Council ponders penny sales tax for public safety
Proposed one-cent tax hike would go before voters in 2011 — if the city’s Gold Dome delegation gives its OK
Pennies — the redheaded stepchild of coinage — add up. Politicians know this.
On Jan. 19, Atlanta City Councilmembers said they needed more time to discuss whether Gold Dome lawmakers should push for a penny sales tax in Atlanta that would help fund improved public safety facilities and equipment — and possibly pay for more cops and firefighters down the line.
Councilman Michael Julian Bond, who along with several other first-term councilmembers introduced the proposal, estimates there’s approximately $287 million worth of repairs and renovations needed to bring public safety up to speed. He says the penny tax hike could generate an estimated $100 million each year — approximately 30 percent of which would be generated by non-Atlanta residents who visit or work in the city.