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DeKalb commissioners defer vote on creating Office of Legislative Counsel for further review
Summary
Commissioners heard a proposal to create an Office of Legislative Counsel (first-year setup $65,000; estimated salary ~$180,000) to support drafting and research. Concerns about duplication with the county attorney’s office led the committee to ask for staffing, vacancy and salary comparisons and defer action for legal review and a substitute agreement.
Commissioner Michelle Long Spears presented a walk-on proposal to establish a permanent Office of Legislative Counsel for the Board of Commissioners, arguing the office would provide dedicated legal and policy support for ordinance drafting, statutory analysis and research.
Long Spears said the item requested a $65,000 FY25 amendment for office setup, technology and research tools and estimated an annual salary in the presentation at about $180,000. She told the committee the proposed office would coordinate with the county attorney’s office but sit solely to serve the legislative branch to avoid perceived conflicts from shared reporting structures.
Commissioner Shakira Johnson and others questioned whether the role would duplicate existing law-department functions and requested more information: a list of current vacancies and staffing levels in the county law department, salary comparisons with peer counties (Fulton and Cobb were cited as comparators) and clarity on whether an internal appointee had previously been tried and why that approach was insufficient.
County Attorney Linkus (addressed by the chair) agreed to provide the requested vacancy and salary information. Commissioners asked Long Spears to prepare a substitute and to return with her co-sponsors; the committee agreed to defer the item for two weeks to allow legal review and additional information to be gathered. A motion to defer was seconded and carried.
No formal hiring or budget action was approved at the committee; commissioners directed staff to produce comparative staffing and salary data and to circulate a substitute item for committee review before any final vote.
