InTucker Magazine

Getting Their Fill

A Look Inside the Relationships that Fix Tucker’s Problem Potholes

Staff at Tucker’s City Hall receive complaints about potholes weekly, sometimes daily. It’s much less frequent than before the City’s SPLOST-funded road resurfacing program launched in 2018, but still, potholes are a way of life in any municipality and Tucker is no exception.

What many may not know, however, is that unlike some other cities, Tucker does not fill its own potholes. As a newer city with a very limited public works function, Tucker relies on its partnership with DeKalb County to take care of things like potholes and broken catch basins.

With winter approaching and colder temperatures upon us, this is the time of year when pothole-related complaints skyrocket. Why is that? And how do you report a pothole? More importantly, how are they getting fixed? Consider this your primer for pothole season in Tucker.

Feeling the Freeze
Although Georgia doesn’t see sub-freezing temperatures nearly as often as other parts of the United States, wintertime can still get pretty nippy in the Peach State. That’s enough to open up some big problems on our roads.

“When it’s rained and we get temperatures below freezing overnight, it’s an invitation for potholes,” says Tucker’s City Engineer Ken Hildebrandt. “That water will settle into a crack or a small gap in the roadway and when it freezes, the ice expands and makes that crack bigger. Before you know it, you’ve got a pothole.”

Complicating things, cold temperatures can limit the effectiveness of certain pothole repairs, meaning some of the bigger jobs have to wait until spring comes along to thaw things out.

Who You Gonna Call?
While the City of Tucker does not fix potholes, there is staff on standby to take and process those complaints. Drivers who notice a pothole or other road problem can simply email info@tuckerga.gov or call (678) 597-9040 to talk with the City’s Citizen Responder.

“We’re glad for you to reach out, but it’s so important that we get good information,” explains Citizen Responder Jennifer Downer. “The more detail you can offer about a specific block or intersection, even an estimate on the size of the pothole, will help us to expedite getting that pothole filled.”

The one thing that won’t help get that pothole fixed: complaining on social media. A formal complaint or notification must be filed with the City or the County to get a work order started. You can’t do that through Facebook.

Teaming Up
So, if Tucker doesn’t fill its own potholes, how do they ever get fixed? The City has an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with DeKalb County for repairs and maintenance of our roads. A complaint comes in to the City, they pass it on to DeKalb’s Public Works team and that work order enters the queue to get fixed. From a city perspective, accountability is key.

“One of the reasons we’ve been successful is that we have monthly meetings with leadership from DeKalb Public Works and Watershed,” says Tucker’s Superintendent Sam Durrance. “We sit down around the table and review every single work order, if needed. We understand their challenges of serving a 750,000-person county, while they understand our need to get action for our 36,000 folks. In the end, there’s a lot of give and take and it’s led to a solid partnership.”

The IGA on road repair is one of several service agreements between the City and County.

• 911 Communication Services
• Ad Valorem Tax Billing and Collection
• Election Services
• Fire Rescue Services
• HOST and EHOST
• Maintenance Repair Improvement of Roads and Bridges
• Maintenance Repair Improvement of Stormwater Systems and Facilities
• Police Services
• Sidewalk and Streetscape Improvements
• Solid Waste Management Services
• SPLOST 2017