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DeKalb County commissioners direct staff to change travel language to one person per hotel room
Summary
Commissioners voted to have county staff update travel-policy language to state one person per hotel room as the default when employees travel on county business; staff will draft amendments for approval and place the change in the travel policy/handbook.
DeKalb County commissioners on Aug. 18 directed county staff to revise the county travel guidance so a single hotel room is the default for employees traveling on county business.
The move came after department heads, the county HR network and county staff raised privacy and harassment concerns about a 2019 county memo that had recommended sharing rooms and carpooling when possible. Dottie, a county staff member who described the memo during the meeting, said, “I had read a memo from a previous group of county commissioners from DeKalb County. It was from 2019 and the recommendation, was that when traveling on county work training to please share rooms when possible and also to carpool as much as possible.”
Commissioners discussed balancing budget constraints with employee privacy. Commissioner Caroline said, “I mean, I think everybody should have their option to have their own room, and the budget should reflect that.” Several commissioners agreed the handbook and travel policy language should be explicit; one commissioner asked county counsel and HR to draft clear language stating one person per room as the default while allowing employees to voluntarily share if they choose.
A motion to have Andrew and Dottie draft revised handbook/travel-policy wording was moved, seconded and carried. The board voted in favor; the chair instructed Andrew and Dottie to prepare language and return it for approval. No numerical change to travel budgets was adopted in the meeting; commissioners said departments should plan budgets to cover single-room stays when sending employees to conferences.
Why it matters: The change creates a formal, countywide expectation that addresses harassment and privacy concerns raised since the original 2019 recommendation and makes the county policy consistent across departments. The commissioners instructed staff to place the final language into the travel policy and the employee handbook and return the proposed text for official approval.
Next steps: County counsel and HR staff will draft specific handbook language and the travel-policy amendment, then place the proposed text on a future commissioners agenda for formal adoption.
