The City of Stonecrest - Stonecrest City Alliance

The City of Stonecrest
A Great Place to…
Live ~ Work ~ Play
Worship ~ Shop
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The Proposed City of Stonecrest
This cityhood effort is the culmination of 3 years, 2
fiscal feasibility studies, over 60 Public Forums & HOA
Meetings, 2 General Assembly Study Committees, 1
DeKalb County-sponsored impact study, the Atlanta
Regional Commission(ARC) Livable Centers Initiative
(LCI) Study, 1 House vote, 2 Senate votes, and the
signature of Governor Nathan Deal.
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The Cornerstone of All Great Cities
Live
Nice Neighborhoods and an Attractive Standard of Living
Work
Very Few High Wage Opportunities for Residents
Play
Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area & Boundless Greenspace
Worship
Many Houses of Worship in Stonecrest
Shop
Commercial Areas Need Economic Development
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The Vision for the City of Stonecrest
The incorporation of the City of Stonecrest is vital…
1. To protect and enhance the standard of living of its residents with
local zoning decisions and more responsive code enforcement,
2. To improve the commercial hub of the Mall at Stonecrest and
dramatically increase the area’s tax base,
3. To attract high quality and innovative businesses to the Lithonia
Industrial Park that will provide more jobs for Stonecrest residents,
4. To create an economic development engine to generate more
commercial and industrial growth in the Stonecrest Business
Corridor,
5. To provide an environment that fosters cooperative parental and
corporate engagement in area DeKalb County Schools, which will
have a positive affect on property values,
6. To develop a tourism industry that will take advantage of the vast and
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scenic Arabia Mountain National
Heritage Area
Economic Development Master Plan
For the City of Stonecrest
(August 2013)
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Commercial Development in Stonecrest
The only viable option to salvage our rapidly declining commercial area is through
cityhood:
 Create an Economic Development Department with a dedicated staff whose sole
focus is on the development of an economic engine to spur growth of businesses
in the City of Stonecrest

Re-brand the Stonecrest Business Corridor to drastically improve the Stonecrest
Commercial District (from the Stonecrest LCI Plan):
 Attract Quality Businesses to Stonecrest Mall and surrounding area
 Develop a mixed use Lifestyle Center with retail, housing, and office space
near the Mall at Stonecrest (concept used in Atlantic Station)




Create a Stonecrest Community Improvement District (Stonecrest CID)
Create Convention and Visitors Bureau & Stonecrest Chamber of Commerce
Build Stonecrest Convention Center along with a new Amphitheater
Create Stonecrest Government Center (city hall, gov’t offices, and courts)
Industrial Development in Stonecrest
The only viable option to revitalize the underutilized industrial area
is through cityhood:
 Re-brand the Stonecrest Business Corridor by Attracting New
Industries to Lithonia Industrial Park:
 Light Industrial & Warehouse Space
 Build-out Space for Growing Film Industry
 Green & Alternative Energy Companies
 High Tech Company Partnerships with Local Research
Universities
 Sell Abroad & Partner with Emerging Markets (ex. Cuba)
Carl Vinson Institute
Fiscal Feasibility Study
for
The Proposed City of Stonecrest
(February 2015)
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CVI Feasibility Study for Stonecrest
For an area to be considered for cityhood in the State of
Georgia, a feasibility study must be completed by a
recognized organization: the Stonecrest feasibility studies
were conducted by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government
(CVI) at the University of Georgia:
 2014 Study: Found Stonecrest to be too large (60 sq.
miles with 83,000 residents), it surrounded the City of
Lithonia, and the city wouldn’t generate the needed
revenue to support a police department (FAILED)
 2015 Study: Reduced footprint (29 sq. miles) and the
number of residents (52,000) and selected a different
mix of city services that would better affect the
economic development
in the area (PASSED)
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Feasibility Study #1: City of Stonecrest
FAILED in 2014
Feasibility Study #2: City of Stonecrest
Lithonia Industrial
Park
City of
Lithonia
Stonecrest
Mall
Thompson Mill Rd
Rockland Rd
Arabia
Mountain
Rockdale County
Henry
County
Rockdale County
PASSED in 2015
Stonecrest City Services
Three city services were selected that would have the
greatest affect on the economic development and the
standard of living in Stonecrest:
 Zoning – local control over residential, commercial, and
industrial construction and growth
 Code Enforcement – vigorous oversight and control of
the Stonecrest brand
 Parks & Recreation – promote tourism and healthy
living in Stonecrest
The City of Stonecrest charter provides for the implementation
of additionalwww.stonecrestcityyes.com
city services, as necessary
City of Stonecrest Budget
The initial budget was developed using the UGA Carl
Vinson Institute (CVI) Feasibility Study estimated values,
based on comparisons with comparable cities (Smyrna &
Peachtree Corners); most of the new cities have used the
CVI estimates and they have been quite accurate.
The CVI Feasibility Study estimates that the City of
Stonecrest will operate with a 20% surplus in the first
year; so the city will be able to consider an acceleration of
the implementation of key components of the 5-year plan
in the Stonecrest LCI Study.
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Revenue
Occupation Taxes
Alcoholic Beverage Taxes
Personal Property Taxes
Hotel/Motel Taxes (General Use)
Hotel/Motel Taxes (Restricted to Tourism)
Business License – Alcoholic Beverages
Bank Shares Taxes
Intangible
Development Fund
Zoning & Variance Fees
Insurance Premiums Taxes
Homestead Option Sales Taxes
(Restricted to Capital)
State Grant-Community Development
Block Grant
Miscellaneous
Franchise Fees
Real Property Taxes
Real Property Taxes – Penalties
Total Revenue Estimate
$1,319,493
$409,295
$23,464
$93,541
$155,902
$131,472
$72,104
$5,355
$406,813
$7,150
$2,557,363
$188,873
$482,652
$3,177
$3,842,567
$146,590
$2,340
$9,848,152
City of Stonecrest Revenue
The revenue estimate reveals some very interesting facts:
 There are revenue streams that are only accessible to
incorporated municipalities (franchise fees, hotel/motel
taxes, insurance premium taxes, etc.), that’s millions of
dollars for development and improvements that goes
unused on an annual basis
 There is no property tax increase planned for
Stonecrest, since property taxes account for less than
10% of the city’s annual revenues
 There will be sufficient funding to begin economic
development activities as soon as the city is
incorporated
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Unincorporated DeKalb County Tax Bill
All taxes are split between County and State
Tax Bill for a City
No tax increase; taxes are split between City, County and State
Expenses
City Council
Administration (City Manager & City Clerk)
General Operations & Administrative Services
(includes IT, Finance, Human Resources, etc.)
Facility Leases
Legal Department
Community Development
Planning & Zoning
Code Enforcement
Building Inspections
Municipal Court
Parks
Tourism
Contingency Fund
Total Operating Costs
$403,227
$546,550
$1,370,302
$230,176
$189,818
$234,106
$210,885
$379,594
$370,676
$9,382
$3,046,256
$155,902
$388,889
$7,535,765
Capital for Park Acquisition**
$267,470
General & IT Start-Up*
$106,983
Total Annual Expenditures
$7,910,218
* This amount represents one-time costs for furniture and financial software
purchased for general government purposes in Peachtree Corners.
** Park Acquisition is a one-time cost
City of Stonecrest Expenses
The expense estimate shows how each tax dollar will be
spent:
 The city council estimate will be lower because the bill
signed by the governor has lower salaries for the mayor
and city council than was used in the CVI Study
 The Parks Acquisition & Maintenance estimate assumes
Stonecrest will acquire ALL of the parks currently in the
city’s footprint; the acquisition will be negotiated with
DeKalb County and the State of Georgia
 Police, Fire, and 911 Services will remain with DeKalb
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County
Surplus
Total Annual Revenues
$9,848,152
Total Annual Expenses
$7,910,218
Amount of Revenue exceeding Expenses
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$1,937,934
Do You Have Questions About
The City of Stonecrest?
Answers, FAQ & Links to All Studies:
www.stonecrestcityyes.com
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