An analysis of the costs and benefits associated with annexation by small cities: a case study of Lithonia, Georgia, 1989
Fallen, Guy P.
1989-05-01
1980-1989
The primary intent of this degree paper is to assess the viability of annexation as a means of generating new revenue to remedy the city's depressed economic condition. The analyst addresses the guestion of whether or not annexation is a viable solution to this problem of limited revenues facing smaller cities like Lithonia. The analysis projects the fiscal impacts on public costs and revenues associated with annexing the Lithonia Industrial Park into the city limits. The Proportional Valuation Method (PVM), developed by Robert W. Burchell and David Listokin (1980) was used to conduct the analysis. The PVM approach is used to project the impact of non-residential development on local cost and revenues. The method assigns costs attributable to the share of the real property value that non-residential use adds to a city's real property tax base. The method consists of a two-step process. The first step calculates the share of municipal expenditures attributable to non-residential uses. The second step determines what portion of these non-resi- dential costs is allocated to the incoming facility. The findings indicate that annexation is a viable alternative for meeting the city's goal of increasing its revenue base. The estimated revenues that will be generated from the annexation of the industrial park will outweigh cost greatly. The revenue to cost ratio is almost six to one. The primary source of information for this study was obtained from interviews with relevant officials. Sources of secondary data included periodicals, relevant books, and newspaper articles. Tax data were collected from the Dekalb County Tax Assessor's office. Government documents and scholarly journals are used to provide an overview of the available tools that may be used to promote economic development.
text
application/pdf
thesis
Master of Public Administration (MPA)
Atlanta University
Department of Public Administration
Myers, Joseph B.
Clark Atlanta University
Georgia--Atlanta
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12322/cau.td:1989_fallen_guy_p
