DUNWOODY, Ga. — A windfall of state funds for the city’s paving program is allowing Dunwoody officials to set aside a contingency for inflated construction costs related to other projects.
The city anticipates receiving an additional $600,000 in Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant funds from the Georgia Department of Transportation.
The state initiative distributes a portion of gas tax revenue to local governments for transportation improvements.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s rollback of the state’s gas tax ended last November.
After amending the state’s budget, Kemp secured an additional $200 million for local transportation projects, doubling the funds going to Georgia cities for improvements to roadway networks.
When the Georgia House of Representatives approved the amended budget Feb. 7, the required match from local governments was removed for the additional $200 million in local transportation funding.
Earlier this year, Dunwoody received around $490,000 in LMIG funds, which brings the expected total to just under $1.1 million.
Support for paving program
Dunwoody Public Works Director Michael Smith recommends using the additional local transportation funds for the 2024 paving program, which the city has historically done to supplement city funds for annual road resurfacing.
Staff said the change allows state funds to be quickly allocated to annual paving contracts and frees city money to be used on other projects.
Smith said around $600,000 in Special Local Option Sales Tax funds could be used for additional paving or another transportation project.
“That should leave a $600,000 surplus in paving,” Smith said. “With construction and cost inflation, we are recommending setting that money aside and not making a decision on how to spend it until we see how some of those costs come in.”
With the Mount Vernon Road at Tilly…
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