Joe Penny. Son of Moe Money
The DeKalb County SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) is a one-cent sales tax that provides funding exclusively for capital projects – roads, buildings, vehicles and major equipment, and other long-lived improvements.
The current SPLOST was adopted by voters in a referendum in November 2017 and will run from 2018 until 2024. SPLOST is expected to generate $9.4 million over the next six years for capital improvements for the City of Doraville.
Most cities have also created a SPLOST website so residents can track some of the largest capital improvement projects in the history of their cities. Most have also hired a Program Manager to manage these projects.
In March 2019 the City of Doraville kicked off the SPLOST program with much fanfare and adopted an official project plan. Since this time there has been no public update on the status of these projects. Sadly, as you can see from the information below all of them are grossly behind schedule.
The City Council did its job approving the project list. I do not blame the current council, however, I believe there may be a lack of open dialogue among the staff to clearly communicate workloads and ask for help when needed. I also believe there may not be anyone on staff with the Project Management skills needed to manage the program.
When I am elected I will work with the Mayor and Council to advocate for the hiring of a competent SPLOST Program Manager. We must follow industry standard Project/Program Management principles and be good stewards of all taxpayer money.
Program Management Tasks
| Task | Description | Grade |
| Maintain a SPLOST page on the city website | A detailed list of all projects and their status. Including funding and what is above and below budget | F |
| Hire a SPLOST Project/Program Manager | The program manager provides monthly reports to stakeholders, elected officials, and the community on the status of all
projects. They monitor the revenue stream and the cost of the projects from over-runs. |
F |
| Community Input on Project List | Conduct a survey to gather public input on the project list | A |
2019 SPLOST Projects
| Project Title | Description | Activity | Estimated Delivery | Grade |
| Oakcliff Phase 1 | Refinement and completion of existing work |
Design and Construction |
Mid-June 2019 | F Incomplete |
| Oakcliff Phase 2 | Resurfacing, landscaping and some sidewalks |
Design | Late June 2019 | F Incomplete |
| Traffic Calming | Traffic calming, improving the intersections at Amwiler and at Chicopee | Design and Temporary Striping |
Early May 2019 | B |
| Replace Police Vehicles |
Vehicle lifecycle replacement | Purchase and Configure 2 Vehicles |
Mid-June 2019 | F Incomplete* |
| Extension Service Building/Pan Asian Building Demolition |
Demo buildings for temporary open space |
Procure | Late June 2019 | F Incomplete |
| Citywide Park Improvements |
Brook Park – $30,000 Chicopee Park Trail – $5,000 Playground equipment for Autumn and English Oak Parks – $10,000 |
Design and Construction |
Mid-June 2019 | B |
*If they have been purchased the City did not follow purchasing guidelines asking the City Council to approve the purchase agreement