Board of Commissioners - Regular Meeting

We do have a lot of people in the room, so there is an overflow room. If there were not enough agendas, there should be a QR code that you can scan right outside the door here where you pick up the agenda so you can look at the agenda on your phone. So we will get right into it. First we have our inspirational speaker, Pastor Micah Dial. If you would like to start making your way to the front podium, sir.

It is my honor to introduce a dynamic community leader, devoted servant of faith, and champion for ethical and transformational leadership, pastor Micah Dial. Pastor Dial serves as a senior pastor of Rainbow Park Baptist Church in Decatur, faithfully continuing the extraordinary legacy of his father, the late reverend doctor Steven N. Dyle senior. With a vision grounded in integrity, transparency, and bridging generations through ministry, pastor Dyle has led one of DeKalb County's historic congregations into a new era of service and community engagement. A graduate of Miles College with a bachelor of science in business administration and a scholar pursuing a master of arts in Christian leadership from Liberty University, pastor Darrell combines faith, leadership, and strategic vision in all that he does.

Beyond the pulpit, he is deeply committed to the public service as the second vice president of the NAACP DeKalb County branch and as a member of the DeKalb County Board of Ethics. His dedication to uplifting communities and fostering accountability reflects his lifelong commitment to servant leadership. Please join me in warmly welcoming pastor Micah Dial. Good morning, sir.

Good morning. Good morning. I'd like to thank Presiding Officer Commissioner Johnson for the invitation today. It's an honor to be here with all of you. I not only have the privilege of serving as the pastor of Rainbow Park Baptist Church here in Decatur, not in Decatur, but in DeKalb County. But also, I'm a proud resident of DeKalb County of South DeKalb. So shout out to my commissioners, district three commissioner Nicole Messiah, and super district seven commissioner Ladena Bolton. Doctor Martin Luther King once said, the time is always right to do right. We are all making waves. We're making waves.

I want you to think about the last time that you threw a rock into still water. You didn't have to throw it hard, you didn't have to throw it far, the moment that the rock hit the surface, the water responded. Rings went out one after another farther than the rock ever traveled. Y'all that's impact and the water never asked if the rock was ready. It just responded to the weight of it. Here's what I've come to understand about impact. It's never one directional. We talk a lot about what leaders do for communities and that matters. The policies, the funding, the decisions made in rooms just like this one. They ripple out into neighborhoods.

They ripple out into schools. Ripple out into families. Most importantly, ripple out into the futures of our children. A commissioner votes yes and a rec center gets built. A commissioner votes yes and a road gets repaired that a mother had been navigating for three years with a stroller. A commissioner votes yes, and a small business gets the infrastructure that it needed to survive. That's real. That's the weight of hitting water. But it what we often don't talk about is that the community also makes waves too. The grandmother who shows up to every town hall even when nobody's listening, she's throwing a rock.

The teenager who picks up trash on his block every Saturday morning without being asked, he's throwing a rock. The small business owner who hires from his neighborhood and mentors the kid that nobody believed in, throwing a rock. The parent who shows up to every school board meeting, exhausted after a double shift because she refuses to let her child's future be decided without her voice in the room. She's throwing a rock. Impact doesn't require a title. Impact doesn't require a podium. Impact doesn't require permission. It just requires presence and intention. In the Bible, Micah six eight says, he has shown you, oh mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly. Notice it doesn't say legislate justly. It doesn't say vote justly. It says to act. That's for everybody in this room. The ones with the gavels and the ones without them. 1986, a young man named Stevie grew up in one of the roughest neighborhoods in Chicago. His school was underfunded. His block was dangerous.

Most people who looked at his ZIP code had already written his story for him, but there was a county parks employee, not an elected official, just a man named mister Harrell. Mister Harold ran the local after school program. He didn't have much, but he showed up every single day. He taught Stevie how to play chess. He stayed late when Stevie didn't want to go home. He called Stevie's teachers. He went to his games. And thirty years later, Stevie is a federal judge. In his investor speech, judge Steve Watkins said this, I am not the product of my circumstances. I'm the product of a man who decided that my ZIP code wasn't my destiny.

One parks employee, one recreation center, one decision to show up. Y'all, it was the waves. Commissioners, everyone who served in DeKalb County, and to every member whose name will never end up on a ballot, you are all making waves. The question isn't whether your actions matter because they do. The question is, are you throwing your rock on purpose? Are you leading with intention? Are you serving with urgency? Are you showing up like somebody's future depends on it? Because somebody's does. Keep throwing rocks. Keep making impact. God bless you and God bless DeKalb County. Thank you. Thank

you pastor Dial. If you'll hang around after our proclamations, we'd love to give you a pen. Excuse me, at this time we will have the pledge of allegiance. Excuse me, Commissioner Terry is not with us today so Commissioner Nicole Massar will lead us in pledge and then we will go down to the podium for our presentations.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of The United States Of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Good morning. On behalf of CEO Lorraine Cochran Johnson and the DeKalb Board of Commissioners, it's my honor to present a proclamation recognizing National Public Works Week in DeKalb County. Today, we celebrate the dedicated professionals who work every day, often behind the scenes to keep our county moving forward. From maintaining our roads and water systems to protecting health, managing infrastructure, keeping our streets clean, and supporting quality of life for our residents. Our public works professionals play a critical role in building a stronger, safer, and more resilient DeKalb County.

They are the frontline, and often they are the first first responders. We're proud to recognize the DeKalb County Public Works Department for achieving accredited agency status with the American Public Works Association, a significant accomplishment that reflects excellence, professionalism and commitment to service. At this time, on behalf of CEO Lorraine Cochran Johnson and the Board of Commissioners, I would like to have this proclamation read, followed by brief remarks from the director of public works and a group picture. So, Ms. Barbara?

Whereas public works professionals focus on infrastructure, facilities, and services that are of vital importance to sustainable and resilient communities and to public health, high quality of life, and well-being of the people of DeKalb County. And whereas these infrastructures, facilities, and services could not be provided without the dedicated efforts of public works professionals who are engineers, managers, and employees at all levels of government and the private sector who are responsible for rebuilding, improving, and protecting our nation's transportation, water supply, water treatment, and solid waste systems, public buildings, and other structures and facilities essential for our citizens. And whereas it is in the public interest for the citizens, civic leaders, and children in DeKalb County to gain knowledge of and maintain an ongoing interest and understanding of the importance of public works and public works programs in their respective community. And whereas we are pleased to announce that the DeKalb County Public Works Department has achieved accredited agency status with the American Public Works Association. And whereas the year 2026 marks the sixty sixth annual National Public Works Week sponsored by the American Public Works Association.

And now, therefore, I, Lorraine Cochran Johnson, chief executive officer of DeKalb County, Georgia, together with the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners, do hereby designate the week of May 2026 as National Public Works Week. I urge all citizens to join with representatives of the American Public Works Association and government agencies in activities, events, and ceremonies designed to pay tribute to our public works professionals, engineers, managers, and employees, and to recognize the substantial contributions they make to protecting our national health, safety, and advancing quality of life for all, proclaimed this May 2026.

It's customary in these type of situations to typically thank the people that presented us this, which is the highest ranking people, first. But I'm thinking public works folks first. Everybody works at public works, please stand and start working your way to the front. We're going make some pictures. All these folks you see today is what makes things happen.

We we're just gonna keep getting applause. I love it. Come on up, guys. These folks you see today is what makes thing happen in DeKalb County. We are not as high profile in public works as fire and police. Everybody knows. But you know what? These guys have to do their job every day, and police do as well. But every day, the police doesn't come to your house. These guys gotta come to your house and pick up your trash and keep your roads going and keep the storm water working.

And these people work all kind of hours. They work hard, and they're absolutely great folks. And we appreciate them. When I first got in this business, I came from the transportation world, and I dealt with a lot of customers that had food. Food has a shelf life. Well, something I learned when I come to DeKalb County, garbage don't got no shelf life. Right. It's already done. When you put the when you put your garbage on the corner, if it ain't picked up in a couple hours, somebody's raising cane. So these people really do a great job.

They do a lot of hard work. The sanitation department, along with beautification, a lot of the public doesn't realize beautification's under sanitation. They're the ones who keep the roadways clean. It keeps the grass cut. It's hard work. We'd really appreciate the public's help by picking up litter. Don't throw it out the window. We got folks right here that's gotta do that if you do. The stormwater people that does the stormwater's part of roads and drainage, keeps the ditches clean, keeps the storm drained so your yard don't flood. The red light's repaired. Transportation department is part of public works. They're the engineers. They're really unseen. But if we didn't have the engineers, we wouldn't have safe intersections. And, of course, fleet management.

Everybody kinda forgets those folks, but everybody in this room that drives a vehicle for DeKalb County has gotta have fleet take care of it. So thank you very much. We appreciate it, and let's get some pictures.

Good morning, everybody. Good morning. I have to say also as a engineer, it's exciting to be up there with all our public works team. I feel right at home with them. So now we have letters of appreciation and accommodations for two amazing individuals.

We've gathered to honor two exceptional public servants whose leadership, dedication, and unwavering commitment to the people of DeKalb County have left a lasting and meaningful legacy, former tax commissioner Irvin j Johnson and former sheriff Thomas e Brown. Through decades of distinguished service, these honorees have demonstrated the very best of public leadership, integrity, professionalism, innovation, and a steadfast commitment to improving the lives of others. Their contributions have strengthened our institutions, advanced public trust, and positively impacted countless residents throughout our community. These recognitions reflect not only remarkable professionalism, professional accomplishments, but also lives devoted to service above self. Their leadership and example will continue to inspire future generations of public servants and community leaders for years to come.

At this time, I will present and read the official letters of recognition on behalf of the governing authority and more than 780,000 residents of DeKalb County. So we will start with mister Thomas Brown. Dear honorable Thomas Edison Brown junior, on behalf of the presiding officer of the governing authority and more than 780,000 residents of DeKalb County, we extend our sincere appreciation and deepest gratitude in recognition of your distinguished career in public service and your dedicated leadership. Your unwavering commitment, professionalism, and service have made a meaningful and lasting impact on the citizens and communities of DeKalb County. This recognition reflects a lifetime of distinguished leadership, integrity, and innovation in public safety and community service.

From your early service as a firefighter in the city of Atlanta to your historic appointment as the first African American fire chief of DeKalb County and later as public safety director, you have consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to excellence and the well-being of the communities you have served. Your tenure as sheriff of DeKalb County serving four distinguished terms stands as a testament to your visionary leadership. Under your guidance, community oriented policing was strengthened, national accreditation centers were achieved, and impactful fire safety education programs were established that helped save lives and improve public trust. Your continued service as United States marshal for the Northern District Of Georgia further reflects your enduring dedication to justice and public protect protection at the highest level. Across every role you have held, you have exemplified honor, courage, and a steadfast commitment to service above self.

The dedication of the Thomas E Brown Bridge serves as a lasting symbol of your legacy and the profound impact you have made on DeKalb County and beyond. With sincere gratitude and the highest respect, we congratulate you on this well deserved recognition and wish you continued health and fulfillment in the years ahead.

Well, commissioner Johnson, thank you very much. And members of the board of commissioners and DeKalb County employees, many of you that I have worked with and partied with from a time or two. It's it's it's quite an honor for me to come back home and receive some type of recognition, which I have before under leadership of former CEO Lee May and and others. Had it not been for a Lebanese immigrant by the name of Manuel Malouf, my star time started in DeKalb County and and and look what god did. So, you know, it's been a good ride for me.

That was a blessing to say I worked for one president and fired by another one. And so with that being said, thank you so much to Cab County. I love you all.

I gave them both of them. So now we have the honorable Irvin J. Johnson. On behalf of the presiding officer and the governing authority and the more than 780,000 residents of DeKalb County, Georgia, we extend our sincere appreciation and deepest gratitude in recognition of your distinguished career in public service and your dedicated leadership as tax commissioner. Your tenure reflected a sustained commitment to excellence, accountability, and service to the residents of DeKalb County.

Through your leadership, the tax commissioner's office strengthened its operational in company. In to a delivery and improved efficiency. These advancements have significantly improved accessibility for residents while supporting the essential funding needs of county and school district operations. Your contributions to professional organizations, local initiatives, and faith based service reflect a deep and enduring commitment to the well-being of the community you serve. Additionally, your recognition as tax commissioner the year by the Georgia Association of Black County Officials in 2024 stands as a testament to your professional excellence and the highest theme in which you are held by your peers.

With sincere gratitude and the highest respect, we thank you and congratulate you on this well deserved recognition, and we wish you continued health, happiness, and fulfillment in the years ahead. Congratulations.

Please say

a few

words. Yes.

Thank you, commissioner, presiding officer Johnson. The Johnsons are in the house. Johnsons are in the house again, again. Board of commissioners, thank thank you. Citizens of DeKalb, when I started with the tax commissioner's office back in 2000, no one would ever tell me that I would be standing here in front of you today.

I am a little country boy from Augusta. And if you know anything about Augusta and anything about Georgia over the last fifty years, you can think about my life as a kid coming from Augusta and wondering what his life was gonna be like in the future. As pastor Dahl referred to ZIP codes, the Augusta ZIP code would not be one that you would think a young man would end up being the tax commission in the fourth largest county in Georgia. All I wanted to do is drive a train when I was growing up. Alright.

So I'm driving a bigger train, and it handles when I left, $1,600,000,000, and and I give all that money to Zach every

year. Alright.

So I'm thank you for my former staff for for coming out and supporting me. Thank you guys for allowing me to be the tax commissioner. Those who supported me and those who did not vote for me, I was the same tax commission er for all of you. One of my proudest moments in the tax office comes from having service any number of the senior citizens as they have been challenged with the property taxes. And over the years, nothing brings you more joy than to see that a lot of people benefit from what we have done at the tax office.

And and we are grateful for that opportunity, and we will continue to do that under the new tax commissioner, mister Nicole Golden. Yeah. Once once again, thank you, and I love you guys.

Let's take some photos.

Hey,

everyone. Before before Thomas Brown leaves, before mister Irvin Johnson leaves, I just wanna say thank you personally to both of you gentlemen. Way back as a Dorrville councilman, Ervin Johnson was kind enough to sort of read the rules and the road to me and let me know that even a big idea from the north side of the county still has to survive the the rest of the county. So I always appreciated that insight. When you're elected, you like to hear things that say yes.

You need people that say this is the real world kid. And so I wanna say thank you very much for that. I am truly always been grateful for that. Mister Brown, again, as a commissioner pardon me, as city councilman from the city of Doraville, when nobody wanted to take a chance on me, I wanna acknowledge that you put your name beside me, and I am so grateful for that. And thank you very much for your service, not just to DeKalb County, but to The United States Of America, being United States marshal. Even if you were hired by the best president ever and let go by the other one, we appreciate you. I personally appreciate you all. Thank you. Thank you both, gentlemen.

Pastor Dial, if you'd like to come up, Commissioner Masai would love to give you a pen. All right. Thank you, everybody. Now we will move into comments from the public. Madam Clerk, if you'll read in the instructions.

The purpose of public comment is to allow the public to voice county related requests, concerns, or opinions during the commission meeting. Speakers will only have the opportunity for one public comment per meeting. Each speaker must please complete a speaker card and present it to the clerk before the beginning of the public comment portion of the meeting. Cards turn into the clerk from the time the general meeting is convened, generally 9AM, and by the beginning of public comment portion, generally following presentations on the agenda. The clerk will accept cards on a first come first served basis.

Prior to the clerk's call for public comment, speakers who are residents of DeKalb County shall be allowed to speak before residents of other counties are allowed to speak. Speakers will only be allowed to speak for three minutes each and public comments should not exceed thirty minutes in length. When the buzzer sounds to indicate that time has run out, the speaker will be expected to immediately cease speaking and to yield the podium. Those who submitted speaker cards but did not speak because of the time allotment will be allowed to speak first at the next regularly scheduled commission meeting without regard to residents. Speakers should always talk directly into the microphone and begin by stating their name, full address, and the name of any organization they represent.

Abusive, profane, or derogatory language, holding up signs, clapping, yelling, standing, or laying in the aisles to show support for or opposition to a speaker will not be permitted. But a show of hands or quietly standing in place will be permitted to show support for or opposition to a speaker's position.

And our first speaker.

Okay. We have some people left over from our last meeting. Kay Walsh.

Kay Walsh, are you present today? Okay.

Angela Brooks.

Miss Angela Brooks.

Kelly Alexander.

Kelly Alexander.

Princess Walton.

Princess Walton.

Gregory White.

Gregory White. Mister

Tinney.

Mister Tinney.

Steven Conifer.

Steven Yes. Come on up, sir. Good morning.

Good morning, commissioners. Thank you for your time. My name is Steven Conifer at 2775 Augusta Way. I'm a resident of DeKalb County in District 3. I'm an animal lover.

I'm a volunteer at a local shelter where I foster large dogs generally, and I'm here with 31 signatures and myself asking for help on dog attack issues in our area. I'm sorry for sort of the distasteful nature of this, but my neighbor Yvonne, my friend, was mutilated on the road between our houses. I was a 100 pound cane Corso along with at least one other dog. Sometime back, attacked her on the road, and after I was with her during her recovery, she said, Steve, I'm not long for this road, this world, because the dogs had eaten into the nerves on the bottom of her feet, and she couldn't walk. And the fall had knocked apart part of her eyeball.

And she said she's grateful that she's this blank blank spot in her memory where she can't remember. She knows she was awake, but she cannot remember when the dog, she says, started eating at her. You would think this is a horrific incident. It's a one off. It's unlucky.

But it's not. Her next door neighbor, breeding boxers, ran out and bit the children that knocked on the door. Literally around the corner, Gary was walking, had a chunk bitten out of his leg by another different dog, was hospitalized. All of this within a thousand feet of a elementary school where we lived, all close together. And on our tiny little tea cul de sac, we've had an issue with an ongoing dog that has pinned my neighbor to the ground.

We reported it. Later, months later, attacked us shoulder to shoulder in his driveway. It was cited. He was fined. And then on April 14, after a multiple other observations, it attacked five children in various places on our road chasing an infant in a stroller into another house, chasing children, screaming.

They were reported and fined. But it is this incident alone that I have 31 signatures for in my voice, but I bring this sort of horror of our community. Because despite being a large breed dog in a hot zone of dog activity, being a repeat offender on video with children and infants involved in a school zone, the owners received a fine, a warning, and the dog remains at the house today. So I'm asking for help with this dog, and I don't know what to do. I don't know what laws to bring to play.

But I would bring your attention and ask you to bend your will to addressing this issue on a broader scale because whatever policies, whatever priority we put on this, we have a serious issue widespread in our community, and we need your help. Thank you.

Thank you. Lafayette Nelson

the third.

Good morning, sir.

Good morning. My name is Lafayette Nelson the third. I represent Skyview Park LLC. And I appreciate this opportunity to speak regarding the located property address 3840 Austin Walk Decatur, Georgia. Skyview owns significant property interest connected to this development including common areas and related access and property rights that have remained disputed for years.

We previously came before this board. We believe we have serious concerns existing involving ownership right easements, subdivision compliance, permitting approvals, and the issuance of certificate of occupancies connected to this development. Since this time, we have got records from DeKalb County that raises serious concerns regarding approval of the significant occupancy process. Those records reflect to land disturbance project 6,041 remaining listeners open during porches of permitting of certificate occupancy process records also reflect multiple entry state and milestone progression occurred due to supervisor override connected to the certificate of occupancy progression process along with internal permitting communications involving supervisory direction doing portions of the review process. At this time, we continue to have serious issues regarding the absence of a final recorded platform that's developed.

The lack of properly established HOA structure and covenants governing the common areas and private roadway infrastructures, unresolved easement and access issues, and the issues of permits and certificates of accuracy despite these unresolved matters. When Skyview initially attempted to move forward the development years ago, we informed the county personnel that because Austin Walker is involved in one interrogated townhouse development with shared roads and common areas and infrastructure. Both ownership groups will need to work with one architect and establish unified HOA and covenant structures before development could properly proceed. That is guidance appears consistent with DeKalb County's code 14,189.3 and related subdivision regulation require legal, mechanism, governor of private streets, homeowners association, structures, easements, subdivisions, compliance obligations. Therefore, we respectfully ask how were permits and certificate actually allowed to proceed for 24 townhouse units when there was no final recorded plat, no property established HOA or recorded company's unresolved ownership and easement issues and continue alliance on an outdated 2007 LDP.

There are not minor technical concerns. These issues directly affect property owner rights, subdivision compliance, easement and access rights, title certainty, failed closings, and public confidence in integrity of the county permitting process. We are not here today to ask this board to resolve a proper dispute between parties. We are respectfully asking for transparency, accountability, and a full public review of how permits of certificate actually were issued despite these unresolved subdivisions at the HOA easement and ownership concerns. Accordingly, we respectfully request one of the commissioners or several commissions consider sponsoring this matter for a formal agenda review so these unresolved permitting subdivision ownership and easement HOA and certificate of accuracy concerns may receive proper public discussion, oversight, and transparency moving forward.

We further respectfully request the assistance of the board in ensuring a full independent review to permit an approval process connected to Austin Walk. Given the significance of these issues and their impact on property rights for permitting integrity, title, certainty, and public confidence, we believe formal agenda review is warranted. We also respectfully request that the relevant records, communications, permit and files, and inspecting records, certificate of occupancies, LDP, and record plastic easement documents.

Thank you, sir. Next speaker. Thank you. Okay.

We'll begin with today's speakers. Jackie Malcolm.

Miss Malcolm, good morning.

Good morning, commissioners. I'm Jackie Malcolm and good morning, CEO. I live off of Boulder Crescent District 3 where they're posing to try to put a 2,000,000 square foot data campus. What is going on? Our community has been fighting the Elliwood Data Campus for more than a year now.

Now we find out that Shadowbox is going to build a data center not far from there. At least that's what Jeff Weber said at the Metro South CID tenth anniversary celebration on April 8. Now it seems Black Hole Studios is working with Shadowbox, which means we could end up with the data campus center at least three times the size of Ellenwood project. We do not want none of this. Pollution has no boundaries for hyperscale data center campuses will put a strain on our water system and hurt our environment, our health, and our quality of life.

Is this which I was planning the whole while? Is this the reason why you have not updated the tax amendment since January? Is this the reason for a sudden announcement to finally restore Entrenchment Park? Where is the transparency? We need answers now.

And since I have, like, a minute or so left, two weeks ago, mister Patrick, this is for you. A young man came up here telling you something about the airport situation, and he said he never called anyone out, but he called you out. And once he called you out, you were very disrespectful. And I want everyone here to know that because this man is old enough to be your father and for you to do all this

right here.

It's so disrespectful. As long as I've been coming, I have not seen one commissioner do that. And you ought to be ashamed of yourself. You need to be sanctioned. And when a young man was talking, you doing this, he starts shaking. That man is old enough to be your father, and he's the same color as you. So if you don't have no respect for somebody old enough to be your dad and your color, then that mean me being a black woman, you do not have respect for me. Don't do it again, please.

Speaker please. Gina Mangum. Miss Mangum.

Good morning, commissioners. Here we are again. Martin Luther King said, you cannot legislate morality. He was right. But you can legislate ethically. How you vote on the data center text amendment will reflect your moral and ethical character. Only 17% District 1, Robert Patrick's district, is in unincorporated. District 2 is largely cities as well. Black people in unincorporated South And East DeKalb Districts 34, And 5 are the most affected by your decisions, and that includes District 7 with commissioner Bolton. Data centers raise issues of social and economic justice.

Last week, the Voting Rights Act was all but wiped out. Conservatives say we don't need it anymore. Progressives are in turmoil. Next month, we'll celebrate the Juneteenth holiday. But we have to ask ourselves, what's the purpose of being represented by people like us if they are not for us?

A coalition of DeKalb citizens, residents from Districts 234, And 5, have offered a comprehensive alternative to the county's proposed text amendment. Our version essentially prevents the development of major, large scale, hyperscale data centers and campuses in unincorporated DeKalb. It's meant to protect all of us, regardless of race

or where we

live. Our version has been presented to the CEO, to the presiding officer. Our CEO told us it was reasonable. Our presiding officer offered no comment. Nonetheless, no changes have been made since January. So right now, a two year moratorium is the only other acceptable option. DeKalb is in a water crisis. Allowing data centers under these circumstances is not a risk worth taking for any amount of money. It's downright reckless. The week before our voting began, commissioner Bolton sent out a hasty survey on data centers.

Why now? What has she been doing or all of you been doing for the last six months during the moratorium? And what is Nicole Messiah up to? She could have voted against the Ellenwood project months ago. Like DeKalb, communities all over the country are opposing data center projects. Some are being canceled. Our nation is in crisis because too many politicians just do whatever they wanna do. It's called corruption. Your vote should reflect the will of the people. What will your legacy be?

Thank you. Next speaker.

Jan Dunaway.

Miss Dunaway.

Jan Dunaway, district four unincorporated. We have given you reasonable changes to the data center text amendment in the last two weeks. In our meeting with the planning department on May 6, the planning director held up the water department response to the concern of discharge of chemically infused water into our sewer system, saying she would send the document, but we haven't received it yet. The concern for sending this hazardous waste into our broken sewer system still exists. Today, you will vote on three items, emergency items totaling around $47,000,000 to hopefully handle some of the storm water and sewer issues at the Snap Finger Creek water treatment plant.

Additionally, you will vote to raise our storm water utility fee using an annual increase for ten years just like the water. Our government has wasted millions of dollars over the years, so the citizens are not trusting these things will be different now. Commissioner Bolton stated at a committee meeting that we are in a state of emergency related to our broken water and sewer system. We still are. Our drinking water and sewer infrastructure cannot handle the strain of data centers on our public resources.

Georgia is experiencing the worst drought in a decade. We cannot afford to give our drinking water away or consider poisoning our waterways. You represent the citizens of DeKalb, and we expect you to protect us, but you're not listening. Listening.

Rosalyn McIntyre.

Miss McIntyre, good morning. Morning. Voters of the CAB, we are at a cross say gonna that

board. I'm

leaders bet our future on secretive hyperscale data centers. Last month, Gwinnett announced a pharmaceutical giant at their Rowan campus. Both require massive acreage and infrastructure but they represent two opposite philosophies of leadership. In Gwinnett, the Rowan project is a live, work, learn, play community. In DeKalb, hyperscale data centers are shortsighted get rich quick scheme prioritizing immediate corporate profit over long term community planning.

Look at the numbers. Jobs. The Gwinnett project will bring 300 plus permanent high paying jobs around $72,000 or more a year. The CAB's data campuses bring only 10 to 20. Resources. Gwinnett's moderate usage supports labs and homes. No additional infrastructure needed. The CAB's data campuses demand extreme power enough sometimes to power entire cities threatening to overwhelm our already compromised water and sewer systems. Environment. Rowan is an open, walkable campus.

The cab sites will be restricted, high security bunkers shrouded in secrecy. The takeaway? Rowan builds legacy wealth and quality of life for Gwinnett. Meanwhile, the cab leaders chase a gold rush to pay off millions in environmental fines and debts. This isn't economic development, it is an environmental and health injustice that sacrifices our communities vitality for corporate gain.

This is how the elected board of commissioners and decide to cap have represented us. We deserve better. No hyperscale data campuses. The citizens don't want them.

Thank you. Next speaker.

Donna Priests Brown.

Miss Brown.

Good morning commissioners. My name is Priest Brown, and I live in South DeKalb. Today, I want to focus on one word, compliance. The planning and sustainability department has provided what they characterized as an overarching guarantee that every data center applicant will be required to obtain a special land use permit, a slump. And on its face, that sounds like a protective measure.

It sounds like accountability. But here is the problem no one is talking about. A slut with an out a slut without an audit plan is not accountability. It's paperwork. Right now, there is no mechanism in this text amendment, none, to annually audit data center applicants after a slump has been granted.

Not one. Once that permit is issued, there is no structured follow-up, no scheduled review, benchmarks. No process to verify that what was promised at the time of the application is actually being delivered to our communities, basically in South DeKalb. Commissioners, we have seen this pattern before. Developers make commitments commitments during the approval process have on jobs, on community benefits, on environmental standards.

And once the permit is in the hand and the facility is built, those commitments quietly fade. And our communities are left in South DeKalb with consequences, the noise, the energy load, the water consumption, the traffic, and none of the benefits. A slut must be the beginning of an ongoing relationship between the applicant and this county, not the end of the conversation. We are asking the board to require that any data center text amendment include a mandatory annual clients compliance audit with teeth. Applicants should be required to submit annual performance reports.

The county should have clear authority to revoke or modify permits for noncompliance, and South DeKalb residents should have a seat at the table during the reviews during those reviews. If this amendment moves forward without a compliance and audit framework, we are not protecting our communities. We are simply processing permits. Do not let the don't do not let the existence of a slub substitute

for

accountability in our communities that our communities deserve. And I moved to when I moved here to South DeKalb thirty years ago, I moved in a black community for a purpose and a reason because I thought my elected officials would represent me in what I have found in the thirty years living here in DeKalb, they do not. Thank

you. You. Lankro.

Chris, good morning.

Good morning, everyone. I'm a resident of DeKalb County for over thirteen years now. I've been working professionally in IT for twenty three years and cybersecurity for twenty. And I wanna discuss data centers and some of the regulatory components that are marked here, components around noise and water usage. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute reports that infrasound, which is a low frequency sound that cannot be heard by the human ear but can be felt by the human body, can causing dizziness, nausea, and vertigo twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty five days a year caused by the diesel generators and cooling systems by these giant AI hyperscaler data centers.

Many communities are not prepared to deal with this. Noise ordinances were written to address noisy parties and neighbors, not colossal businesses that just so happened to destroy the quality of life for the community around it and its block for blocks. For water usage, you can drive an hour from here in Fayetteville, Georgia, literally just two counties over. A QTS data center used 29,000,000 gallons of unauthorized water usage, destroying water pressure for the surrounding communities impacting the lives of citizens and businesses. They were billed a $147,000 in retroactive charges with no penalties.

Why no penalties? Because, quote, unquote, they need to maintain partnership with their largest customer. The one that lied to them and stole from them, with friends like this, who needs enemies? Most importantly, there is no criminal liability. Right? So if there is no fine, even if there was, if you find someone a dollar and they made a 100, you've effectively legalized their criminality. And all of this is for what? Let's say DeKalb County wins the business of this these massive data center campuses for AI. Here are some fun facts these fundamentally broken business models aren't telling you about. They promise jobs, and yes, these jobs there are jobs during the initial construction.

But once these data centers are built, they are minimally staffed. We're talking about 500,000 square foot data centers that will generate a few dozen jobs for general maintenance staff, not the high paying jobs that they promise. The GPUs that power these AI data centers have a burnout rate of two to three years, meaning the most expensive component of the entire business and everything inside that dentist is effectively thrown in the trash. Would you invest your four zero one k's into that kind of a business model? Most importantly, none of them are actually profitable.

Right? They are burning hundreds of billions of dollars in venture capital, subsidizing these business models, announcing their revenue but never their profits because there aren't any. But, Chris, if all of this is true, how are they worth so much money? This is the way for the future. I'm just gonna close by saying this. The same people selling you this false bill of goods told you the future of human interaction was putting on a headset all day so you can interact with cartoon avatars with no legs. It was called the metaverse. The same people selling you this false bill of goods told you Thank sir.

Thank

you. Vanessa Farah.

Just a reminder, you guys can snap, you can raise your hands, you can stand, but if when you're audible, we can't hear what they're saying. So thank you. Vanessa Farage. Hi.

Good morning. My name is Vanessa Farage. I am a lifelong resident of DeKalb County, and, I'm here today as a concerned resident, as a community organizer with Southerners on New Ground, as a family caregiver to my two elderly parents who also live in DeKalb County, and as a mother to my five year old son. First and foremost, I am here to urge you all, of course, to vote no on the current data center text amendment. As every single person who's spoken before me has said, it is inadequate and just hasn't been updated since January.

I believe that all of our children, deserve a future filled with humans, not with robots, that we all deserve affordable utilities and clean air and water and to live in a county that you all do not sell to the highest billionaire bidder. There was a recent New York Times article that came out that said that data centers are the most bipartisan issue since beer, which is a very clever title and headline. And what that what they're saying is that, people across the political spectrum in the country and here in our state of Georgia are rising up to say no to data centers. So folks in deep red counties in our state are organizing and mobilizing and winning against data centers coming to their towns. And I would like to think that one of the most democratic counties in our state would lead that charge.

And the last thing I'll say is that we know as evidenced by last year's historic Public Service Commission election that data centers are a winning electoral issue. And what I mean when I say that is that opposition to data centers is a winning electoral issue. And so we know that we have midterm elections coming up. And I mean, there is a crowd of people behind behind me and in front of you all here to say no to data centers, and we will most certainly remember when it's time to vote your action or your inaction on this issue. And so we are here today to say yes to a future that we all deserve and no to data centers. Thank you.

Thank you.

This will be our last speaker.

Last speaker. Thank

you. And it's Carl Lynn Sanderson.

Carl, good morning.

Good morning, commissioners. I live at 655 El Prado Court, Stone Mountain. Please vote no on the data center text amendment. It isn't sufficient. It was just a little over a year ago that we watched a strung out billionaire tech bro parade around with a chainsaw, cutting social services to make room for his vision of enterprise in America.

Today, I am one of 50% of black women who are unemployed in this country. I suffer from food and housing insecurity, and paying $5 a gallon for gas limits my mobility and ability to find work, and this is by design. As Americans are pushed out of jobs, students pushed out of schools, and tax dollars diverted to beautification projects, ballrooms, tourism, detention, and deportation, little is left to meet the basic needs of Americans whose lives have been uprooted by the current administration. We watched on inauguration day the embrace of tech CEOs and the subsequent mass marketing of the idea that AI is the future or be left behind. We need now more than ever investments in humans, not robots, human intelligence, not artificial intelligence, clean energy, air, water, and programs that support environmental sustainability and the preservation of our planet, not the destruction of it.

You are our checks and balances, and we need our county commissioners to say no to this agenda. Not a dime of our tax dollars will be spent to experiment with algorithms that replace jobs while the economic hardships of suffering of real people goes ignored. I'm hopeful that our fate is not sealed by the promises of billionaire tech bros. There is no dollar amount that or return on investment that justifies contaminating our water supply. There is no proposed cleanup plan that warrants the risk of our ecosystems.

There is no excuse for uprooting people's lives and livelihoods or disrupting the peace and quiet of communities subject to the constant roar of data centers running twenty four hours a day. No one should be forced to live near data centers or be forced to move away from their homes in order to safeguard their hearing health and sanity. We're being forced into an AI future And if given the choice between humans and automation, I prefer dealing with humans as we all know the frustration of dealing with automated systems. AI is invasive and needs to be further developed, understood, and regulated before it is brought to the public. AI is unpredictable and threatens to make human labor obsolete, yet we are told that it is the only pathway forward.

But just because you repeat something repeatedly doesn't make it true. You are gambling in a high stakes arena that is uncharted and potentially irreversible. I'm here to ask you to say no. Thank you, ma'am. So

before you read in the instructions for public hearing we do have a motion our madam deputy presiding officer will make real quick.

Thank you madam Pio. At this time I move to limit the time for discussion on each of the matters. This is for the commissioners. We're limiting our time. I move to limit the time for discussion on each of the matters in today's meeting only to allow five minutes the first time to a commissioner The first time a commissioner speaks and three minutes the second time for a total of eight minutes on any individual item to improve efficiency of our meetings.

Second.

Do we need to hit the machines for this one? One? And again, this is to limit the amount of time we speak. The same rules will be fine. Will be the same for the public hearing for the public.

So, okay, the machines are open on this motion. Thank you. We're a machine now.

If we don't do it today,

it doesn't go in effect for two days. All right. Thank you. That is approved. So for this meeting today, we do have an agenda item on this later. But we have a process before it goes into effect. So first time speaking will be five minutes. Second time will be three.

Three minutes.

Thank you. Madam clerk, if you'll read in the instructions.

Citizens may speak for or against an item that is considered by law to be a zoning ordinance and each side will have ten minutes to present its case. Citizens may also speak for or against an item that is placed on the public hearing agenda, but it's not a zoning ordinance. In that case, each side will have five minutes to present its case. In the event there is more than one speaker per side, speakers must divide their time in order to complete their full presentation within the ten minute time allotment or the five minute time allotment. When the buzzer sounds to indicate that time has run out, the speaker will be expected to immediately cease speaking and to leave the podium area.

Prior to speaking, a speaker should complete a speaker card and present it when approaching the podium. If a speaker has any documents for the commissioners, the speaker shall provide 10 copies when approaching the podium. Seven copies are for the commissioners and the remaining copies are for the planning director, the county attorney, and the clerk. In all zoning ordinance and traffic common cases, staff shall make their recommendation for action to the commission first, followed by applicants or citizens speaking in favor of the item. Applicants in zoning ordinance cases shall have the right to reserve time for rebuttal.

Opponents of the zoning ordinance item shall have no right of rebuttal. For all other items placed on the public hearing agenda, applicants or citizens speaking in favor of the item shall speak first followed by opponents of the item. Once the citizens have finished speaking, staff shall make a recommendation for action to the commission. At this point, citizens are no longer allowed to speak unless called to the podium by an individual commissioner to answer questions or provide information. Speakers should always talk directly to the microphone and begin by stating their name, address, and the name of any organization they represent.

Abusive, profane, or derogatory language will not be permitted. Holding up signs, clapping, yelling, standing, or laying in the aisles to show support for or opposition to a speaker will not be permitted. But a show of hands or quietly standing in place will be permitted to show support for or opposition to a speaker's position.

Thank you, ma'am. We do have two items under our public hearing. First is from planning and planning and sustainability item twenty twenty five dash zero nine seven two, all commission districts. Application of the director of planning and sustainability to amend chapter 27 to establish the definition, regulatory guidelines, and development standards for data centers in m industrial, m two heavy industrial, o I office the have one one time

future. Comprehensive land use regulation lays the regulatory time about foundation for data centers. It limits the potential locations for most data centers to industrial zoning district, requires a slot for anything over 100,000 square feet, requires minimum distance requirements from residential zoning districts as well as parks and trails, and requires numerous support studies as part of the application process as well as requires annual reports on noise impact, water consumption and sustainability, energy consumption, lighting, a decommissioning plan, a transmission line impact assessment, tree preservation and reforestation plan, stormwater management plan, and sewer plan, as well as requiring any additional information as requested by any of the reviewing departments. This text amendment is only one part of the regulatory landscape. That includes not only the planning and sustainability department, but and our zoning regulations, but also includes our land disturbance permitting process, building permitting process, as well as other departments such as the Department of Watershed, which have their own requirements.

Other organizations and regulatory authorities also review data centers and their potential impacts, including the EPA, EPD, Department of Energy, Regulatory Energy Regulatory Commission, Federal Communications Commission, and other federal and state departments. So the staff does recommend approval of this text amendment. Thank you.

Thank you, deputy director Bragg. At this time, we will open up the public hearing. Anyone wishing to speak in favor of the text amendment, please come to the in the back. Anyone wishing to speak in favor of the text amendment, please come to the podium. Next we'll have anyone in opposition please step to the podium in the back. It is a collective ten minutes.

Thank you and I will not take up much time. I'm Gina Mangum. I am here to officially put into the record the DeKalb Citizens Coalition proposal that was delivered to our CEO and also reviewed by the presiding officer in case you all didn't get it. The other thing I need to address just quickly is this whole process. There's an election going.

It's been six months, and commissioner Bolton sent out a survey a week before early voting began. These political games are really bad. Then we were told there's a meeting on June 2 on this issue at the Committee of the Whole, will be held at night. So I said, I thought we were voting on it on May 12. Then I hear the item's gonna be deferred as if you can guarantee a vote before it's taken. People are confused. Should we go? They're calling me up. Hey. I heard it was gonna be put off.

Now look at the timing. A week before we get this voting begins, we get this announcement. On June 2, after the initial election day, we can test the temperature of how the voters are feeling. Then the runoff is on June 16, And then, presumably, this vote will be deferred to June 23 Mhmm. When the moratorium expires.

And all I've got to say is this is just more political games, and we are tired of it. You need to be accountable for your position on data centers and every other issue so we can vote as informed citizens. Thank you.

My name is Tina, and I came here tonight as a parent, not as a politician. My children always tell me that I'm their hero, but lately, I don't feel like one. Because I look at what's happening across this country, and I feel like we're failing future generations in real time while calling it development. This issue is being presented as a zoning issue, an economic opportunity, and a technological necessity. But I need everyone in this room to understand this is not just about buildings. This is about what kind of world we're handing to our children and our grandchildren. And the truth is this moment feels like we're standing in the middle of the Lorax. Not at the beginning where the warnings were ignored because everything still looks so beautiful and not at the end where people finally understood what had been destroyed. We're in the middle. The middle.

And I know that your cell phones are super important and they have a lot of information in them, but so do I. The moment we were where profit still sounds more important than preservation, the moment where growth is celebrated while the roots underneath the communities are quietly being depleted, Across Georgia and across America, data centers are increasingly being placed near suburban neighborhoods, rural communities, historically underrepresented areas and working in middle class families who often do not have the financial or political power to fight these billion dollar corporations. Once these projects arrive, residents begin describing the same pattern over and over again. Constant industrial humming, backup generators roaring during testing, massive power substations, bright security lighting throughout the night, heavy truck traffic, stress on local roads, pressure on water infrastructure, and rising fears about long term environmental impact. Listen, I don't wanna take up everybody's time behind me, but how do we get to a point where ordinary citizens are expected to sacrifice their peace, their resources, and their environment so corporations can expand faster than the public oversight can keep up?

Because this conversation is bigger than one county. It's about the direction of our society. Please, you are the ones that are going to be standing telling the story to your grandchildren as to why you did not stand up for them. You are their voice. They have no voice. You have to do what's right. Pull your heads out of your phones and your heads out of these other billionaires places and get your head in the game. Do more research.

Good morning. Renee Kale with Citizens for a Healthy and Safe Environment. You have heard the community over and over and over and over. I don't even know what it's going to take for us to keep these data centers out of our communities. Loudoun, Virginia, the county there, they have over 200 data centers that buzz all day, all night, light coming from everywhere, pollution, high electricity bills.

What do we have to do to keep the data centers out of our communities? Definitely, the overburdened and underserved communities. Please, look at listen to your conscience. We don't want them. You might have a few that want them, but they probably haven't done their research. Keep the data centers out of our communities, please, because we're not gonna go anywhere. Thank you.

I'm gonna try and keep this pretty simple and direct. I deal with these these AI technologies. AI, which I personally think is BS. Right? This is not there's there's no artificial intelligence. This is a prob a deterministic probability engine. That's it. Right? In 2036, if you guys approve this, all you're gonna be looking at, all these data centers that don't exist right now will be empty corporate mollusseums of DeKalb's corruption and these billionaires just continuously, endlessly lying to us. Right?

It was it was the metaverse. It was crypto. Crypto was how everyone was gonna be moving their money. Have any of you ever used crypto? Right? It was NFTs. It was oh, this is gonna replace art. People are no longer gonna collect art. Do any of you own any NFTs? These people are lying not to us, not to just us, they're lying to you. Right? So you have an opportunity. It's real simple. All you have to do is say no. Right? Just say no and you can start ending this the corruption that DeKalb County has had for decades. How many CEOs? How many people? How many DeKalb executives have been arrested by the federal government? Right?

This is this is really not that hard. Don't trust people who constantly lie to you.

Yeah. Right. Hi. I'm Ginger Gonzaga. I'm an actor. I moved here when all the actors were moving here. And I'm actually using my my final vote as a Georgia resident during in a in a couple months. And then I'm actually leaving. But I actually care because of all the data centers that are coming up in Georgia. But because I care about my community and DeKalb, I still wanted to be here today. When I first read about this, I saw that this was postponed and the reason was that you guys were gonna do more research, right, so that you could get it right. And fortunately, all the people here today have done the research for you and given you all of the information that you could need to make an appropriate decision. Data centers, it's so obvious. They only represent stupidity and death. Death of a community.

Death of our finances as you caught as you force people to pay for the water bills. Death of the environment. Coated County just voted to redistrict, like, land that was meant for conservation and animals. Death of our water supplies, and truly death of people. I know the emissions are invisible, and you can't see that it's affecting people's lungs, and that it's known to create problems with people's hearts and most likely cancer in the future. So I just want you to remember the power of this invisibility. Your decision could actually send people to their death. And that sounds extreme, but the truth is traumatic. So we'll remember everyone. Your vote is that's crazy powerful.

I wish you didn't have that much power. But it really will what you do today in five years could mean the death of an elderly person, the death of a child. So and the death of fucking humanity in our environment. I don't care that. Swear it. Okay. Bye.

Hi. Hannah Davis. I am a District 2 resident. I'm also a data and IT professional, and my entire day is fixing things that AI breaks. Anyone who thinks that this is the future has never actually had to work with it.

I also want to bring up that although the PSC has said that they will protect customers until 2031 for rate increases. They are not going to be able to protect us when the SMR technology does not pan out and these data centers create huge energy draws that are going to cause the additional coal power that is going to be built in areas of disenfranchised communities. They are going to be harmed not only from the data centers from themselves, but the long term sustainability failures that they will present. This county is being targeted by tech companies because they think that you will trade your citizens' lives in favor for promised tax dollars. I ask you to please preserve our land and our lives by restricting large data centers and data campuses and preventing them from building in our communities.

Thank you.

Hi. My name is Heidi Lopez. I live off of Plunkett Road in Lithonia. This is my first time attending any meeting like this. I haven't really been involved but this has been the issue that's activated me and I feel like a lot of people feel like me. I only went to one meeting organized by folks who cared and I learned so much about how destructive data centers are and I don't think y'all are being asked for anything unreasonable. People are saying give the amendment more teeth so that there's actual oversight if it's going to go through. Nobody wants it but if it's gonna be here, make sure that people can have some oversight because you already have the research for how destructive these data centers are. That's my plea.

Thank you. Time has extended. I would need a motion to extend.

Second. So

For how long?

Additional

Additional five.

My second still stands.

Okay. Raise a hand. Raise your hands all in favor of extending five minutes. That's unanimous. If we can put five more minutes on the clock. Thank you. Hold on one second. Okay. Go ahead, ma'am.

Thank you. My name is Emily. Wait.

Can I finish what I was

saying before? Time got cut off. Just two seconds. More seconds. I will say this. I echo what everybody says. This is my first meeting. It's not gonna be my last, and I'm gonna make sure that I organize for commissioners to be there that actually want what the people want, and I'm gonna do that in English and Spanish until it reflects what the people want. I don't want it won't be my last. I'll say that.

Thank you. My name is Emily Diffender for I live in District 7. I've lived in DeKalb County for three quarters of my life only because I left for college and some other stuff. But I wanted to say as others have said, I also work in tech. I've been working in tech for over twenty years and the whole AI thing is a bubble. We've experienced this thing where when we shift to cloud computing everybody was like, yay, yay, yay. It's an amazing innovation. It's a new industrial revolution. But now it was just like now we're living in this always online subscription based twenty four hour delivery world that hurts more than it helps. And we can see that sometimes the next big thing is actually not a good thing.

My most important fact that I wanna pull out is just the fact that your documentation on the website talks about how the main reason for doing this is to grow our tax base. The reality is that you have zero information in this amendment about how you're going to actually make these organizations earn any kind of credits. All it says is if you spend the bare minimum to build a large building or a house in this county at this point, that we will let you have basically all all of your taxes, like exempted. Meanwhile, we know that companies like Coinbase, the crypto people, like Tesla, like PayPal paid zero federal taxes last year. We also know that we've just come out with this report that we lost $433,000,000 in the state of Georgia because we gave it away to data center companies.

If you're talking about growing our tax base, then let's talk about how to actually earn taxes. Another thing is if you put all of these things in our communities and we have to leave, who's gonna buy that property? Nobody. You've devalued our property and your tax base shrinks even more. So if we're talking about this is about money, then let's actually make some smart choices. And if it's not about money, then we need to decide what it is about. And I don't think we like what that looks like. So we can either be honest or we can, you know okay. Sorry. I forgot.

Good morning. I'm Melanie Bascom. I live in Lithonia. I'm a health care provider, and the potential risk to health is really of concern to me. But my quest two questions I have for you now. Data centers use approximately 5,000,000 gallons of water a day. DeKalb County does not have the backup capacity if something were to happen and the water supply were cut off, you know, for the rest of the population. Who is gonna pay for this? At the end of the day, I know they say the data centers say they will pay for it. We you we all know that's a lie.

They will pay in the beginning, and then you let them under the table. It it goes after the to us, the taxpayers. And then the electrical grid, does the county have the electrical capacity to come in, you know, to be able to do all of this? I don't think so. Please, for the sake of the taxpayers here, vote no. Thank you.

Good morning. Kiana Jones Moore. I'm a resident of District 3. What I wanna say about the current text amendment is that the provisions within the current text amendment that allow for data centers to come to light industrial and industrial zoned areas as well as the provision that they can't be near high density transit areas basically leaves District 3 open as the only place that they can come. Because while y'all have sat by and allowed Marty to cut transportation routes, we have no transportation in District 3.

We have no heavy rail in District 3. You have the Bouldercrest small area plan community that is fighting against people trying to change the Overlay District, and the best you can do is give us this flimsy piece of paper that you've thrown together without real consideration from the community. If the CEO even agrees with what we've proposed to be added, Why is it that you don't find it within yourself to simply represent the people? How dare you ask somebody for a vote, but then you don't even wanna listen to them? That is not governance. That is not advocacy, and it just ain't right.

I'm Claire Shechsneider. I've lived here forty years, and I'm gonna quote our CEO. We only have three to five hours of water if there is any interruption. Fulton County has thirty days worth. We can't supply the water that this thing will need. It is an irrational and irresponsible decision.

Thank you. Deputy Director Bragg, if you'd like to restate staff's position.

The staff recommendation is for approval.

Thank you. Is there a motion on this item? Or yes, motion.

Motion to defer until June 23.

Hit the machine. Is there a second?

Second.

Hit your button again, Commissioner Davis Johnson. Any request to speak on this item?

To clarify was that for a decision only or for public hearing?

The deferral.

Public hearing.

Thank you. Right. Seeing no requests. We have one request speak. Commissioner Bolton, you have the floor.

Yeah. And I just wanna clarify why the decision was made and it was alluded to earlier. So I did send out a survey and that was a direct response from a conversation that we'd had where you said you wanted to be more informed, you wanted to make sure that your concerns were addressed. So throughout this time, we've had several town halls, we've attended community meetings, We've read white papers, but we understand that it just isn't enough. And you've said no to the text amendment, we hear you when you say no.

So we wanna make sure we take the time to not only get what you've said in writing, but at the evening Cal meeting will be an opportunity for you to speak as well as we go through the text amendment, which is the goal. And so the following BLC or BLC after that meeting would be the next opportunity to vote on that item. But what this will allow us to do is make sure that we are taking the concerns that you have, the recent suggestions that you guys have provided, and incorporate those things into the text amendment because we've all agreed that it just isn't ready yet. I yield back.

Thank you. Commissioner Messiah, you are next.

Thank you, madam Pio. I just wanna say that I appreciate seeing some of the proposed requirements, some of which I've been wanting to add as well and having conversations along those lines. We do finally have, and it is the credit of the planning for that we've fought for and now have a decommission. I would also like to see a bond. Those are things that I have remained consistent about in my communication.

Also, the impact as it relates to noise, water and air usage. It's sort of challenging, to be quite frank, for the expectation for us to give more teeth, and I completely agree with the fact that we need more teeth, but also penalizing us for wanting the capacity to do so. My position has always been, before because I am not dealing with any applications, before there is any application, we need to deal with the text amendment and make sure the proper protections are in place. And that's working with the community. I appreciate the advocacy, particularly those that are having the conversations so that we can get the best that we can get to protect the folks before we even consider whether there's any applications that's processed, particularly those who have worked, who are called themselves advocates, who have worked here at the BOC.

There's an opportunity to work together to make this the best that we can. I will always focus on that. It will never be about the politics one way or the other. So I'm not gonna haste to pass something through to say, I've passed something through. And on the flip side, I'm not delaying anything for any of the politics. The people are my focus. I wanna make sure the teeth are there. That is my position, and it will remain and has been from the onset. With that, I yield back to you, Manipio. Thank you.

Thank you, commissioner Messiah. Please be respectful. I do not want to have to put anybody out. Please respect the rules. Thank you. Please open the machines for the vote. Motion to defer passes. We have one more item for public hearing. Public works and transportation item twenty twenty six dash zero seven nine five commission Districts 3 And 6.

This is

Resolution order and declaration of taking required temporary easement for Constitution Road freight corridor improvement cost to the county $2,205 at the address of 3316 Fayetteville Road, Warren E Pope Junior at all. Good morning, miss Keter.

Good morning, commissioners. This

is

a property required for a roundabout and at the the location and unfortunately there are six property owners of which multiple are deceased. So we just need to go through the court so they can decide how the funding is distributed to each party. So our recommendation is for approval.

Thank you. And now this is public hearing. So if anyone is here to speak in favor of this item, please come to the back podium. Anyone else in favor of this item? I see someone raising their hand. Would you like to speak ma'am?

Hello. Good morning.

Good morning, ma'am.

Hi. My name is Tina Holloman, Tina Gay Holloman. I am one of the owners of this property. Three of my family members have passed, and I was informed that this decision was necessary because of the complicated air line of succession of our family and that how much time it would take to divide up or settle settle it in order for this project to take place. So my mother is here. We've agreed that if this is the which this needs to happen, then we're in agreement with it.

Thank you, ma'am. Mhmm. Anyone else wishing to speak in favor? Seeing no one else, is there anyone here to speak in opposition of this item? Final call. Anyone here to speak in opposition of this item? Miss, Keter, if you can come back and give staff recommendation.

I failed to mention that the deceased property owners were without a will. And so that's why there's not a clear determination of distribution of funds. Our recommendation is for approval.

Thank you, ma'am. Is there a motion on this item?

Motion to

Actually my motion is to deny.

Is there a second for the motion to deny. If we can get a second for discussion.

Second for discussion

only. Commissioner Messiah has requested to speak. Thank

you so much. I just have a couple of quick questions. And so are we talking, in terms of the entire property located at 3003 And 16 Fayette Road or is it just, for a portion of it for easement purposes specifically?

Oh, it's a small strip take. The value is $2,205.

So it's not the whole property?

No, ma'am.

Alright. Thank you. And then just another, very quick question. So, understand you sharing that the properties, it should be intestate. There's not a will to the heirs. There are two individuals that may have a property interest in the back. Have there been notice to the other three people?

Yes, ma'am.

Okay. And had they just not decided to respond, participate? Can you give me some update of what's going on there?

We've had conversations, with a mister Pope, I believe, and, miss Holloman that was in the back. And it's it's just that I mean, even if all the people who are alive agreed because of the deceased without a will in place, it would still have to go to the courts to decide.

I completely agree. And that is my next question. So why are we not going through the courts? I am very mindful to stay within the realm of the scope of my authority, and that's why we have courts to determine, any ownership interest and what specifically any individual to take under any distribution. So, is had they not gone to the court? We not gone to the court. What's going on there?

We need this action to take it to the courts to start that process.

Okay so this is specifically just to take it to the court not to make a final determination as to the taking of this specific property this is just the court action itself.

Well to start the court action, we would need the condemnation and then then it will go to courts and they could talk about the the funding amount as well as the distribution. So it gives us that opportunity, to to start those discussions that are beyond staffs, you know, and even our capabilities at this point.

Okay. And so I just wanted to make sure that we were clear and that it was for just a piece of the property. It's not in the county's not taking anyone's or just condemning a whole property in its entirety and meant not making the final arbitration as to what the distribution is that we are the next step to go to the courts for them to make that determination.

That's correct.

Alright. Fantastic. Then I will, appeal. I'll amend my motion to approve and not sure if, commissioner Belton's, second but just wanting to make sure as I'm always mindful and notice and people property and what we do specifically here in the county. Thank you so much Ms. Geter for answering those questions.

Does your second stand Commissioner Bolton?

Second stands.

So she did amend her motion to make it for approval and not denial. And Commissioner Marita Davis Johnson has no longer requested to speak. So please open the machine for the vote. Motion to approve. Thank you.

I have one point. I actually need to go back. I was made aware that the comments from the public was not a quite full thirty minutes. So if it is okay with the we've had if it's can I complete my sentence, and then we can discuss this? So it was brought to my attention. It may not have been a full thirty minutes. If it if it is the pleasure of this board to do an additional five minutes for public comment.

So moved. So moved.

We have a motion. Is there a second?

The question on that. Have a question on that. Mr. Davis Johnson. The clerk keeps the time. Now I always time mine when it starts from my phone. It's not the official time timer, but the clerk is the official one that keeps the time. I had thirty minute. I'm yeah. Thirty minutes. So can the clerk verify officially how much what the time was?

We started at 09:33 and ended up running o three. Yeah.

I mean, it was done.

Oh, hit the mic.

It started at 09:33. It ended at 10:03.

And that includes

That's thirty minutes.

That includes the instructions?

No. I usually give two minutes for instructions.

So, again, I was asked to reconsider. I'm I'm asking for that. We had a motion if there was no second and it failed then I did. Yeah. I'd

like to finish my comment. You know, if for any reason that you want to extend it, Although I am not in favor of it because those are the rules. You know? But don't put it on the fact that there was not sufficient time.

I can only provide what was given to me.

I'm saying the clerk has just stated officially that it was thirty minutes. I stated it was thirty minutes here. So if there's a motion to extend the time based on for whatever reason, that should be the motion, but not that it was not that the official time of thirty minutes were not was not permitted because that's false.

I made the motion to extend for five minutes. There still needs to be a second if you guys would like to do that.

For what reason?

Or just to extend

public Yeah. Just to extend it.

For five minutes.

Why five rather than three?

I think that we need to follow the rules. So I'm calling a point of order. A motion was made. We need a second and then you open for discussion. So if we don't have a second, it fails and we can move on to our agenda.

So it seems to have failed.

Okay, let's move on. I do

appreciate the discussion. I was just doing what was requested.

I understand. As presiding officer. Thank you very much. Thank you.

We are now at the bottom of page three. Appointments not requiring board action for information only. This is from Board of Commissioners, item twenty twenty six-eight 41. All commission districts record the appointment of Cheryl Corte Meyer, I think I got it, to the DeKalb County Women's Commission as the City Of Decatur appointee.

May I make a quick comment on that please? Sure. Thank you. And I appreciate that. So, Commissioner Cheryl Kordermeyer is a new commissioner on the Decatur Commission, and I am very excited that she was appointed to the DeKalb County Women's Commission by the new mayor of the city of Decatur too, Mayor Powers. And I think she will be a great addition to the Women's Commission. Thank you so much. Now you're back.

Thank you. Continuing to read into the record top of page four. This is a District 4 appointment item twenty twenty six that zero eight three one record the appointment of Dennis Allen to the DeKalb United Sports Commission as a standing member with a voting with voting privileges to the DeKalb United Sports Commission as a District 4 Representative. From District 6 item twenty twenty six-eight zero seven super District 6 record the appointment of Eric Carl ton to the DeCAB United Sports Commission as a standing member with voting privileges to the DeCAB United Sports Commission as a District 6 representative. From District 7, item twenty twenty six-seven 89 record the appointment of Amaryllis Alexander to the District four Community Council.

The appointment will continue at the pleasure of Commissioner Bolton. And now we are on to appointments that need action. Also from District 7 item twenty twenty six dash zero seven five four all Commission districts appoint David Garcia to point post seven of the Recreation Parks and Cultural Affairs Board. Is under the Scoda Pex. Do you

have a motion?

I'm sorry. Motion to defer to the next BOC meeting with a stop in PEX. Let me see if we're going to hear it today. Can we today? No. All right. All right. Then a motion to defer to the June 2. I'm sorry, June 9 BOC with a stop impacts on May 26. Second.

Go

ahead. Is it Fulton's?

No requests to speak, please open the machine for the vote. Motion to defer carries. We're now on top of page five which is the start of our consent agenda. If you're ready. Ready. Let's go. Item twenty twenty six-eight 46 approval of minutes for the 05/05/2026 committee of the whole meeting. Move for action. Under District 2, item twenty twenty six, that's zero eight two eight. Allocation of $9,000 from District 2 reserved for appropriation to Carl Vinson Institute to conduct a survey on residents' views on spay and neuter policies. Move

for action.

Item twenty twenty six dash zero eight three zero, allocation of $10,000 from District 2 reserved for appropriation to support Globe Academy summer camp. Move for action. Item twenty twenty six-eight 36, allocation of $176,050 from District two Park Bond accounts and D2 Capital reserves for improvements at Pentagrass Park. Move for action. District three items, item twenty twenty six dash zero eight four nine to appropriate amount not to exceed $30,000 to Superior Court for the law clinic from the district three reserve for appropriation.

Move for action.

Item twenty twenty six dash zero eight five zero to allocate an amount not exceed $10,000 to DeKalb pro bono from the District 3 reserved for appropriation.

Move for action.

Top of page six. Item twenty twenty six dash zero eight five one to allocate an amount not to exceed $10,000 to StartMe program E select coalition from district three reserve for appropriation. Move for action. Item twenty twenty six dash zero eight five three to allocate amount not to exceed 10,010 thousand dollars to the office of DeKalb County's district attorney, domestic violence, sexual assault unit from the district three reserve for appropriation. Move for action. Item twenty twenty six dash zero eight five five to allocate an amount not to exceed $10,000 to Alana Masjid Sisters United in Human Services rights of program from the district three reserve for appropriation.

Move for action.

District seven items, item twenty twenty six dash zero seven seven two, an item to allocate an amount not to exceed 3,000 for the reserve for appropriation contributed towards the Hank Stewart Foundation and Southwest DeCalb Alumni sixteenth Annual Career Day Programming. Move for action. Item twenty twenty six-seven 80, an item to allocate an amount not to exceed $35,000 of district seven reserve for appropriation contributed to Flat Rock Archive for historical TA Bryant senior house and grounds preservation. Move for action. Item twenty twenty six dash zero seven eight two, an item to allocate an amount not to exceed $2,100 of the District seven reserve for appropriation funds to our Johnson community for the twenty ninth annual County Line Ellenwood Community Day Parade.

Move for action. Top of page seven. Item twenty twenty six dash zero seven eight five. An item to allocate an amount not to exceed $3,500 to the Women's Resource Center and $3,500 to the International Women's House for Domestic Violence Survivors and Awareness. Move for action.

Item twenty twenty six dash zero seven eight six, an item to allocate an amount not to exceed $15,000 of the District seven reserve for appropriation funds to how big is your dream foundation for youth summer programming? Move for action. Item twenty twenty six dash zero seven eight seven, an item to allocate an amount not to exceed $5,000 of the district seven reserve for appropriation funds to Rainbow Park Baptist Church, harvest sponsorship for the our food pantry and closed closet ministry. Move for action. Item twenty twenty six dash zero seven eight eight, an item to allocate an amount not to exceed $1,000 of district seven reserve for appropriation to planning and sustainability for World Planning Day twenty twenty six.

Move for action.

Under clerk to the board of commissioners and CEO, item twenty twenty six dash -six 96, approval of the minutes of the Board of Commissioners meeting of 04/28/2026. Move for action. Top of page eight, Public Works Transportation, item twenty twenty six zero seven nine three commission districts two and six, lighting agreement for S R 2236 Louvista Road from Louvista Drive to Richard Stokes Drive. The financial impact on the transportation division budget will be $3,660 yearly.

Move for action.

Item 2026Dash0797 Districts 5 And 7. Lighting agreement SR 12 Covington Highway from Belmont Place to the east of Strathmore Manor Drive. The financial impact on the Transportation Division budget will be $1,582.56 yearly.

Move for action.

And item twenty twenty six dash zero seven nine eight, districts three seven lighting agreement for SR 154 Memorial Drive from beginning mile point 0.83 to ending mile point 0.43 between Beach Drive and Northeast of Covington Drive. The financial impact on transportation division budget will be $6,168.60 yearly.

Move for action. And with that, madam presiding officer, I move to approve items two zero two six zero eight four six zero eight two eight zero eight three zero zero eight three six zero eight four nine zero eight zero zero eight five one zero eight five three zero eight five five zero seven seven two zero seven eight zero zero seven eight two zero seven eight five zero seven eight six zero seven eight seven zero seven eight eight zero six nine six zero seven nine three zero seven nine seven and zero 798.

Second.

I have a motion and a second to approve the consent agenda. Request to speak, please open the machine for the vote. Motion carries. We are now bottom of page eight under preliminary items Board of Commissioners. This is actually a first read of this item and no action needs to be taken.

So for the first read of item twenty twenty six-eight zero one all commission districts to amend Section at the next voting meeting and then we can can vote vote and and then then it will be a change official change. So yes ma'am.

I make a motion to defer.

No no actions. It was just for the first read.

Yes ma'am.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So now we're on top of page nine, a district six item, item twenty twenty six dash zero seven six nine, all commission districts, a resolution requesting the administration to establish independent oversight and auditing for DeKalb County's digital field initiatives and surveillance infrastructure and this is an IRPS item.

Yes ma'am. We haven't had an opportunity to discuss this item. So at this time I move to defer the item for two weeks And that should be the May 26 BOC with a prior stop in.

Second. We have a motion and a second to defer. No request to speak. Please open the machine for the vote. Motion to defer carries. Under Chief Executive Office item twenty twenty six-eight zero to amend the fiscal year 2026 annual budget and appropriate capital funding for various items. This is a fab item.

Thank you very much. Recommend deferral to the June 9 business meeting will be heard in FAB on May 26.

Is there a second? Second. Thank you. If you hit the button, Commissioner. Seeing no request to speak, please open the machine.

Motion to defer carries. Item twenty twenty six-eight six two, all commission districts, an amendment to agenda item twenty twenty six dash zero three nine six, changing the DeKalb County Day Center venue from Peace Baptist Church to New Life Community Alliance Incorporated at 3592 Flat Shoals Road, Decatur, Georgia 3034 and reduction in overall costs at $23,077 PEX item.

Motion to defer to the May 26 BOC with the staff in PEX today May 12.

Second.

See no requests to speak please open the machines. Hit it again. Motion to defer carries. Under public safety item twenty twenty six dash zero eight zero eight all commission districts FY twenty twenty six FIFA World Cup grant program an amount not to exceed $1,487,037.

On behalf of the IRPS committee I move to approve item two zero two six zero eight zero eight.

Second.

I have a motion to approve. Seeing no request to speak, please open the machines. Motion to approve carries. Public Works Roads and Drainage item twenty twenty six dash zero five eight seven all districts proposed stormwater utility fee increase.

Thank you madam presiding officer. There was some discussion in a presentation So my motion is going to be to defer for two weeks to the May 22 BOC meeting with a prior stop at PWI. And I'll have additional comment.

Is there a second? Thank you. Second. Commissioner Long Spears has requested to speak and then Commissioner Patrick.

Thank you, Madam Presiding Officer. My question, I believe, is for Commissioner Patrick. It appears just looking at the agenda that it was initially brought on to the agenda on March 26, withdrawn and then reintroduced on May 5. I'm just curious what happened there.

I think we'd have to defer to staff on that.

Okay. Thank you. Go ahead, Mr. Williams.

Yes, ma'am. My recollection is we simply needed to refine, some of the numbers and update the proposal.

Update the proposal from the initial one that

From the initial one.

Okay. All right. Very good. That's all I need to know. Thank you so much. I yield back Madam Pio.

Thank you. Commissioner Patrick.

Thank you, Madam Pio. Obviously, this is going to be a topic that I think the rest of the Board of Commissioners will want to have some information on. And so I believe our conversation was, was we wanted to have this come back where all commissioners could be in attendance, hear some conversation, possibility of even a town hall. So that we can, one, explain everything to the other commissioners as well as let the residents know what is being asked of us from the administration and what's the ask and then what's the return. What do the residents get in return for this request? So that's why we're not voting on this today. We're asking it for it to be deferred a little bit so that we can come back and sort of have a strategy on how to talk with the residents as well as the other commissioners who do not serve on PWI. Thank you.

And before I go back to Commissioner Longstreet, Commissioner Patrick, if I remember our conversation in PWI, think the thought was to have it as a discussion item during a CAL meeting.

That is correct. Commissioner Street.

Thank you very much, Madam Pio. I think you just threw the softball to me. My question was, are we going to address it in a CAL meeting? My second question is, are you all looking to address it during the night Cal meeting on June 18 June 2, excuse me?

We were still working with the administration on the exactual rollout of that. We hadn't really come up with

a You think you'll be ready? If there is, of course, room on the agenda.

And I but to that point, I think there is going be a lot on the June 2.

So I

think we were trying to see if we could do a standalone

Town hall?

Town hall for that.

As well as the cow.

As well as the cow.

Okay. So during a daytime cow at some point, plus a stand alone evening town hall? Yeah. Okay. As soon as that gets set, if you would please I let us try really hard to give advance notice to my constituents. Thank you. Yield

back. Thank you.

Thank you. Seeing no other requests to speak please open the machine for the vote and the motion was to defer. Motion to defer carries. We're now on page 10, Public Works and Transportation. Item twenty twenty six dash zero five eight nine districts 2 And 6 allocate $8,000,000 of slots to funding line item B point three for South Peachtree Creek Trail extension for Medlock Park to Lula Hills development.

Move for action.

Actually, I was just handed substitutes for the next two. So if we can take this one separate.

I apologize, yes. I will go ahead and motion to approve.

Second. With comment, please.

Okay. The motion is to approve seconded by Commissioner Long Spears who has requested to speak. You have the floor.

Thank you, ma'am. I just, again to the PWI chair and committee members, thank you all so much for recommending approval. This is a project that has been discussed since even before I joined the Board. It is the trailhead over at the Lula Hills project in District 2, right there actually on the border of District 4. So thank you all so much. I am so excited about this project and so are my constituents and certainly shout out to our parks folks for all of your efforts behind the scenes. Thank you so much. Yield back.

Thank you. Commissioner Patrick.

Yep. Just following up with what Commissioner Spears mentioned, very happy to support this. I do think trails is a county wide priority, certainly for District 1, but for the rest of the county. That connectivity, I think, will be important in the future for our residents. Also note that I was on Decide de Cab when this came up and was And happy to support it then finally, and perhaps the most important thing, the $8,000,000 of SPLOST funding, we approved that directly out of committee.

This is simply setting that money, as I understand, from SPLOST dollars into a special fund for the trail that is using SPLOST dollars. As the spend comes along, contracts will be provided, and then we'll get into the audit with Mr. Lavroit Campbell's team to verify dollars are being spent appropriately. And with that, thank you madam.

Thank you. Commissioner Boulton.

I was not able to attend the PWI meeting where you guys discussed this, but will Lula Hills development be contributing toward the extension of the trail? Are they matching any funds?

So this idea and is that miss Keter coming up? As I recall, this is all a reimbursement. Most heads are the money comes up front and the development activity happens. This is they're going to build it. And as I understand, they're gonna reimburse the county for it. Is that

Up to $4,500,000.

4,500,000.

So I will submit monthly reimbursements and they will reimburse up to $4,500,000 to the SPLOS fund for the pet bike SPLOST fund so that we

can do other projects. Okay.

And and just for clarity, so the upfront cost is 8,000,000, but Lula Hills will pay back essentially 4 and a half million.

That's correct.

Okay.

And that's an engineer's estimate rounded. So it has not been bid yet.

I just wanted to make sure that we clarify because this is a fairly new project and I'm sure other communities will be wondering how they were able to get their trail extension much more quickly than other areas. So it helps with understanding to know they are contributing to the project. Yes, ma'am. Okay. Thank you. I yield back.

Thank you. Commissioner Long Spears for your second opportunity.

Yes, ma'am. Thank you so much. I would be remiss if I did not thank our transportation department director Keter and also our SPLOST Mr. Kingsbury, who's raising his hands for all of your efforts as well. Commissioner Bolton, just to give you a little bit of background on it, this was actually a project that Decide DeCalb took on when Commissioner Patrick was on the board. And it's part of a $70,000,000 partnership with Edens. And so a portion of that partnership With

who now?

Edens. Oh, Edens. Edens, yes. Edens was for them to contribute the $4,500,000 for that trailhead. So it's really not a new project. It was voted on in 2023, the first year that I was on this board. And there was considerable dialogue and public comment with the Decide DeCab board on this project. Thank you very much. I yield back.

But so it is relatively new with respect to what I was referring to. 2023 wasn't that long ago, but I understand what

Yes.

And it's new on our agenda. So yes, point taken. Thank you.

Thank you, commissioners. Seeing no further requests to speak, please open the machine for the vote. Motion to approve carries. And we do have a substitute for the next item. So item twenty twenty six-eight 13, all commission districts, acceptance of funds from Atlanta Regional Transit Link Authority, the ATL, for the DeKalb County Transit Master Plan.

Move for action. Oh, we gotta do the I'm sorry, we gotta do these individually. I believe this was the one for 550,000. Pardon me, 625,000.

Yeah, substitute says 625,000.

Yep, so based on the recommendation of PWI, motion to approve.

Can I get a second? Thank you Commissioner Davis Johnson. Are you still requesting to speak, Commissioner Longfierce?

Commissioners, if you could approve the substitute, and I will note the the subs the only change between the, original agenda item and the substitute is we just put some background materials in the attachment. But if you would approve the sub motion for the substitute.

Motion to approve the substitute.

Your second stands Commissioner Davis Johnson.

I'm sorry.

He approved the substitute your second stands. Yes ma'am.

Well,

the other member of PWI is not present, so it's me. I appreciate you. Commissioner Longspheres.

Thank you. That was ultimately my question because, you had mentioned 625,000, so it's the same on the sub and the original. So director Keter is just providing a little bit more context on this item. Is that correct?

Ma'am. We just attach the award letter or the award email.

Yes, ma'am.

Just to have that documentation memorialized in the agenda item.

Understood. Alright. Thank you so much. I yield back.

Thank you. Commissioner Davis Johnson. Just

wanted to make note that someone should note

from Microphone. Just

wanted to make note that someone should note that the presiding officer is Nav Shikara Johnson Oh, the to the air RC board. I mean, to the Atlanta Regional Transit Line Authority because the letter was there.

Oh, still has your name on there Commissioner Longstreet. Yes. Gotcha.

So they just need to make note that we have a new presiding officer.

Thank you for pointing that out. If there is nothing else we can open the machines for the vote. Motion to approve the substitute carries. And this next item again has a substitute as well. Item twenty twenty six, that's zero eight one four, all commission districts acceptance and appropriation of $500,000 of funds from the line of Regional Commission, ARC for the DeKalb County Transit Master Plan update.

As the recommendation of PWI, motion to approve the substitute. He

said the substitute. And is the second, please? Thank you. Commissioner Long Spears, you have requested to speak. You have the floor.

Yes, ma'am. To the PWI chair, what is the difference between the original and the sub?

I believe director Keter can speak to it.

I

think she also added in the letter.

The the agenda items are exactly the same. We just attached the award email just to memorialize that record keeping. So I wanted to see it.

Fantastic. Thank you, ma'am. I yield back. Commissioner Messiah.

Thank you so much, Madam Pio. So essentially, we we just voted and we accepting of those Atlanta Regional Transit funds for 06/25 and then we're appropriating 500,000 to ACIP leaving a residual of $1.25 and then local match is 125. So we are appropriating minus the amount that we're supposed to match.

Actually, just the opposite.

Okay.

We're

accepting $6.25. Mhmm. We're accepting 500,000. Mhmm. The 500,000 has a $1.25 match.

Okay.

The Atlanta the ATL link has approved us to use a $125,000 of their money

Okay.

To be the local match for the 500,000 for the ARC. Nice. So we're actually getting both

Love it.

Both funding.

Thank you. I appreciate that. And so here, you said the sub is just memorializing in the award letter. In the award letter, it does share that there was a Fulton County document to give, like, best direct examples as to, you know, the work that can be used. Did you see the examples? Have you gotten a

chance Absolutely. We've been we're we're very close to having a contract with ARC and ATL. Okay. So we've been working on those since for a while now.

Fantastic. Well, great to I'm great that, you know, we're trying to move on with transportation options. It's been ongoing concern, you know, particularly in certain areas. And I'm interested to see the direct examples as well. Always curious as to the things that we can do better or what others may be doing that we can borrow from. So if you could share that with myself and the other commissioners, that'd be fantastic.

Okay. You would like the example scope mentioned in the email?

Correct. From Flint County. That'd be great. Alright. Thank you so much. I yield back to Yamada Pio.

Thank you so much. Seeing no further requests to speak, please open the machine for the vote. Motion to approve the substitute carries. We're now on the top of page 11. These are purchasing and contracting items for the IRPS committee. Item twenty twenty six-four 38, all commission districts surveillance detection equipment purchasing policy exemption for use by the Department of Police Services consists of purchasing detection, mapping devices and training for equipment awarded to Research Electronics International LLC amount not to exceed $122,395

Move for action.

Yes, ma'am. Item twenty twenty six dash zero four seven six, all commission districts contract renewal for contract number 1,377,595, medical exam services for use by the Department of Fire Rescue. This contract consists of medical and mental health screening and evaluations of fire rescue personnel. This request is to exercise the second renewal option through 05/31/2027, awarded to SightMed North America LLC, amount not to exceed $350,000. Move for action.

Item 2026Dash0525 change order number one to contract number 1342927 decals for county vehicles for use by the Department of Police Services, Animal Enforcement Services, Fire Rescue, Fleet Management, and the Marshal's Office. This contract consists of providing the production and installation of vinyl decals for county vehicles. This request seeks to increase the contract term and funds through 03/31/2027 awarded to AKO Signs Incorporated amount not to exceed a $137,500. Move for

for action.

Okay. Top of page 12, item twenty twenty six dash zero six five zero, renewal contract number 1379950, fire hazardous police car cleaning service for use by police services. This contract consists of the cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting of police vehicles as needed. This request seeks to exercise a second renewal option through 06/30/2027 awarded to Ducon Technologies LLC. Amount not to exceed 45,000.

Move for action. Item twenty twenty six dash zero six seven three. Change order number one to contract numbers 2000484, 485, and 486. Guns, ammunition, and accessories for use by the Departments of Police Services and the Marshal's Office. This contract consists of purchasing through the competitively let statewide contracts for guns, ammunition, and accessories.

This request seeks to increase contract funds for police services awarded to Gulf States Distributors Inc, Dana Safety Supply Inc, and Precision Delta Corporation total amount not to exceed $265,000 Move for action. Item twenty twenty six dash zero six seven four change order number 3 to contract number 125800334 soils and materials testing, surveying services and structural analysis, fees by the Department of Facilities Management, Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs, Public Works Transportation and Public Works Roads and Drainage, Watershed Management and Planning and Sustainability. This contract consists of providing geotechnical and geo environmental evaluations for the engineering, constructability and or potential environmental risk of multiple sites throughout the county. This request seeks to increase contract funds to add the Department of Police Services awarded to Acura Engineering and Consulting Services Inc. Amount not to exceed $37,360.

Move for action.

Alright. Pop up page 13, item twenty twenty six dash 0682, renewal of contract number 2000274, aviation fuel for police helicopters for use by the Department of Police Services. This contract consists of the purchase of aviation fuel for the county's police helicopters on an as needed basis. This request seeks to ratify a previously provided contract term increase. This request further seeks to exercise the first renewal option through 05/13/2027, awarded to Perry Brothers Aviation Fuels LLC, amount not to exceed $75,000

Move for action and with that Madam Presiding Officer, on behalf of the IRPS committee, I move to approve items two zero two six zero four three eight, four seventy six, five twenty five, six fifty, six seventy three, six seventy four and six eighty two.

Thank you. Second.

The motion and a second. I see no request to speak. Please open machine for the vote. Motion to approve those items carries. We are now on one purchasing and contracting item for the ops committee, bottom of page 13, item twenty twenty six dash zero six three four, change order number 2, contract number 1192609, Tyler Cloud hosting services migration for the IAS World Software sole source for use by the Department of Innovation and Technology to obtain three year cloud SaaS hosting services to assess and collect property taxes seeking increase in contract funds and term through 12/31/2029 awarded to Tyler Technologies Inc amount not to exceed $40,000,094,094,807 dollars and 88¢.

Madam ops chair. Is this still an audit? Commissioner Davis Johnson. Bottom of page 13, we had one contracting item. Still an audit.

So an I make a I'm sorry, it's still an audit. So I make a motion to defer this item to the May 26 meeting with the stop and a stop bag in ops.

Thank you. If you hit your button and is there a second?

Second.

Thank you. Seeing no request to speak for deferring this item, please open the machine for the vote. And motion to defer carries. We're now on top of page 14. These are PEX item one PEX item.

Item twenty twenty item twenty twenty six Dash0614, commission districts three, five, six, and seven, change order number 2 to contract number 1373363, restoration and maintenance of athletic fields for use by the Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Affairs. This contract consists of site restoration and maintenance of athletic fields. This request seeks to increase contract funds and extend the contract term through 08/31/2026 awarded to JMB Landscaping Inc. Amount not to exceed 200,000.

I have a motion to defer this agenda item to the May 26 BOC meeting with the stop and PEX May 12.

Second. Thank you. Motion and a second. I see no request to speak. Please open the machine for the vote.

Motion to defer that item carries.

Also Madam Peel, if I could not unless you'd prefer for us to handle it later in the day. I have a motion to reconsider agenda item 2,026 dash zero seven five four. And that is for the appointment of David Garcia. We read that as a regular agenda item as though it's going to and was in motion for it to go into PEX. But normally, the appointments don't use go into the committee as you are aware of and so we can take that as a direct appointment and vote as a board. It's on page four.

Bottom of page four. So we can't just read it in, but we can go ahead and vote on it and doesn't require an interview, Let's take that a little later since District 7 has stepped off the stage. We'll come back to that. Please remind me. Thank you.

Okay, thank you for that. We are now on PWI items, middle of page 14, item twenty twenty six dash 0232, invitation number 2025066ITB, chemicals for odor control, three year multi year contract for use by the Department of Watershed Management to obtain chemicals for odor control, recommend award to the lowest responsive and responsible bidders, Acuity Specialty Products Inc, doing business as ZEP sells and service, Breakthrough Solutions Janitorial Supply, Ferguson Water Works, People's Janitorial Supplies Inc, and State Industrial Products Corp. Total amount not to exceed $494,049.15.

Move fraction.

Yes, sir. Item 2026Dash0477, invitation number 2025123ITB right of way mowing and maintenance services for use by public works, sanitation, and beautification to obtain mowing and lawn maintenance services at various right of way locations. Seeks to reserve the right to transfer funds between contracts based on the needs of the county. Recommend awards to the lowest responsive and responsible bidders. Reimage General Contractors and Russell Landscape LLC. Total amount not to exceed $719,650.

Move fraction.

Top of page 15. Item 2026Dash0655. Renewal of contract numbers 1381670 and 1381672. Litter litter removal services for use by the Department of Public Works, sanitation, and beautification to obtain year round litter removal services on various roadways, exit ramps, and medians, exercising second renewal option through 06/30/2027, and adding Department of Watershed to contract awarded to American Eagle LLC and Russell Landscape total amount not to exceed $1,435,487.32.

Move fraction.

Item 2026Dash0677 change order number 1 to contract number 1337545 design and engineering services during construction for Snap Finger Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility expansion phase three a project for use by the Department of Watershed Management seeking increase in contract scope of work, funds, term through 12/31/2031 awarded to CDM Smith Inc. Amount not to exceed $658,789.35.

Move fraction.

Item 2026Dash0678 change order number one to contract number 2000331, snap finger vault assessment and cleaning for use by the Department of Watershed Management to obtain continued assessment and cleaning of sanitary sewer pipes and contract term extension seeking to ratify a previous issued contract term increase and obtain increase in contract funds and term through 03/31/2027 awarded to Compliance Enviro Systems LLC amount not to exceed $3,014,358.

Move for action. Madam presiding officer, I make a motion to defer the following agenda items for two weeks to the May 26 BOC meeting with a prior stop at PWI. Those items are 2026Dash02320477065506770678.

Thank you.

Second.

If you hit your button again, Commissioner Patton. There we go. Thank you, Commissioner Messiah. Seeing no request to speak, please open the machines. Motion to defer carries. So we are now top of page 16. Well, let's go back one second. Commissioner Bolton, while you were away, it was brought to our attention that your appointment, David Garcia for Parks and Recs actually did not need to go to PEX and we can take a direct vote on it. If we would like to rehear that right now. Absolutely. Okay. Can I get a motion to reconsider that item?

Motion to reconsider agenda item ending in seven fifty four.

Second. If you'll hit your button.

Page is

it? Bottom of page four. Motion to reconsider carries. So I will reread the item. Item twenty twenty six dash zero seven five four, all commission districts to appoint David Garcia to post seven of the recreation parks and cultural affairs board.

Motion to approve.

Second. We have a motion and a second. No request to speak. Please open the machine for the vote. Commissioner wants to Motion to approve carries. Thank you for that. Alright. Now we are on top of page 16. This is a district one item, item twenty twenty four dash one two three seven. All commission districts are request of further director of planning and sustainability to amend the DeKalb County nuisance ordinance to add a closure of chronic nuisance properties ordinance chapter. This is a PEX item.

Motion to defer to the June 9 BOC with the stop in PEX, May 26.

Second. If

you hit your buttons, please. There we go. Please open the machine for the vote. Motion to defer carries. Now we are in the bottom of page 17. Item twenty twenty four dash one two three nine, all commission districts. An ordinance to amend the code of DeKalb County, Georgia as revised 1988 chapter 18 article three, property maintenance to establish minimum standards for vacant property require property owners to apply for a board of permit and for other purposes. Also a PEX item.

Motion to defer as it was agreed to by in committee, excuse me, to defer to the June 9 BOC with a stop and fix in May 26.

Second. Thank you. Seeing no request to speak, please open the machine for the vote. Motion to defer carries. Skipping over to middle of page 19. Yes. Item twenty twenty five dash zero six eight three, all commission districts to approve a resolution to address egregious littering and the illegal dumping of scrap tires.

We're almost there, but on behalf of the IRPS committee, we're gonna defer it for another

and two

that's the May 26 meeting with a prior stop in IRPS.

Second.

If you'll hit your button, Commissioner Bolton. And Commissioner Patrick has requested to speak. Go ahead,

Yes, thank you, Madam Providing Officer. And thank you, Madam Chair. We have, I should say, central staff. Mr. Marcus Allen was able to forward a red line version and a more updated version of the code, and that's been sent to everybody. So the idea is, is when it comes back to IRPS the next time, hopefully get a pass and then come back to the BOC and then put this into place. There's been a lot of progress made within the county. Obviously, the work we're doing here at the Board of Commissioners, CEO's office has also done a considerable amount of work as well. And we are pushing this from two different angles to get success. So thank you very much to the commissioners, central staff, Mr. Marcus Allen. Thank you as well as the CEO's office.

Thank you, Commissioner Patrick. Commissioner Messiah.

I have constituents who have referenced this agenda item and I'll be excited when we get it past the threshold. Thank you for spearheading it and having the insight to know that it's something that the county needs to jump on and the CEO's office administration for playing their role, central staff, just making sure that we get this down to finality. Thank you.

If I may respond to that, it was actually a District 1 dog walker who is walking her dog in the neighborhood that reported this. Not everyone calls 911. Oftentimes, they report incidents on Facebook and next door, so that's where it got reported out, but it did make it to me. And this has been the results of really one resident standing up and complaining and saying there's an issue. So thank you much the residents. And again, thank you commissioners for your time.

Thank you so much.

Thank you. See no further requests to speak. Let's open the machine for the vote to defer this item.

What happened is that? Scrap tapes.

Motion to defer carries. We are now top of page 21, a district two item. Item twenty twenty six dash zero five nine six all commission districts and ordinance to regulate the restraint and transportation of animals and for other purposes. And this

is in IRPS. And we have not had an opportunity yet to discuss this item direct. I'm out of IRPS. I move to defer this item for sixty days. And this is item two zero two six zero five nine six.

Second.

Okay, hit your buttons. Show one more time. Commissioner Long Spears has requested to speak.

Thank you, madam presiding officer. I would like to make a substitute motion to defer this item for thirty days. This just for everybody's background context and knowledge. Oh, do need this, excuse me about that. Second. Oh, thank you. I appreciate that. So Madam Erp's chair, just to give everybody some context and background on this. We've been working on this behind the scenes with state national experts now for well over a year. And we're very excited to bring it forward.

It was introduced on the agenda in March 2026, so this year, a couple of months ago. The reason there is some time sensitivity to this is that if you really go back and read about tethering and the negative impacts that tethering has on dogs specifically, is during extreme temperatures. So when it's very hot and very cold is when we do see the, physical damage or death of dogs being tethered. So we do currently have a tethering ordinance. The effort here is to strengthen that tethering ordinance.

And to point out, if we do sixty days, that takes us into the second the first meeting of July. So we're in the first meeting of May right now. That takes us to the first meeting of July. The challenge there is we are not having any committee of the holes in July. So the first two weeks of July, we have a business meeting, week one, a business meeting, week two.

So if it's deferred to the business meeting in week one, it doesn't really give us a lot of time if there happens to be a deferral. You don't have the general two weeks to work on whatever concerns it might be. So my suggestion and purpose of my substitute is to defer it for forty five days and what that will do will take us to second meeting in May. If this board does have any concerns or issues with updating and strengthening of the current ordinance, then that will give my team, our lawyers, our national and state experts time to huddle to work through whatever those concerns are so we're able to bring it back before it gets to the super hot time in Georgia.

Commissioner Longspirits, just to clarify, I thought when you originally made your substitute motion, you said thirty days.

Oh, excuse me. Thirty days, which would be Okay. Oh, I apologize. Okay. Thirty days, which would take us to the first meeting in May. Forgive me. You.

Do you yield?