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DeKalb committee advances one‑year childcare reimbursement pilot for board staff to full board
Summary
The Operations Committee advanced a one‑year childcare reimbursement pilot limited to full‑time central staff supporting the Board, at an estimated cost of about $120,000; the pilot caps reimbursements at $500 per dependent per month and two dependents per employee and will be reviewed after one year.
The DeKalb County Operations Committee on a special call advanced a one‑year childcare reimbursement pilot for central staff who support the Board of Commissioners to the full Board on a motion without recommendation.
John Manson, Senior Policy Analyst, said staff rewrote the draft to apply only to the Board of Commissioners and presented the updated policy and pilot design. "What we have before you is an updated policy for your consideration," Manson said, and confirmed the pilot would run for one year and cover eligible employees during that period, including the application and onboarding timeframe.
The policy as described would cover full‑time employees only, with an estimated cost for the Board of Commissioners' staff of about $119,000 (staff rounded this to $120,000). Reimbursements would be capped at $500 per dependent per month and a maximum of two dependents per employee; staff noted the program could include retroactive coverage where appropriate. Committee members also referenced a maximum dependent age reflected in the draft (discussants indicated an age cap of 12).
Commissioner Ted Terry cautioned that $500 per month per dependent "wouldn't be a full reimbursement," noting full coverage might cost roughly $1,000 per month. Terry framed the proposal as a pragmatic, data‑driven pilot that could reduce staff absenteeism and increase productivity: "If our employees are struggling to cover childcare or dependent care ... we shouldn't expect our employees who are part of our family to choose the DeKalb family over their own family," he said.
Other commissioners raised concerns about perception and equity if the pilot is limited to staff in the Board department while other departments are not included; one commissioner said offering the benefit only to staff who cover evening work would also raise equity questions. Staff responded that the draft was intentionally limited to the Board department per the committee's prior direction; staff also said the pilot would collect attendance and other data to evaluate broader rollout options.
Unidentified Speaker 5 moved to approve item 20250376; the motion to advance the pilot to the full Board without a committee recommendation was made and seconded, and the committee approved it by voice vote.
The item will go to the full Board for final consideration; the committee's action was to advance the pilot rather than adopt a final policy.
Ending: The pilot's cost, eligibility rules and data collection plan will be reviewed by staff and returned with results and recommendations following the one‑year test period.
