Board hears committee reports; executive agenda items and walk-ons set for March 25 meeting, executive session planned

Commissioners delivered brief committee reports and then reviewed the proposed March 25 executive agenda during the DeKalb County Committee of the Whole on March 18. Committee chairs summarized recent committee actions and staff walked the board through agenda items and committee stops for the coming week.

Public Works & Infrastructure (PWI) Chair Commissioner Robert Patrick reported the PWI committee met March 6 and approved several items including adoption of the Watershed Management Capital Improvement Plan for 2025, a sanitary sewer chemical root control item, engine and generator maintenance contracts for the water department, landscape design and maintenance contracts, contracts for ferric chloride and other water-treatment chemicals, and a granite rubble contract for stormwater repairs. Patrick invited the public to the afternoon PWI committee meeting.

County Operations (Ops) Chair Commissioner Bridal Davis Johnson said the Ops committee met on March (date not fully stated), approved minutes and recommended six items for the full Board of Commissioners. Ops will meet again the same afternoon.

Planning, Economic Development and Community Services (PECS) Chair Commissioner Nicole Messiah said the committee met March 11 and discussed economic development, redevelopment, and received input from county staff and a VP of redevelopment. PECS will meet on March 25.

Finance, Audit and Budget (FAB) Chair Commissioner Terry reported the committee deferred discussion of item 0240 (appointment of the oversight committee for the office of independent internal audits) after conducting interviews with two candidates. FAB discussed continuing quarterly financial updates, a uniform budget template for constitutional offices, and ongoing operational audits of several departments including a recently passed resolution for an operational audit of the watershed department.

Internal Rules, Personnel and Services (IRPS) Chair Commissioner Ladina Bolton said IRPS discussed employee benefits, a pension-board vacancy and recruiting criteria, use of armed and unarmed security at county facilities, and an amendment to code section 16-43 to clarify enforcement around loitering and protection of businesses; commissioners asked that signage and scope be clarified to avoid unintended impacts on students, industrial areas and fundraisers.

During the agenda review, staff presented two public-hearing items for March 25: a public right-of-way abandonment for a portion of unimproved Elam Road and a traffic-calming petition on Pleasant Forest Drive (county cost $19,710). Airport items (three T-hangar lease agreements) were proposed for consent. Police items accepting state and federal forfeiture property (up to $600,000 each) were slated to stop in IRPS. Purchasing and contracting items for fire-rescue equipment maintenance and assessments for pre/post employment psychological testing were scheduled for committee stops (IRPS, OPS as indicated). Multiple PWI items were routed to audit review because of large contract amounts.

The board also considered walk-on items. Commissioner Ladina Bolton moved to add a District 7 contribution of $2,926 to the "March Into A Cleaner Tomorrow" countywide beautification challenge to the consent agenda. Commissioner Terry asked to place a resolution adopting a DeKalb County 100% clean energy and transportation transition plan on the Ops committee agenda. Commissioner Terry also requested a District 5 allocation of $25,000 to the DeKalb Lawyers Association be placed on the consent agenda. Administration requested a placeholder to accept a $1.5 million private donation for park improvements; staff said details would follow and the donation would be routed to PECS once paperwork is complete.

At the end of the public agenda review commissioners voted to enter a special call meeting and then convened an executive session for real-estate purposes. Motions recorded in the transcript show the board moved into special call and into executive session and later moved out of executive session; the transcript does not list a roll-call vote tally in the public portion.

Staff closed the agenda review with a recap of committee stops and appointments; several reappointments to advisory boards and commissions were noted for recordation or separate action. The board also set minutes for formal approval on the March 25 agenda.

No formal policy decisions other than the scheduling and routing of agenda items were adopted at the March 18 Committee of the Whole; items will return on March 25 or to their respective committees for further consideration.