Millage Rate, TSPLOST on City Council Agenda

The Dacula City Council will meet in work session Thursday to discuss several items including two tax-related issues.

The first of those tax-related items is the city's 2012-2013 millage rate. Last year . Though the millage rate increased, many property owners did not see an increase in their bills due to the lower tax digest home values on which the assessments are based.

Even with the millage rate increase, city leaders projected revenue would be $22,300 less than the previous year.

The other tax-related issue on this month's council agenda is the Transportation Investment Act or TSPLOST. City officials plan to discuss how to spend the discretionary funding that will be allocated to the city should TSPLOST pass on July 31.

The TSPLOST is a 10-year, 1 percent sales tax on all purchases -- the proceeds from which will be used to fund transportation projects. Should the tax pass, local governments will receive a portion of the proceeds for local transportation projects. The bulk of the proceeds will be used to pay for .

Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks has . 

“We’re not going to be able to do whole lot with just $2 million at the local level, but the county’s part would be a whole lot bigger than that for local projects,” Wilbanks said in a March 2011 interview with Dacula Patch.

Though the amount allocated for local projects may be relatively small, several Dacula area projects were included on the regional TSPLOST project list. Those projects include a bridge upgrade at Dacula Road and Highway 29 and well as the . Both projects are currently slated for construction between 2016 and 2019.

Several other projects of interest to Dacula area commuters also made the final list. A $33 million interchange at I-85 and Highway 324 made the list, as did a $40 million allocation for Gwinnett’s Express bus service. The list also included a grade separation project at Highway 316 and Harbins Road and a grade separation at Highway 316 and Highway 29.

Other items on the May 31 council work session agenda include a discussion of the asphalt patching and topping of Freeman Walk subdivision and a discussion of Dacula's voting delegate at the 2012 Georgia Municipal Association annual membership business meeting.

The Dacula City Council meets at , 442 Harbins Road in Dacula. The work session begins at 7 p.m.