Decatur Annexation, Homestead Exemption Bills Die in General Assembly; Mayor Reacts

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The Mayor of Decatur has released a statement in the wake of the failure of a pair of bills intended to both set new city limits for the city and to reduce the tax burden on residents.

DecaturMetro reports that Mayor Jim Baskett said on Thursday that he was appreciative of the efforts made by State Rep. Karla Drenner and State Sen. Elena Parent to pass House Bill 633, which would have expanded Decatur’s city limits.

The legislation would have annexed chunks of unincorporated DeKalb County immediately northwest and east of the current city limits in response to the “municipalization” of north DeKalb. The annexation was also meant to “expand the property tax base and enhance school operations,” according to the city’s 2010 Strategic Plan. The measure never made it of the State Senate, and died with the end of the General Assembly earlier this week.

“It is our understanding that opposition from neighborhoods in the City of Atlanta annexation plan and concerns about potential lost revenue to the DeKalb County School System resulted in the bill not receiving consideration in the Georgia Senate,” Baskett said in his statement. The Decatur City Commission will use the remainder of 2015 to decide whether it wishes to pursue annexation in 2016, Baskett said.

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Another set of bills intended to serve the residents of Decatur met an unfortunate end under the Gold Dome, much to the chagrin of Baskett and the rest of the city commission.

House Bills 670, 671, 672, and 673 would have increased Decatur homeowners’ homestead exemption from $20,000 to $25,000; increased the homestead exemption for seniors from $1,000 to $10,000; and would have created a $15,000 homestead exemption for residents 62 years and older whose incomes fall below $50,000. All four measures were defeated by an 81-78 vote in the Georgia House of Representatives on March 27.

“We are highly disappointed that property tax relief for our taxpayers, particularly for low and moderate income seniors was defeated in the Georgia House of Representatives,” Baskett said in his statement. “Adoption of the proposed legislation would have made a real difference in the lives of our seniors by providing over $1,100 of annual tax savings.”

The city commission will continue to push for the expansion of homestead exemptions in Decatur during the 2016 General Assembly, Baskett said.