(WSB Radio) Atlanta residents will be breathing a little easier beginning today.

The city council's vote to increase property taxes means no more furloughs of public safety workers, meaning fire stations will reopen and police will be back on full schedules.

The reopening of Fire Station 23 is being met with elation from area residents.

"The neighborhood and the area in general are ecstatic that the station is reopening," says Michael Wagoner, president of the Berkeley Homeowners Association.  "We've been fighting for this for a number of months."

Seven months, to be exact.  The city was forced to close down the station and furlough police and firefighters, due to budget concerns.  But, the property tax increase has provided the necessary funds to end the furloughs and open the fire station doors.

"We're not really excited about the way that we had to get the fire station back," Wagoner tells WSB, "with the these tax increases with the new budget.  But we're happy to have the crew back.  It's really a sense of relief for our area."

The reopening of the fire stations and the return of the police department to full strength might also mean some extra money for Atlanta homeowners.

State Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine says the city's ISO rating, used to determine a city's fire readiness, should improve.

The rating had dropped, going from a 2 to a 4 (lower numbers are better).  That meant an increase in premium costs for Atlanta homeowners and businesses with insurance .

Oxendine says ending the furloughs alone should get the city a rating of 3,  and he believes a 2 is possible.