Atlanta

Neighbors vow to fight 'sky-high' assessments

By Carl Willis
By Carl Willis

ATLANTA — Neighbors in a Buckhead neighborhood are banding together to fight their property tax appraisals.

Some have seen their tax bill double in just a year.

Walker Sullivan said rising property tax assessments just can't continue this way. He got an unwelcome surprise when he received his tax assessment from Fulton County.

"I think it's going to have a negative impact on people. I know it's going to have a negative impact on me. Essentially, my taxes have doubled to almost $30,000," Sullivan told Channel 2’s Carl Willis.

Sullivan’s home on Verdun Drive in the Argonne Forest neighborhood went from being appraised at $900,000 to $1,764,000 in just a year.

"I know they're behind in their tax digest but you can't just do this to people all at once. It just … I don't care who you are, I don't care how much money you make, nobody plans on doubling what they pay," Sullivan said.

Previously, county officials told Channel 2 Action News that the average assessment went up about 13 percent over this time last year.

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Sullivan told Willis he and his neighbors are seeing a much higher rate and they're not going to just accept those sky-high assessments - they're going to appeal.

"We all have to appeal at this point. We have no choice because of the way the system is set up," Sullivan said.

Sullivan believes he's being penalized by surrounding homes due to his neighborhood’s mix of brand new homes, partial renovations and original homes from the 50s.

The county said this is the first time they've reassessed the entire tax digest in about a decade.

"I'm afraid that at the end of the day I might just stick the for-sale sign in it and move on," Sullivan told Willis

Neighbors told Willis they would like to have a conversation with decision makers with the board of assessors.

Appeals can be filed up until July 10.

Cox Media Group

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