DeKalb CEO unveils 408-page operational assessment; commissioners defer formal adoption for 30 days

DeKalb County Chief Executive Officer Cochrane Johnson and consultants Malden and Jenkins presented an operational and performance assessment of 18 front-facing county departments on Aug. 5, 2025, laying out 266 recommendations and proposing a multi-quarter implementation plan. The committee voted to defer formal adoption for 30 days to give commissioners time to review the full report.

The assessment, described by consultant David Roberts as a 408-page study produced after 171 interviews, 38 workshops, 13 job-shadowing sessions and 22 facility tours, identified roughly 69 "quick wins," 21.9% opportunities, 7.7% risks and 66.6% of items indicating inconsistencies that require immediate attention. Roberts said the team reviewed more than 1,700 documents and applied a proprietary maturity model; the 18 assessed departments averaged a 2.8 on a five-point scale, with the medical examiner, fire rescue and police scoring highest and purchasing/contracting scoring lowest.

"We came to present Malden and Jenkins," CEO Cochrane Johnson told the committee, adding the study was one of her administration’s major initiatives and that some implementations are already under way. She said the assessment surfaced both immediate, low-cost improvements and longer-term needs — including technology investments — and that the county has begun steps such as updating procurement policy and creating department dashboards.

Roberts recommended centralizing certain services, implementing enterprise-wide KPIs, clarifying CV360 (the county's enterprise software) service levels, and establishing a branded transformation program with a workplan and monitoring. "The main takeaway: 266 items, 69 quick wins, and a clear need for a change manager to own implementation," he said.

Committee members pressed on sequencing, sampling and the assessment’s methodology. Commissioner Ladina Bolton asked which departments were job-shadowed and how the 330-plus employee sample was selected; Roberts said job-shadow details and sampling methodology are included in the report and that larger departments had proportionally more touchpoints. Commissioners also discussed whether additional departments — notably watershed — should receive deeper operational reviews; CEO Johnson said prior audit work exists but welcomed further study if warranted.

Commissioners and staff emphasized the need for a single accountable lead to drive implementation. CEO Johnson said the county will initially assign an individual project lead to own the work, leverage the county’s new project manager, and report quarterly to committees on progress.

Action: Commissioner Ladina Bolton moved to defer item 20251130 for 30 days so members can review the full assessment; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The chair announced the item is deferred for 30 days.

Next steps: Staff and the consultant team will provide committee members access to the full report and follow up with committee-level briefings and implementation planning; the administration signaled it will bring a recommended change agent and an implementation roadmap back to the committee after the deferral period.