Around metro Atlanta you see local governments delivering value in their decision making.
Several years ago, the city of Roswell passed $180 million in bonds. They covered a range of services from public safety projects to a parking deck, to new parks and sidewalks.
Mayor Kurt Wilson sold a vision, and several years later the fruits of that labor are benefiting everyone. In deeply red Forsyth County, a tax allocation district is part of a mixed-use development that might be anchored by an NHL franchise. The Forsyth County School Board unanimously volunteered their tax revenues to make that project a reality.
In Woodstock, a parking deck was built a few months back and a $24 million parks bond is being implemented. Eighty-six percent of voters approved that. It does not lower taxes and people are excited about better days. A few zealots always find a reason to protest the beautiful communities they will never leave.
But so much has changed in 20 years. I harken back to the political whipsaw the Republican Cobb County Commission received over the Braves. If you walk around The Battery today, you’ll see the commission made the right decision. The Atlanta Braves in Cobb County has been an amazing success. It is also clear that voters were wrong 20 years ago. Today that community is represented by a self-proclaimed socialist in the state House, and I promise you — that will have significant repercussions.
Credit: Photo courtesy of the Battery Atlanta
Credit: Photo courtesy of the Battery Atlanta
Republicans need to learn to deliver value
Each elected body I mentioned above are or were governed by a Republican majority. Plenty of them offer incredible value to their residents. But there is a question that lives in conflict with getting elected. Would you pay 25 cents more per month if you knew you could have a parking deck at your preferred destination? Would you rather see a concert or a game in Forsyth County or State Farm Arena? My answer is yes.
The messaging in Republican circles from the Georgia General Assembly is to reduce the state income tax to zero. It is an extremely effective way to get elected. But I do not believe it is intellectually honest. That is a lesson the faceless, locally-elected official knows all too well. Value is a message that Republicans need to learn to deliver.
No one asks about the annual cost increase of concrete and asphalt. Governments of all stripes have seen asphalt charges rise by over 50% in the wake of COVID-19. All while voters made the decision to cap property tax assessments by 3%. If math is an exact science, then something must give. Georgia is the largest state east of the Mississippi River.
Lower taxes are a wonderful thing. But I also know that living somewhere that invests in parks and trails has been a value creator for my own life and my property value. There are two locations in which my children’s soccer teams can practice in Alpharetta. I can walk to both locations by sidewalk. One of those locations is over 6 miles from my house. That is unseen value.
Republicans message consistently about Florida and Texas and their 0% state income tax. They are different states, with different resources. Their state governments collect revenues from toll roads, oil reserves and their property taxes are more than Georgia’s. That does not get mentioned much.
When was the last time your congressman took a vote that improved your quality of life? For plenty of you, the answer is never. In your metro Atlanta local governments, the answer is regularly.
Do not sacrifice quality of life for the promise of lower taxes
The top of the ticket talks about backing the blue, but your local government is the one who backs them. When metro Atlanta has an NHL expansion team, your local government did that. The state did not do that. In the game of public service, they are the only ones who consistently get it right.
I sat on a city council for four years. We never lowered the millage rate once. Do you know how many people wrote in to complain about the 3% increase in their city taxes? Zero. Nobody ever spoke during public comment, not one time. Residents and businesses love Alpharetta. They did before me, and they still do today.
The Republican Party does a lot of great things. But you live somewhere for a reason. I enjoy the finished product of a new road, a new park or a fire truck that arrived during a life-threatening emergency in only four minutes.
There is a big difference between shopping at Target and shopping at a discount store. On the quest to eternally lower taxes at the expense of quality of life, do not forget where you like to shop.
Ben Burnett is a business owner and former member of the Alpharetta City Council. He is a Republican.
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