DeKalb County Districts 6 & 7 Announce SPLOST II Community Meeting

Community participation encouraged for funding allocations on SPLOST II categories as referendum will appear on the Nov. 7 ballot.

On Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, Super District 6 Commissioner Ted Terry and Super District 7 Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson will hold a meeting to educate and engage the community on the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST II). The meeting will begin at 6:30 pm at the New Life Church, located at 3592 Flat Shoals Rd. in Decatur.

On May 3, Gov. Brian Kemp signed HB 431, approving a SPLOST II for DeKalb County and authorizing a Nov. 7, 2023, referendum. HB 431 received majority bipartisan support in both the Georgia House and Senate.

The SPLOST II vision, set forth by DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond, will support countywide capital outlay improvements that promote a high quality of life for all residents. DeKalb constituents are encouraged to participate in ongoing SPLOST II meetings to provide their input on determining the categories for projects.

In 2017, DeKalb was one of the last major counties to pass a SPLOST. SPLOST I is expected to generate over $388 million through the one-cent sales tax for capital projects in four major areas: transportation, public safety, parks and recreation and community facilities. SPLOST I spending is restricted to 85 percent for transportation projects and 15 percent for parks and capital repairs.

“The county has done an exemplary job in managing SPLOST I, demonstrating a commitment to

road paving and other key capital projects,” said Commissioner Cochran-Johnson. “Now that there is not a restriction on the categories, it is important to engage our constituents as their suggestions are instrumental in determining the SPLOST II categories and how they want to see their pennies spent.”

DeKalb County has initiated a process to confirm unrestricted categories, as well as a capital needs assessment that will be compared with projected SPLOST II revenues to determine the final, recommended project categories. The findings from the assessment and community input will be presented to the Board of Commissioners for a vote and the referendum will appear on the November ballot.  

“This SPLOST II allows DeKalb County citizens the opportunity to direct significant investments back into our community, positively impacting our county both in the short term and long,” Commissioner Terry said. “These tax dollars are able to ‘action’ critical needs to address mental health, animal services, and environmental justice—just one more layer toward a better DeKalb for all of us!”

On the November referendum for vote, along with SPLOST II, will be the Equalized Homestead Option Sales Tax (EHOST) that was also passed in 2017 with SPLOST I. EHOST provides property tax relief for DeKalb residents. It is a one-percent tax and 100 percent of its revenue is used to reduce property taxes for qualified homeowners.  

For media coverage or to schedule an interview with Commissioner Cochran-Johnson, email jlmanigo@dekalbcountyga.gov.

To schedule media coverage or an interview with Commissioner Ted Terry, email kcato@dekalbcountyga.gov.