Board approves Urban League contract to run DeKalb’s Office of Water and Sewer Customer Advocacy; commissioners press for dashboard, hardship flexibility

The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners approved a contract with the Urban League of Greater Atlanta to establish and operate the county’s Office of Water and Sewer Customer Advocacy, a county-funded program intended to shepherd customers through billing disputes, low-income discounts and a planned amnesty program.

Commissioners approved the award at the July 22 meeting after a presentation and a series of questions about staffing, data tracking and hardship rules. Commissioner Mereda Davis-Todd Terry, who led the discussion in favor of the award, said the Urban League’s community-focus and case-management experience made it an appropriate choice.

“We would want to have a little bit of leeway to work with a customer,” Terry said during the discussion, urging that the program not apply overly strict rules that would exclude people who miss a single payment due to a hardship.

Commissioners pressed the Urban League on operational details during the meeting. The contract covers an initial setup and a phased launch that commissioners and the Urban League expect to begin in the fall; the organization proposed an initial staffing and consultant plan for the first months. The contract-funded startup tasks described in the meeting include research and process mapping, a customer-relationship management (CRM) build for intake and reporting, and a phased hiring plan for frontline advocates, intake coordinators and a project director. Commissioners requested:

- A public, aggregate data dashboard (geography, income bands, caseload and outcomes) tied to the new office’s intake; - A timeline for measurable performance goals and reporting (commissioners asked for a clear timeline and metrics once implementation begins); - Flexibility in hardship handling for the amnesty or repayment plan so customers who make consistent payments are not kicked out for a single missed month.

Nancy Blake Johnson of the Urban League (presenting the firm’s plan) said the organization will maintain an applicant database, provide case management and refer customers to other services where appropriate. Urban League staff also outlined estimated startup consultant fees and a four-month hiring timetable to prepare for a soft launch; the group said they would submit a detailed dashboard and performance-metrics plan to the county before full operations begin.

Why this matters: DeKalb officials estimate hundreds to thousands of accounts could benefit from an advocacy program and a means-tested amnesty or discount plan; commissioners framed the contract as a bridge between billing administration and customers that the county itself has not historically provided at scale.

What happens next: The Urban League will finalize the intake and data systems and begin phased hiring. Commissioners asked that the Urban League provide a dashboard of aggregated metrics and regular briefings. Implementation details for any amnesty program will be finalized in forthcoming committee and staff meetings.