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:: DeKalb County ::

Government

Quick Facts
2004 Population
675,725
2006 Job Tax Credit Tier
3
2005 Tax Millage Rate
n/a
Legal Organ
The Champion Newspaper
Form of Government
Elected Executive
Service Delivery Region
Region 3
Congressional and Legislative Districts





  • DeKalb County collected $460.5 million in total revenues in 2000. In 2004, the county received $522.5 million, an increase of 13.5%. Total revenue in 2004 equaled $773 per capita. The statewide revenue per capita for this same year was $736.
  • From 2000 to 2004, own source revenues for DeKalb County rose from $396.5 million to $466.8 million, an increase of 17.7%. Own source revenues include revenues from property taxes, sales taxes, and excise and special use taxes. Per capita own source revenues amounted to $691 in 2004. This compares to a statewide per capita amount of $631.
  • The county collected an average of $307 per capita in property taxes during the past five years. This amount was less than the average of $333 per capita collected by counties with similarly-sized populations. For the same period, the average per capita amount of county property tax collected in Georgia was $288. On average, property taxes accounted for 49.0% of the county's own source revenue during the period of 2000 to 2004.
  • General operating expenditures for DeKalb County in 2000 equaled $383.0 million, or $575 per capita. By 2004, general operating expenditures increased by 34.8% to $516.1 million, or $775 per capita. General operating expenditures per capita for counties with similarly-sized populations was $692 in 2004. The statewide average was $626 per capita during the same period.
  • Historically, the top three expenditure categories for counties are public safety, administration, and health and human services. In 2004, DeKalb County spent $172.2 million or 28.9% of total county spending on public safety which includes law enforcement, fire services and jails. Expenditures for administration totaled $74.9 million, amounting to 12.6% of total expenditures. The county expended $68.0 million or 11.4% of total expenditures on health and human services.
  • From 2000 to 2004, DeKalb County had an average of $757.2 million in long-term debt outstanding, resulting in an average per capita debt of $1,126. This amount was greater than the $718 per capita average of counties with similarly-sized populations.
      

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