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Cobb Taxpayers to Challenge Braves Stadium Agreement

December 12th, 2013

Several Cobb County residents plan to challenge an agreement for a new Atlanta Braves Stadium recently approved by county commissioners. As they prepare to file suit, the residents are receiving assistance from the Atlanta Tea Party Patriots.

Debbie Dooley is co-founder of the Atlanta Tea Party Patriots. She says one of the main things the lawsuit will take issue with is the repurposing of millions of dollars in property tax revenue. The revenue is currently dedicated to paying off several park and recreation bonds set to expire in 2017.

“We don’t believe Tim Lee has the authority to just repurpose taxes that were voted on for a specific purpose by the people, and passed by the people, for a totally different purpose.”

Commission Chairman Tim Lee has said the project is being funded with both public and private money. But Dooley says with the exception of public safety support, no public funding should go to the project.

“It’s just a raw deal for taxpayers.”

Dooley says the lawsuit could be filed in early as ten days but also could take longer. If filed, the lawsuit would follow another challenge the Atlanta Journal Constitution says was filed anonymously.

A Cobb County spokesman says “Cobb is confident that our agreement with the Atlanta Braves and proposed financing is not only legally sound, but also fiscally sound, bringing new jobs, investment and opportunities to our community. We welcome the challenge and look forward to demonstrating the forethought and analysis that lead up to the county commission supporting Major League Baseball in Cobb County.”