OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Dekalb County PWI Committee Reviews Transit Value Capture Study and Wastewater CIP, April 21, 2026

Board of Commissioners & Committees — Tuesday, April 21, 2026
BodyDekalb County, Georgia
SessionBoard of Commissioners & Committees
DateTuesday, April 21, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:37:49

Transcript — Verbatim
0:04

Good afternoon, everybody.

0:06

I'm Commissioner Robert Patrick, Chair of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, PWI.

0:11

My colleagues were here will confirm it is the greatest committee of all.

0:15

With that said, we have uh not a long agenda, but we've got some things that could be involving a lot of lengthy discussions.

0:21

So I do want us to get started.

0:22

Uh let's go ahead and begin with the minutes.

0:24

Commissioners agenda item 2026-0654.

0:28

This is for all commission districts, all commission districts.

0:32

Uh minutes of the March 26, 2026 Public Works and Infrastructure Committee.

0:36

If y'all are comfortable with them, I'll take a motion.

0:39

Move to it.

0:40

See, alright, ready to move to adjourn.

0:42

That's not a good sign.

0:44

We're not there yet.

0:47

We're good, but we're not that fast.

0:49

Uh we got a proper motion, proper second.

0:51

Thank you, Commissioners.

0:52

Uh, all those in favor, raise your hand, say aye.

0:54

Aye.

0:54

Okay.

0:55

Uh commissioners, we're gonna jump around quite a bit today, so we're going all the way over to page three under discussion.

1:02

Uh and I'd like to invite uh KB advisory group up to the podium.

1:07

Um you're welcome to come up to this podium here at the front so we can we can see you better, the better to see you with.

1:14

Um, but uh for those who uh were around, I guess uh 23, 24, District One allocated some funding towards looking into the feasibility uh of how to pay for bus rapid transit along uh I 285 as well as Buford Highway, and we also had discussions on how to pay for trails within the area, um, since uh that will also be a consideration uh as we look into how make how to make improvements within the district as well as the county uh for the needs of of our community as we grow.

1:46

Uh with that said, uh welcome to the podium.

1:49

If you would please introduce and and then we'll get started.

1:52

Sure.

1:52

Thank you, Commissioner.

1:53

Oh there we go.

1:55

Thank you, Commissioner Patrick.

1:57

Um pleasure to be with you, Commissioners.

2:00

Jeff Koskey, president and owner of KB Advisory Group.

2:03

Uh we are a local um real estate market analysis and economic development consulting firm.

2:09

Um and so we have been working on this um for quite a while now.

2:16

We've we've we did the work in 2025 and have had some continuing discussions with with Commissioner Patrick and others.

2:22

Um and so this is a summary presentation of a much larger document that that um collects um a lot of data, a lot of information, particularly about taxes.

2:34

So for those of you that are really interested in in the tax situation, this report is for you.

2:40

Um but the question really is about how could we use local tools to collect tax money to help pay for transit lines.

2:50

Today I'm gonna talk about a potential transit line, bus rapid transit on Beauford Highway.

2:56

Um and we'll we'll get right into it.

2:59

Um let's see, here we go.

3:01

Okay, so um a lot of words on this page, um, but basically what we're saying there, we're using this term of this idea of value capture, which is a um I would call it a uh a technical term.

3:13

Um but you can see that the question is really whether to use this buy you capture idea um to capture um resulting tax increases from economic activity, right?

3:26

So the idea is is that with new transit you would get new economic activity that wouldn't be there otherwise, and what tools are on the table in Georgia or uh could be on the table in the future, possibly to help fund at least the building of the transit and potentially the operations.

3:46

So just to say up front, uh Marta has been planning this line.

3:53

Their website seems to be a little out of date, but it does say they're at 30 percent um design uh planning um for a bus.

4:03

Well, actually, they're calling it arterial rapid transit on Beaufort Highway.

4:07

So it's it's not a dream.

4:09

They're working on it, but the funding of it I think is still a dream, and I think that's really where we this discussion comes in.

4:16

So the question is what what is on the table that the cab could do to kind of help move this along.

4:22

Um these local tools, as you can see down in the over in the of the left left hand, these local tools we say can be a help.

4:30

We don't think there's enough money on the table to to use this to totally build a transit line.

4:36

Um we haven't done cost our it's not our deal to do cost um uh estimates, but looking at other trans similar, maybe somewhat similar transit lines across the country over the past call it decade.

4:50

This is at least a half a billion dollar project, likely, if not a billion dollar project.

4:55

So that sort of sizes it up for you, the scale, somewhere you know, between 500 million and a billion dollars, probably.

5:02

Again, it's a it's not an education, it is an educated guess, but it is just a guess of what this could cost.

5:07

So again, you can see on this page on the screen where they're proposing.

5:13

This is a map made by MARTA again.

5:15

And again, they're really talking about ART.

5:18

There's actually currently frequently frequent bus service on Beauford Highway.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Water And Wastewater Management███████████████████████████████████35%
Transportation Safety███████████████████19%
Tax Allocation Districts█████████9%
Public Works Maintenance█████████9%
Procedural████4%
Capital Improvement Planning███3%
Environmental Protection███3%
Solid Waste Management███3%
Procurement Policy███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Public Works and Infrastructure Committee Meeting – April 21, 2026

The Dekalb County Public Works and Infrastructure (PWI) Committee, chaired by Commissioner Robert Patrick, convened on April 21, 2026, to review a feasibility study on value capture for funding transit along Buford Highway and to receive an update on the wastewater capital improvement program (CIP). The committee also approved several routine contracts and agreements, including new garbage and recycling roll carts, sewer upgrade cost-sharing with developers, and an extension of a storm drainage contract. Two items were deferred to the next meeting.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes Approval (2026-0654): Unanimously approved the minutes of the March 26, 2026, PWI Committee meeting.
  • Cooperative Agreement – Plastic Refuse and Recycling Containers (2026-0510): Approved a contract with Rarek Pacific Company, not to exceed $654,271, to provide various sizes of garbage and recycling roll carts. The contract includes 18-, 35-, 65-, and 95-gallon carts, with the 18-gallon carts supporting the sustainable schools program. Discussions included sticker labeling for recycling guidelines and automated arm compatibility for smaller carts.
  • Change Order – CNG Fueling Station Maintenance (2026-0579): Approved a $35,000 increase and term extension through November 30, 2026, with Atlanta Gaslight Company for routine and on-call maintenance at the Seminole Road Landfill and Central Transfer Station.
  • Sewer Upgrade Agreement – Wesley Woods Senior Living (2026-0661): Approved a contribution of $591,500 from Wesley Woods for sewer upgrades at 2920 North Decatur Road, supporting 24 beds and 176 low-income housing units. County contribution not to exceed $185,000.
  • Sewer Upgrade Agreement – Related Development (2026-0662): Approved a contribution of $922,500 from Related Development for sewer upgrades at 2601 Briarcliff Road, supporting 381 residential units, 55,000 sq. ft. of commercial space, and a 140-room hotel. County contribution not to exceed the same amount, with the equitable split due to pre-planned consent decree work.
  • Change Order – Storm Drainage System Construction (2026-0617): Approved a time extension through December 31, 2027 (no additional funds) to align contract periods with grant drawdown schedules for multi-year stormwater contracts.
  • Renewal of Master Agreement – PATH Foundation (2026-0588): Approved a five-year renewal of the master agreement with the PATH Foundation for professional expertise and trail construction services, allowing competitive bidding and acceptance of PATH funds.

The following items were held in committee pending audit reports: 2026-0604, 2026-0606, 2026-0613, and 2026-0627.

Discussion Items

Value Capture Feasibility Study for Buford Highway Transit (KB Advisory Group)

Jeff Koskey of KB Advisory Group presented findings from a study funded by District 1 to evaluate local value capture tools that could help fund a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) or Arterial Rapid Transit (ART) line along Buford Highway. Key points included:

  • The study analyzed 56,000 parcels within one mile of the corridor, currently worth $19 billion in tax-appraised value.
  • The highest estimate suggests up to $1 billion could be captured over 20 years using tools such as Tax Allocation Districts (TADs), special service districts (SSDs), community improvement districts (CIDs), and sales tax increment financing (not currently authorized in Georgia).
  • However, TADs would capture only 9% of value in the first five years and 29% in the first ten years, making bonding necessary.
  • Koskey noted that ART/BRT yields lower property value increases than rail, so value capture alone cannot fully fund the project, which is estimated to cost $500 million to $1 billion. A "layer cake" of federal, state, regional, and local funding is typical.
  • Commissioners Terry and Johnson expressed support for replicating the study on other corridors (e.g., Clifton Corridor, Candler Road) to match affordable transit modes (e.g., autonomous shuttles) with available funding. Commissioner Patrick defended rail investment for equity and reliability, noting rail moves the most people consistently. Koskey agreed that a county-wide additional sales tax could generate substantially more revenue.

CIP Update – Wastewater Collection and Transmission System

Director Maria Hauser introduced the fourth session of the CIP 2026 update, focusing on wastewater collection and transmission. Presenters included Brad Clickley (Jacobs Engineering) and Engineering Manager Aaliyah Johnson. Highlights:

  • Small Diameter Sewers & Lift Stations (Brad Clickley):
    • 80% of the collection system has been assessed; remaining 20% is ongoing.
    • Since 2019, 42 capacity projects replaced 34 miles of sewer and eliminated 32 repeat overflow locations.
    • A $4 million septic-to-sewer conversion at Bend Creek Road (Dunwoody area) is 50% complete.
    • The Gwinnett flow reversal project (Lucky Shoals/Camp Creek) is under review; a three-year extension to 2029 is being requested to evaluate options.
    • Four lift stations are scheduled for replacement; two will be converted to gravity sewer.
  • Trunk Sewer Projects (Aaliyah Johnson):
    • Ten trunk sewer projects totaling 29 miles of gravity sewers (8 to 72 inches) are identified under the consent decree.
    • The Shoal Creek Trunk Sewer is the largest, spanning 13 miles from Snapfinger Plant to Decatur. Section 1 (20,000 feet, 72-inch pipe) was awarded to John D. Stephens for $51 million in March 2026, with a three-year construction timeline.
    • Six early construction locations will capture overflows during wet weather using parallel sewers and portable bypass pumps.
    • Permitting is underway for interstate crossings (I-20, I-285) and environmental permits.
    • Each project has a dedicated website, virtual meeting room, and public open houses.
  • Commissioner Terry raised the possibility of future trail connections along sewer easements (e.g., Shoal Creek as part of the Countywide Trails Master Plan). Director Wells noted maintenance challenges but expressed openness to exploring options.

Key Outcomes

  • The committee received and filed the Buford Highway value capture study. Staff will distribute the final report.
  • All consent calendar items were approved unanimously with proper motions and seconds.
  • The four watershed management contracts were held in committee pending audit reports.
  • Two items were deferred to the next meeting: Resolution 2026-0744 (adjusting tire tipping fees) and Resolution 2025-1787 (environmental equity in sanitation). Committee goals will also be discussed at that time.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon, everybody. I'm Commissioner Robert Patrick, Chair of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, PWI. My colleagues were here will confirm it is the greatest committee of all. With that said, we have uh not a long agenda, but we've got some things that could be involving a lot of lengthy discussions. So I do want us to get started. Uh let's go ahead and begin with the minutes. Commissioners agenda item 2026-0654. This is for all commission districts, all commission districts. Uh minutes of the March 26, 2026 Public Works and Infrastructure Committee. If y'all are comfortable with them, I'll take a motion. Move to it. See, alright, ready to move to adjourn. That's not a good sign. We're not there yet. We're good, but we're not that fast. Uh we got a proper motion, proper second. Thank you, Commissioners. Uh, all those in favor, raise your hand, say aye. Aye. Okay. Uh commissioners, we're gonna jump around quite a bit today, so we're going all the way over to page three under discussion. Uh and I'd like to invite uh KB advisory group up to the podium. Um you're welcome to come up to this podium here at the front so we can we can see you better, the better to see you with. Um, but uh for those who uh were around, I guess uh 23, 24, District One allocated some funding towards looking into the feasibility uh of how to pay for bus rapid transit along uh I 285 as well as Buford Highway, and we also had discussions on how to pay for trails within the area, um, since uh that will also be a consideration uh as we look into how make how to make improvements within the district as well as the county uh for the needs of of our community as we grow. Uh with that said, uh welcome to the podium. If you would please introduce and and then we'll get started. Sure. Thank you, Commissioner. Oh there we go. Thank you, Commissioner Patrick. Um pleasure to be with you, Commissioners. Jeff Koskey, president and owner of KB Advisory Group. Uh we are a local um real estate market analysis and economic development consulting firm. Um and so we have been working on this um for quite a while now. We've we've we did the work in 2025 and have had some continuing discussions with with Commissioner Patrick and others. Um and so this is a summary presentation of a much larger document that that um collects um a lot of data, a lot of information, particularly about taxes. So for those of you that are really interested in in the tax situation, this report is for you. Um but the question really is about how could we use local tools to collect tax money to help pay for transit lines. Today I'm gonna talk about a potential transit line, bus rapid transit on Beauford Highway. Um and we'll we'll get right into it. Um let's see, here we go. Okay, so um a lot of words on this page, um, but basically what we're saying there, we're using this term of this idea of value capture, which is a um I would call it a uh a technical term. Um but you can see that the question is really whether to use this buy you capture idea um to capture um resulting tax increases from economic activity, right? So the idea is is that with new transit you would get new economic activity that wouldn't be there otherwise, and what tools are on the table in Georgia or uh could be on the table in the future, possibly to help fund at least the building of the transit and potentially the operations. So just to say up front, uh Marta has been planning this line. Their website seems to be a little out of date, but it does say they're at 30 percent um design uh planning um for a bus. Well, actually, they're calling it arterial rapid transit on Beaufort Highway. So it's it's not a dream. They're working on it, but the funding of it I think is still a dream, and I think that's really where we this discussion comes in. So the question is what what is on the table that the cab could do to kind of help move this along.

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