Last week DeKalb County’s board of commissioners unanimously voted against holding a referendum on the one percent special purpose local option sales tax.
The commission could revisit the SPLOST next year, but meantime the defeat particularly stings several cities like Avondale Estates, which doesn’t get nearly as much from the homestead optional sales tax.
Avondale Estates City Manager Clai Brown said the city would’ve received an estimated $3,311,543 over six years if SPLOST had passed. Instead the city will receive HOST funds, which are inconsistent, usually falling between $200,000 to $400,000 annually.
Brown added the money from SPLOST or HOST goes towards road repairs.
Decatur, however, gets almost the same from HOST as SPLOST, or $3.5 million over six years. The passing of SPLOST, however, would’ve meant a tax break for homeowners, City Manager Peggy Merriss said. The owners of a $500,000 home, for instance, would’ve paid over a $1,000 a year less in property taxes.
Merriss said that 68 percent of Decatur’s HOST or SPLOST pays the debt on projects already completed like Decatur Fire Station No. 1, the Decatur Recreation Center, the Beacon Hill Complex and the Public Works Building. The remainder goes mostly towards upcoming transportation projects.
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