City Approves Special Election For Property Tax Relief

BROOKHAVEN, GA -- At its regularly scheduled business meeting, the Brookhaven City Council approved a request to the DeKalb County Board of Voter Registration and Elections to hold a special election for a referendum on additional property tax relief for Brookhaven homeowners.

“Even though it is a special election for Brookhaven, the referendum would appear on the same ballot as the general election in November,” said Brookhaven Mayor John Ernst. “I hope all of our Brookhaven residents will weigh in at the polls on this and all the other important issues this fall.”

Ernst is up for reelection this fall, along with district 1's Linley Jones and Bates Marrison from district 3. Those election will also be on the Nov. 5 ballot.

When it incorporated in December 2012, Brookhaven adopted DeKalb County’s property tax exemption limits for homesteaded properties and for seniors and disabled residents. The current homestead tax exemption is $20,000 and the senior/disabled tax exemption is an additional $14,000 with certain income restrictions.

In November, voters will decide whether the homestead exemption would increase from $20,000 to $40,000 over a five-year period ($4,000 annually each year for five years beginning in 2020). If fully implemented, the homestead exemption would reduce average city property taxes by $52.50 per homesteaded property annually.

The referendum would also decide whether the senior/disabled exemption would be increased from $14,000 to $160,000 over a five-year period. Under the same scenario, the senior/disabled exemption would increase annually by $29,200 for a period of five years beginning in 2020. Under the referendum, city property taxes would be reduced to zero for 85 percent of seniors currently receiving the senior/disabled exemption. For the remaining homeowners currently receiving the senior/disabled exemption, the average city property tax reduction would be $189.98 annually.

Combined, the fiscal impact of property tax reductions for seniors, the disabled, and homestead properties will total about $2 million over five years.