Fighting for Tax Payer Rights

The Cities of Gwinnett are in a Service Delivery Strategy Agreement dispute with Gwinnett County. Our first and latest SDS agreement expired in February of 2009. Before the agreement expired, the Gwinnett Municipal Association had worked for two years to try to flesh out an agreement with Gwinnett County that would prevent the County from taking about $10 million per year out of the pockets of county residents who live within municipal limits without providing the corresponding services. Our argument is that you should not pay for services that you don't receive.

Rather than settling this disagreement in a manner that would have resulted in fair treatment for municipal taxpayers, Gwinnett County filed a lawsuit that has resulted in long delays, large legal fees, and the extension of taxpayers being charged for services we don't receive. While this is a complex issue, the solution is simple--an agreement that ends double taxation.

Here is a table that may shed some light on the problem. The table shows what each person (not tax parcel) pays per year for County services the taxpayer doesn't receive. Obviously, the cities that provide their own police services are the hardest hit.

Auburn	$83.78/person
Berkeley Lake	$16.16/person
Braselton	$89.64/person
Buford	$18.98/person
Dacula	$18.51/person
Duluth	$84.07/person
Grayson	$19.80/person
Lawrenceville	$84.57/person
Lilburn	$87.77/person
Loganville	$71.46/person
Norcross	$84.72/person
Rest Haven	$21.66/person
Snellville	$53.83/person
Sugar Hill	$18.24/person
Suwanee	$65.82/person

This table shows that for Dacula, each person living here pays about $18.51 each year for County services which they do not receive. While that doesn't seem to be much, over a ten year period (the length of an SDS agreement) some $850,000 is taken from you. It is even more problematic for Norcross where the per person amount is $84.72. The sum total taken from county taxpayers living in municipalities is about $100,000,000 over a ten year period.

While the lawsuit is on-going, Gwinnett County has no reason to agree to change this unfair taxation policy--it still get its free money. The judge has not seen fit to impose any sanctions for not reaching an agreement. For the past three years, I have been greatly involved in trying to resolve this issue. Some would say that the Cities and the County should reach agreement on this issue. One finds it hard to agree with a group that doesn't have a reason to or want to reach agreement. The Cities have proposed seven different positions that could have solved the issue, but Gwinnett County has refused to even consider one.

Taxpayers should understand that a favorable settlement for municipal taxpayers will not put any money in any city's treasury. Rather, you will not be charged for services you didn't receive. It will be money in your pocket.

We will eventually reach an agreement--maybe one that a judge will impose. And I am sure that in the case of a judge-imposed solution, neither the County nor the Cities will be satisfied and pleased. You need a Mayor who will continue to fight for tax fairness for you.

Please vote for and support Jimmy Wilbanks for Mayor on November 3, 2009 at the Dacula City Hall.