Stonecrest Mayor Lary announces SPLOST citizens oversight committee

Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary has named the members of the city’s new SPLOST Citizens Oversight Advisory Committee.

The committee members are: Swain Waters, Phyllis Douglas, Shawn Jones, Dave Marcus, Erica Dixon, Lemuel Hawkins, Darrel Taylor, Michelle Emanuel, Eric Carrington, Kerry Williams, Plez Joyner, and the mayor.

Lary announced the appointments during the Oct. 15 City Council meeting.

The 12-member committee will ensure that the city is accountable for the funds generated by the 1% tax that voters approved in 2017.  SPLOST will generate an estimated $47 million for the city over the next five and a half years.

The mayor said the committee is diverse with a wide range of skills that will be essential for making SPLOST recommendations to the council.

“Committee members have backgrounds in engineering, legal, procurement, accounting and finance, construction project management, public safety, parks and recreation, and information technology,” Lary said.

The committee, comprised of members from each of the city’s five districts, will meet later this month to begin reviewing the SPLOST management scope of services and set goals for projects recommended by Stonecrest citizens.  Last year, the city sponsored several public meetings at which attendees suggested improvements and projects to be funded by SPLOST.  Several residents also expressed their desires during a recent public meeting with the mayor called Straight Talk.  Topping the list of projects was road repairs and paving.

In other cities and counties, SPLOST Citizens Oversight Committees ensure that vendors are properly selected, and their projects are completed on time and within budget, Lary said.

“Our committee will do the same.  We are going to get these improvements done right in a timely and fiscally responsible manner,” Lary said.

Committee members are: Swain Waters, Phyllis Douglas, Shawn Jones, Dave Marcus, Erica Dixon, Lemuel Hawkins, Darrel Taylor, Michelle Emanuel, Eric Carrington, Kerry Williams, Plez Joyner, and the mayor.