Annexation talks continue
♦ Mixed-use development plans for West Third Street fizzle. The city is seeking new proposals.
Residents of the Riverside community could actually save money if they are annexed into the city, according to numbers presented to Rome officials Wednesday.
A template has been developed that takes a variety of factors into account when analyzing the cost of living in the unincorporated area of the county versus the city.
“I’m really kind of shocked at the numbers,” said Commissioner Jim Bojo during a Redevelopment Committee meeting. “I think a lot of people will want to come in on their own (when they see the numbers).”
Assistant City Manager Patrick Eidson developed the Excel spreadsheet that takes into consideration everything from property values and taxes to water and sewer fees, a street lighting assessment that county residents pay, even garbage hauling fees.
The one caveat is that any tax exemptions individual property owners have must be factored in on a case-by-case basis.
As an example, if annexed, the owner of a home in the Riverside community valued at $60,000 could save approximately $500 a year — even paying both city and county property taxes. Someone in a $150,000 home in the same community could save about $250 a year if annexed.
Rome City Schools Superintendent Lou Byars went over the impact of annexation on the school system. Based on 2019-20 enrollment data from the state, the Riverside community has 80 students who could potentially be affected.
Byars said that would impact the county school system’s state Fte-based funds by close to $ 3,500 per student. The city school system could handle the additional student load, he added.
Commissioner Wendy Davis stressed that any annexed residents would still have the option of sending their children to county schools.
Byars also said that plans to develop a Sixth Grade Academy at the old North Heights Elementary School would free up space in various elementary schools should the city proceed with annexations in other areas — including Horseleg Estates, Garden Lakes and Honeysuckle Ridge.
“It’s not going to be any great windfall for us,” Byars said. “We would need time to prepare.”
The next step in discussions regarding annexation is likely to be a presentation of the template and school numbers to the full City Commission during a caucus session sometime in November or December.
The Redevelopment Committee also learned that the city has put out another request for proposals for the two-acre tract owned by the city adjacent to the Courtyard Rome Riverwalk hotel on West Third Street.
Developers have until Dec. 17 to submit proposals for the property.
Two previous proposals were submitted by local real estate developers — one by David Doss and another by Wayne Robinson — to create multistory, mixeduse retail/residential projects on that site. But they have not been able to generate enough interest to justify expenses associated with the development.
City Manager Sammy Rich said he has sent the proposal out directly to four or five developers and expects to get significant interest in the property.