The cities said that would amount to a $95 million per year shift in sales tax revenue.

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Editor's note: The video above is from another report.

All of the cities of Fulton County came together on Friday to oppose the Board of Commissioners' request to increase the local option sales tax by 600%, officials said.

The tax now is just under 5%, according to the 15 cities statement, and the board is looking to increase that to 35%.

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"This is a surprising request because, in 2012, the county agreed to a negotiated percentage of less than 15 percent," their statement said. 

They said that Fulton County's service area has shrunk from about 90 square miles since 2012 to less than two square miles, encompassing less than 1,000 residents. 

"In reality, the cities provide essential services such as police, fire, and sanitation to nearly all the residents of Fulton County," the cities said. 

Their statement said the shift in revenue would be $95 million a year, forcing them to raise property tax "on nearly all Fulton County residents and businesses at a time when they can least afford it."

The 15 cities said they are united in opposition to the request, but added they would work with the board of commissioners to "to reach a reasonable distribution of the sales tax" and have a meeting scheduled for Friday, July 29, at 10 a.m., where they will present their ideas for distribution.

College Park Mayor Bianca Motley Broom called the proposal "a devastating blow" to the city's essential services. 

"Our first responders, including police and fire, would be directly impacted by the reductions. As a community highly dependent upon tourism, hospitality and travel, we are just beginning to emerge financially from an $18 million loss as result of the COVID-19 pandemic," Broom said. "Our general fund reserves were depleted by over 30% during that time. Fulton County’s position therefore, is untenable. While I am ultimately optimistic for an outcome amenable for all parties, the County’s initial demand is quite disappointing.” 

Fulton County said in a statement Friday evening that it values its partnership with its cities. 

"Today we began our good faith negotiations for distribution of Local Option Sales Tax revenue over the next decade," Fulton County said. 

Fulton County added that it's mandated by Georgia law to "provide services that protect the constitutional and property rights of over 1 million Fulton County residents, regardless of their city of residence, including court services, public health, emergency management, elections, and much more."

Prior to 2006, Fulton County said its share of Local Option Sales Tax distribution for providing countywide services was approximately 35%. The county said over the last 17 years, the demand for countywide services has grown and additional services have been added with population and costs growing significantly. Fulton County said during this time, its share of LOST revenue has dropped below 5%. According to the county, it does not provide equitable relief to property taxpayers across the country.

"Today we shared our desire to return to the LOST distribution share prior to full municipalization. This proposed amount recognizes the services provided to each and every resident of Fulton County, in all 15 cities and would also result in a net tax reduction on tax bills for 86% of all taxable parcels," Fulton County said in a release. "We look forward to ongoing fruitful discussion with the cities."