A proposed DeKalb County sales tax increase would raise money for road repaving and public safety facilities — but not a government administration building, according to a bill that won final legislative approval Thursday.
The Senate voted 45-8 to approve Senate Bill 156, which restricts how proceeds of a DeKalb special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) could be spent. The measure previously passed the state House and now goes to Gov. Nathan Deal.
Voters could decide on raising the county’s sales taxes, from 7 percent to 8 percent, during a November referendum.
“It limits where the money can be spent. There won’t be a government center,” said Sen. Fran Millar, R-Atlanta, the bill’s sponsor. “It’s a win for everybody in DeKalb.”
The legislation says that the sales tax could only be used for roads, public transit, bridges, public safety facilities and equipment and related infrastructure.
The tax couldn't help pay for a government complex, which was one of the projects under consideration by DeKalb Commissioners when the tax was previously discussed last year.
A separate measure that passed earlier this year, Senate Bill 143, allows the county to move forward with a referendum for the sales tax increase. The legislation also uses part of existing sales tax revenue to reduce homeowners' property tax bills.
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