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Mistake by state lawmakers killed DeKalb road repair effort

Georgia legislators representing DeKalb passed a bill last year that would have had the unintendended consequence of raising property taxes if voters approved the county’s SPLOST proposal. The SPLOST initiative didn’t advance through the DeKalb Commission. BOB ANDRES / BANDRES@AJC.COM
Georgia legislators representing DeKalb passed a bill last year that would have had the unintendended consequence of raising property taxes if voters approved the county’s SPLOST proposal. The SPLOST initiative didn’t advance through the DeKalb Commission. BOB ANDRES / BANDRES@AJC.COM
By
Aug 4, 2016

If not for an overlooked section of a two-page piece of state legislation, DeKalb County voters might be preparing to vote in November on a sales tax increase to repair 400 miles of worn-down roads and other infrastructure.

Instead, the proposal for DeKalb's first special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) died last month when the County Commission declined to move it forward.

The legislation, House Bill 596, would have resulted in an unexpected property tax increase if the SPLOST had passed.

Now state lawmakers say they'll try to change state law next year so that DeKalb can try again to raise money to fix its bumpy roads.

ExplorePlease read the full story on MyAJC.

About the Author

Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.

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