Commissioner Marita Davis Johnson, chair of the County Operations Committee, opened a status update on a planned, line-by-line review of DeKalb County’s standing procedural rules, commonly referred to as the “Blue Book.” She told the committee staff had prepared a consolidated spreadsheet of commissioner comments and that the law department is reviewing the suggested changes.

The spreadsheet, presented by a staff member identified in the meeting as John, lays out each rule’s original language alongside columns with each district’s comments and proposed changes. "This spreadsheet is something that central staff developed to help go through the standing procedural rules," John said as he introduced the document. The committee agreed the item will return for a substantive discussion at the next County Operations Committee meeting, with John scheduled to present a plan for how the commission will work through the document.

Why it matters: Standing procedural rules determine how commissioners call meetings, form working groups, and conduct votes. Commissioners said changes could affect how they meet informally and how special-call meetings are defined. Commissioner comments ranged from urging a narrow, rapid fix to the working-group language to supporting a comprehensive, exhaustive review to avoid repeated fixes.

Committee members pressed staff for clarity on how the spreadsheet is organized and on next steps. John explained the color-coding: proposed changes were highlighted in yellow and requests for brand-new language in orange, and said he would circulate a legend and resend the spreadsheet to all commissioners. He also said staff has spoken individually with each district and has sent the consolidated document to the law department for review.

The discussion included differing views on pace and scope. One commissioner said a two-word edit could resolve a working-group question immediately; others, including a commissioner who had submitted a memo, argued additional language would likely be needed to define how working groups form and how members are assigned. John said the law department will be involved to reconcile conflicting recommendations and that the committee will continue reviewing sections at subsequent operations meetings until the commission is ready for a vote.

Formal actions taken during this segment were routine: the committee approved the minutes of the previous meeting by voice vote and agreed to hold the item in committee for continued review. Johnson said the committee will return the item to the board’s agenda as needed and continue discussion at every operations meeting until a final vote on Blue Book changes is ready.

The committee did not adopt any specific rule changes at this meeting; instead, it set the process steps—staff consolidation, legal review, and sequential committee discussion—that will lead to later policy votes.