After two of his colleagues have been raising the idea of at least discussing possible changes to the county’s longstanding senior property tax exemption, Cobb school board chairman David Chastain insists it’s not going anywhere.
At a Tuesday breakfast meeting of the East Cobb Business Association, Chastain said there’s not the political support from the county’s legislative delegation to do away with the exemption, which applies to homeowners aged 62 and older.
“We’re not taking away the senior exemption,” said Chastain, a Wheeler High School graduate who represents the Kell and Sprayberry clusters on the seven-member board.
“Some people have been talking about it in public, but it’s part of our reality.”
As the Cobb board begins its budget deliberations, it’s likely to become a topic of conversation again. Last week Superintendent Chris Ragsdale proposed a fiscal year 2020 budget of $1.17 billion that includes substantial raises for most Cobb County School District employees.
The district estimates that the exemption amounts to more than $100 million a year. That’s prompted some calls to at least revisit the issue, as newly elected board members Charisse Davis (who represents the Walton and Wheeler clusters) and Jaha Howard have desired.
Other school districts have various forms of senior exemptions, including means-testing. Cobb is a rarity in that it has no conditions beyond age.
Chastain said he prefers making changes to Cobb’s contribution to what’s called the state “Fair Share” education formula.
Cobb taxes property owners at 18.9 mills, which is roughly 60 percent of a typical homeowner’s bill. Of that 18.9 mills, Cobb has to send 5 mills to the state. For the current 2019 fiscal year, that’s $155 million.
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Chastain said he hasn’t worked out how that Fair Share calculation might be changed, and there hasn’t been a discussion on the school board about it, but that’s a more realistic approach to recouping lost revenues than the senior exemption.
“The way we do it in Cobb is different from some other counties,” Chastain told East Cobb News after the breakfast meeting. “In order to make all those changes [to the exemption], I don’t see it happening. I think it’s more reasonable to address the Fair Share formula.”
He said he hears occasionally from seniors who say they don’t mind paying school taxes, “but that’s not the majority. . . I don’t see the board doing anything to ask our local legislative delegation.”
While Cobb doesn’t have an income qualification for receiving the exemption, Chastain said unforseen realities, such as the rising cost of medical care, have also become factors.
“Those seniors are trying to figure out how to pay for health care, and that exemption is worth something” to them, he said.
‘Sustainable’ budget projections
As for for the budget proposal, Chastain said he’s “happy” with the proposed pay raises, which Ragsdale said were enabled in large part by Gov. Brian Kemp’s $3,000 increases for teachers that were approved by the Georgia legislature.
“That allows us to do this,” Chastain said. “Right now, we have a good economy. From what we’ve been told, this is sustainable.”
The raises also are designed to attract quality teachers from elsewhere.
“We want to make sure we have a system that’s full of good teachers but you’ve got to be able to hire people, you’ve got to get them into the system,” Chastain said. “In order to address our personnel needs, we’ve got to make sure we’re bringing in the best.”
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