Senior homestead recommendation closer Upcoming

Decatur, Dunwoody, Stone Mountain and others on Twitter: @ dekalbnewsnow

City Schools of Decatur’s Senior Homestead Exemption Commission will bring a fifinal recommendation for a new school tax exemption during the school board’s virtual meeting Tuesday. Because a new exemption must get passed by the 2021 General Assembly, which begins sessions in January, Decatur’s board has to sign offff on it this month.

The nine- person commission, which has been meeting regularly since April, has already recommended two new exemptions, one for residents 65- 69 and another for those 70 and over. What should come out of this month’s board meeting i s a definitive exemption amount, with the commission still waiting on more detailed metrics from Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School Center for State & Local Finance.

Dur i n g a November b o a rd meeting, the commission recommended a tentative exemption of $ 160,000, which means:

■ Those in the 65- 69 bracket get the $ 160,000 exemption if they meet an income requirement of making 80% ( or less) of metro Atlanta’s annual median income for a two- person household, currently $ 52,960. At 70 and over the income requirement is deleted and everyone gets the $ 160,000 exemption.

■ Given City Schools of Decatur’s current millage rate of 20.25, an $ 160,000 exemption is worth $ 3,240 in school taxes you don’t pay. For example, if you own a $ 400,000 house, you are taxed at 50% or $ 200,000, meaning with the exemption you are taxed on only the remaining $ 40,000, so you pay $ 3,240 less in taxes.

I f you own a condo val ued at $ 250,000, you are taxed for $ 125,000 which, since its below $ 1 60,000, you pay no school t axes. The bottom l i ne i s, f or every senior 65- 69 who meets the income requirement, or every senior 70 and over regardless of income, you pay no school taxes or $ 3,240 less in school taxes.

The current exemption that took effffffffffffec t January 2017, offffffffffffers seniors 65 and over full exemption of all school taxes. But that has wound up costing CSD more than $ 4.3 million every year so far, and it’s also expiring Dec. 31, 2021. That means the new exemption must pass the legislature next year and ultimately pass voter scrutiny in November 2021, to take effffffffffffect January 2022.

■ Canceled: City of Stone Mountain’s Christmas Firework s a n d P a r a d e . T h e s e events were scheduled for Saturday. post@ StonemountainCity. org

■ Onli ne: “Dark Ni ght . ” Free. Dekalb School of the Arts’ Creative Writing Department presents this series of original plays — written, directed, acted and fifilmed by DSA students. Recommended for ages 13+, these 16 short plays may be accessed at bi t . l y/ Dsadarknight. dsa. dekalb. k12. ga. us

■ Online: Brookhaven Holi day on the Town Celebrat i o n . f a c e b o o k . c o m/ To wn - Brookhaven, twitter. com/ TownBrookhaven, i nstagram. com/ Townbrookhaven

Menorah lighting with B’nai Torah Atlanta. 6 p. m. Thursday

Ballet performance: “The Nutcracker.” 6 p. m. Dec. 17

Santa’s reading of “‘ Twas the Night Before Christmas.” 6 p. m. Dec. 21