DeKalb County Public Works & Infrastructure Committee Meeting - March 26, 2026
DeKalb County Public Works & Infrastructure Committee Meeting - March 26, 2026
The DeKalb County Public Works and Infrastructure Committee met on March 26, 2026, at 2:30 PM (scheduled to end by 4:00 PM but concluded at 4:04 PM) to discuss a range of items including sanitation services, fleet management, watershed infrastructure, a septic-to-sewer petition, and a proposed discount program for residents near the county landfill. All votes were unanimous.
Administrative & Personnel
- Minutes Approval: The committee approved the minutes for the March 17, 2026 Public Works and Infrastructure Committee meeting (Agenda Item 2026-0583).
- New Sanitation Director: COO Williams introduced Eugene McKinney as the new Director of Sanitation. McKinney brings 35 years of municipal experience in solid waste and environmental services, most recently from the City of Atlanta. He received a welcome from Chair and Commissioner Terry.
Consent Calendar (Items Approved Unanimously)
- Agenda Item 2026-0413 – Mowing and Maintenance of County Abatement Properties: Awarded to Flex Landscaping Management LLC for an amount not to exceed $100,000, covering mowing and maintenance services at various county abatement properties (abandoned lots, cemeteries, traffic islands).
- Agenda Item 2026-0473 – Sewer Vacuum/Hydro Excavation Truck: Authorized purchase of a VATCON International Truck with a jetting machine from Carolina Environmental Systems for $412,880.15, to replace an existing unit used by Watershed Management.
- Agenda Item 2026-0568 – Sewer Upgrade Financing Agreement: Approved a $213,000 county contribution to front sewer upgrades for a development of 210 housing units and retail space along Covington Highway, with reimbursement by the developer (identified as Westbury Family ILP).
- Agenda Item 2026-0436 – Intergovernmental Agreement with Avondale Estates: Approved an agreement for paving of SR 10/US 278, with the county paying its fair share for pavement restoration after completing water upgrades; the city will handle all paving and release the county from future pavement issues.
Discussion Items
- Agenda Item 2026-0601 – Septic to Sewer Petition (Pine Lake / Forest Road): Director Wells presented a proposal to convert three properties from septic to public sewer, requiring approximately 240 linear feet of new gravity sewer and laterals at a total project cost of about $650,000. Residents are capped at $7,500 each under a special tax district. The petition satisfied the 51% signature requirement (100% obtained). A public hearing is scheduled for April 14, 2026. Commissioner Terry noted the inconsistency with the 65% supermajority required for traffic calming petitions, but acknowledged the necessity of sewer service. This item was informational only; no vote was taken.
- Agenda Item 2025-1787 – Landfill Discount Program (Deferred): Commissioner Terry presented a proposed resolution to establish an air monitoring program and a discount/rebate program for residential sanitation services for households within a two-mile radius of the county landfill. The discount would step down based on distance from the landfill, with an estimated fiscal impact of $200,000–$300,000 annually affecting approximately 4,400 households. Commissioner Terry emphasized that residents near the landfill suffer odor and quality-of-life impacts, and the discount is intended as a mitigation measure. COO Williams noted the county has no prior analysis or similar precedent for proximity-based discounts. The item was deferred to the next committee meeting on April 21, 2026, to allow for further fiscal analysis and research on other jurisdictions’ approaches.
Key Outcomes
- Four agenda items (2026-0413, 2026-0473, 2026-0568, 2026-0436) were approved by unanimous voice vote.
- The septic-to-sewer petition (2026-0601) is scheduled for public hearing on April 14.
- The landfill discount resolution (2025-1787) was deferred to April 21 for additional fiscal analysis and comparative research.
- Staff will provide a district-by-district GIS map of abatement properties and right-of-way maintenance areas.
- Staff will investigate the history and legal status of the three cemeteries currently maintained and explore possibilities for state historic cemetery funding.
- The meeting adjourned at 4:04 PM, with zoning hearings scheduled to begin at 5:30 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Also our presiding officer as well as Commissioner Ted Terry, Super District 6. We're going to, because today is a full day and we have zoning that starts at 5 30. I'd like to try and keep us as short as possible and if possible get done by around four, and then that gives time for people to get ready for another four or five hours of zoning tonight. I love zoning, but that's a lot. With that said, Commissioners, uh, let's go ahead and take care of the minutes. Uh this is agenda item 2026-0583. This is for all commission districts. Minutes for the March 7, 2026, excuse me, March 17, 2026 Public Works and Infrastructure Committee meeting. If move to approve second, got proper motion, proper second. All those in favor, raise your hand, say aye. Aye. Aye. All right. Uh COO Williams, if you could bring our new sanitation director up here. Absolutely, Mr. Chair. It's my honor to uh welcome to the podium for the first time as uh director of sanitation, Mr. Eugene McKinney. Uh he's recently joined the team uh about a week ago uh from the city of Atlanta was his last stop. Okay. Um and we're expecting big things out of Mr. McKinney. He's hit the ground running already. Uh and he said he's ready for this item, but uh if we could give him uh maybe 30 seconds just to tell a little bit about himself bringing to the table. Yeah, Mr. McKinney, welcome and thank you for for coming to the DeCAB team. Committee chair and committee. It's an honor to be here today. Um I'm delayed to be on the team. Just a little bit about me. I've been on the municipal side of uh providing service to communities for about 35 years, primarily in solid waste and environmental services, dealing in environmental sustainability, uh reuse opportunities, every product has a reuse life, and it has value to it. So I'm here again, honored to serve, and um I look forward to networking with you soon in the future. Okay, thank you. Um as you and I briefly mentioned before, um there was a town hall uh two weeks ago and or la last week actually, and uh sanitation was part of the conversation without hesitation. Everyone loves your department. So you guys are well appreciated within at least district one, and I'm sure the rest of the county, uh, you have a great reputation and and we look forward to it getting better from there. So thank you. And that is very refreshing to come into a new environment where sanitation is already on a pedestal of great news. This is the greatest committee in DeCab County, so you're gonna have fun here. We got you know what? The funny thing he heard that. That's why he said that. That's why he wanted I was wondering, Mr. Chair, you missed that in your intro. I mean, we don't have to sell it all the time. You know, it's it's in it's implied. But again, uh thank you very much for being here with us. Thank you. Um let me go ahead and and we have uh some people here for at least one presentation. What I'd like to do is go through our agenda um and then uh if we have time, get that presentation uh knocked out.
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