DeKalb County Public Works and Infrastructure Committee Meeting - March 3, 2026

The Public Works and Infrastructure (PWI) Committee of the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners met on March 3, 2026, at 3:30 PM. Chair Robert Patrick presided, joined by Commissioners Shakira Johnson and Ted Terry. The committee heard a presentation from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) on air quality monitoring, received a Capital Improvement Program (CIP) update from the Watershed Management Department, and voted on several agenda items including routine approvals, contract renewals, and funding allocations.

Consent Calendar

• Agenda Item 2026-0421: Minutes of the February 17, 2026 PWI committee meeting were approved by unanimous voice vote.

Discussion Items

• Georgia EPD Air Quality Monitoring Presentation: Deanna Ozer (Assistant Branch Chief, Air Protection Branch) and Jamie Gore (Ambient Monitoring Program manager) presented an overview of the South DeKalb monitoring station, established in 1974, which measures over 200 air pollutants and is the largest site in the Southeast. They noted that Georgia meets all EPA health-based standards, but there are no standards for toxic compounds, which are used for risk assessments. The station monitors criteria pollutants (CO, NO2, ozone, PM10, PM2.5, SO2) and air toxics. A second near-road site at Flat Shoals Parkway and I-285 monitors NO2 and toxics. The presenters discussed odor monitoring challenges, noting that compounds like hydrogen sulfide can be smelled at parts per billion but are not harmful until parts per million. They referenced a Forsyth County landfill study (Eagle Point Landfill) that cost approximately $300,000 over two years, sampling every six days, and found no long-term health effects from the 10 compounds measured. The EPD recommended the EPA Air Sensor Toolbox for citizen science and noted that Purple Air monitors (low-cost PM2.5 sensors) can be useful but are not regulatory grade. They offered to co-locate sensors at the South DeKalb site for comparison. Commissioner Terry asked about food waste diversion; EPD supported recycling and offered to connect with an engineer on greenhouse gas reduction studies. Commissioner Terry requested a 30-day deferral of related agenda item 2026-1787 to gather more information on the Forsyth study, Purple Air monitors, and siting criteria. The committee voted to defer the item for 30 days.

• Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Update: Director Maria Hauser, along with consultants Shane, Brad, and Greg, presented the prioritization process for the 2026 CIP refresh. They explained that the process uses a triple-bottom-line multi-criteria analysis to score projects based on risk (consequence and likelihood of failure), condition assessments, regulatory requirements, and other factors. For small diameter pipes (12 inches and smaller), risk is primarily driven by break rates and impact on customers. The committee reviewed a 50-year replacement plan targeting about 1,500 miles of pipe (1% per year), with a 10-year planned replacement map. In 2025, the department replaced 62,400 feet (about 12 miles) of small diameter water main. For 2026, $60 million in projects are planned, covering about 27 miles of replacement. Commissioner Terry requested a detailed GIS map of planned projects for public transparency. Commissioner Johnson asked about risk scoring and district-specific data. The update was informational; no vote was taken.

Key Outcomes

• Agenda Item 2026-1787 (related to landfill monitoring): Deferred for 30 days to allow follow-up on EPD recommendations and siting criteria. Motion passed unanimously.
• Agenda Item 2026-0182 (Finance: print and mail services contract extension with Level One LLC dba Docsum Company): Approved unanimously. No new funds; contract term extended through December 31, 2026.
• Agenda Item 2026-0329 (Public Works Sanitation: landfill professional engineering services renewal with SCS Engineers): Approved unanimously. First renewal option through April 30, 2027, amount not to exceed $2,000,000.
• Agenda Item 2026-0305 (Public Works Sanitation: bulk solid waste and recycling equipment from Waste Quip): Approved unanimously. Amount not to exceed $425,518.20 for commercial containers and steel bottoms.
• Agenda Item 2026-0336 (Public Works Sanitation: tires recycling contract extension with Latham Home Sanitation): Approved unanimously. Contract term through January 31, 2027, amount not to exceed $275,000.
• Agenda Item 2026-0162 (Watershed Management: sewer upgrade agreement with Next Development Partners for 290-unit multifamily development in unincorporated District 1): Approved unanimously. Developer contribution of $832,000; county contribution up to $265,000.
• Agenda Item 2026-0361 (Watershed Management: River Lake Information Management Services agreement with Atlanta Regional Commission): Approved unanimously. Annual cost approximately $30,000 for real-time Chattahoochee River data.
• Agenda Item 2026-0245 (Board of Commissioners: health study on data centers): Deferred for two weeks. Motion passed unanimously.
• Agenda Item 2026-0337 (Public Works Roads and Drainage: stormwater system cleaning services contract change order): Approved with a substitute amount of $2,540,686.02 (as supported by audit), rather than the requested $2,936,060. Motion passed unanimously. The director noted the higher amount was needed due to additional work on 22,500 catch basins and 2.7 million linear feet of pipe, but accepted the reduced amount and may return for additional funds if needed.
• Items 2026-0241, 2026-0242, and 2026-0243 (Shoal Creek Trunk Sewer Section 1 construction management services) were not acted upon because they had not yet returned from audit; they will be brought back at a future meeting.

The meeting adjourned at approximately 5:06 PM.