DCTC: Halt New Home Permits – Cut Spending
Press Release - Douglas County Taxpayers Coalition
Lithia Springs, GA: The Douglas County Board of Commissioners (BOC) should declare a moratorium on new home permits to help prevent a housing market crash and a decline in home values, according to James Bell, director of the Douglas County Taxpayers Coalition (DCTC).
In a letter to the BOC, Bell explained his concerns about the over-development of the county and the impact it’s having on infrastructure. He points to the fact that roads, schools and jails are crowded and the drinking water reservoirs are going dry.
Bell claims the rapid over-development of Douglas County and the collapses of the housing market have caused a glut of new homes.
“If new home are not selling, it means existing home are not selling either. Existing home owners are forced to sale at well below fair market values. The result is less revenue from property taxes in the future”, Bell explained.
DCTC is concerned that declining home market values will cause a ripple effect and create shortfalls in property tax revenue if the county doesn’t cut the budget and control spending. This could result in a large millage rate increase to cover the shortfalls.
DCTC is recommending the Board of Commissioners take the following actions:
* Declare a temporary moratorium on new home construction permits (one year)
* Restrictions on new water hook-up permits
* Require department heads to cut the 2008 budget by a minimum of 5 percent
* Pledge a “no tax increase” in 2008
“I believe, with strong leadership, we can find ways to cut our budget, protect property values and ensure our drinking water doesn’t run dry”, Bell wrote.
Tags: dctc
i think the 1 yr moratorium should be longer. the school system still needs time to catch up which means the new schools need to be up and functioning. i am a 2005 graduate of chapel hill and will be graduating from GA Southern next year with a BS in chemistry w/ Mat in science education. i plan on coming back home to Douglas County, but i want to make sure wherever i do end up, the schools wont be severely overcrowed.
October 30th, 2007 at 12:07 amFirst off, fair market value is what someone will pay at the time something is for sale, not what the value had been at some previous time when prices may have been inflated. Secondly, Douglas County does not live in a vacuum, if the housing market busts, it’ll do it nationally and a moritorium in one county won’t make a difference. Thirdly, every web site I can find states that the largest employer in Douglas County is construction, employing 15% of males. If you stop construction, where will these people work? How will they pay their mortagages? Fourth, the water shortage is a temporary situation and the WSA is in the process of expanding the capacity of our water supply. Fifth, don’t they assess higher taxes on a developed property, even one that isn’t occupied, than one that is raw land?
October 30th, 2007 at 10:03 amI agree with the earlier comments - it would be short-sighted to impose a moratorium on building in DC when surrounding communities haven’t had such a “kneejerk” reaction to a down market. The housing market will correct itself based on supply and demand as usual (give it time); let’s not adversely affect county growth with desperate acts.
November 1st, 2007 at 8:42 amIt is narrow minded not to think that the housing market can go bust in an over built county like DC. Construction may be the largest employer but are the doing this work in DC or elsewhere? Stopping residential building permits will not effect them. According to what I have read and what is reported on the news this drought will not be over soon it will last through the Spring of ’08.
Imposing a moratorium on building permits might seem like a knee jerk reaction but the BOC and the BOE have failed to plan for growth so something has to be done now.
November 1st, 2007 at 10:13 pmBuilding permits are STATE permits that are issued locally. They are an outgrowth of the STATE land disturbance permit authority. Local government does not have the authority to stop building permits; only the STATE has that authority. The County is considering stopping all new re-zoning requests which is about the maximum limit that local government can do without a STATE prohibition on building permits. Contact Governor Perdue.
November 3rd, 2007 at 2:08 pm