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Metro Atlanta cities criticized for excessive reliance on fines and fees

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Updated  October 24, 2024 9:47pm EDT
Georgia Politics
FOX 5 Atlanta

Study shows some cities rely too much on fines

A nonprofit policy organization has determined too many cities balance their budgets on the backs of taxpayers. The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute says some cities are abusive when it comes to levying fines.

The Brief

    • The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute reports that 86 cities and counties in the state have a high dependence on fines and fees for revenue.
    • Communities with "abusive reliance" gather at least 10% of their total revenue from fines and fees, a practice that can disproportionately affect low-income individuals and people of color.
    • Notable examples include the city of Norcross, where 29% of the city's budget comes from fines and fees, with Snellville, Jonesboro, Lilburn, and Lithonia also mentioned.
    • Some cities have shown improvement; Lilburn reduced its reliance from 22% in 2016 to 12% in 2022, while Lithonia decreased from 31% in 2017 to 11% in 2022.
    • The organization advocates for reducing government reliance on fines through tax relief measures and investment in economic mobility for impacted communities.

ATLANTA - A Georgia organization says a group of cities across metro Atlanta are relying too much on fining residents to pay for city services.

According to the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, 86 cities and counties rely heavily on fines and fees to cover services in 2022.

The organization dubs these communities as "abusive reliance," meaning at least 10% of their total revenue for budgets comes from fines and fees.

"In many cases, we believe we are seeing a pattern that disproportionately impacts individuals with low income and people of color," stated David Schaefer, vice president of research and policy at the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute.

The most recent numbers used in the report are from 2022. Several metro Atlanta cities are on the list.

According to the institute, Norcross derived 29% of its revenue from fines and fees. Snellville, Jonesboro, Lilburn and Lithonia are other communities on the abusive reliance list.

Some cities have improved over the years. Lilburn went from 22% in 2016 to 12% in 2022. Lithonia, back in 2017, had a fine and fee reliance percentage of 31%, a number that decreased to 11% in 2022.

The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute says it is working on ideas to help governments not be over reliant on fines. Schaefer believes a key solution for taxpayers is tax relief.

"It's a lot in the toolbox, be it can earn income tax credit that's fully refundable or steps the state could take to invest in economic mobility for all of the communities across the state," said Schaefer.

You can read more about the study here.

The Source

  • The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute supplied the information for this FOX 5 Atlanta original report.