The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Two tax offices closed due to pandemic
Fulton County has closed two of its tax offices “until further notice” because of increased COVID-19 cases.
The Fulton County Government Center (141 Pryor St. SW in Atlanta) and Greenbriar Mall (2841 Greenbriar Parkway SW, suite 106) closed Monday, according to a county news release.
The county has returned to the first phase of its opening protocol, which means stricter rules of what can and can’t open.
As of Wednesday, data showed that Fulton had totaled more than 15,800 cases, with 5,200 of those being reported in the past 14 days.
The county said Tax Commissioner Arthur Ferdinand plans to add extra resources at three tax centers during the closures: Customer Service Center, 11575 Maxwell Road, suite 100 in Alpharetta; North Fulton Service Center, 7741 Roswell Road NE in Sandy Springs; and South Fulton Service Center, 5600 Stonewall Tell Road, suite 114 Atlanta.
The tag offices opened to large lines in mid-June after being closed for months. In fact, a single day during mid
The Fulton County Government Center (141 Pryor St. SW in Atlanta) and Greenbriar Mall (2841 Greenbriar Parkway SW, suite 106) tax offices were closed Monday.
June drew more transac- tions than five days of busi- ness in March.
County officials prefer taxpayers pay online or use kiosks located all over the county. Property tax bills for 2020 are not yet available.
Car buyers who purchased vehicles from individuals have 30 days to get their title finalized, and the Atlanta Solid Waste payments are due Aug. 31.
Also, the customer service kiosk at the Pryor Street
location will stay open for tag renewals.
Here are the 10 open kiosk locations:
■ Fulton County Government Center, 141 Pryor St. SW in Atlanta 30303
■ North Fulton Service Center, 7741 Roswell Road NE in Sandy Springs 30350
■ South Fulton Service Center, 5600 Stonewall Tell Road in College Park 30349
■ ulton County Customer Service Center at Maxwell Road, 11575 Max
Fwell Road, Alpharetta 30022
■ Kroger, 2685 Metropolitan Parkway SW, Atlanta 30315
■ Kroger, 227 Sandy Spr ngs lace in Sandy Springs 30328
■ Kroger, 3330 Piedmont Road NE, Atlanta 30305
■ Kroger, 800 Glenwood Avenue SE, Atlanta 30316
■ Kroger, 725 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Atlanta 30306 ■ Kroger, 10945 State Bridge Road, Alpharetta 30022
iPAlpharetta wants in-depth sales tax information from the Georgia Department of Revenue to help officials decide whether to add a sales tax they say would guarantee more revenue stays in the city.
City Council approved a resolution Tuesday which formally asks the Depart- ment of Revenue for sales tax reports from Alpharetta businesses from July 1, 2019, to June 30. Councilman Ben Burnett said the requested data is more than the state typically provides.
The new municipal option sales tax would raise local sales taxes a quarter of a per- cent to 8% and could gener- ate more revenue than the local option sales tax distri- bution received from Fulton County, Burnett said.
Alpharetta officials said they want to keep more of the sales tax revenue gener- ated in the city. Detailed sales tax reports from the state would help the city determine how much revenue goes to other Fulton cities.
City Council wants Finance Director Tom Harris to analyze the data before Alpharetta renews negotiations with Fulton County on sales tax revenue next year, Burnett said.
Alpharetta and other Ful- ton cities receive distribu- tions from countywide sales taxes in proportion to population size. Burnett and fellow council members believe Alpharetta has not received its fair share, because its population is based on a nighttime number of residents, about 67,000. Burnett said the daytime population should be considered instead. Before the nationwide health crisis, the city reported that workday commuters into Alpharetta doubled the city’s population.
“Roswell gets more sales tax revenue from Alpharetta businesses than Alpharetta,” Assistant City Administrator James Drinkard said.
And although a new kind of normal is expected when the pandemic ends, Burnett said Alpharetta will continue to be a draw for corporate business, and an increase in sales taxes would take a tax burden off residents. Sales tax revenue would come in from local hotel guests and shoppers visiting such places as Alpharetta City Center, Avalon and North Point Mall, he added.
“And that’s important because Alpharetta is over 60% commercial,” he said. “If a (municipal sales tax) generated $10 million, the city of Alpharetta would lower its property tax by $10 million. We are just shifting where that money is generated from.”
Burnett believes the city can make a case for the municipal option sales tax to the Georgia General Assembly, which must approve it, but first city leaders need the sales tax information on local businesses.
“I don’t expect (the state revenue department) to be cooperative at all,” he said. “They’ve never been cooperative with municipalities when it comes to sharing information.”