May 29 UPDATE: The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners will be hosting a Stormwater and Sanitation Rate Increase Town Hall on June 10, 6:30 PM at 178 Sams Street, Decatur, GA 30030 (Multipurpose Room A1201). For more information and RSVP click here. This Town Hall is hosted by the entire Board of Commissioners. This is a public meeting, open to all, RSVP is not necessary.

DEKALB COUNTY – On May 22, 2026, the DeKalb County Public Works and Infrastructure Committee held a special called meeting that included discussion on Agenda Item 2026-0930 “Sanitation Department Increase of Commercial & Residential Service Fees, Landfill, and Transfer Station Tipping Fees.”

“I have heard directly from my constituents living by the landfill that they were told in the 70s or 80s that the landfill would close after 20 years and become a park. Many longtime residents moved into the neighborhood without knowing a landfill was nearby,” said DeKalb Super District 6 Commissioner Ted Terry. “When they hear landfill expansion and new cell construction in 2027, they hear environmental injustice. If we increase our Sanitation Rates, we must also achieve environmental redress for these disproportionately burdened communities. This should include financial relief, assistance with air filters, and diverting our food waste which we know decreases methane air pollution and smell.”

Commissioner Terry’s Policy Priorities Included:

• Adjusting the “Minimum Scale Fee- Any Material Up to 999 lbs” to a tiered rate system based on weight: In 2023, this fee was increased from $16.50 to $48 and disproportionally affects those that wish to dump small items, such as a bag of trash. Commissioner Terry is advocating for a tiered system modeled after Rome, GA’s that will allow DeKalb residents with small tonnage to pay an equitable fee.

• Adjusting the Tire Tip Fee: This is currently being discussed at the Board of Commissioners in the form of Agenda Item 2025-0744. Commissioner Terry’s office has found since increasing the Tire Tip Fee in 2023 from $1 to $10 there has been a 56% decrease in tires received at the landfill under the “Resident-Paying” account. Keep DeKalb Beautiful, the beautification unit that hosts illegal dumping clean ups, has increased their tire tipping by 359% from 2022. It is believed this previous rate increase has exasperated a tire dumping problem throughout DeKalb County and the fee should be adjusted to encourage tipping at the landfill rather than dumping.

• Enhance Environmental Equity: This is currently being discussed at the Board of Commissioners in the form of Agenda Item 2025-1787. It includes details such as an air purifier / HVAC filter rebate policy, composting program, residential notification, real time monitoring and alert system, and odor monitoring adjustment. Most pivotal to this item is the proposed 50%-10% discount for residents within a 2 mile radius. Commissioner Terry’s office found following the current proposed rate increase by 2030 the cost of this discount would be a little more than $2.1 million for the County.

• Make Right on DeKalb County’s Promise to Expand Food Scraps Composting through Funding a Composting Feasibility Study: In previous policies, including the last Sanitation Rate Increase, DeKalb County has committed to enhancing composting services. Commissioner Terry is advocating that DeKalb County should fund a Compost Feasibility Study to establish the best place the county could develop a compost facility that includes food scraps compost.

• Incentivizing Municipalities to Offer City Wide Food Scraps Composting Programs by Keeping the 2022 Base Rates and Possibly Lowering Yard Waste Tip Fees Should a Threshold Percentage of Composting Participants Be Met: In 2023, Avondale Estates, Chamblee, and Decatur kept their 2022 base rates, avoiding the tipping rate increase of $95 at Seminole and $100 at the Transfer Stations. Commissioner Terry’s office found by avoiding this rate increase the cities may be saving $90k – $600k a year. Commissioner Terry is advocating these tipping fees not be right sized if cities provide food waste composting programs city wide to residents. Additionally, he is advocating for the possibility of yard waste tipping fees to decrease if cities reach at least 35% of resident compost participation. It is believed these savings would allow cities to fund composting programs.

• Providing a Senior Discount on the Sanitation Fee for Seniors who Qualify for the Senior Homestead Exemption

The Proposed Rate Increase as Stated in the “Purpose” of the Agenda Item:

“To approve Sanitation’s proposed increase in commercial service fees, residential fees, and landfill & transfer station tipping fees. The increase will occur incrementally over the next five (5) years, beginning 2026 through 2030 (see below).

	Actual	Proposed	Proposed	Proposed	Proposed	Proposed
	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029	2030
Residential Service Fee	0%	24.8%	10%	10%	10%	5%
Commercial Service Fee	0%	24.8%	10%	10%	10%	5%
Landfill/Transfer Station Service Fee	0%	5%	5%	5%	5%	5%
All Other Services Fee	0%	24.8%	10%	10%	10%	5%

“

This item is still in committee and may change, given the committee requested the administration run additional scenarios that may allow for a lower percentage in the first year to ease residents into the rate increase. Additionally, the committee discussed continuing the conversation with residents in a town hall tentatively set for Thursday, June 4. The goal of this Town Hall would be to discuss both the proposed Storm Water Rate Increase (Agenda Item 2026-0587) and the Sanitation Fee Rate Increase.