September 11, 2006

1
Town Hall MeetingKaren Meinzen McEnernyHoly
Innocents Episcopal School

• September 11, 2006

2
Agenda

• Introductions
• Real Estate Taxes
• Homestead Exemption Programs
• Fire Department Update
• Board of Zoning Appeals and Rezoning Process
• How to Get into Neighborhood Watch Programs
• City Facts Figures
• Open Forum Whats On Your Mind

3
Elements of Your Property Tax Bill

• Property value as determined by the Fulton County
  Board of Assessors
• Exemptions to which your household is entitled
• Millage rate

4
Real Estate Property Tax

• 3-Year Comparison Tax Millage Rates

5
Homestead Exemption Programs

• Homestead Freeze This is the second tax year
  this has applied. If your assessed value on your
  home increased due to the tax assessor saying the
  value of your home increased, then this provision
  (a/k/a 2005 Senate Bill 610) provides another
  homestead exemption that freezes the increase in
  your tax bill to no more than 3 per year or the
  consumer price index, whichever is less. The base
  year for the person receiving the exemption in
  2005 is 2003. This exemption does not apply to
  the school taxes and only to Fulton and City of
  Sandy Springs ad valorem taxes.

6
Homestead Exemption Programs

• Local 1 Exemption 10,000 County/City of SS
  Exemptions
• 10,000 County/City of SS Exemptions  to be
  eligible for this exemption you must meet the
  following requirements
• Must be 65 yrs old on or before Jan 1
• The applicant and spouse adjusted income per
  federal Income Tax Return  (prior year) cannot
  exceed the maximum amount a husband and wife
  receive from Social security which is right now
  49,272, plus other income from any source in the
  same amount or 49,272 for a total of 98,544
   and
• It applies to county operating (millage rate) and
  City of Sandy Springs operating (millage rate).

7
Homestead Exemption Programs

• Senior Freeze on Homestead Exemption
• to be eligible for this exemption you must meet
  the following requirements
• Must be a legal resident age 65 or older on or
  before Jan 1
• Your annual Household Income cannot exceed
  39,000 plus no more than 49,272 of Social
  Security income if you have a spouse for  a total
  of 88,272
• Applies to County and City operating millage rate
  and County and City Bonds millage rate.
• This tax Relief Program freezes the value of your
  residential property based on the previous years
  value.  Your frozen value will remain the
  propertys value as long as the eligible senior
  occupies the residence.

8
Homestead Exemption Programs

• Homeowner 1/Basic Homestead Exemption
• Known as Home Owner 1 Homestead Exemption.
  15,000 to be eligible for this exemption you
  must meet the following requirements
• Must be a legal resident in the City of Sandy
  Springs and Fulton County
• Must own and occupy your home as of Jan.1
• Applies to City of Sandy Springs operating city
  school operating city parks, state QBE and
  County operating millage rates in the amount of
  15,000. 

9
Homestead Exemption Programs

• Local 2 Homestead Exemption  
• Known as the Local 2 Homestead Exemption. This is
  the highest exemption (100 of all city and
  County ad valorem taxes if you qualify).
• Must be 70 or disabled on January 1 ( only one
  person who owns the house has to be that age or
  disabled)
• The applicant and spouse's income Adjusted Gross
  Income per federal Income Tax Returns (from Prior
  year) cannot exceed the maximum amount a husband
  and wife receive under Social Security, or
  49,272  
• And they cannot have any more income from any
  source above another 49,272.  So the total
  household income cannot exceed 98,544 to get tax
  relief for 2006. In 2007 this income level will
  rise again.  
• If the household qualifies, this will cut your
  property tax bill APPROXIMATELY in half. 

10
Homestead Exemption Programs

• For further information on the Homestead
  Exemption Process, please contact a Fulton County
  Homestead Service Center at 404-224-0102. Must
  submit a request no later than March 1, 2007 for
  the Tax year of 2007. (This is too late for tax
  year 2006.)

11
Budget YTD Performance

• General Fund Revenues
• General Fund Expenditures

12
Fire Department Update

• On July 31st Sandy Springs hired Jack McElfish as
  its first Fire Chief. Chief McElfish has served
  as Fire Chief in Gwinnett County, Richmond, VA,
  Clayton County, GA and Wallingford, CT.

13
Fire Department Update

• The Fire Department currently has on order 6
  major fire vehicles. Two vehicles are heavy duty
  rescue pumpers and 4 heavy duty Quint fire
  vehicles, which will have a 105 foot ladder.
  These vehicles are due in early December.
• The Fire Department is currently accepting
  applications for all positions.
• The Fire Department will go operational
  mid-December 2006.

14
Fire Department Update

• The Fire Department will operate out of 4 fire
  stations. Three in Sandy Springs and 1 in Atlanta
  on Wieuca Road, where we share a station with the
  Atlanta Fire Department.
• The Fire Chief is coordinating plans and
  agreements to have mutual aid and automatic aid
  with neighboring jurisdictions.
• The Fire Department plans to hire around 65
  full-time personnel and use part-time personnel
  to assist in staffing of 4 personnel on each of
  the 6 fire vehicles, fire and code enforcement
  and investigation.

15
Board of Zoning Appeals andRezoning Process

• Variance Flow Chart (Board of Zoning Appeals
  Decides)
• Rezoning Process Flow Chart (Mayor and City
  Council Decides)
• BZA meets one time per month.
• City Council rezoning meetings occur the first
  Tuesday of each month.
• Remember to check the Citys Web site under
  Calendar for all agenda items in which you may
  be interested.

16
Neighborhood Watch Programs

• Neighborhood Watch is the cornerstone of the
  Sandy Springs Police crime prevention strategy.
  It enlists the active participation of residents,
  in cooperation with law enforcement, to reduce
  crime in communities throughout the city.
• The continuity and success of the Neighborhood
  Watch program hinges on the person referred to as
  the Block Captain. The "Block Captain" is a
  community member who acts as a liaison between
  those who work and/or live in a particular area,
  and the officers assigned to that area.

17
Neighborhood Watch Programs

• You can form a Watch group around any
  geographical unit a block, apartment, park,
  business area, public housing complex, or
  business office.
• When a group decides to form a Neighborhood
  Watch, it
• Contacts the police department or local crime
  prevention organization for help in training
  members in home security and reporting skills and
  for information on local crime patterns.
• Selects a coordinator and block captains who are
  responsible for organizing meetings and relaying
  information to members.
• Recruits members, keeps up-to-date on new
  residents and makes special efforts to involve
  the elderly, working parents, and young people.
• Works with local government and law enforcement
  to put up Neighborhood Watch signs, usually after
  at least 50 of all households in a neighborhood
  are enrolled.
• E-mail Lt. Steve Rose for more information,
  steve.rose_at_sandyspringsga.org.

18
City Facts Figures

• Police Department JULY STATS
• 309 Part One Crimesan increase from June (247)
  but a decrease from May (402) and April (415)
• 49 residential and 14 non-residential crimes
• 282 property crimes 2nd lowest since 12/2005
• 2,500 citations
• 337 arrests

19
City Facts Figures

• Code Enforcement
• District 1 56 cases or 4
• District 2 224 cases or 16
• District 3 350 cases or 25
• District 4 252 cases or 18
• District 5 126 cases or 9
• District 6 392 cases or 28
• 1,240 notices of violations given as of July 2006
• 1,400 cases were investigated 40 generated from
  officers and 60 came from the call center, fax,
  e-mail or other

20
City Facts Figures

• Public Works First 6 months
• 1,274 work orders in the roads division, with
  1,054 completed. Includes road repairs, catch
  basins, culverts, raised curbs, debris removal
  and downed trees
• 1,100 tons of asphalt have been used
• 676 work order in the traffic division, with 651
  completed. Includes lamp replacement, signal
  repairs and loop repairs
• 96 of all sign work has been completed.
  Includes installation, cleaning and repairs
• GDOT projects (intersections) are progressing
  Completion date expected to be the end of
  December 2006

21
City Facts Figures

• Community Development
• 30 Single Family Home permits were issued in
  July.
• The permit backlog is completely erased.
• The turnaround time for most permits is two
  weeks.
• Some permits may qualify for a one week
  turnaround time. Examples are fence, retaining
  walls and pool permits.
• 12 certified as Citizen Deputies space available

22
Open Forum

• Discussion Lets hear from you about issues of
• concern to YOU !!

23
Contacts

• Karen Meinzen McEnerny
• 770/730-5600 City Hall
• 404-851-1944 Business
• 404-358-0068 Cell
• karen.mcenerny_at_sandyspringsga.org
• Council meetings 1st and 3rd Tuesdays
• 700 p.m. at City Hall
• Next Town Hall Meeting November 6th at Holy
  Spirit School, 700 p.m., in the Front Library,
  4820 Long Island Drive, (near Fountain Oaks
  Shopping Center)

24
Contacting the City

• Citizen Response Center
• 770/730-5600, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• Answering calls from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m., Monday
  Friday
• Answering service from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m.
• City Hall
• 7840 Roswell Rd., Bldg. 500, Sandy Springs, GA
  30350
• 770/730-5600
• www.sandyspringsga.org