DeKalb FAB committee adopts timeline to act on 266 operational findings; vendor to support monitoring

The DeKalb County Finance Audit and Budget Committee on Monday laid out a phased schedule to move recommendations from the Malden and Jenkins operational assessment toward implementation, and agreed the county will engage the Momentum Firm to help synthesize findings and monitor progress.

Commissioner Ted Terry, chair of the committee, said the report — which he described as roughly 300 pages — should be handled by committees of jurisdiction and that the committee’s goal is to complete the initial phases "before Thanksgiving, so mid to late November." He told fellow commissioners the FAB committee has jurisdiction over the finance department, the Office of Management and Budget and purchasing, and that the committee will work with departments to convert assessment findings into action plans.

"The goal really here is just to have this done before Thanksgiving, so mid to late November," Terry said, summarizing the schedule he proposed.

CEO Williams, representing county administration, welcomed the committee’s hands‑on approach and described the assessment as a "living document." Williams noted some departments already have outside assistance (the Purchasing division has engaged the National Institute of Government Procurement) and said Momentum Firm will be used for change‑management work and for setting up monitoring and performance measures across departments.

"This is something that we're hoping to see from each of the committees of jurisdiction," Williams said, adding that the work should lead to standardized operating procedures and "outcome based budgeting" across county departments.

Commissioner Shakira Johnson asked when departments would receive the timeline and be made aware of expectations; Williams replied departments are being informed now and that administration will present its response at the next FAB meeting so the committee can map what progress looks like.

Commissioner Michelle Long Spears asked whether monitoring would be handled by the committee, the Office of Independent Audit or another entity and whether a dashboard would be created. Terry and Williams said Momentum Firm is expected to provide quarterly check‑ins in 2026 and that dashboards and reporting tools will be included in contract discussions.

"So those are the types of things that we're talking about now... we're gonna be working with Momentum Firm on" dashboards and monitoring, Williams said.

Commissioner Robert Patrick urged that the same schedule be replicated for Public Works, saying he would "carbon copy it for public works if there's no offense in plagiarism." Commissioner Messiah and others emphasized the importance of departmental cooperation; Williams said, in many instances, departments are "not surprised" by the findings and that the vendor will handle much of the work so departments are not required to add new tactical workload on top of day‑to‑day operations.

Terry instructed staff to share the timeline and supporting documents with central staff and committee chairs. Jessica was asked to send the materials to Zach and Nicole Sims and to report back within roughly a week on alignment with each committee’s schedule.

Procedural business during the meeting included approval of minutes from earlier FAB meetings and a motion to adjourn, both motions that the chair said carried.

Next steps: administration will present its departmental responses at the next FAB meeting (or a special called session if needed), the committee expects Momentum Firm to provide quarterly monitoring in 2026, and the committee will track progress on the assessment’s 266 findings over time.