Commissioners approve $122,000 study to explore DeKalb community land trust; some housing items deferred

The DeKalb County PECS committee voted to recommend county funding for a feasibility study to evaluate creating a community land trust. The committee approved a substitute resolution that reduced the study allocation to $122,000.

Commissioner Terry moved to approve the funding item for a community land trust feasibility study; the motion received a second and passed in committee. Commissioners instructed the administration — including the newly appointed chief housing officer, Alan Ferguson — to review and refine the study scope and to return any recommended language changes before final board action.

The vote followed an extended work-group discussion in which staff and members of the DeKalb Housing Roundtable urged an intentional design for any trust: clarity about trustee structure, beneficiary rules, long-term funding, and whether the land trust should be a county-controlled entity or a standalone nonprofit. Ferguson said a feasibility study should investigate these choices, the potential role of municipalities inside the county, and options for ongoing capitalization and governance.

Separately, the committee voted to defer three related housing items (agenda numbers 2024-0935, 2024-1548 and 2025-01064) for two weeks to allow staff and legal to refine language and incorporate administration feedback ahead of the board business meeting. Committee members expressed broad interest in the trust study but asked that the administration review the draft resolution’s scope and address legal and operational questions before the measure moves to final adoption.

Commissioners asked the land bank and administration to provide additional supporting materials — including a district-by-district spreadsheet of county parcels proposed for transfer — before the next business meeting.