DeKalb CEO outlines conservative FY2025 budget; DA seeks $617,474 for forensics and cold‑case work

DeKalb County Chief Executive Officer Cochran Johnson presented a conservative FY2025 proposed budget to the county’s Finance, Audit and Budget (FAB) Committee on Jan. 28, emphasizing measured revenue assumptions, targeted investments in public safety and a series of operational studies.

"It is a starting point," Cochran Johnson said of the budget, urging the committee to be mindful of spending while the county waits for greater federal and digest‑revenue clarity. The CEO said the proposal assumes a 3% increase in the property tax digest, no increase in sales tax revenue, and leaves the government with under one month of general‑fund reserves as of the end of FY2024.

Why it matters: the presentation framed FY2025 as a restrained baseline that preserves current services while funding specific priorities the CEO described as necessary for public safety and long‑term fiscal planning. The administration also asked departments to prepare for midyear amendments if revenues improve.

Key budget proposals and context

- Public safety and technology: Cochran Johnson proposed $2,000,000 for a real‑time crime technology center and said the police budget funds a staggered hiring plan to fill 327 vacant positions. The CEO said the center would add investigative tools used in neighboring cities as the county seeks ways to reduce crime.

- Grant writers: the CEO proposed two grant‑writer positions in the Office of the CEO to pursue state, federal and private funding; she said current grant staff are scattered across departments and a centralized team would pursue new opportunities.

- Hospital and sanitation: the proposed budget increases the county’s hospital fund payment to Grady by $6,000,000 and raises sanitation spending by $13,000,000 to reinstate vehicle replacement charges suspended in FY2024.

- Capital and facilities: the administration reduced capital outlays from operating budgets and directed staff to develop a countywide five‑year capital improvement plan that will include SPLOST and other funding sources. The budget also includes funding for a facilities master plan to assess building conditions and usage.

- Cost allocation and fines/fees: Cochran Johnson said the budget includes a new cost allocation study to review intergovernmental agreements and recommended a fine‑and‑fee analysis; she said staff will compare DeKalb’s rates with surrounding municipalities and consult the legal team and judges before formal recommendations.

Public outreach and water‑rate town halls

The CEO announced three town halls to explain a proposed water‑rate increase and said the administration has expanded its communications lists, noting a merged contact list of about 200,000 names. Locations named in the presentation included Dunwoody City Hall, the Cofer‑Reed Library in Tucker and the Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center; the CEO said the sessions will be hybrid (in‑person and broadcast).

Operational assessments

The CEO said the administration will perform operational assessments focused more deeply on several high‑priority departments — budget and finance (including procurement), code compliance/enforcement, operations, planning and sustainability, and public safety — while conducting lighter reviews across other departments to identify efficiency and staffing gaps.

District attorney request: $617,474 for immediate needs

District Attorney Sherry Boston asked the committee to consider immediate funding of $617,474 to avoid interrupting ongoing work funded by grants and to sustain operations in the DA’s office pending the committee’s budgeting process. Boston described four near‑term items:

- Digital forensics software subscriptions: a request of $130,771 to maintain licenses used in the office’s digital forensics unit to access and analyze cellular and other digital evidence.

- Evidence digitization project: $164,000 to scan and tag documents so long‑term court requests, appeals and records searches can be handled digitally rather than by expanding physical storage.

- Human‑trafficking staff: $200,511 to fund an attorney and a victim advocate tied to ongoing human‑trafficking work and grant activity.

- Cold‑case investigator: $122,192 to fund an investigator to support a federal grant‑funded cold‑case initiative the DA said is actively producing indictments and arrests.

"My total ask is gonna be right now $617,474," District Attorney Sherry Boston told the committee, asking that the items be added to the current budget so the DA’s office will not pause active investigations while the county’s multi‑step budget process continues.

Committee discussion and follow up

Committee members asked for clarifications about the operational assessments, communications capacity and the CEO’s revenue assumptions. Commissioners emphasized code enforcement and court capacity as tools to reduce blight and speed enforcement; Cochran Johnson said she is considering moving or reorganizing code enforcement duties and exploring police‑led or split‑shift approaches to address violations that occur outside normal business hours.

The CFO/finance staff said the digest assumptions were developed conservatively in consultation with the tax commissioner and that the administration will model alternative digest‑growth scenarios for the committee to show the fiscal impact of stronger or weaker revenue outcomes. The presentation reiterated that the administration expects to revisit the budget at midyear if revenues permit.

Votes at a glance (committee actions taken Jan. 28)

- Approval of Dec. 10, 2024, meeting minutes: motion made, seconded and approved by voice vote; chair recorded as voting "aye." (motion carried)

- Contract change order and renewal approvals (all approved by voice vote; motions carried): - Change order no. 4 to contract 1236388 for lockbox services (Remitco LLC), increase and extend through Dec. 31, 2025; amount not to exceed $134,000; approved. - Change order no. 6 to contract 988895 for print and mail/electronic billing services (Lehi 1 LLC, a Doxim company), increase and extend through Dec. 31, 2025; amount not to exceed $1,328,219.68; approved. Finance staff said they plan to rebid the contract during the year. - Renewal of contract 1365832 (law enforcement accessories) with Dana Safety Supply (first renewal option through Jan. 31, 2026); amount not to exceed $356,168.54; approved.

What the committee will do next

Committee leaders said the FAB calendar will include department and constitutional officer budget hearings, additional public town halls on the water rate, and a target recommendation meeting in late February ahead of the March 1 deadline prescribed by the county’s organizational calendar. The administration will provide scenario modeling showing revenue outcomes at different tax‑digest growth rates and will circulate documentation on prior year midyear amendments and any encumbered items the committee previously approved.

Numbers and sources

Figures and program names above reflect values and terms cited in the Jan. 28 presentation and subsequent committee discussion. Where the transcript contained unclear punctuation or formatting for some figures (for example, general‑fund and other fund balances referenced during the presentation), the article reports amounts and program names as the CEO and the DA stated them during the meeting.

Ending note

Committee members asked the administration and departmental leads to return with more detailed cost and implementation plans for the CEO’s proposed items, and the District Attorney said she would provide a written breakdown of her $617,474 request for formal consideration at the next FAB meeting.