Dunwoody SPLOST

When you drive down a freshly paved road or new sidewalk in Dunwoody, you’re experiencing SPLOST at work.

The DeKalb County Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax is a one-cent sales tax that provides funding exclusively for capital projects and other long-lasting improvements, with a focus on transportation and public safety projects. The current SPLOST was adopted by voters in November 2017 and will run until 2024.

Dunwoody and other cities in DeKalb adopted an intergovernmental agreement which created a distribution formula for the funds based on the population of each city.

Here is a link to the July 2020 SPLOST expenditures report.

7/13/2020 update: During the current year (2020), a total of $2,533,266.42 has been collected through June as compared to the same time frame in 2019, of $2,833,763.20. This reflects a reduction in the collections of 11% year over year. Collections began in May 2018 and total SPLOST revenues are $14,680,006.20. DeKalb County estimated that collections would be $15,313,072.83 at this point. A deficit of ($633,066.64) budget versus actual.

In 2018 and 2019, Dunwoody Public Works completed the following transportation projects using SPLOST:

  • 39 lane miles of paving for $6 million
  • More than a mile of new sidewalks, including Dunwoody Club Drive and the Peachtree Industrial Boulevard access road for $500,000
  • Roberts Drive improvements for the new Austin Elementary School for $500,000
  • Mount Vernon Road at North Peachtree Road crosswalk improvement for $100,000

The following SPLOST projects are planned for construction in 2020:

  • 17 lane miles of paving
  • New sidewalk and bike lanes on Peeler Road
  • Chamblee Dunwoody Road at Spalding Drive intersection improvement

SPLOST dollars have also been used to make Dunwoody safer with the purchase of new vehicles and in-car cameras for the Dunwoody Police Department.

To improve fire safety and emergency response times, DeKalb County used SPLOST to purchase 10 rapid response vehicles. One of those vehicles is assigned to Station 21 in Dunwoody.

At the end of the six years of this SPLOST, voters will decide whether to renew the SPLOST for an additional five or six years.

History:

A county-wide SPLOST referendum was included on every DeKalb County ballot for the November 7, 2017 election. It was approved by 69 percent of voters. As a result, DeKalb County’s sales tax rate increased from 7 percent to 8 percent. The one percent sales tax is not applied to groceries/unprepared foods nor prescription medication.

Helpful links:

August 2017 Memo to Council: Approval of SPLOST Project List and Related Debt Issuance Authorization for County Referendum Language 

September 2017 Memo to Council: Approval SPLOST Resolution, SPLOST Budget Assignment & Financing Limits, and Authorization of Mayor to Execute SPLOST IGA with DeKalb County 

Paving Plans

2020 Paving Plan

In December 2019, the Dunwoody City Council approved the 2020 paving program, which will cover 37 streets and almost 10 lane miles. Blount Construction received a contract extension for $3,550,000. Most of the funding comes from DeKalb County’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST). The Georgia Department of Transportation will also provide $487,000 of Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant (LMIG) funds.

Click here to view the paving map.

2019 Paving Plan

In September 2019, the City of Dunwoody completed its 2019 paving, which included 54 roads and more than 20 lane miles of asphalt. Most of the funding came from DeKalb County’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST).

Click here to view the 2019 Paving Plan.