[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6536719,"mediaKeyId","3660564-02f5a5f3b525491f89ff0a4651f324e8","parentId",3660564,"title","Votes at a glance: Fulton County Board of Commissioners (June 4, 2025) — consent agenda, contracts, MOU, and BRE reappointment","audioSeconds",2654,"startMs",7222000,"endMs",9876000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3660564-02f5a5f3b525491f89ff0a4651f324e8&start=7222&end=9876","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3660564-02f5a5f3b525491f89ff0a4651f324e8/thumbnail_7222000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6536719/Fulton-County/Georgia/Votes-at-a-glance-Fulton-County-Board-of-Commissioners-June-4-2025-consent-agenda-contracts-MOU-and-BRE-reappointment","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6536719-77201382fd138b2a69d3182c70fa4e94/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155131&Signature=QtBepXufK~FYQdP5dMQ-MhpoJMpbJ1dhAOfaCuqW0yeHpffsKLzvZmT-lEuX9YxWdcNOsiq8QlIzzyEwCMduqoHOcCGNh6t1~gd4ANru5-OFCkTT7UcTjiJ50~7kIyzNKpBh3ytd0B9XUJLELPr9xcNCbRJS9tW1SDHfv3v1TChWOA-yrDcnZjePQne4ktOsptDQGZ55lfytNcyb9s8jUn4zPVEXb36QMrruTMICLsKLYr~t~XY2O7KaiVBgSe1K-~7Lmc-0GhCXQPVnyyTk~wiXQ0mbuly-MjNCzRhVyaRxqtHNeB1nuhUV8Y67ogT4YVHJ6zrtEH3U01FZnDtKrg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Fulton County Georgia ","date","2025-06-04T19:55:58Z","article","Fulton County commissioners on Wednesday voted on routine and substantive items including contracts, a public‑defender MOU and a contested reappointment to the county’s elections board. Key outcomes and recorded votes follow.

Items and outcomes

- Consent agenda (adoption)
Motion: Adoption of consent agenda (routine items as listed).
Mover/Seconder: Commissioner Khadijah Abdul Rahman / Commissioner Bridgette Thorne.
Outcome: Passed — 6 yays, 0 nays.

- Removal/cancellation and rebid of Public Works solicitation for North Fulton wastewater operation and maintenance (agenda item removed)
Summary: Commissioners removed agenda item 25 0 4 3 0 after a timely protest and decided to cancel the solicitation and rebid with revised specifications. Public Works and Purchasing explained the cancellation stemmed from protests and the need to clarify environmental compliance and scope language.
Motion: Adopt amended agenda reflecting removal.
Mover/Seconder: Commissioner Khadijah Abdul Rahman / Commissioner Dana Barrett.
Outcome: Passed — 5 yays, 1 abstention.

- Ratification of meeting minutes (May 7 first regular and May 21 post-agenda)
Motion: Ratify minutes.
Mover/Seconder: Commissioner Khadijah Abdul Rahman / Commissioner Ivory.
Outcome: Passed — 6 yays, 0 nays.

- Community Development: statewide contract for temporary staffing services ($148,677.48)
Motion: Approve the statewide contract not to exceed $148,677.48.
Mover/Seconder: Commissioner Bridgette Thorne / Commissioner Abdul Rahman.
Outcome: Passed — unanimous (recorded as unanimous in transcript).

- Justice & Safety: Public Defender MOU with United Way of Greater Atlanta ($70,000)
Motion: Approve MOU to support chronically homeless individuals released from the Fulton County Jail.
Mover/Seconder: Commissioner Dana Barrett / Commissioner Bridgette Thorne.
Outcome: Passed — unanimous.

- Board of Registration and Elections: nomination and reappointment of Sherry Allen as chair (term to 06/30/2027)
Motion: Reappoint Sherry Allen as chairperson of the Fulton County Board of Registrations and Elections.
Mover/Seconder: Commissioner Dana Barrett / Commissioner Ivory.
Outcome: Passed — 5 yeas, 2 nays (vote recorded in open session as 5–2).
Notes: The nomination prompted an extended public comment period and debate on transparency and litigation tied to the BRE; Commissioner Thorne and one other commissioner voted against the reappointment.

- Executive session actions (real estate, personnel, litigation)
Motions: Approval of requests for representation (items 1–3) and settlement authority (item 4) from executive session.
Mover/Seconder: Commissioner Dana Barrett (mover) / Commissioner Marvin Arrington (seconder) (representation items) and Barrett/Ivory (settlement item).
Outcomes: All motions passed — 6 yays, 0 nays.

What commissioners said
Commissioners debated the BRE nomination at length; supporters praised Chair Sherry Allen’s management of recent elections and monitoring reports, while critics cited concerns about transparency, litigation and document access. The board’s vote to reappoint the BRE chair concluded the day’s formal actions.

Next steps
Approved contracts and MOUs will be executed per county purchasing rules. The public‑works procurement will be reissued with corrected specifications; Purchasing reported the protest was timely and the solicitation will be canceled and rebid.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Fulton County Board of Commissioners Meeting - June 4, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Fulton County commissioners on Wednesday voted on routine and substantive items including contracts, a public‑defender MOU and a contested reappointment to the county’s elections board.","taxTitle","Fulton County, Georgia","taxId",2952,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6536724,"Fulton clerk reports $150,010 in first-quarter passport fees and declines further disclosure",1291,12636000,13927000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3660564-02f5a5f3b525491f89ff0a4651f324e8&start=12636&end=13927","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3660564-02f5a5f3b525491f89ff0a4651f324e8/thumbnail_12636000.jpg","/articles/6536724/Fulton-County/Georgia/Fulton-clerk-reports-150010-in-first-quarter-passport-fees-and-declines-further-disclosure","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6536724-3c66cf2d297125408a3da15d51531f44/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155131&Signature=RIq8sI~ahfQYcWnU~BeIkH68qkxxQDSKXhqZmYpTbUqWXWEmnsLFjmMXz4T3ompQOdfxMjOBIqJ-rle3RKRYmIqnlMr32uP~r38f351INUzQjhrhTL5AGZC5UwooAi5e9TXzp0FQ01sl4UCEsRRVj07x1gQw1uwi2ZrR~Z8ZUha3tud1usJb6HjMA-XSDv2rWlOw84D3nhnA5H4SiC4ngzKKpq4vS56kUOC-a1zCgj3718F-amMYfBeQgUpVnGLGk9MTp5sUrRY1J9dhsglhBATcHJfG6UVxo0gnMjZI8LuLwhhHltj4EMVrgR6erx7hFfq9iglGhpuBXD~vkivDnA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Fulton County clerk of superior court reported $150,010 in passport application fees for the first quarter of 2025 but declined to provide additional details beyond what Georgia law requires, telling commissioners she will ‘‘strictly comply with the law’s quarterly reporting requirements’’ and will not answer further questions about disposition of that income.

Vice Chair Bob Ellis placed the item on the board agenda after public commenters and commissioners raised questions about how passport-processing revenue is handled. Under the recent state law (Senate Bill 19), clerks of superior court must disclose quarterly the total amount of passport application or processing fees received; the statute does not require further accounting of how that personal income is spent.

Clerk Shae Alexander’s disclosure letter to commissioners says in part: \"SB 19 is not retroactive. Moreover, the law neither requires nor authorizes the governing authority to demand, inquire, or investigate the disposition, allocation, or use of funds received by the Clerk as personal income. Accordingly, I respectfully decline to answer any questions or provide any information beyond the bounds of what is statutorily required.\" (She attached a copy of the statute to her response.)

What the board heard and the numbers
- The clerk’s office records indicate 4,286 passport applications processed in the first quarter, producing a total passport‑fee amount of $697,517.74 in gross fees handled by the office; the clerk reports $150,010 of passport‑related personal compensation in the quarter. Commissioners also were shown other clerk revenue lines that are not passport-related (the county-general-fund line shown in the clerk’s report was not related to passports, staff said).
- For context, the clerk’s annual base salary is $188,583; the passport disclosure figure is the total the clerk reported under SB 19 as fees received and retained as personal income during the quarter.

County limits and oversight
Commissioners expressed frustration that the clerk would not provide additional detail. Several noted that passport processing is performed by county-paid staff and asked for transparency since public fees are involved. County staff and the county attorney observed that the clerk is a constitutional officer and that state law prescribes the scope of required reporting; as such the board’s statutory authority to compel more information is limited.

Commissioners asked staff to follow up and report back if any further notice or enforcement action comes from the state or federal level, but no formal request for legal action was approved.

Context and next steps
The disclosure was provided to satisfy Georgia’s SB 19 reporting requirement, effective Jan. 1, 2025. Commissioners said they will ask county staff to gather additional comparative information from peer counties and to advise the board on potential next steps or statutory options, should the board decide it wants deeper accounting in the future.

","The Fulton County clerk of superior court reported $150,010 in passport application fees for the first quarter of 2025 but declined to provide additional details beyond what Georgia law requires.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6536729,"Justice Policy Board: Fulton County diversion center underused; board seeks staffing, warrant clinic and outreach",1222,3415000,4637000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3660564-02f5a5f3b525491f89ff0a4651f324e8&start=3415&end=4637","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3660564-02f5a5f3b525491f89ff0a4651f324e8/thumbnail_3415000.jpg","/articles/6536729/Fulton-County/Georgia/Justice-Policy-Board-Fulton-County-diversion-center-underused-board-seeks-staffing-warrant-clinic-and-outreach","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6536729-684520330bc8e831cba05612f46aea88/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155131&Signature=onkHfgFkQ3NhLMHf50LahI6iRi0nEHqCXAWTJJxZ4D~GiA8OBe8kjoMYOCf6bovI9X-RBFqJfEkc53T3Fr-ytj-vlWqUipZhsS~KMB75VfTfBcdT4INMm90H6bkS5Abq1vj7Cxnvfu1T0PReWCufnYnQ~Dh~WhnDNoGNLtLwiYbbOMTwHQnwRaKG32fJhM1MCTl6kPHrjzdxw6qgEAoB0Wpd19hQ1sBKQqxBg1Qd~joG-O6evZst4kB5xUpm42FE9lKifClzVpBD8kCul6z452GsMjz9swFz-Q~pfihwFUmV6RqXdNAPX4Cl~6XLGY6R3kVBdJB26trm-EBqQ7jMDg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Fulton County officials said Wednesday the county’s diversion center is functioning but far below its intended use and outlined steps to increase referrals from law enforcement.

Judge Robert McBurney, co-chair of the county’s Justice Policy Board, told the Fulton County Board of Commissioners the center has handled about 400 diversions through May and turns people around quickly: an average drop-off ‘‘turnaround time’’ of about 83 seconds. But overall daily traffic is ‘‘about 3 a day’’ instead of the modeled capacity of up to 40 per day.

The center was created to give officers an option to bring people in crisis to a staffed facility for assessment and services rather than book them into jail. McBurney said the facility is consent-based, open 24/7 and modeled on similar centers in Tucson and Houston. ‘‘We change 3 lives a day. That's great. That's 3 more than before, but we built something that can do more and we ought to empower it to do,’’ McBurney told commissioners.

Why it matters: diversion aims to reduce short, costly jail stays for people with behavioral health or basic needs problems while connecting them to services. Board members said higher utilization would reduce pressure on the jail and emergency services and that the county has already invested about $2.5 million to open and $2.5 million per year for operations.

What the board heard
- Usage and speed: The Justice Policy Board reported 400 diversions through May and said about 80% of visitors accepted services and connections. Staff said a small number of officers are frequent referrers — 45 officers accounted for the 400 diversions — suggesting uneven field adoption.
- Missed opportunities: A jail-population review pilot examined two months of bookings and found 87 bookings with only divertable charges; 16% of those had warrants and roughly half the remainder were released within five days, indicating potentially avoidable jail stays.
- Reasons for underuse: Presenters and public commenters cited three factors: (1) questions about whether recent state law changes affect eligibility; (2) warrants and interjurisdictional holds that can prevent diversion; and (3) law-enforcement practice and culture. An Atlanta Police Department representative said APD has promoted diversion in roll calls and training and that some officers and units — especially quality-of-life teams — have made consistent use of the center. The APD representative also said victims who insist on prosecution can limit diversion in particular incidents.

Public comment and staff reports reinforced that diversion is not merely about reducing counts but ‘‘about protecting human beings,’’ as Dominique Grant of Women on the Rise Georgia told the board.

Board directions and next steps discussed
- Strategic planning: The Justice Policy Board will convene a strategic planning session on June 12 to review operations and missed diversion opportunities.
- Staff for data review: The board recommended creating a staffed position to run the jail-population-review work on an ongoing basis; currently a shoestring volunteer effort examined missed diversions, and presenters said continuous, data-driven review requires an assigned FTE or contractor.
- Warrant-resolution clinic expansion: The board urged growth of the warrant-resolution clinic to remove technical warrants as an obstacle to diversion in appropriate cases.
- Outreach to other jurisdictions and APD: Board members said more structured engagement with Atlanta Police Department and neighboring municipalities (East Point, College Park, South Fulton) is needed to expand referrals. Presenters noted APD is the primary referring agency so far.

What was not decided
The board discussed funding, hiring for the new staff role, and possible policy clarifications but did not take a formal vote to change eligibility rules or appropriate new funds during the meeting. Commissioners signaled support for staffing in the upcoming budget cycle and asked staff to return with cost estimates and implementation steps.

Context and caveats
The diversion center is consent-based and limited to nonviolent, low-level offenses; it is not a long-term residential treatment facility and limits length of stay to 23 hours. The center’s operator is Grady Healthcare, which provides an on‑site pipeline to mental-health care where needed. County staff and Justice Policy Board members emphasized that increases in referrals will require cultural change in law enforcement and better cross-jurisdictional coordination.

Commissioners asked that staff return with a specific proposal for the full-time jail-population review position and an implementation timeline tied to measurable increase targets for diversion referrals.

","Fulton County’s Justice Policy Board told commissioners the county-run diversion center is operating well but underused — averaging about three people per day against a modeled capacity of 40 — and recommended new staff, a formal warrant-resolution effort and increased outreach to law enforcement and neighboring jurisdictions.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: Fulton County Board of Commissioners (June 4, 2025) — consent agenda, contracts, MOU, and BRE reappointment

Fulton clerk reports $150,010 in first-quarter passport fees and declines further disclosure

Justice Policy Board: Fulton County diversion center underused; board seeks staffing, warrant clinic and outreach