and stealing of taxpayer money; continued to manage an overly extended central office; and funded programs that should never have been funded.
The state Legislature needs to stop the continuing yearly whittling away at public education in favor of private and the public school boards need to be vocal in leading the charge against this. After the taxes go in place for a temporary problem they never go away. We will be saddled with these extra taxes from hence forward. When times grow flush, we will just see more money being spent and no emergency funds.
When will all this stop and the school board stand up and make the hard decisions that are needed rather than always caving in to special to loud groups and raising taxes? We have no more money to give.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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175 comments Add your comment
Earl
June 1st, 2012
8:44 am
Properties in 30033 around N. DeKalb Mall, went down in value, just south of Lakeside.
A Conservative Voice
June 1st, 2012
8:53 am
You know what, I was down to the QT Station at N. DeKalb yesterday and as I was pulling out after filling up my truck, in front of me was a DeKalb County Facilities Management Flat Bed Wrecker Truck with a DeKalb County Government Tag GV85255. On the flatbed was a “White Infiniti” that DID NOT have a DeKalb County Government Tax, it was a tag just like us common folk get. Now, someone out there who knows about these things, tell me…….”Is this not a case of using an Official DeKalb County Government Vehicle to transport a “Private Citizens Vehicle”? and if it is what it seems to be, who do I contact to report this obvious THEFT OF TAXPAYER MONEY. If I went by their office, or even called them, I would probably just be rebuffed and told that they can’t give out information like that. Anybody know a good “Comsumer Watchdog Agency”?
A Conservative Voice
June 1st, 2012
8:54 am
“DeKalb County Government Tag”
ginger
June 1st, 2012
12:43 pm
We live in 30319 and our 2012 tax assessment indicated our property is now valued 78 percent higher than it was last year (which we also had a significant increase from 2010). I’m fine for paying my fair share, and even for absorbing a bit of an increase for many of the reasons cited above, but I think its unreasonable to assume a 56% tax increase is fair.
Maureen Downey
June 1st, 2012
12:55 pm
@ginger, I am hearing that the county is acknowledging problems with some assessments. I was told that some folks are getting new assessments in the next 10 days because theirs were wrong. Also, just got this email on the Decatur listserv:
Dekalb taxpayer
June 1st, 2012
1:28 pm
I wonder what the cost will be of sending out all of the new assessments?
Dekalbite
June 1st, 2012
10:18 pm
Here is a quote from a comment on DeKalb School WAtch:
“Now I am irritated, I just heard that FSC send out a calling post (is that something that costs) about whether parents whose children are enrolled in STT could get them there without system provided transportation. What parent is going to say ‘yes’? At what point, do the needs of the majority outweigh the needs of a few?”
STT serves 90 students a semeste,r and they are transported on buses from miles away. This shows how out of touch Fernbank Science Center is with the budget crisis. If Fernbank was closed and the instructors spread throughout the school system, transportation would not be an issue and many more students could participate in this program. In addition, we would save millions a year. No wonder DeKalb has no money to spend on the regular education classroom and is raising taxes. This is so typical of what is happening all over DeKalb as special programs fight to protect their turf. Who are the losers here – students who will be sitting in classrooms of 38 and 40.
bu2
June 1st, 2012
10:47 pm
Dekalbite and others:
You are missing the point in your obsession with Fernbank Science Center. Its not FSC or science in the classroom. Its FSC or nothing.
bu2
June 1st, 2012
10:49 pm
Don’t get hung up on land vs. building. Its TOTALLY irrelevant (its like attacking FSC when the issue is the central office bloat).
What matters is the total valuation vs. what you could sell it for. You aren’t going to sell land and building separately and you shouldn’t try to do the valuation separately.
Dekalbite@bu2
June 1st, 2012
10:54 pm
Fernbank Science Center is one of many of many cost centers that are inefficient and ineffective in improving student achievement for MOST students. You comment is what is said about every cost center that consumes millions of dollars. Everyone protects their special interest program, but no one looks out for the regular education classroom where MOST of the students’ learning takes place.
Mary
June 2nd, 2012
10:15 am
Maureen, This is good news indeed but how can we find out which property the country is looking to re-assess? I guess I could wait 10 days until I file an appeal.
Miss Management
June 2nd, 2012
10:56 am
@bu2 – ??? The county provides your assessment as separate values: land and building. Recently, they have increased land values quite a lot while decreasing the value of the ‘building’ or your home. The idea here perhaps, is that if everyone in the neighborhood has their land valued the same, it’s much harder to appeal or contest. Get it? So, yes. Pay attention to that man behind the curtain people!
Miss Management
June 2nd, 2012
11:00 am
@bu2 – again, ??? — What do you mean Fernbank or ‘nothing’? Are you completely discounting the science teachers in the regular classrooms who struggle to teach over 30 students every day? Are they “nothing”? Wow.
Fernbank is great – but it’s an embellishment. An extra. We must find a way to fund it privately or a public-private partnership. DCSS has at least 4 grant writers on staff. I suggest someone light a fire under their desks.
Maureen Downey
June 2nd, 2012
11:09 am
@Mary, Call the name on your appraisal: But here is some advice on the listserv that I plan to follow:
Tax Drop
June 2nd, 2012
1:48 pm
I’m in 30033 and ours went down $130,000 (about 33%) this year but, in my neighborhood, lots of people with huge increases, which doesn’t make sense. I’m not complaining since we aren’t planning to sell anytime soon.
Oscar
June 2nd, 2012
3:10 pm
Has anyone with investigative journalistic tendencies looked into the reasons why everyone’s land and building prices flipped so drastically in 2011? Every lot in my neighborhood went from 50,000 to 111,000 in 2011 as structure prices went down, and then to 115,400 this year even as some structures went up.
Dekalbite@Maureen
June 2nd, 2012
10:23 pm
“@Mary, Call the name on your appraisal: But here is some advice on the listserv that I plan to follow:’
Calling the name on your appraisal will not always work. I called the name on my appraisal and was sent to voice mail. His voice mailbox was full. This is ridiculous.
Maureen Downey
June 2nd, 2012
10:56 pm
@DeKalbite, I heard that now everyone’s voicemail is full at the office. I think you have to keep trying to at least make sure that the office knows there are many complaints.
This seems to be a disaster to me.
Maureen
Dekalbite@Maureen
June 3rd, 2012
12:06 am
I agreed to the figure the Board of Equalization lowered my property assessment to April 19, 2012 (this was for the 2011 assessment BTW – they were a full year behind) during my Board of Equalization meeting on that date. I was supposed to receive a confirmation letter which I never received, and it’s been over a month. Now my new assessment shows the same value I successfully appealed last year. What a shock since I was looking for the assessment I was given in the BOE meeting. I do have the 3 comparables that the county assessor gave me at the BOE hearing, and they are dramatically lower than my home which is also listed on the comparables sheet so that is proof that my assessment was lowered (or was supposed to be).
I’m not sure whether to appeal since I already went through the BOE process and feel that this was already resolved. The first person I spoke to (not the assessor) told me there has been a lag time getting the letters of confirmation from these BOE hearings out, and that I should write a letter telling them that the BOE already agreed to lower my assessment during my hearing. I will be doing that and enclosing the sheet with the comparables the assessor gave us. I will be sending it by registered mail so I have proof of receipt. Is this the process – who knows?
This is the worst organization I have ever had the misfortune to run across. My Board of Equalization meeting was almost as bad. I just want the correct assessment based on what houses comparable to my home are selling for. It is not the taxes that bother me as much as I should be paying taxes on the actual value of my house, not an inflated value.
I am going to be writing my legislative representative, and if anyone knows who I can visit downtown at the capitol who is interested in this, then let me know.
Go
June 3rd, 2012
2:15 pm
Mine went up 25% (30033). I also heard about dramatic increase of the value of other properties in our neighborhood. The assessment seems unreasonable, given the fact that the selling market is still very very slow.
The Property appraisal department may shrink from the responsibility by saying that they made mistakes on some properties. Well, some people don’t pay attention to the assessment and just pay what they are asked; some seniors don’t access internet and may not know how to fight; and some people are traveling abroad. Even us, we don’t know how much it will end and how long it will take after we appeal. One said: “Claudia Lawson says, Honey, send the bill and most of them will just pay it”.
Then how much does it cost to send out assessments (the wrong and the right ones) and dealing with appeals?
@Go
June 4th, 2012
7:03 am
Well here are two candidate for the BOE that appear to want to raise taxes, Marshall Orson running against Don McChesney and Jim Kinney running against paul Womack.
Both Marshall Orson and Jim Kinney seem bent on keeping Fernbank Science Center just the way it is (full of admin and support and ineffective regarding science achievement for studens):
See the 2010 letter to the Board Marshall Orson and the Fernbank Elementary School Council wrote to the Board urging them to close neighborhood schools, but keep Fernbank open and raise taxes:
‘In these difficult times, we also believe it is critical to save programs that provide a point of distinction for DCSS and which are instrumental in recruiting and retaining students. The High Achievers Magnet programs fit this role as does the Fernbank Science Center and its programs.
“In these difficult times, we also believe it is critical to save programs that provide a point of distinction for DCSS and which are instrumental in recruiting and retaining students. The High Achievers Magnet programs fit this role as does the Fernbank Science Center and its programs. ”
“Revenue enhancements may also be necessary, though we understand the challenges DCSS will still face in budget out-years.”
The letter written in March, 2010 shows a lack of foresight of the budget crisis that is truly frightening. Orson wants everything left intact except the small neighborhood schools and is depending on raising taxes to balance the budget. Read the letter:
http://dekalbschoolwatch.blogspot.com/2010/03/letter-from-fernbank-elementary-school.html
Please take a moment to read Mr. Kinney’s remarks in the Tucker Patch:
http://tucker.patch.com/articles/fernbank-science-center-in-jeopardy-of-closing-ca4b2634
On special programs like Fernbank Science Center:
“For 30 years, Ferbank has been nearly the ONLY science resource in DCSS. The loss of SEMA was as heartbreaking (my son was a participant) as it was shortsighted.
I agree that the science funding priorities are sorely lacking but I don’t see the ability to replace what Fernbank does by moving it’s science educators into the individual schools as a viable alternative.”
Look at Mr. Kinney’s stance on raising property taxes. He is for it BTW:
“As the home values have plummeted, the school funding has also plummeted. Raising the tax rate will put the amount paid into the process closer to where it was before the housing bubble burst. So those that pay property taxes will be asked to fund the schools closer to the same dollar amount as before. ”
Protecting special programs and raising taxes sounds an awful lot like Paul Womack and Eugene Walker to me. With the mess that is our property taxes right now, who in this district is anxious to raise property tax rates?
Jim Kinney has some competition as two other candidates are running against Paul Womack in District 4. Perhaps one of them will be interested in cutting expensive special programs that have not proved effective for all of our students and not raising taxes to the absolute state limit as the primary means of solving our fiscal problems.
Mary
June 4th, 2012
9:54 am
Thank you Maureen and I will appeal this week hoping that they will lower the assessment otherwise I am toast… I cannot reach anyone at the office and the central number will not even take messages. I asked them to forward my concern about the lack of communication from the office. They send out “bombs” and then no one is there to help.
Thanks for your help.
Recession Ends In DeKalb. Unicorns for Everyone! — Peach Pundit
June 5th, 2012
9:36 am
[...] their residents’ home values with boring things like a competent County government and a functioning school system, DeKalb has chosen to raise taxes and spend, spend, spend! Hey, if you had a unicorn farm in your [...]
Recession Ends In DeKalb. Unicorns for Everyone!
June 5th, 2012
11:14 am
[...] improve their residents’ home values with boring things like a competent County government and a functioning school system, DeKalb has chosen to raise taxes and spend, spend, spend! Hey, if you had a unicorn farm in your [...]
dekalbite2
June 7th, 2012
2:04 pm
Finally got my confirmation for the lowered assessment 2011 from the Board of Equalization. They are so late they sent it to me AFTER my 2012 tax assessment came in the mail.
I think more people will appeal this year than last year so automatically their tax bills will be lowered by 15% temporarily. And then many of those people who do not get their appeal lowered by the tax assessor will end up at the Board of Equalization which will probably take until March or April of 2013 to get heard. Meanwhile, that 15% temporary reduction stays on the books negatively impacting the 2012 cash flow. I hope they’ve planned on that. After the county raising taxes by 26% and the Board of Education also raising the millage rate, taxpayers aren’t in a mood to hear that their kids are sitting next to 39 other children in classroom.