Decatur, GA — The Decatur City Commission will meet on Monday, Aug. 7 for its regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. There will also be a dinner session at 5 p.m., an executive session at 5:30 p.m., and a work session at 6:30 p.m. The meetings will be held in person at Decatur City Hall, 509 N. McDonough Street, and virtually via Zoom.
The work session will focus on the community energy fund. While executive sessions are not open to the public, the community can join to see the city commission enter into the executive session and adjourn. The city commission can discuss legal, personnel, or real estate matters during an executive session.
During the regular meeting, the city commission will consider approving a contract with Magnum Paving for about $3.3 million and establishing a project budget of $4 million for the milling and repair of streets.
To access the meeting, follow these instructions:
To view the agenda, click here.
This meeting will be held in-person. Members of the public wishing to participate during either the “Public Comment” or “Requests and Petitions” portions of the meeting may attend the meeting in one of two ways:
1. Attend in-person by coming to Decatur City Hall, 509 N. McDonough St.
2. Register in advance at https://zoom.us/j/97027292304. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. You may also participate by phone by calling (929) 205-6099 and entering the meeting ID (The 11-digit number shown in the Zoom registration link.)
NOTE – This meeting will utilize virtual meeting technology. We cannot guarantee it will operate as planned. If your participation must be a matter of public record, attend the meeting in person or email your comments to City Manager Andrea Arnold at andrea.arnold@decaturga.com by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, August 21st.
Members of the public may also view the live broadcast of the Decatur City Commission meeting at https://www.decaturga.com/citycommission/page/streaming-video
The Georgia Department of Transportation has provided about $215,000 as part of its Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant. The city must provide a minimum match of 30%, Decatur Project Civil Engineer Jennings Bell wrote in a memo.
“Work will include comprehensive maintenance in the selected corridor segments for all facets of our transportation infrastructure for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists,” Bell said. “Concrete repairs to sidewalks and driveway aprons within the public right-of-way are intended to address panels that are missing, damaged, dislodged, or otherwise impede pedestrians. At intersections, curb cuts that do not meet current standards will be upgraded and crosswalks will be restriped to improve accessibility, visibility and safety for pedestrians. Other thermoplastic markings will be restored on paved areas and post-mounted regulatory signage will be replaced.”
Traffic-calming measures on Adair Street and Coventry Road are also included in this project. Here is the list of streets included in the repair and repaving program for this year:
Photo courtesy of the city of Decatur.
In other business:
– The city commission will consider amending City Manager Andrea Arnold’s contract to increase her salary from $187,000 to $198,220.
A copy of her contract is posted on the city’s website. To see the contract amendment, click here. The city commission increased Arnold’s salary from $170,000 to $178,500 in June 2021. Under the terms of the contract, her base salary was $187,000. The two-year agreement expires on Dec. 31, 2024.
– The city commission will consider adopting a resolution supporting the call for a referendum to continue the county’s special purpose local option sales tax and equalized homestead option sales tax, and authorize the mayor to execute an intergovernmental agreement with DeKalb County related to SPLOST.
SPLOST I was approved by voters in 2017, and it is set to expire in Marc 2024. If approved, SPLOST II will begin in April 2024 to replace SPLOST I.
The county is considering calling a referendum for SPLOST II and equalized homestead option sales tax questions to be on the ballot in November. In DeKalb, the SPLOST and EHOST are tied together. The Georgia General Assembly passed a bill this year that allows DeKalb County to use funds from its special purpose local option sales tax toward parks and libraries, in addition to transportation.
SPLOST II is anticipated to generate about $30 million for the city over six years. The city would receive about $5 million annually, Arnold wrote in a memo.
“Approximately 40% or $12,084,756 is needed to fund the debt service payments for the capital projects identified above,” Arnold said. “It is recommended that the remaining amount be divided over a) transportation projects in the amount of $9,350,000 or 30% of the total proceeds, b) cultural facilities in the amount of $4,185,000 or 14% of the total proceeds, and c) recreational facilities in the amount of $4,972,369 or 16% of the total proceeds.”
The city commission has not set a list of projects that would use SPLOST funding. But the resolution notes the projects may include land, equipment, vehicles, facilities, and other capital costs.
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