Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Legislative Agenda topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
DeKalb staff present draft 2026 state legislative agenda; rental registry and Next Gen 9‑1‑1 top priorities
Summary
County staff consolidated 64 commissioner suggestions into a draft legislative platform and identified rental registry and Next Gen 9-1-1 funding among top priorities; law and lobbying teams will review items for viability and return recommendations to the ops committee.
County legislative staff presented a revised draft of DeKalb County’s 2026 state legislative agenda, saying they consolidated 64 policy suggestions drawn from commissioners' presentations into prioritized lists. Staff reported the top priorities reflected in commissioners’ top-3 submissions were a rental registry and funding for Next Gen 9‑1‑1.
The presenter said the full list will go to the county’s law department and to the lobbying team (named in the transcript as Mr. Baskerville and Ms. Mitchell) to determine which items require state action, which can be advanced locally, and what legislative vehicles or delegation sponsors might be available. Staff set a goal to have legal review results back by the committee’s next meeting on Aug. 28.
Commissioners debated details. One commissioner urged clarification of whether a registry is necessary or whether a maintained landlord database would meet the county’s needs for code compliance and contact information. Chair Marita Davis Johnson questioned whether a registry would have "teeth" without a registered agent for service of process, saying, "if we do not have personal service on that, the court does not have jurisdiction to act." Legal staff said they would review state law on registered agents and whether local code changes or a registry requirement would be enforceable.
Other commissioners urged attention to items they characterized as "easy wins," such as legislation addressing tire disposal, and expressed caution about constraints on how MARTA revenue is used for operations versus capital. Staff said they will refine item descriptions, confirm intent with commission districts and return a legal and lobbying review before the committee votes on a final legislative agenda.
