Judge Jacobs and other court representatives presented a resolution to the Finance, Audit and Budget Committee proposing parity measures for DeKalb County judges. The proposal focuses on three items: longevity pay, reimbursement of judges’ employee pension contributions, and a $5,400 accountability court supplement for certain judges.

Judge Jacobs said longevity pay was included in an earlier Superior Court resolution and that the draft resolution aims to extend similar benefits to state court, magistrate, juvenile and probate judges. On pension reimbursement, Jacobs described a plan to provide comparable treatment across judges regardless of which retirement system they participate in (for example, the Georgia Judicial Retirement System for some judges). He said county staff ran granular cost estimates and presented an annualized cost of approximately $536,000.

Jacobs also described efforts to create additional accountability court programs — including post‑conviction mental‑health and domestic‑violence accountability courts — that would provide judicial supervision tied to treatment and services. He characterized these as programs that would take months to design and implement and said stakeholders including the solicitor general and public defender would be part of planning.

Several commissioners asked for prorated cost estimates if the benefit were effective Nov. 1 and for more detailed cost/benefit information tied to criminal justice diversion and jail cost savings. County Attorney Linkus said the law department would obtain outside counsel to review legal parameters; the committee voted to defer the resolution to the Nov. 18 Board of Commissioners meeting with a prior stop at FAB on Nov. 10 so legal review and additional stakeholder input can be completed.