Elected officials agree on DeKalb sales tax increase
Now that city and DeKalb County government leaders reached a deal on a sales tax increase, there's little standing in the way before the issue is put on the ballot in November.
Mayors and DeKalb elected officials agreed Wednesday on a framework for the sales tax, which would fund road resurfacing, fire station repairs, police cars, parks and other infrastructure over the next six years.
The special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) would increase the county’s sales tax rate from 7 percent to 8 percent, generating about $100 million annually for local governments.
The DeKalb Board of Commissioners plans to vote on a project list Tuesday and then vote again later this month to hold a referendum on the sales tax hike Nov. 7.
Exclusive to subscribers: Read more about the sales tax deal on myAJC.com.
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.
