Board of Commissioners - Regular Meeting

Here for Fulton County, Georgia, and we're very grateful for all that we have here in this great county. Very thankful for our family, our friends, and most importantly, the almost 5,000 employees who work for Fulton County. So it's my privilege, my honor, my pleasure to wish everybody a happy, happy holiday season.

As we head into the holidays, I wanna wish each of you and your families a very Merry Christmas. I'm so thankful for everything you do and the incredible effort you put in all year long. You truly are the backbone of Fulton County, and your dedication is what make this community so special. I hope you take this time to relax, recharge, and enjoy celebrating with your loved ones.

Hello, Fulton County residents. It's commissioner Mo Ivory district four, and I just wanna tell you from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you for all of your support this year. And during the holiday season, I wish nothing more for you than for relaxation, time with your family, and a beautiful wrap up to 2025. So from my family to yours, I wanna wish you a very happy holiday. Thank you so much for being engaged with us in Fulton County and for all of your support during my very first year in office. I wanna keep serving you the best way that I can. So let's keep in touch. Happy holidays, and I'll see you in 2026.

I'm Fulton County commissioner Dana Barrett, and I wanna wish you a joyful holiday season. Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, happy New Year, and I hope you enjoy your time with your family. See you next year.

This is commissioner Khadija Abdulrahman of the mighty six, affectionately known as commissioner Khadija. Hey, you all. The holiday season is upon us. And let's remember, let's think about the less fortunate. Let's think about those that do without. Make sure that you're being a neighbor. Make sure you're being a good steward. And also understand that 2026 is around the corner. Have a wonderful holiday season and a most prosperous New Year.

Greetings. I'm vice chairman Bob Ellis. This is one of my favorite times of the year, a season to spend time with friends and family, appreciate all we have, and remember the true meaning of the holidays. I'm especially grateful for our wonderful community and for everyone who helps make Fulton County such a great place to live. Wishing you joy, peace, and a great start to the new year. Happy holidays.

Three two one.

Fulton County lights our Christmas tree here at the government center every year. It's a really fun tradition. Employees in the community come together to celebrate. We were joined with four of our commissioners, which is a real treat for employees to get to hear from our leadership.

Happy holiday season on behalf of the board of commissioners in Fulton County, and we thank each of you, your employees, for another great year in Fulton County.

We know that every Christmas tree lighting has Santa and elves, but we decided to do something different this year, and we welcomed some fallow llamas here to the Fulton County Government Center. Fulton County loves pets and animals, so this was a really fun way for us to bring animals into our celebration.

This one over here, the chestnut and white, that's Emerson. And this one is cat. So It's short for catastrophe, which is not always kosher. So we have a couple of different boot camps, if you will. And then we continue with experience training, and it gets more and more intense with the things we introduce. Kat, where where are you going? Oh, that's perfect for video.

We are just excited for everyone in Fulton County to have a great holiday to celebrate with their friends and family. We are working very hard to give back to the community this holiday season and wish everyone a wonderful holiday.

You got it? Possibly. You're okay.

Alright. We good. Alright.

Thank y'all.

Appreciate it. Appreciate it.

Y'all.

For a written transcript of this meeting, or if you need reasonable accommodations including this communication in an alternative format due to disability, please contact the clerk to the

Commission's office at (404) 612-8232.

Madam Clerk, you ready? Alright. Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the second regular meeting of the year. The last meeting of the year as a matter of fact 12/17/2025 it is 10:00AM. Madam clerk please call the roll for purposes of a quorum.

Chairman Rob Pitts. Present. Commissioner Bridget Thorne. Present. Vice Chairman Bob Ellis.

Present.

Commissioner Dana Barrett. Present. Commissioner Mo Ivory. Present. Commissioner Marvin Arrington Junior.

Present.

Commissioner Khadija Abdul Rahman. Present. Mister chairman, you have a quorum.

Thank you. Please rise for the invocation followed by the pledge of allegiance.

Let us pray. Almighty god, we give you thanks for this day for your continued grace and mercy upon our lives. Bless now all that are here to serve. Bless them and give them your strength. It's in your name we humbly pray. Amen.

Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag Alright continue madam clerk.

On page two, consent agenda twenty five zero nine four two adoption of the consent agenda. All matters listed on the consent agenda are considered routine by the County Commission and will be acted by one motion. No separate discussion will take place on these items. If discussion of any consent agenda item is desired, that it will be moved to the second regular meeting agenda for separate consideration. Mister chairman and members of the board we have one item to be removed on page three. Chairman Pitts has requested to remove twenty five zero nine four four Fulton County Citizens Commission on the Environment, this item is to be hailed.

It is.

And that's all I have.

Alright, I'll entertain a motion to approve the consent agenda as amended. Alright. Motion to do so by commissioner Abdul Rahman. It is seconded by commissioner Dana Barrett. Please vote.

And that vote is open. And the motion passes six yeas zero nays. On page six, second regular meeting agenda twenty five zero nine five eight, adoption of the second regular meeting agenda. Mister chairman, members of the board, there are amendments to today's meeting agenda. First item to be removed on page eleven Twenty five zero nine eight three request approval of a recommended proposal for operation maintenance services for the wastewater facilities and pump stations in North Fulton service area.

This item has been removed due to a protest received.

Which one is that?

Twenty five zero nine eight three on page 11.

Alright. What's going on? I need to.

Good morning commissioners.

This is

the same contract that was on the agenda what four or five months ago was removed. Now what's going on?

Correct commissioner. The request to remove this agenda item is due to our formal protest being filed regarding this project and we will need to follow the established procedures pursuant to purchasing code section one zero two four nine four four nine point one seven right to protest.

And how long does it will a protest take?

So, I have fifteen business days to respond to the protest received and then there's an administrative due process after that.

Commissioner Abdul Rahman.

Chairman with all due respect, I would humbly ask that even though you have fifteen days that we do this expeditiously as quickly as possible. I think we do a disservice to the community chairman, we've been talking about this, we know that today was coming and I don't have a dog in the fight other than the tax paying citizens of Fulton County and I think the longer and longer we string this out, they're the ones that are going to suffer County managers. So anything within the legal bounds that we can expeditiously do what we need to do on our end to get the ball rolling, I really would make that plea at this point, chairman.

Alright. So the recommendation is to remove this from the agenda today to for the because of the protest and we had a protest before.

Yes. And we held it before the the the last time we had a protest, we cancelled the solicitation. This time we have a protest again. I need to have the opportunity to review the merits of the protest, to review the protest, and to respond to the protest.

Okay. So the distinction is same company, we canceled the solicitation.

Same project.

Same project. This time you're what's what's the difference?

We received the proposals. I received a bid protest.

But you're not canceling it at this time?

I am not canceling the project.

Alright. Commissioner Arrington followed by commissioner Ellis.

I don't want to speed up anything. I want to go through the formal process as it is outlined by our rules and regulations. Now, I'm sure there are some up here that have reasons that they won't disclose that wanna speed this up and wanna make push this through today. But there is a process. A protest has been filed, and we need to go through that process.

I don't know what the protest is. I don't know why it was filed or who it was filed by, but at the end of the day, we need to follow our own rules. We need to provide due process to those parties that are involved. And so, this is so funny. This is so funny. These people up here and the show that they're putting on, this is ridiculous.

Commissioner Vice Chair Ellis.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I've just got one item I'm gonna remove because there's some contents of the resolution that aren't right. So I will save this for another meeting and bring it back, two five zero nine nine two. What page? On page 14 of sixteen, two five zero nine nine two. So I'm just going to remove that from the agenda altogether. I'll bring it back in another form.

All right. Any other items? All right. Motion to adopt the agenda.

Mr. Chairman, I have some more amendments.

I'm sorry.

We also have two items that need to be moved on today's agenda. First item on page seven.

To be moved.

To be moved up or down. So on page seven, twenty five-nine 62 information technology, request approved to utilize corporate purchasing for consulting services. That item should be moved down after the operational report right above 20 five-nine 66 on page seven.

Okay.

And on page thirteen, twenty five-nine 89, request approval to amend an existing contract for Fulton County Animal Services. That item needs to be moved up to be heard before item twenty five zero nine eight seven on page 12.

Alright, anything else?

And we just the items to be revised on page 11. Twenty five zero nine eight five public works. This item is revised to amend the requested action. It should read request approval and execution of a second memorandum of understanding between Fulton County and the city of South Fulton. And then the last three items to be revised are commissioners action items and they were just revised to include amended resolutions.

First on page thirteen, twenty five nine three five, commissioner Barrett's item to request approval of a resolution to affirm that reproductive rights are human rights. On page 14, vice chairs item. Well, that one was removed, so the 25,922 has been removed. And 25,993

sponsored Page.

Page 14, sponsored by Vice Chair and Commissioner Abdul Rahman. Request approval resolution to amend resolution 22 dash zero six four four and twenty one dash zero two eight two. That item was amended to include a resolution. Revised to include an amended resolution. And that's all I have.

Alright. Commissioners, anything? Alright. Motion to adopt the agenda as amended by commissioner Abdul Rahman, seconded by commissioner Bridget Thorne. Please vote.

And the vote is open. And the motion passes. Six yays, zero nays. Twenty five zero nine five nine, ratification of minutes. Second regular meeting minutes November 19, first regular meeting postagenda minutes 12/03/2025.

Alright, motion to approve by commissioner Abdul Rahman, seconded by commissioner Thorne. Please vote.

And the vote is open. And the motion passes. Six yays, zero nays.

Okay.

Twenty five zero nine six zero.

Alright. Madam Clerk, just can we have a a moment of silence, please? A man who was a friend of all of us, but more importantly, a friend of the people, Joe Beasley died. His service will be on this Friday at Antioch Baptist Church North and also for the victims of the terrible incident that occurred in Australia. Just a moment of silence, please.

Thank you. Continue, madam clerk.

Twenty five zero nine six zero, presentations of proclamations and certificates. First proclamation is recognizing Sri Yanch Nagam.

Can we get all the winners to come down? Sri. Good to see you.

Come on now.

On behalf of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners and the Department of Public Works, we extend our gratitude to all these fine young people up here that made the twenty twenty six calendar contest a huge success. The annual calendar contest serves as an incredible tool to engage our youth in water resource stewardship. This year's theme, water pollution solutions, encourage students to explore creative solutions for preventing and solving the problem of pollution in our watersheds. This year, they had a 142 submissions from students across 29 schools in Fulton County. Their dedication and their artwork, which you can all see, they have the artwork.

They didn't bring it down here with them, but it's truly inspiring and amazing that we have such talented young people. Today, we proudly commend all the students for their outstanding artwork and invaluable contributions to promoting environmental stewardship and raising awareness about pollution prevention. Whereas the Fulton County Board of Commissioner finds that the protection of the environment is vital to the health, welfare, welfare, and economic progress of the county and its citizens, and whereas the Department of Public Works seeks to protect the health, safety, and welfare of Fulton County citizens by providing high quality and cost efficient services related to the delivery of water, the collection of wastewater, and the conveyance of storm water, and by complying with federal, state, and county regulatory requirements. And whereas Public Works has successfully promoted environmental awareness and consciousness of water resources, water conservation, water quality, and pollution prevention through school presentations, media campaigns, educational seminars, workshops, festivals, and community outreach programs. And whereas Public Works sponsored the twenty twenty six art calendar contest, which was open to all students, grades k through 12, attending a public, private, charter, or homeschool within Fulton County.

Students were asked to create artwork promoting better water quality and water conservation uses and practices. And from the submitted drawings, 22 were selected to be featured in the 2026 water art calendar. And whereas, in recognition of this exemplary artwork, Sriyansh Neegham, a seventh grade student at Webbridge Middle School, was selected as the grand prize cover recipient of the twenty twenty six water art calendar contest. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Fulton County Board of Commissioners recognizes the environmental contributions of Sriyank Sneegam and his contribution of promoting environmental stewardship of water resources and does hereby proclaim Wednesday, 12/17/2025 as Shriant Neigham Appreciation Day in Fulton County. You wanna say anything?

Okay. Here you go.

Hello, everyone. My name is Shriansh Neigam, and I'm really excited to be here. And I feel really honored to be selected as a cover page winner. And thank you for all of you for giving me the support in Nidhi to showcase my artwork. And thanks to my parents' support and their support for the for this art. Thank you.

And our monthly winners stepping in for Bhargavi, we have Ashwa Latiker, Zoya Nor Zakaria, Samvi Baji, Iman Rizvi, Lael Park, Sulye, Selena, excuse me, Selena Young, Akshon Sriviyan, Dorothy Zhang. These are, keep going. I also have Aisha Kamalova, Sofia Yun Un, Misha Mehra, Mania Mittal, Kaya Gingona, Divianci Dubay. And they're all for district with Commissioner Thorne. You all can come forward and receive your certificates.

The name she just called.

Have such a great district. All of you have great visitors. Okay. Mhmm.

Turn around. You wanna get a picture.

For all of our District 1 winners, please thank you. For District 2, I have Aditi Pradhan, Prathyusha Soni, and Aryash Ashwathi. From District 5, we have Isaiah Hampton and Leila Allen. And for District 6, we have Janelle Hodge.

I am so sorry.

Janelle, come over here. I'm taking a point of personal privilege. Chairman, you will like this when you hear this. Janelle is the great granddaughter of the Holland Sheds out of Southwest Atlanta. The engineer architect of color was one of the first to get government contracts and was very well respected in Southwest Atlanta. So, the Hollinshed family, the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree and we thank you and the service that and Mrs. Hollinshed gave to the community. Thank you.

And we did have one additional winner from District 4, Adonis Maddox, but unfortunately he was unable to make it for today. So thank you.

The last proclamation is recognizing PBS Aerospace Appreciation Day sponsored by commissioner Thorne, chairman Pitts and vice chair Ellis.

I'm glad to join chairman Pitts and commissioner vice chair commissioner Bob Ellis in honoring PBS Aerospace and their presence here in Fulton County. They could have chosen anywhere in The United States to plant their their manufacturing company, yet they chose Georgia. They could have chose any of the 159 counties in Georgia, yet they chose Fulton. And in Fulton, they chose Roswell in Bob and I's district. PBS, I'm proud to have them to be a member and be establish a strategic partnership with them to bring jobs, manufacturing jobs.

I'm also proud that they employ veterans. They make it a priority to train and employ our veterans. I recently went on had the honor of being able to travel with a delegation from Fulton County to The Czech Republic to deepen our connections between Fulton County and business and civic leaders across Central Europe. By deepening these ties, not only can we increase investment here in Fulton County, we can also open up opportunities for Fulton County businesses abroad. Thank you to PBS and your leadership, and

thank

you to chairman Pitts for organizing today's reception. So it gives me great honor to read this proclamation. Whereas, PBS Aerospace was selected Fulton County, Georgia as the home of its first United States headquarters and manufacturing operation, marking a major milestone in the company's expansion into the American defense market. And whereas PBS Aerospace is guided by core commitment to supporting Americans' veterans and proudly employing men and women who have served our nation with 75% of its engine technicians representing branches of the United States Armed Forces. And whereas these veterans bring a lived understanding of service, sacrifice, responsibility, they serve to protect America, strengthening our nation's security through their work.

And whereas PBS Aerospace has strengthened Fulton County's position as a leader in aerospace innovation by deepening partnerships between private industry and the Georgia Institute of Technology, with the majority of its engineering team educated at Georgia Tech and actively engaged in advancing local academic industry collaboration. Majority And whereas in an air when drones pose increasing danger to American bases and service members, PBS Aerospace engines power systems that help keep troops safe and bring them home, and in doing so, strengthen Georgia's position as a national leader in the defense and aerospace sectors. And whereas PBS Aerospace is strengthening ties between the state of Georgia and The Czech Republic through industrial cooperation, educational engagement, and shared investment, and whereas Fulton County is grateful for the leadership and vision of board chairman Jakob Fischer, whose commitment to establishing and growing PBS Aerospace in Georgia represents a significant investment in the future of our county's economy, workforce, and contribution to national defense. And whereas Fulton County looks forward supporting PBS Aerospace as it scales its operations, expands its manufacturing footprint, and continues building a world class workforce. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Fulton County Board of Commissioners hereby honors and recognizes PBS Aerospace for its commitment to national security, its support for America's veterans, its investment in Georgia's engineering talent, and its contributions to strengthening aerospace innovation, deterrence, and international partnership, and does hereby proclaim Wednesday, 12/17/2025 as PBS Aerospace appreciation day in Fulton County, Georgia.

I

just wanted to take this time to not only thank them, I was very fortunate to be at the ribbon cutting, but I wanted to say thankful to our commissioner, our vice chair and our chair. I was afforded the opportunity to go to CHECK and I was the first woman of color to lead a delegation over there from individuals from Georgia Tech and local government officials here. And, I wanted to say the diversity and the hospitality that was shown to me, really do appreciate it. So, thank you on behalf of Fulton County.

Good morning, Chairman Pitts, commissioners and member of the Fulton County Commission. On behalf of PBS Group and our team at PBS Aerospace, I am honored to be here today to accept this proclamation. Thank you for this recognition and for the warm welcome you have extended to us. I would like to thank Chairman Pitts, Commissioner Thorne, Commissioner Ellis, and the entire commission for your support and partnership. From the beginning, Fulton County has made us feel welcome and we truly value the relationship we are building together.

PBS Earthbrace is proud to call Fulton County home. As we grow, we are excited about the opportunity to expand here and to continue investing in this community. A key part of the growth is our developing partnerships with Georgia Tech, where we are collaborating with world class researchers and engineers to advance aerospace innovation and build a strong talent pipeline right here in Georgia. It is especially meaningful to us to be producing jet engines in The United States, supporting national security and employing American workers, particularly US veterans. That commitment is central to who we are as a company.

Thank you again for this honor and for your continued support. We look forward to a strong and lasting partnership with Fulton County.

Alright. Continue madam clerk.

Continuing on page six, public hearings. Twenty five zero nine six one.

10:30.

Public comment. Citizens wishing to participate in public comment will be allowed to appear in person or may choose to participate virtually via Zoom video conferencing by registering on the county website www.fultoncountyga.gov. Priority for public comment will be given to Fulton County citizens and those individuals representing businesses or organizations located within Fulton County. Speakers will be granted up to two minutes each. The public will not be allowed to yield or donate time to other speakers.

The public comment portion of the meeting will not exceed sixty minutes. In the event the sixty minute time limit is reached prior to public comments being completed, public comment will be suspended and the business portion of the BLC meeting will commence. Public comment will resume at the end of the meeting. Mr. Chairman and members of the board we will start with speakers here at Assembly Hall. We have received 18 speaker cards with the first six speakers please come forward. Representative Esther Pennant, probate court judge Kenya Johnson, Sarkis, Aragascarvizian, Tiara Robinson, Mother Breedlove, and LA Pink.

Alright speakers, when you have fifteen seconds left, I'll say fifteen seconds at your key to begin to conclude your remarks. First speaker.

Good morning commissioners. I'm state representative Esther Panich representing a portion of Fulton County, a House District 51 which includes parts of Sandy Springs, Roswell, and Johns Creek. I'm here to urge you to vote yes on all three of the resolutions that commissioner Barrett has put forward before you today. As a legislator and as an attorney who has spent nearly three decades working with survivors of domestic violence, I see every day what happens to women when they lack access to the resources and support they need. These three resolutions address that crisis head on.

First, the resolution affirming reproductive rights as human rights. It's not just symbolic. It's essential. Since Georgia six since Georgia's six week abortion ban took effect, I've heard from constituents who are both patients and physicians showing that the doctors are afraid to provide necessary care. Women who have faced dangerous complications, complications I had while I was pregnant with my three children and who have been forced to navigate impossible situations.

Two Georgia women have already died. Fulton County must take a stand and call on the general assembly to repeal h b four eighty one. Second, the women's commission would provide the sustained expert focus our county needs on issues affecting more than half of the population, maternal mortality, economic equity, health care access, and gender based violence. As someone who works in this space and legislates in it, I can tell you that coordinated data driven responses save lives. This commission would ensure these critical issues receive the attention they deserve. Third, the healthy women healthy families grant program is a smart investment. $1,000,000 nearly 88¢ per resident would strengthen the nonprofits already doing this vital work.

Fifteen seconds.

In my own practice, I've seen access to prenatal care, mental health support, and violence prevention can transform outcomes for women and their families. These resolutions cost nothing but mean everything to the women of Fulton County. I urge you to stand with the 79% of Thank you.

Esteemed commissioners and county management, happy holidays. My name is judge Kenya Johnson and I serve as the chief judge of probate court. Most of my days are spent dealing with disputes, who gets mom's house, who's gonna care for granddad, and occasionally we offer weekly, we offer wedding ceremonies. These moments matter not just to the couple but to our county as a whole. I am here today to ask for a budget enhancement of $250,000 to fund three probate clerks to continue our thriving wedding ceremonies.

Wedding ceremonies are not a required service of probate court or any court here in Fulton County. However, since 2023, we have married over 5,000 couples in free civil ceremonies for citizens who wish to marry regardless of income. Our Vegas style wedding chapel has gone viral thanks to external affairs, and it has been featured in several national and local news outlets. We also request a dedicated space in the government center so that we can conduct weddings for a small fee. Probate court has already saved citizens over $50,000,000 in wedding ceremonies and by charging us a small fee, we can earn potential revenue for the county upwards of $250,000.

This is a revenue neutral transaction. Marriage is more than a ceremony, it is a stabilizing institution. Married couples are more likely to purchase homes in Fulton County, pay taxes and support one another through illness, unemployment and crisis. The clear public benefits of marriage include reducing citizen reliance on emergency services, improved outcomes for children

and

stronger community ties. Finally, there is a symbolic power in this investment. When the government stands behind marriage, it sends a message that commitment, care and mutual responsibility are values worth supporting. We ask I

do.

Doing the god's work. It is great to do the god's work. I think we all should try. Good morning. My name is Sarkis Aga Sarkisian. I'm here to thank honorable judge Kenya Johnson for a great work she's been doing in Fulton County. In fact, I can state freely that she's very kind, very hardworking. She cares for everyone. Anyone comes into her courtroom, she cares for them. The ceremony that she did for my wedding was just unbelievable.

It was one of the most beautiful thing that you could experience. And also, not only I was surprised, but all my guests were impressed and amazed because they had never seen anything like that. And cost them nothing. I think we need to have judges like her to do things out of the scope of their just regular work and make the people people feel great and never forget that beautiful ceremony that they had in her courtroom. I pray you as a commission will do the same thing.

You will support her. Give her all the means that she needs to have to continue what she's doing. Thank you very much.

Good morning everyone, happy holidays. I am Tiara Robinson and I had the privilege to actually be one of the participants in the ceremonies and it is a beautiful space, a safe space and a nurturing space. It was so convenient going in and getting your license and actually being able to have a ceremony right afterwards. It saved us a lot of money, so we're planning on taking an amazing honeymoon because we did not have to pay for a humongous wedding. Just the customer service going in, the staff was amazing.

This is a big day, a lot of nervous feelings, and they were there every step of the way to make sure that all the documents, the license, the process ran smoothly and it was greatly appreciated. I actually was able to see this prior to reserving. So, over the summer, on social media, I seen this is Fulton County and this is what we're offering and it made me want to go on the website to actually search how can I have this amazing wedding with low cost and just quick and easy, and it led me right here? I am a Fulton County resident. I have not seen this done in any other county.

Just the setup from the decorations to the music playing, Who said courthouse weddings cannot be one of elegance and just luxury feeling? It was an amazing experience. I absolutely appreciate the staff there. And, if you all could just grant them the additional funds so they can have their staff, just be able to make this an even better event so we can be seen across The United States and the country as just an amazing county for love and Fifteen seconds. And establishing those partnerships in the community and in life together. Thank you.

Greetings. There is a word for the people of God today and the word is the Lord said that we all must love one another, but what I see here is not love. So I'm gonna give you all this scripture that the Lord gave me to tell you. In second Chronicles seven fourteen, the Lord said, if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my faith and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land. We need a healing Fulton County.

Now, I guess the call is I travel many areas as a missionary for forty three years all over the land. First black millionaire, madam CJ Walker, is my family member. I guess a call to come and do a prayer at the jail. Now, I was here not too long ago, we was talking about the jail, you all approved some monies to go to the jail to help that jail, Wright Street. We get calls from inmates, family members, medical conditions, unhealthy living environment.

Look, people, we are human beings. If you can approve and sit here on this board, Marvin Junior, your dad and I, I supported him and my money's in many areas in my restaurant.

Fifteen seconds.

You all can approve $40,000,000 for a animal shelter. Why can't you help Fullerton County redo that jail and do better for the people, the inmates? You all have the power in your hands through God through prayer to do a different

Thank you ma'am.

Please don't get her twisted when she say she's praying for the jail. We most definitely is praying for removal. A double minded person can't be trusted in any of their ways. The sheriff said that he They train every single day for the air packs that is going For the fire that's going on in the jail. How do you train with no material?

So, we know that this is a lie because he's coming here from allegedly too big for money for air packs. Now, keep in mind, this ain't the first fire in the jail. This is the second or the third or the fourth. So why would you spend thousands, hundreds of thousand dollars on Mercedes Benz, $40,000 in Chick fil A gift cards, $5,000 with Hell on Wheels over in South Fulton for a turkey giveaway, but you ain't got money to take out of the inmate welfare funding for air packs for the safety of the inmates and the guards that's working in the jail. But you get on TV and you tell them that you gather, that you that you guys going through training.

Y'all, the poly trickery is coming to an end. I keep telling you, you could be part of the Rico or you can help take him down in the Rico. But either way it goes, it's coming. We got Mo Ivory closing down stuff from what was just told to me, Closing down a library, an old library for an event from the elders, like where you do that on taxpayer dollars now? It's money, this ain't her money.

This this is this is

taxpayer dollars, baby. And then you sitting up here campaigning for a position because now you're running for chairman, so you done It took Myervin Arrington and Dana out and asked them to step down from allegedly, so that you could run for chairman. So this is what the act's been, this is what the marathon been doing proclamations and all that stuff. Girl, bye, up your seat.

Fifteen seconds, thank you.

We coming forward.

Okay. Thank you.

Next six speakers please come forward. Esso Harper, Cameron Hoodcree, Peter Monk, Anne Louise Hatfield, Mae Whiteside, and Janet Hill.

Good morning. My name is Shalif Harper. First of all, I wanna thank the board of commissioner for allowing me once again an opportunity to address the pay increase for the board of equalization. Last year, this time, a few of us came to appear for the board increase from 100 to $200 a day. But just keep in mind that we only work two days a week.

The commissioner commissioner picked back in March, a couple of us, we had a private meeting with you. And in that private meeting, you clearly let us know that during the meeting, would assure that the BOE number one priority in the supplemental budget in June 2025. At that time, you did, however, cite the certain top of county priorities that would take number one priority is for the county jail as as well as to snap in the housing, the shortfall of the budget should be the federal government if they shut down. Commissioner Picks, you have always been a man of integrity, and we respect you. We recognize and understand that the jail will continue to be an ongoing issue for the county, but it also appeared that both potential crisis has been adverse.

And so I'm back again asking the commissioner now for just to consider the border equalization pay increase. Alright. Fifteen seconds. Just remember, we do bring revenue to Fulton County. Thank you all again.

My name is Ann Louise Hatfield. I came to Fulton County in Atlanta in 1967 as a bride and as a teacher at Pace Academy. Half of my family, with roots in North Carolina since 1654, have been extensive advocates. I get teased about the fact that my DNA is just advocating. I've been a member of the Board of Equalization since the early two thousands and have found that the grand jury members who approve us, after we're invited to submit an application, that they are very aware of the expertise that we bring to the Board of Equalization.

We all have, or most of us have advanced degrees, have participated in many activities that affect where we live, for the betterment of our county, and we arrive at the office like this morning, I was there by 06:30. We arrive at the office early before the cases so that we can review the cases to have an understanding of what is to come before us. We, with our knowledge and experience, we see that our educated decisions greatly affect the lifestyle of those people who own the property in Fulton County. Thusly, the budget of Fulton County is affected by our work. For years, the BOE members

Fifteen seconds, ma'am.

Have heard that there's no money in the budget. But my question to you is, have you heard how much we provide the budget with money? That should make the difference. For me personally, a $100 is not.

Can I start? Hello. My hello, commissioners. My name is Cameron Hoodrie. I live in Roswell and have opposition to the pros proposed MARTA bus service cuts in the northern portion of the county.

I ride MARTA regularly, usually multiple times a week. Public transportation is essential to any major city, including the suburbs. Despite having some of the worst traffic in the nation, MARTA currently wants to cut many of the suburban routes as part of a bus redesign and reallocate funding to other areas of the other areas of the system like within Atlanta and as well as the Cab and Clayton Counties. The city Of Atlanta and other counties pay their own sales tax. The northern portion of the county pays the 1% sales tax and we should get our share of the transit.

If 1% is not enough consider holding our referendum to bring this tax up slightly. Also, most of the service in North Fulton is around North Point Mall and Alpharetta, not the whole re area. Please consider working with the suburban cities such as Roswell, Johns Creek and Milton as well as MARTA to increase rideshare bus system coverage in the northern portion of the county instead of using the taxpayers of North Fulton to fund other areas and counties. If we focus on serving more residents efficiently, ridership will go up and the state may decide to step in and provide funding bringing up transit funding for all Metro Atlanta counties. Thank you very much.

Mister chairman, good morning. My name is Peter Monk. I'm an attorney at the law firm of Nelson Mullins Riley and Scarborough. I'm here today on behalf of JC Water Partners, which is a joint venture between Operations Management International Incorporated or OMI and Corporate Environmental Risk Management. Joining me on behalf of JC Water Partners today are several individuals, including executive vice president, mister Tom Meinhardt, and also attorney Kevin Ross. I put my name on the list to speak today to agenda item two five dash zero nine eight three. Because that item has now been removed, I have nothing further to say. JC Water Partners looks forward to the commission's review of its protest and appreciates the consideration of its due process rights. Thank you, commissioner.

Hi. Good morning, commissioners. My name is May Whiteside Williams. I'm a chief executive officer of civil engineering firm and I am a resident of North Buckhead in Fulton County. And I will be honest, when I first heard about the initiative of Fulton County Women's Commission and the Healthy Women's Healthy Families grant, I heard about it on Instagram and immediately I thought, might want to get in contact with my commissioner to find out the status of it and then also at a business meeting, also learned from Commissioner Barrett about the challenges in passing so.

I wanted to also mention in addition to my business, I'm actively involved in women's civic and service organizations which gives me a first hand view of how local policy decisions affect families and the non profits that serve them. Again, I'm here in strong support of establishing the Fulton County Women's Commission and the $1,000,000 grant for the Healthy Women, Healthy Families program. These measures reflect our shared values as a county that believes in a health, economic empowerment, education, dignity and opportunity that should be accessible to everyone. But also as an employer, I see the whole person behind every job title. When women are healthy, safe and supported, they're better able to care for their families, show up to my business, contribute fully to our communities.

A women's commission ensures women voices help inform policies that shape everyday life in Fulton County. I believe this program supports trusted nonprofits providing maternal care, mental health services, cancer screenings, agent support and violence prevention. These services create the stability and hope for women and families across our country. I urge you to vote for those two measures. Thank you for your leadership and the opportunity to speak.

Good morning. I'm Ms. Hill, an advocate of deed fraud and I'm here again to remind the Fulton County Commissioners that you are public servants. We have to work together to address this issue of defraud crimes. They are crimes, it is a felony.

We are not going to be bullied, we're not gonna be threatened and we're not gonna be rage baited by people like Mo Ivory when we come forward to report these crimes. This is your document from your clerk of the court and it states, in 2021 there was 11,578 reported cases of real real real estate fraud totaling more than $350,000,000 in damages. Those aren't my words, it's a reliable source and it's coming from your clerk of the court. I do want to give you some good news. Recently, there have been a couple cases that have been adjudicated.

We have one we believe that was just recently adjudicated locally and their property was returned. Another Georgia case, we found out that a fake government entity which was posing itself as a buyer, they withdrew their claim. So, these fake fraudulent transactions can be traced through the evidence that you have in your custody.

Fifteen seconds.

So, thank you Commissioner Thorne, thank you Khadija for your commitment and concern because when we leave here today, we're going out to help a homeowner who had their property stolen and sleeping in their car.

Last six speakers in assembly hall, please come forward. Josh Milton, Mohammed, Marge McCloud, Lauren Waits, Marshall McKee, Reed Stilson, and Alicia Stalwart.

Good morning commissioners. My name is Lauren Waits, twenty five year resident of Fulton County, new Georgia State College of Law 1L. Thank you for your time serving because we don't have to. I figure a personal story may help on this cause. My son, my middle kid was born at Piedmont Hospital.

He went to K through 12 Atlanta Public Schools. He went to Georgia Tech on the Hope Scholarship. He even managed to get a master's degree there and he refused to stay in Georgia because he wants to start a family. I'm here to ask you to support the Women's Commission, I'm asking you to support healthy families because the best and brightest of our scientists know that if they want the highest quality medical care, they need to go outside of Georgia for reproductive health. I am well aware that you all are not the legislators, the elected officials who voted for Georgia's six week abortion ban, but it is profoundly harmful not just to women but to families.

We need better medical care and I would just ask particularly given the timeliness of that one and the fact that it won't cost you a dime that you put Fulton County on the record. We had a beautiful, wonderful, amazing aerospace company that we just looked, I just learned about this morning whose workers would have better medical care if they stay in The Czech Republic. And I would ask that you be honest with all businesses that are moving here until and unless we can address the grave problem and risks to women's health. Thank you so much.

Good afternoon. Good afternoon. My name is Reed Stilson. I am a Fulton County resident, a renter. I'm a candidate for County Commissioner and I live and work in the Buckhead area where I'm a leader of a local coffee shop and a community hub.

And, today, I'm here to speak in support of action items 250,935, six and seven affirming that reproductive rights are human rights, establishing a Fulton County Women's Commission, as well as establishing a Healthy Women, Healthy Families grant program. You see, my partner and I won't be having biological children of our own. That was a deeply personal decision guided by our doctor's advice as well as our own personal views, wants and needs. However, when Roe v. Wade was sadly overturned and George's egregious six week abortion ban was fully put into effect, we were forced to face the reality that now only one of us has the full freedom and bodily autonomy to keep with that decision.

So with the advice and guidance of my doctors, I ended up scheduling a vasectomy. And frankly, this was almost too easy because as a man, my bodily autonomy has never been questioned. Yet, if my fiance wished to partake in any number of related procedures to ensure that she had full control over her reproductive ability, she must rely on having permission granted by our government. Let me be clear. No one tells my fiance what to do with her body but her.

And, that goes for every single woman in this county and in this country. To continue to legislate or behave otherwise as a government is not only regressive and harmful, but wholeheartedly shameful. So please, let us here in Fulton set an example for the rest of Georgia and the nation. Vote for these resolutions affirming that, as the good doctor once said, none of us are free until all of us are free.

Fifteen seconds. Thank you.

Good morning, Mr. Chairman, Vice Chair and members of the Board. I am here today to request your support for the Marshal's Office 2026 budget enhancement request. Our request is not an expansion of mission, but it is merely a continuation of our responsibility to the courts, the county, the public, and to the citizens of Fulton County. Every dollar requested is directly tied to maintaining court security, executing lawful orders, and ensuring safe uninterrupted judicial operations across the county.

Over the past years, our office has experienced staffing challenges due to increased service demands from the courts as well as the public. To continue operating efficiently and responsibly, we have delayed in some areas critical needs in order to maximize the existing resources to fulfill the core responsibilities. However, there is a point at which doing more with less begins to impact the readiness and safety of the staff and the service delivery to the courts and the public. Therefore, the majority of our budget request is for additional personnel. Our current staffing levels are not sufficient to fully staff the courts, consistently meet statutory deadlines for the service of civil documents, or efficiently execute dispossessory actions.

These gaps create delays that directly impact court operations and public access to justice. One critical component which I like to point out is the request for an addition of a dedicated technical support person to handle the ongoing technical issues that cause daily frequent disruptions. Having this position will limit downtime and ensure continuity of service. So simply stated, this budget request is about meeting our legal obligations and keeping the courts functioning without delay. Thank you.

Good morning. I wanna take personal privilege as a Fulton County resident living in Hunter Hills to speak on these critical resolutions. My name is Alicia Stallworth. I am also the state director for reproductive freedom for all, which represents over 33,000 members in Fulton County. Today, you are considering three resolutions that will affirm that reproductive rights are human rights, establish an official women's commission to advise the board on policies around women's health, economic opportunity, safety, leadership, and other gender equity issues, and you have an opportunity to create a 1,000,000 annual grant fund for nonprofits working on maternal health, reproductive care, and broader services that support women and families.

Each commissioner gets to appoint two people to the women's commission, giving the community a direct voice in shaping policy. It is actually unfathomable that you already don't have this commission established, especially given the state of crisis we are in. Fulton County is already overrun as so many people come to the inner city seeking care. I don't have to tell you all the statistics, you've heard it, heard them, you've received the information. But these policies before you, they're not about politics, they're about helping women.

Women are the backbone of our families, our communities, and our economy, and all these measures recognize that reality. Thank you commissioners Barrett, Moe Ivory, and Arrington for standing up for women and families. Thank you for your commitment and standing steadfast. I know it's not easy. Amber Nicole Thurman, Canda Miller, Adriana Smith, these are names that remind us of what's at stake. We know the statistics around maternal health in Georgia. This is not about policy. It's a crisis and our leaders must act.

Fifteen seconds.

I am deeply disappointed in my commissioner Khadija in how you have stood up and not stood for women in policy. And you describe yourself as a human rights advocate and social justice leader. It's not being shown, ma'am. So I urge all Fulton County commit

Thank you.

Statements. They are by state

commitment. You.

Mister chairman and members of the board, we have six speakers on Zoom.

Good morning, commissioners. The first person to speak is Robbie Caban.

Hello? Hello?

You're ready.

We can hear you.

Thank you. I support efforts to eliminate corruption, waste, and misuse of taxpayer funds. County and city officials have a fiduciary duty to ensure public money is spent lawfully, services paid for are delivered, and oversight is enforced. These duties directly impact public safety, public health, and the public interest, particularly in criminal justice systems, magistrate court operations involving deed, fraud, and predatory real estate practice and animal control services, a public safety matter. I wanna re reference a publicly posted comment by our current Fulton County employee, mister Trevin Law, the animal services coordinator at the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.

Who alleges over ten years of experience in million dollar animal welfare contracts. The comment alleges that the city of Atlanta paid Fulton County for animal control calls that were not responded to for services outside of proper jurisdiction and for costs associated with a new facility despite a lack of service delivery. The commenter current employee for Fulton County states that they have never observed such limited government oversight elsewhere. If accurate, these allegations raise serious concerns regarding breach of fiduciary duty, failure of contract enforcement, and waste of taxpayer funds. Similar concerns arise when the court and enforcement systems are used in ways that enable or fail to prevent deed fraud.

As taxes increase, residents like myself deserve accountability. What enforcement occurred when services are not delivered? Were these allegations investigated at the time they were made, or were they ignored? What audits or reimbursements protect taxpayers like me? And what safeguards prevent abuse from enforcement? I will follow-up by email for the record. Prior emails I sent, including to the county manager, Dick Anderson, have never received a response or Moe Ivory, whose staff asked me to email and then failed to respond.

The next person to speak is Nikki Buggs. Nikki Buggs. Buggs.

Alright. Thank you. Thank Thank you. Thank you.

Your volume down on your on your speakers.

Alright. Ladies and gentlemen, I speak to you again today about the urgent and ongoing egregious and abusive challenges that the homeowner of the Landmark Condominium in Atlanta have been and continue to face. These are merely not inconveniences but serious concerns that are affecting the safety, financial stability, steadily declining property value, and quality of life for residents. To date, there was a two a 26% compounded CPI increase in HOA fees last year. And then a pending 1.8 increase this year plus a 1.8 increase on a double billing of water.

The monthly HOAs are as high as $1,300 a month. We received double billing of water, gas, electricity, and extensive contract for Internet service. Capital assessments imposed on homeowners due to a fire that took place in a private space with a private investor company, January 17. Frivolous fines commencing at $500, the confiscation of common spaces. The recent, December 12, this past weekend, deactivation of access codes for homeowners to enter the building to access their own personal units.

So now we have homeowners that their codes were intentionally deactivated, and they cannot get into the building to access their unit, which ultimately reconfirms that the homeowners are being surveilled at this time. Safety concerns, transient traffic, and increased violence. The building was not designed to accommodate such short term rental, hotel transient visits, such as this. The building was designed as a residential building. To date, we have shootings, stabbings, killings, deaths, tragic tragic events that have shaken our community. The influence of transient visitors has created

Fifteen seconds.

For homeowners that feel unsafe. We do not deserve this. We've asked for your help. We've asked for the city and the state's help. The homeowners of the landmark have done nothing wrong but to defend our homes for those who made the conscious decision to steal our homes and our building.

The next person to speak is Ian Elkins. Elkins. Ian Elkins. Next person to speak is Shanette Williams. Shanette Williams. Next person to speak is Shelley Steele. Shelley Steele. And this concludes our Zoom public comments.

Thank you. Continue, madam clerk.

On page seven, county manager's items under open and responsible government, twenty five zero nine six three, presentation of the Fulton County operational report.

Mister manager. Good morning,

mister chairman and commissioners. We will have the normal overview of justice related issues. Of course, we'll give you the latest update on the fire at the jail on Friday. I've asked Joe to to add that to the report while not printed. He'll provide that verbally.

We're also gonna spend a fair amount of time on animal control or animal services today with the transfer of field operations to Fulton County Police Department, a revised contract and KPIs before we ask for your approval on, that contract later in the agenda. You'll see as Steve comes forward, the jail population is remaining steady at 2,900, 58 more being released in this last month and brought in, so that's good. There is an uptick in use of the diversion center, two twenty four diversions, that's also positive, and five fourteen on electronic monitoring. So, we continue to look for and support alternatives to incarceration. We do have some additional vacant beds based on the blitz.

However, the fire itself caused those to be utilized. So, again, Joe will sort through that when he gets to his section. We have had our first review of the construction timelines associated with both the construction of the new building, special purpose building as well as the renovation. We'll be sorting through the implications of those timelines, the requirements for bond issuance and we anticipate bringing that after the first of the year to share with the board. In animal services, I just want to say before we get into that, we've completed the negotiations with Life so I'm pleased with that.

Those went well. The scheduled transfer now is ongoing, so folks are moving to Fulton County Police Department. We've covered each city on this move, each city manager or their representative. We had two meetings, one in the North, one in the South. Those meetings went very, very well.

They're pleased with this move. And as well, I think the KPIs that are being established for shelter operations that Lifeline will be responsible for have been strengthened and I think you'll be pleased to see the specificity that we'll share today. Generally though, responsible pet ownership is the key. We're up to over a 40% increase in the number of animals being turned over to our shelter, so that's almost a thousand a month. So, adoptions and again, responsible pet ownership are really key to keeping that population fundamentally in track.

And then last, as an item today, you will see, which is important, the application for Fulton County Executive Airport to have its own fire services. We're well down that road in terms of planning, funding, operationalizing and staffing, but we have the necessity to reestablish ourselves, if you will, with certification from the state. So Joe Barriswain will cover that. Steve, turn it over to you.

Great. Thank you, County Manager. Steve Neraki, Strategy Office. Can we go to the first slide please? Can we advance to the next one? Great, thanks. One more. Go to slide five please. Can we advance please? Next slide, next slide.

One more please. Alright, great. We'll start with our, excuse me, we'll start with our justice system scorecard where you'll see we have stayed mostly consistent for each measure relative to last month. First, we'll start with the average length of stay where we did see a one day decrease down to forty eight days. Moving to the jail population unindicted without other charges, you'll see that did maintain at sixteen percent, So no change there.

The clearance rate for felony criminal cases did decrease by four percent down to seventy eight percent for the month of November. But we did see improvements for felony cases disposed within one hundred and eighty and three sixty five days, up 94% over the month respectively. Next slide. We'll now go to our jail population update. As the county manager mentioned, we are holding fairly steady month over month with our average jail population seeing 2,966 for the month of November.

We did do a one day snapshot in December on the seventh and that number was 2,921 with 45 inmates on the floor. Next slide. We can go to the next. Here we have the one day snapshot for the length of stay for currently incarcerated inmates. As of December 2 on this report, 2,969 inmates or 50% have been incarcerated for ninety days or less while about 16% are incarcerated for greater than one year.

And again these numbers have been fairly consistent month over month. The average duration for currently incarcerated inmates is two zero five days, which is a one day improvement compared to last month. Next slide. Next is the facility utilization update for the jail population. And the county manager mentioned this, I'll stress again, the information on this slide is as of December 8, so several days before the fire at Rice Street.

So these numbers do not reflect the current situation. You can see though as of last week there were two zero four vacant beds. This represents the completion of 7 South Blitz where the sheriff's office was preparing to occupy that space. But as the county manager said, Mr. Davis will give an update on the bed moves required post damage last week from the fire.

Next slide. Next we have the inmate analysis of our jail population. 71% or 2,073 inmates are either indicted or accused or both indicted and accused, while 16% remain unindicted. We can go to the next slide for a breakdown. Here we've got the aging of our unindicted population in the jail.

Sixty seven percent or three twenty two inmates have been unindicted for ninety days or less. And I'll note, we've continued a few months now where there are no inmates unindicted greater than one year. Next slide. We'll look now at the county funded ankle monitoring program where you'll see we have currently five fourteen participants in the program. Go to the next slide.

Looking at the six month rolling participation, you'll see there is a decline of 58 monitors being used between the October number of five seventy two down to five fourteen for the month of November. We are still holding roughly steady though in terms of the percent of monitors that are in use less than one year and greater than one year. So fifty eight percent and forty two percent respectively. Next slide. And last, we'll close with the update on the diversion center.

Again, great news. As mentioned, we have hit a high watermark for monthly diversions in November with two twenty four. Looking at the policing jurisdictions on this slide, you'll see that Atlanta leads with a 145 followed by MARTA and our Fulton County Police Department. We've got six other cities represented along with two universities, Georgia Tech and Georgia State, and also have the Georgia World Congress Center. Next slide.

And here we have go back one, seventeen please. Thanks. Here we have the diversions by charge. So again, staying with the month of November, the 02/24, we do continue to see criminal trespass and disorderly conduct as the two most prevalent charges for individuals brought into the diversion center. And I want to call out, while not in the report right now, we are working with Grady leadership at the diversion center to build out a report around the outcomes.

So focusing on the programs and services that individuals have received. So looking to have that in our January report next month. Go to the next slide, thanks. And last now we'll shift to year to date data for the diversion center. You'll see here we've had as of the November twelve eighty three diversions.

Looking at the charts on the right for the twenty twenty five year to date diversions, you'll see there has been a pretty significant upward trend since September where we were at 104 up to 159 in October and again up to two twenty four in November. You'll see below that for the daily census that trend matches almost exactly where in September we had only an average daily census of three and have now ended at census of eight for November. And then shifting over to the pie chart on the right, these numbers have also held fairly consistent month over month where 72% have completed programming with 6% discharged to the hospital. So that marks seventy eight percent which would be considered a successful diversion. And with that I can take any questions.

All right, are there questions? Commissioner Barrett.

Thank you, mister chairman. Thank you for the report, Naraki. Just a quick question on the first of all, it's great to see the numbers on the diversion center heading in the right direction, although eight is still pretty low. Just as a reminder, how many can we, you know, really take in a day?

The max is 40.

Okay. So we're, we still have a long way to go.

Still a

way to go.

Do we feel like we've done like, is this because we've educated more of the police officers? Is that really what's happening do you think?

I think there's a great example of education to the policing jurisdictions. You can see if we go back to slide two, I think it's 16, MARTA had a significant increase. They were in the single digits month over month and then diversion center staff went and met with the MARTA Police Force and you can see like within a month it shot up from single digits to 32. So communicating, educating that outreach, it is showing that it's paying dividends there.

Okay. And so, know, obviously the goal among other things is to, one of the goals I should say is to have less people booked into the jail. And so, when do you expect to start seeing a correlation between diversion center numbers and booking numbers?

That's a good question. I don't know that we've been able to tie a direct line to diversions to jail population probably because they are on the lower side, two twenty four diversions relative to a jail population of 3,000. Hopefully though, kind of to your point Commissioner, as we start to get higher into that cap is when you may see a better correlation for increased diversions to lower jail population. I think something that we're exploring right now, and the county manager alluded to this right now, is we're looking at moving into our jail program, what are some of the major levers we need to pull in the overall planning of that lower jail population is one of them. And so if that means increasing diversions, whether it's at the diversion center, whether it's increased ankle monitor use or all the other strategies out there, I think we really need to re up on leaning in to what those initiatives can be.

Let me just add to that because I think your question's great. I don't know that I could say that this is statistically significant because it's one month, but if you looked back at page seven, it's nineteen twenty five are the numbers coming in, seventeen forty six were the numbers in November. So it's almost 200 and there's 200 diversions. So and it's going in the right direction and we netted 58. But you know, it's still it's at the margin, but I think the question is right on. And I'm hopeful that they do continue, you know, if this goes up then bookings go down and the releases stay about the same, we could start to make some significant progress.

Yeah, mean it's obviously the goal. So thank you. And I think if we can continue to make that correlation and sort of recognize that the numbers are sort of intertwined however small they are right now, you know I think it's good information for the public who I think is very much encouraging us to continue to work on diversion efforts across the board. I had one other question about the jail and it might be more of a dream question, don't really know. It's sort of a combo question I think.

Okay. Given the situation with the fire and you mentioned the housing unit being the one that was just finished 7 South being used to evacuate the folks from 7 North too. I think it brings up for me the question of and I'm kind of directing it to both of you at the moment. But I think that it it it begs the question for me of what is the plan should something because they got sort of weirdly lucky that that whole unit was available. I hate to say lucky because it was a bad situation. But what's the plan should something like this happen again? Do we have

Commissioner Barrett, excuse me for one second. I would like to make a point of order for there to be quiet when a commissioner has the floor. What's your point of I can't hear you. My point of order is that there are other commissioners loud convening with their staff while a commissioner has the floor. And it's disturbing.

I'm saying. Commissioner Service.

Continue.

Thank you. So what I'm I'm wondering is what's the is there sort of a standard, guess, and this is maybe a mister Neraki, mister Anderson question about what how many sort of available beds you should have avail you know, in case of an emergency like this where some beds go offline for whatever reason, whether it's fire or something else. Is there sort of a standard number from an industry perspective? And then the secondary question is do we have that? Because again, this was sort of a weirdly fortunate situation that the next door block was available with seven South being available and seven North had a problem. And I

know that's not going to

happen sort of automatically if there's a next time. So that I'm just sort of wanting to make sure we're future proofing here.

Good morning commissioners. We've been advised that the standard for beds in reserve if you will is ultimately related to the needs for classification And the Sheriff's Office has indicated that that number is 15% of your total number of beds. But in terms of fallback space, if you will, in the event of an emergency, it's a little bit difficult to determine what that need is as emergencies may span from small to large in terms of the number of impacted inmates. But during my report, I will go into a little bit more detail as it relates to the bed count and what was affected by the fire and essentially where that leaves the sheriff's office in terms of available bed space.

I appreciate that. I think the other thing is, know, and I don't know and perhaps we haven't, this is a question, you know, not not me making a statement, but I would assume we also need if we don't have a full sort of evacuation plan, what happens if the whole building, you know, needs to be evacuated? Where do we move the inmates to in a scenario like that? So does that exist or do we need to work on that?

That would be a sheriff's office responsibility. So I'm I have not reviewed their evacuation plan, but we certainly could ask and bring it back. I mean, it's very timely now.

It just seems, yeah, that the fire sort of brought that all to light and and again thankfully we did not have to do that in this scenario and also thankfully everybody is okay that got through that. But I don't know, mister Neraki, did you have anything to add on? Okay. Thank you guys. Appreciate it.

Commissioner Thorne.

Thank you. When you look at the length of stay for the currently incarcerated, it says we have an average duration of two hundred and five days. What is the goal to get down to?

I'm not sure that there is a target, Commissioner Thorne. I know for average length of stay where we're tracking those that have exited the jail versus the two zero five days is a snapshot of those currently in. That has a national court standard of thirty days. I don't know off top of my head what a national standard would be for those currently incarcerated, but I can look into that.

Okay. If you can find that out, that'd I be knew the thirty days Right. Which you have people who kinda come in, they maybe stay a few hours bond out. Exactly. That's why that number goes low. Exactly. But this two hundred five days is the one where the people are staying Yes, ma'am. Overnight.

Yes, ma'am.

And I think that's a crucial number. If there is a target, maybe there maybe there isn't. And then I was wondering if you could kind of give the listening public the reason we have electronic monitoring in place, just a little background on that on because I hear so many things that there are people with $25 bonds and they can't they're in our jail and clogging our jail because they can't afford bond. But we instituted this electronic monitoring program in 2023.

That sounds right. Right.

And we put a cap of about 1,500 where the county pays for it. Whereas in the past, the individual would have to pay for it.

Correct.

But this is this electronic monitoring, think it's crucial that the public knows that we have it available.

Correct. Do you want me to expand on

anything? Yeah. You wanna expand on any way?

It's right. So these monitors are largely applied currently at first appearance. So when individuals are going through and they're assigned by a magistrate judge working on behalf of the superior court. And so that's really the primary path to getting assigned an ankle monitor previously during ORCA, so which would have been during that 2023 timeframe because we closed that out at the 2024. The DA's office and the public defender's office were holding a regular scheduled meeting.

I forget if it was biweekly, twice a month, but there was some regular cadence. And these were to review consent bond, what are called consent bonds. And what they would consent to is a release and then have an ankle monitor applied to those individuals. So that was two paths that were running concurrently and probably why we saw a significantly larger amount of usage back then. Since ORCA has ended, the meetings between the public defender's office and the DA's office have ceased.

And so I think that's kind of limited the pipeline of monitors that are being applied. But we certainly encourage usage. I mean any strategy again to reduce the jail population for those appropriate that shouldn't really be in the jail. Yes ma'am.

Vice Chair Ellis. Yeah I wanted to follow-up on actually what you just said. We've had a clear focus on trying to, through the use of diversion and other techniques, to reduce a jail population. And this electronic monitoring thing was something specifically that we changed the way that we operate with that in order to drive down the jail population. And it appeared to have a high degree of effectiveness for a period of time.

Now, I'm not seeking to question all the parties involved in this, but one could look at this now and say it's becoming a neglected tool by the justice system when we see the use of it go down from $7.26 to $5.14. And we've got a cap on this of like 1,400 or $1,500

And

specifically noting that in the six months or less category, maybe you would expect it to fall off in some of the higher category because people would have looked at it and said, Okay, they don't need it, whatever. But to see that number fall off in six months or less in a year or less is kind of somewhat concerning. And to hear you say that two parties were meeting when we had a program and now they're not meeting now, I don't think the program should have anything to do with whether parties are meeting and working to utilize a tool that could get people out of being incarcerated and move into a monitoring situation if they were indeed eligible for it. So I don't know how we garner some more insight into that and get some sort of assurances that this is a tool that's effectively being utilized by the justice partners. But I do think that's critical because this is a material drop off.

Then if there are legitimate reasons for it, then okay, that's fine. But to hear say, okay, we've got two key parties in the equation which are no longer having regular contact, that's a high degree of concern. So I don't know how we break that. I just want to sort of broach it and perhaps we could have the public defender come down and talk with us. Perhaps you all can just go back and encourage those meetings to reform and take place etcetera. Thank you.

Commissioner Harrington.

Thank you for your presentation. I don't know that we're tracking or maybe I didn't see it, but we were up over 3,000 inmates at one point. And, we got down to 2,500 or less than 2,500.

Early last year, yes sir.

And, now we're back up to 3,000.

Just under.

So, all those other numbers are really irrelevant if we're back up to 3,000. Coming in, going out, this and that, we're back at 3,000. What what is the plan to get back below 3,000 back to 2500? Because, I mean, we can we can track all of this ankle monitor in, out, average length of stay.

Total

population is the problem. Right? And so, where do we where where is that slide? Where is the total population slide that shows our high point, our low point, and where we are today? That's the slide I would like to see. Because otherwise, it doesn't matter. And I'm not I'm not trying to belittle you. I'm just saying if if we're back at 3,000 and we went down to 2,500 and we're back at 3,000, there's a problem.

Right.

Or, at least we need to acknowledge that we're back at 3,000, right? Because, I mean, at the end of the day, that's the problem, right? And so, all these other numbers are good, but if we're not tracking the total population, that that that's the the number I believe that counts the most. Right? And so, need to be looking at that over time because that should be guiding our budget.

Right? What were we doing to get it down to 2,500? Right? Right. What additional staffing did we have? I need to see the staffing chart to go there with that. I need to see the DA and the public defender staffing chart to go with that. Right? Because if we took staff away, if they lost worker, if they lost the temporary positions and now we're going back up by another 500 inmates, that should inform and guide us as we're looking at our making our budget decisions. Right?

Wow. We had 50 DAs and we got it down to 2,500. Now, we got 30 DAs and we're back up to 3,000 inmates. Those are the type of numbers that I need to see to help me. Right. Some people probably already know what they want to do. They just want to deny any budget request no matter what. I want the numbers. I want the numbers to dictate the decisions that we make. And I I would hope that others would want the numbers and the data to dictate those decisions as well.

So, I'm thankful for your report. It's it's good, but we're back up to 3,000 inmates. That that's the that's the long and short of all those slides you just presented. We're back up to 3,000 inmates. And so, now we need to be thinking, what are we going to do to get back down below 3,000 inmates? Right? How do we get back to 2,500? How do we get down to 2,000? And what budgetary priorities do we need to make in order to get there? And you may have some ideas or some recommendations, but, you know, all of this other stuff is is good background information.

But what matters the most is the total number of inmates in the system. And and what are the driving factors that helped us get it down before? And what are your recommendations to help drive it back down? That's the information I need. Thank you.

Yep. Commissioner Ivory? I'm so thankful for this conversation. Thank you, Commissioner Arrington, and thank you, Vice Chair Ellis, for the comments that you both just made about the electronic monitoring numbers and about the correlation between the budget and lessening the population of the jail. And of course, thank you for your report which we had an opportunity to talk about extensively yesterday.

I had an extensive meeting with the executive leadership team yesterday about question of what worked before when we had a crisis and what could work again. And, it incorporated both of your comments which seems to say that our jail issue should not be a political issue. It should just be about figuring out how to lessen the population of the inmates in the jail so we can get to fixing the jail problem. And, much of what we discussed yesterday felt so hopeful for that. And so, want to thank the entire executive team, county managers, CFOs, COO, finance team for sitting with my team and allowing us the opportunity to talk through those options because we talked about the ORCA money.

We talked as a budget item, Commissioner Arrington, and how that could be a true trigger for bringing down the population. We talked about utilizing the ankle monitoring program in a way that we had in the past that showed those results. So, I am so grateful to hear with no early conversations, without you all even knowing we had that meeting, that there are these ideas that we as a body could agree to and probably start trying to come to some cohesive agreement about doing something about the jail that should not be a political issue. So, I feel I feel happy. I feel a moment of wow, this may be something that we actually can sit down and work together and fix.

So, I'm grateful for your report. I'm grateful for your openness for that meeting and for many more to come and for what I believe is a consensus of us understanding that we may already have the solutions in our hands if we can just get together to pass them. So thank you.

Vice Chair Ellis.

Yeah and I, one thing I wanted to emphasize though that we have an existing tool, which we have funded, that we don't need to put any more budgetary dollars into. We are, in fact, we are underutilizing. And we're looking we see the total population, and that's provided to us, you know, two nine two one right now. Right. Right? And we've seen I do think all this other data is not you know, it's it's it's very useful. It is very telling because that number is 2921. Electronic monitoring's 700 up here in June, and it's 500 now. That's 200 something people. Okay?

That gets you halfway there. It was about a thousand when we started the year. Right? Maybe? Around.

Okay. I mean, but it's been There's your number. It's been a

You're at you're at 2500. Right. So this is not even a without doing anything from a budgetary standpoint, by utilizing this tool potentially, you're right back at it. And so and candidly, I mean, we can't control that. I mean, that's that requires the other parties involved to take action and utilize it. So we need some sort of feedback back about whether or not what's the utility

of

this.

Right. The effectiveness.

And, you know, if the utility is it's only gonna be 500 people, we need to understand and understand that and adjust. I mean, don't need to fund it if that's if that's not the case. But I mean, if it was, you know, if it was working before, you know, maybe it shouldn't have been at this, but maybe it shouldn't be down here. That's just low hanging fruit. But we don't we've set up the impetus for it to occur, but we cannot, you can't make it occur and we can't make that occur. So I do think we need some feedback from the core judicial partners on this particular program and the extent to which we are funding it.

Yes, sir. Alright. Anything else? Nope. Thank you, chairman. Alright. Continue.

Good morning again, commissioners. Joseph Davis, real estate and asset management. If you can forward to the jail blitz section of the presentation. So as of November 27, we have completed 10 of 11 housing units assigned to phase one of the jail blitz program representing 91% of all housing areas. As you can see, we are currently on Area 3 South, which is critical for housing residents that require both physical and behavioral health attention.

We are projecting the completion of phase one at January 2020 excuse me, it's a typo here, January 2026, where we will then quickly move into phase two, which will be 6 South and 6 North sometime in the 2026. I think it's important to note that this report was compiled as of last Thursday. Unfortunately, we all are aware of the fire that occurred on Housing Unit 7 North, whereby the residents that were assigned to that area were evacuated to 7 South. We have extensive damage. I've been working directly with the jail complex since January 2006, And I have to admit that over the years and the innumerable fires that have occurred, this is probably the most significant in terms of damage to the area.

Housing Unit 600 On 7 North, we have extensive damage not only to the area where the fire was set, the shower, but extreme smoke that covered all surfaces in the area, as well as the flames reaching up to the ceiling, burning through the ceiling tiles, affecting wiring and mechanical equipment. We've begun the initial restoration work in terms of simple wipe downs and assessing, but we have a great deal more work to do, particularly on the engineering side as we determine what mechanical systems are impacted and will need to be replaced as a part of the recovery effort. Next slide please. Again, as of last week when this report was compiled, we were at a total of three thirty one beds out of service due to maintenance. We had returned two twenty four sales to service since our last report.

Now that number goes back to over 500 as a result of last Friday's fire. Next slide please. This is an overview of jail maintenance performance. There were 1,605 work orders issued in the month of November. 71% of those were completed.

There were also 228 work orders that were issued in November that were completed in the month of December going through December 10 for an effective completion of November work orders of 85%. We also had 337 preventive maintenance work orders scheduled with 82% of those being completed. We have a grand total of 1,021 work orders that are currently open with 553 of those in areas 6 North and 6 South, which are upcoming blitz areas that must be unoccupied in order for the work to commence. At the bottom of the slide, you see a graphical presentation of a three month overview of work orders to give an idea of how they come in and how many are being completed over time. We also have in the bottom right corner, just a graphical representation of the overall backlog.

We are trending downward at least in this particular cycle from October to November. The goal is to have those trend down even further. Next slide please. As you can see, the board approved several critical repairs and upgrades to the jail facility. The first one here on the list is probably most pertinent at this moment in time.

Board approved $723,000 to upgrade the jail's fire alarm system. That work was completed in August. We have begun subsequently another project to address the field devices, that's smoke detectors, strobe lights, things of that nature, sensors that began on September 29. We have completed roughly of the installation of field devices, nine of the 13 housing units. We're still going back and forth doing some troubleshooting to eliminate any potential issues, but we are projecting April for that work to be completed.

I think it's important to note that because of, the fire that we had in the jail this past week, the fire alarm system that was recently installed did the work that it was supposed to do. Personally, being on-site, we were able to see the head in, the areas that were impacted and the system reporting those, the sprinkler system activated. So the fortunate thing here is that the board's action to address this deficiency resulted in the system working as it should and ultimately to save lives. We completed the installation of padded cells at the South Annex. We completed the approved kitchen equipment.

We have two new washers on order that will be installed by December 21 at the main jail. And as you can also see, we have an elevator monetization RFP that closed on December 4 that's currently in evaluation. And that's the end of the report and I'll take any questions.

All right, questions?

Mr. Chairman, if I could just say kudos to Joe Davis. I've never seen anyone that is as committed to our facilities, always on-site, no matter what the time of of day. And, Joe, I wanna thank you for your leadership on-site. Also, we did talk to the insurance commissioner, John King, I did the day after, and then the chairman, the county attorney and I talked to him on Monday. And he was very complimentary of the staff that works directly with them, particularly on the implementation of these enhancements. And of course, his investigation is ongoing and Sue has assured his attorney that we stand ready to provide any and all information.

So are you going to say anything else about the fire?

I think because it's an ongoing investigation, any other information would be secondhand information and not formal. So, I'd prefer that either be answered Will by the sheriff's

we

receive a written report from the because I did have a conversation with the insurance commissioner, as the managers indicated. And will we receive a written report from him after he finishes his investigation of what really happened?

Yes. That is their standard protocol, and we would review that jointly with all parties involved and then, of course, forward it to the board.

And, have you had any direct conversations with the insurance commissioner about the fire?

I have not had direct conversations with the insurance commissioner himself. I have had conversations with the deputy chief who actually was on-site with the arson investigation team and it was essentially to fact find.

The arson investigation is ongoing.

That is correct. It began that night.

Anything else? Thank you. Continue.

Alright. We'll move to, animal services. And again, Mike will be presenting this and has done a terrific job organizing us, of course, for the direct responsibility. Byrne Sawyer, you know, is the division chief. Captain Dwyer is, in Fulton County Police and will be handling field operations for this. Court shows Paris Wang runs EMA and has overall responsibility. So Mike, if you'll guide us through and then we've got everyone here for question and answer.

Okay. Can we go to Slide 27 please? Mike Berwicki, Strategy and Performance Management. Again, to be here today to give you guys an update on the Lifeline and Animal Services project. Actually, again, as the kind of manager introduced everybody, the team here has worked hard between the Fulton County Police Department, Animal Services, purchasing, finance department to make this request for the amendment and the renewal of the contract come together.

So first, I'd like to actually highlight a couple of things about the renewal. So today, on the agenda, further down, you will actually have two agenda items for the lifeline contract. One is an amendment, which will actually change the KPIs of the terms that we have come up with. The other one will actually be the renewal of the contract for the FY 2026. With those requests, we just want to remind you that all of these costs that are in here are actually costs that are paid by our partners in our municipalities and our cities.

So it's a shared cost. And with these contract negotiations, what we actually expect the benefits to be is, again, is improved public safety. We've looked for enhanced delivery of services for our field services and shelter services. And we've looked for how we can actually make stronger management through the Fulton County Police with some of our services. Next slide, please.

What we actually want to highlight for you guys here is this is your contract terms that we're actually looking at for compensation with this. For FY 2025, the contract amount was $9,352,000 With the negotiations, what we've actually done is look for 2026. We have taken field services and actually moved that to the Fulton County Police Department. Therefore, we reduced the compensation for Lifeline Animal Services, and that new amount for Lifeline would be 7,440,000. With that, there is a difference of about $1,900,000 That $1,900,000 will actually be transferred over to the Fulton County Police Department to actually operate our field services and allows us to stay within the current budgets that the cities have agreed to us through their MOU for animal services.

Services. Next slide, please. As part of the contract negotiations, what we've actually done is created a series of updates to the scope of work and to key performance metrics and indicators for lifeline. And with this, I want to just highlight just a few of these as we go through that. First is that, we will only accept animals that are owned or found in Fulton County.

If we, for any reason, know that the animal came from a different jurisdiction outside of Fulton County, those animals will not be accepted according to the terms. All animals that are adopted will be spayed or neutered, as they go out, for services, or to be adopted through any of our, partners, unless there is a medical issue that a veterinarian says that that animal cannot be spayed or neutered. That would be the only reason. We will actually have facility repairs and requests designated in a timely fashion that they will use a specific system that we have set up for them through our contractors to make sure repairs are timely and they're done completely and we can track that. We've also added in here that there will be six hosted events in coordination with commissioner's offices and external affairs throughout the community that we will allow for adoption events.

And Lifeline will work with us to coordinate those with your offices. Next slide. Next part of the scope of work is staffing levels. We have agreed to the terms with Lifeline that for shelter services, they will maintain 90% staffing levels. If at any point in time those staffing levels go below that over ninety days in the time period, the county then has the right to review that with them and find out what that is and create a corrections plan for them.

We will actually have a save rate for our animals. It will be a minimum of 85% on average, for a save rate for all of our animals. They will also ensure that 100% of their staffing is all trained within ninety days all protocols and, operations of the facility. Also as part of this, another change is facility damage. If there are any staff or volunteers that, create any damage, the lifeline has to report that damage within forty eight hours, 95% of the time.

And then they will be if there are any costs associated with those damages, we would actually take that out of their next payment in the next month cycle. Another item that we have actually added to the contract is data accuracy for reporting purposes. With that, Lifeline will ensure us that when they enter the data into the system, that 90% of the time that data will be accurate. We can track the changes because now we have access directly to the system and see what changes are being made to make sure that we're getting timely reports, they're accurate, and we can report that out publicly. Next slide.

With this, again, as part of this, the transfer of field services will be to the Fulton County Police Department. And what I want to actually do is introduce Captain Dwyer and let her give an opportunity to give an update on this transfer.

Good morning, commissioners. Nikki Dwyer with Fulton County Police Department. We're very excited, to have this transition taking place. Today is day one. We have been working, animal cruelty cases, for about the past year throughout Fulton County.

We've worked over a 100 investigations, numerous search warrants. Through that, we have seen that a lot of these animal cruelty cases involve domestic violence, child abuse, gang activity, drug activity, so there's a need for for law enforcement. So this is gonna allow us to, make improvements. So we're gonna have 26 civilian animal control officers and four sworn officers, including myself. So there's going to be more officers on the street, quicker response time for priority calls.

Also, gonna focus on educating the public, educating them first and then if there's continual, violations, then we'll go the law, route to take action. Also, we did meet with all city managers and spoke about the transition and the goals that we have to improve services and also gave them contact information if there are any instances or anything they need help with, they can reach out immediately. And then also, have them share information with their constituents about realistic response times. A lot of citizens believe that when they call for a loose dog that an animal control officer should be there in ten minutes like a law enforcement officer. But just like law enforcement, we have priority one, two, three calls.

If there's an injured animal, if there's a dog attack, then there's forty five minutes to respond. So they also took that back to their constituents, so there's just a better line of communication and a better, you know, expectations are are made. And also we wanna encourage, responsible pet ownership. A lot of these attacks that we've had, a lot of issues come from irresponsible pet ownership. You know, the fence is faulty.

They know their dogs are aggressive. They let them run, whatever the case may be. So we are gonna work towards making that better and also training of the officers. Better training, work on report writing, cruelty investigations, situational training, also their communication with the public. Something as simple as if their, public calls in and there's a dog at large, the animal control officer shows up on scene and picks the animal up, then the complainant is calling back saying, animal control never reached back out to them. Something as simple as just calling the complainant and saying, we picked that dog up. Okay.

Okay. Next slide, please. As part of this process improvement, what we wanted to do, again, as Captain Dwyer and the County Manager noted is we had meetings with each of the cities in terms of South And North Fulton, providing them information, again, up that communication line with them to ensure they can trust us and they can communicate with us as to what is going on with field services. So what we actually did is we have created a Fulton County page that is available to each of the cities. The city managers have access to this.

Their staff has access to this. This actually gives them the details on what is occurring with field services. So each of the cities, as you can see from this, actually the top has a link that what they can go into specifically, see the details on field services calls, which actually would include, again, number of calls overall, the response times for those calls, for those priority areas that Captain Dwyer mentioned, the types of calls that are being called in. Is it a stray animal? Is it something that is somebody's lease barking?

Those types of items. Locations of the calls are actually mapped out for them so they can see where those calls are actually occurring at. And actually, additional information that they ask for, which will be available for them on a regular basis that they can routinely see, go in and get updated on. Okay? Next slide. Again, with some of those things, we get improved communications with our partners. I also want to kind of talk to you guys about animal population. Part of the reason why we're here today is this renewal. Our shelter population is key for us to keep that under control. We believe that Lifeline does do a good job in terms of the shelter operations specifically.

And just to give you guys some facts here. Total population is higher than what was predicted in our initial studies. I know we've said this several times in the past, but again, it does have a very big factor on how we look at things and what we've been able to manage and keep within compliance with. The original study said that we would have about four seventy six animals with the new shelter. Current trends actually show us being about five forty six animals.

So again, it's about a 14% increase in the shelter population that we're dealing with. But we also have another population that is out there that is not in that shelter, and that is about we have about 700 dogs that are in foster care. So in total, we have about 1,300 animals that are in our care, for the county. And that again, 1,300. That's a large number. And more than half of that is out with families in our communities. And I have to actually commend the families that are out there. I've done it in the past for fostering. Making that commitment, bringing that animal into your household is a big deal and getting them to keep those animals safe. Next slide, please.

So with animal intakes and adoptions, as the county manager mentioned, the numbers are astounding as to how many animals are coming in monthly. So there's been a 41% increase over the past twenty four months of the number of animals that we're intaking. Again, by the end of the year, we'll be about a little over 11,000 animals that are coming in. That's 1,000 almost 1,000 a month. So Lifeline has been working hard to get those animals either into foster care, get them through the adoption process, and that's kind of helped us to stay and stabilize some of our shelter populations as well as we can.

And how they've done that, again, foster is a big, huge part of that. On average, nationally, if a dog goes into a foster population or a foster home, about 75% of the time, that family ends up adopting. So again, having that network through Lifeline is key for us to getting those animals into safe homes. Adoption rates have also increased for us. We went from one hundred and sixty two in November 2023 to currently in November 2025.

That's 211% increase up to that five zero four. Again, I think that shows hard work and commitment as to what we've been doing to get those animals adopted. Next slide. Another item that we wanted to kind of give you guys an update on, we know that there's been talk about case resolutions for those dogs that are on holds in our animal shelter. We wanted to let you know that we are meeting on a regular basis.

We have been discussing options as to what we can do to move forward with some of these. We've met with state court, magistrate court, county attorney, the solicitor general, Fulton County Police Department to think about ideas. Through some of these discussions, what we've actually come up with is magistrate court is willing to actually listen and hear motions for the disposition of evidence, which basically means once the evidence is disposed of in terms, we can actually either go out and get that animal adopted or fostered and let them go out and be with the family if needed. Then the county attorney's office has agreed to work with us also at drafting up language for the motions that we need to deliver to the defendants along with looking at the county ordinance to see what changes that we can make that can help us speed up the process. And they're in that process currently.

We've also discussed options with the state court as to what they can do. And they are looking at, again, establishing an accountability court that people that are going through this process could be part of. They're looking at the use of judicial officers or establishing some specific animal related calendars. Then, with the solicitor general, what we've talked with them about in this process, they've requested three additional positions to help out with these type of environmental cases. And just to note, there are about five fourteen cases that are pending.

Not all are in the shelter, but there are about four fifty animal cases. And what we would do is, part of the budget process, we're looking at recommending two positions out of the three that he requested. But some of this stuff is going into place right now. Captain Dwyer has taken some of the motions that the county attorney has drafted up for us, walked that through with the solicitor general. The solicitor general signed off on that, and now that motion has been submitted to the court. So we are putting some of those into place to start to speed up some of those larger cases. Next slide. And we're here for any questions that you guys have.

All right. Commissioner Arrington?

Thank you. I guess I'm trying to understand how the response time is going to be better, like, going to another northern city. What is the plan? Are we gonna have people position in North Fulton or in Atlanta? I mean, because Fulton County Police is primarily in unincorporated South Fulton. So what is the plan for distribution of people throughout the county in order to bring response times down?

So there will be more officers as well as officers are located at the shelter but then everyone has their own zone that they go to and so there are officers that are assigned to the North South everywhere in between so that they can respond quickly to calls versus coming all the way from the South to go north.

Alright. And I know the technology exists because I use it on my phone when I use DoorDash and Uber. Will the cities be able to track the officers as they're moving? Will they be able to see live? Like, can when I order food on my phone, I can see them going to the location and I can see them coming to my house. Do we have that capability? Will we be making that available to our cities?

I don't believe so at this time.

Well that seems the best way to track.

So there is a, excuse me Commissioner. So we are gonna start, so we do have AVL now or that's gonna be a part of the police warrant is that they'll be taking over what they call the CAD side, the dispatch side, all that other stuff. So now every officer will have a device, let's just say like the police department does, where we can actually see them real time responding to these calls. The cities wouldn't have access to it, but we will actually. So I know the police department, Cabinet Dwyer has been managing them for over a month now. And we've seen improvements already in time with a short short of staff, but still we're seeing improvements in response time just because redeployments of the assets. They're they're it's a different style of management and just in the first thirty days, we've seen huge improvements already.

Well, I I would challenge us to work with technology because if I make a call about a dog bite, I'm more worried about seeing that and when it's coming and when the response is coming than I am about getting food. Right? The technology is out there. It's real simple. It shouldn't be that hard for us to have if someone makes a call, we ought to have an app and it ought to be the same. Right? Like, I mean, this is 2025. We should be able to track the person that makes the call should be able to track it. The city should be able to track it. We should be able to track it. We should see it real time. McDonald's does it.

Yeah. Sometimes, unfortunately, we have some bad players out there that were that set up set up that officer for something bad to happen. So, if you're seeing, now you know when that officer's gonna get there. So, there are some issues with knowing the officer's locations at all the time. But, yeah, we could definitely look at how we make it more efficient for sure through the dispatch process.

Yeah, I just think if someone makes a call because there's a dog and someone's been bitten, they should have the benefit of being able to see that someone is being dispatched and that they're on the way and that they should be able to get real time updates about their arrival of that officer or the help or whoever it is.

That's what an undecided citizen says. Same thing about EMS. I called the ambulance. I didn't know how long I was gonna get there. They wanted to see it in real time.

I I agree. It should I mean, that's a technology thing. Right? It's it's out there. Everybody's using it. Everybody's using it but us.

Yeah. So so let us look into that, commissioner Arrington, and get back to you on what possibly could be options if it is possible.

Thank you.

Commissioner Thorne?

It says slide 29 on your contract scope of work and key performance indicators slide. The second one down says follow agreed upon shelter capacity limits. Could you expand on that a little bit more?

So through the shelter capacity what originally was projected to be four seventy nine dogs, we actually worked with Lifeline through animal services going out and discussing what is the possibility for what the maximum population is. The maximum population really truly is based off of the number of available kennels, size of dogs and multiple things that equate into that. So some of the items that we will have kind of a scale as to that will swing back and forth depending on, again, size of dogs, how many dogs could be in the same kennel together, and we can give you a little bit more detail on that. But we've worked through that process. Vern specifically walked through with Lifeline to determine exactly what those numbers could possibly look like.

Okay, so say if there's a hypothetical situation and there's a dangerous dog, you're you're still gonna pick up the dog and take it to the shelter even if you're over capacity.

Correct? Yes. There would still be that, and then they would look to see. There there actually is a plan. There will be so many kennels left for situations where there would be a a situation like that where we need a space. So there are actually logged to have some, like, the things like nine spaces kennels that would be available for those types of things.

Great. Great. Thank you. And then on the field services pages for cities, can we click on city, say Chattahoochee Hills, and we can see the number of calls or and all all the information that's below there. Could see for each individual city parsed out. Correct?

What we've done is made those internal pages for the city so they can view that information. Again, it's always in draft form to know as we're going through this. So those cities can see exactly how many calls have been received, how many calls may have been canceled due to that, where the location of those calls are, how that call came in. Was it by a landline, was it a mobile phone, was it 911, was it self reported, the types of locations of those calls, exactly where those locations were at with addresses and all of the information on the call.

Okay. But only the cities, the public can't

Yeah. It's only the cities. Only the cities at this point in time have access to that. Okay. There's information in there that may not be publicly available, and we'd have to review that if if we did wanna make it public to make sure that no information is released that cannot be.

Okay. Great. Great. And welcome Captain Dwyer to your first day on the on the job, how appropriate. Is there repeat offenders? Do we track repeat offenders and is there consequences that increase with a repeat offender?

Yes. So we track them all. Initially we start with education depending on how egregious the call is. If they're repeat offenders, we will actually court hold those dogs, wait for it to go in front of a judge and then the judge decides what occurs with those dogs, whether the owner can get them back or not. And then the owners also have the option to surrender and then they become Fulton County property.

Okay. Thank you. Thank you.

Vice Chair Ellis.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am glad to see the changes that we are making. We made significant improvements to animal control with the new shelter, but we had more work to do obviously and this is a big step and I appreciate everybody leaning into what's not necessarily a topic that is sexy and interesting for a lot of people but really an important one. And I'm definitely pleased to see us taking over and making a change related to enforcement.

I had a couple of follow-up things related to at the facility in this sort of going forward changes to make sure I understand it. We're going to have our own staff embedded there daily, correct?

That is correct. Our own staff, Mr. Sawyer and Mr. Trayvon Law, will be there

Every day.

Police department, just every day.

Okay. So some of the things that probably all of us have gotten calls about, emails about related to whether it's facility, that sort of stuff, we feel like we're going to be able to address and see this a lot more real time before it bubbles up and becomes an issue.

That is correct.

That's the objective here, correct? Yes.

Okay, all right.

And then I know I'd had multiple conversations with folks, both citizens, some of you all, and with other folks about this sort of backlog, if you will, of the court cases. And I'd like to say it's good to see the action plan that you have here. I guess what my question is, do we have the funding established for two additional positions? And then also, when are we operationalizing this whole plan? I guess that's my question

right here.

What parts have we already operationalized?

So with the magistrate Court agreeing to actually hear the cases, she's already agreed to that. So that is something that we can do now. Working with the state court and the solicitor, again, as I mentioned, we've already started with terms of the implementation of the notices and getting some things on the court calendars. Captain Dwyer has already taken a lead and working through that with the solicitor general, getting them to sign off on some of the cases so they can be heard. That is already underway.

The additional positions would be something that we would come back to you guys looking at what's available in the 2026 budget and see if there's any modifications that we can do there to make that adjustment. We still will have some things we have to work out with the Solicitor General, those items. The county attorney is actively working on the ordinances as we've been going through some of these meetings, looking at our different ideas, things that we want to look at as ordinance changes. So again, that is actively being worked on today.

Okay. So with the exception of the piece with the solicitor, the other funding portions either already handled the existing stuff or they're handled via the IGA. Correct? Correct. So the southern would just be the tranche that would be related to the general fund, would be these two additional positions. And then you'll bring back and report on this plan as quarterly?

We are planning on coming back quarterly to this Board in the future at the Board's request to give updates on animal services.

Okay. So this court case resolution in some detail around that will be part of that report?

Yes. All right. Thank you. Commissioner Arrington?

I wanted to go back to the facility. And I guess my overall question is and maybe the answer is going to court and doing some of those things, but it looks like we, whoever we paid to predict the number for the facility got it wrong. And, I mean, like, how are we what plan do we have in place, I guess, to reduce the population, and or are there plans because we've got plenty of land over there. Are there plans to, you know, do a temporary facility to house more animals or the plans are, As the slide puts it, and I don't know if that's, I hate to even say it, dispose of evidence. What we're talking about is killing animals.

So to first address the first comment, so the consultants that actually did the original study were based on information that was at that point in time available to us. But the national trends have shown us that across the country, the animal populations, the number of dogs that are being put into shelters has increased dramatically. Those have made adjustments to how we have to look at some of these numbers. And that's how we've been trying to work with Lifeline, thinking different options, different adoption events, different communications. That's why we're going to be trying to promote spay and neutering, pet ownership, education, those types of things as to what we can look like to help reduce that population.

At this point in time, there has been no specific discussion on the expansion of the facilities. We'd like to see what we can do right now over the next year with the management, see what we can do to maintain that population and see performance at that point in time.

I guess I'm just worried because you're seeing the numbers really more like 1,100 or 1,300, and then half of them are being put in foster homes. So, you know, it just I don't know why we have 1,100 or 1,300 of these animals, and we will build a facility for 400 animals.

So, again, foster care nationally is a huge it has a huge impact on animals. The ability of that animal to be in a home, to socialize, be with the family, therefore, that actually makes them either more adoptable or, again, the trend is that 75% of those animals that take in that foster actually adopt that animal in the end. So again, that's a positive outcome that we're looking for. So if we have 700 animals in foster care and 75% of those will actually be adopted by those families, that's a win for us overall as a county for services.

And maybe we could ask Joe, if you could comment on some of the shelters you went and looked at in the early stages of this and how significant the population was there. And then remember, commissioner Harrington, it's grown 40% in two years. So it's the inability to forecast that much of a non sequitur nationwide. And the question is, does that level off or in the interim can we pull every other lever from adoptions to the like to try to suppress that. But Joe went and looked at it and I've forgotten the location, Joe, I'll turn that over to you. Interesting insights. So when I first took over animal service, it's been

about two years, we went to look at counties we compare ourselves in regions. Orange County, Florida, Charlotte Mecklenburg, those are two visits. And then we spoke to three other areas Pima County, Arizona, Kansas City, and some others. Orange County, for example, was in the same situation we were with our previous shelter. They started a move towards a new shelter and they went from 26,000 square feet and their current shelter that's being built right now is 100,000 square feet.

So they it'll be pretty much double our size. And we're and when our conversation with them was the same. They're starting to see a 40% to 50% uptick and they've just continued to run out of room. So they decided, well, we're going to build for what's expected over the next ten years to come into the shelter and that's what they're building right now.

Alright, I just, and I guess our jail is the same way, overpopulated. It just, you know, I'm I'm thankful that we're making these adjustments, and hopefully, they will allow us to manage the animal population better. But, you know, it just seems like we're climbing uphill. We got 1,100, 1,300 animals, and we got room for four seventy six. And that just seems crazy to me after we just built a new facility. It just, I guess it is what it is. Thank you.

One of the things I wanted to clarify, Commissioner, was when we were talking about the animals that are held, right, the what we're calling the court holds, those animals aren't the aggressive animals. Some of those are we've taken them from somebody because they were neglected by that person. So they're kind of the victim. So it's like we're holding the victim. So we've been holding some of those animals for a long period of time.

I don't know how many we have today, but let's just say we had almost 80 at one point, a 114 at max. Imagine if we could just move those animals along. That's why this quartzite is so important. That's a 114 wide open kennels that we can use today. So I think that it doesn't solve the big issue like you're saying, but at least it'll get us in the right place if we can figure out how to speed up.

Because these are are dogs that the longer they're held, the less likely they are to be adopted. So you don't the dog, once they're there a year, I mean, it's very unlikely that they're gonna come out and be adopted. So we need to figure out this court case side and move that along much quicker because that's a 114 spaces. And just to give you an idea, not every space gets one dog. So let's just say you had mama dog and she has a litter.

They try to keep those dog you know, they'll keep that family together. And so some of these dogs are housed together because they're they're related and so forth like a like a pack. So, again, if we can move this court the court situation along much quicker, we can start cycling these dogs much quicker and out to out to families that can adopt them.

Alright. Yeah. Because

Oh, disposition. I'm sorry. Because we oh, I'll go. Yeah.

You had mentioned the disposition. That's kind of a rough word. Kinda sounds like we're disposing of them. But the law calls for we can foster, adopt, or euthanize, but we're most of these, they're not euthanasia. We want these dogs to be fostered or adopted. The only euthanasia cases would be if they were a dog from an attack or something serious like that.

Thank you for that because and I know Joe didn't mean it, but he was like, yeah, we need to move him along. And I'm like, oh god, there he goes again. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you.

Alright. Commissioner Barrett.

Thank you, mister chairman. And thank you for the report mister Rookie and and supporting supporting crew back there. I just had a couple quick questions. I wasn't really going to ask this, but you brought it up, Mr. Bereswin, about the court dogs not sort of being adoptable after a period of time. And I'm aware of that situation. I just wondered if you could expand on that a little bit for the public because it's not just that they've been there a long time and then nobody wants them. It's that they are damaged by being there psychologically, correct?

Yeah. So it's imagine I hate to compare it to human, but that I mean, they're little people with fur kind of thing. So eventually, you're sitting staring at those four walls all day long. Your ability to be rehabilitated, let's just say, is only as good as if I have interaction with somebody. So someone walking them, someone caring for them, someone basically petting them.

And once they're in that court hold area, it becomes difficult for them to kind of regain that. And, you know, it's just it's sad. I mean, if you if you've been there, it's you see that they're less likely to be adopted because they've been there longer. The dogs that are in and out come in and they're adoptable, they usually get adopted pretty quick. But then you have some dogs that have just been there a long time.

And if they're waiting on this obstacle, the court system to get through, I hate to say it because the court looks at them as property. That's that's what they're that's what this is all about is the right of the person to own this piece of property and let's not just take it from them. There's a process to me taking that dog and going, this dog, you're not suitable. It's like you're not a suitable parent. There would be a process for that. You're not a suitable person to have to have this animal with you. So that process of taking that dog, that's where the delay is. And the longer that delay is because the court systems are backed up, the longer it is for the harder it is for that dog to be adopted.

Yeah. Thank you. I appreciate you expanding on that. My only other question really is for mister Wicki. On the it doesn't really matter what page it's on, when you talked about the court case resolutions, you mentioned potentially trying to move some money around budget wise for 2026 for the Solicitor General positions to try to address the court case animals. You also mentioned that the magistrate court is willing to start hearing those motions of disposition of evidence now. Is that something that that court will need additional funding for as well or I mean, she's agreeing to take on a a whole host of new cases. So what's the funding requirement there?

There is no funding requirement. All that she asked for is to make sure that the legal notices that the county attorney will work with us on that will be served to those households actually has the notice that this is your hearing and that if you do not show up, then your dog or animal will be surrendered at that point in time. And then also, again, no funding was requested from her. So when she's willing to actually add extra on Fridays, she was willing to look at if there's any possibility she has some time on Fridays, adding extra schedules to that if possible to help move things along.

Okay. Well, just shout out to everybody who's trying, you know, getting, you know, working on this together as a group. I think it's really helpful and then hopefully it doesn't turn into additional funding because as we all know we're sort of strapped. But, thank you. That's all I had.

Commissioner, I'm to Rockman.

Thank you, chairman. I just want to take the time to thank you all. I know I've worked extensively. Mister Barrissam, I remember your predecessor and county manager you remember, I actually adopted my dog and you're correct, my dog had been returned three times back to the shelter and I've had him three years now. And so, you are correct, the longer they stay. But I just if you don't mind, County Manager, I just want to give kudos. I know the three men right here are really doing a fantastic job, but I just want to do a shout out to Captain Dreyer. I am of the just utmost respect

for

you and I know your leadership with this is going to make a difference and I just want to publicly let everybody know that with you at the helm, I know that we're going to begin to see some differences. So, I just wanted not to take anything away from my three gentlemen here that we all know have done a great job especially dealing with the shelter, dealing with trying to educate the public because we can't do it by ourselves, we have to I've said it over and over again in the last five years that I've been here, we have to educate the public on spaying and neutering people nationally. This is documentation that when the economy drops, the first to fill it are the shelters because people take their dogs to the shelter. They can't feed the dog, we're going to see a tick an uptick in the dogs going to the shelter. I just would like to just go on record saying this, as a community, my office, I think we've adopted three dogs ourselves from the shelter.

And so, I would just like those that hear the challenges that we have with the overpopulation, that they can do their part. Foster, but more importantly adopt. Because we know we have the court issues and you're correct, the quicker we can move that along with county manager, you're never ever going to be able to build a big enough shelter. You're just not. What you're going to have to do is educate people on making sure that they do what they need to do with the animal control and the spaying and neutering and also with the adoption. So, thank you again three gentlemen, but girl power to Captain Dwight over there, I know she's going to do a great job.

Commissioner Thorne?

I just wanna be quick. Honestly, had no idea that we had 700 foster dogs out there out of 1,300 and I really think that we need to thank those that foster day in and day out and if we could be a part of that, I would love to show our appreciation for them. I know I have friends and neighbors that foster and they are so active on social media advertising when we have adoption days, free spay and neuter days. Those volunteers are such an instrumental part in getting the word out and advertising for us and they have a passion and it's a 100% volunteer. So, if we could do something for them, I would love to be a part of that.

I I like that you're gonna come up in the different districts and host adoption days and get us all involved on that as well. I think that's a fabulous idea to get us to interact more in the community with the people. I know I go and speak at schools, I speak to young high school students as well and they had no idea about our animal shelter up in the North because it is so far away. I don't know how much their parents appreciate me advertising that they can adopt a dog and come down to our wonderful shelter but I do think we need to get the word out and that's an excellent way of doing that. Thank you.

Alright, anything else? So just a couple questions. Number one, are there options to Lifeline?

Are there options to Lifeline? Other firms. I'll actually let the purchasing director handle that,

she handled what we did the last solicitation. Realistic options to Lifeline.

Good afternoon commissioners. As you know, we've bidded this out for the last twenty years that I've been here. We've only had one provider that has submitted our proposal to us. When I first started in 2004, we had about three, they've all gone out of business and for the last sixteen years we've only had one providers to submit a proposal to us. And as you know they also provide animal services, shelter services for DeKalb County. So there is not a lot of people with the capacity to be able to provide the service to the County.

Commissioner Ivory?

Thank you so much for that perspective on that because as you know constituents are very concerned about the fact that we only have this one option. And so I wonder if we can take a more proactive approach and actually perhaps go out and to other jurisdictions, to other states? I mean I understand, I did look at who those other you know vendors were in the years past, contractors in the years past and I know that they are no longer in business. But can we perhaps put our minds together in the next year and actively pursue how other states are doing it and see if any of these companies would be interested? And I know it's a lot for a company to expand into a new territory, but considering sort of all of the data that we have including the feeling of our constituents, it seems at least that we should pursue trying to take a proactive approach.

To Commissioner, we have taken that approach. We've done that on numerous occasions. We have tried that approach. We have talked to other jurisdictions. We have talked to other jurisdictions within the state of Georgia, Florida, neighboring, we've tried everything to get that. And remember when we advertise, we don't just advertise the Fulton County, the state of Georgia, we are advertising nationally

as well.

Okay. And so, thank you for that information. I just think perhaps maybe we can just look at that again and maybe there's something in our actions to seek out. You know sometimes when you have something in a package that seems a little prohibitive for somebody, maybe we can look at some of those factors and maybe there's one or two things that can be tweaked that would sort of open up another group of potential contractors. I don't know, you know obviously that needs to be within the constraints of everything we do, but just trying to really think about a well thought out way that we could just expand our options.

And not not because I'm suggesting we cancel anything, but I just think that our constituents would like to have some other options. Thank you.

Actually the last one we had if memory serves me correctly and it does was Barking Hound I believe.

It was the barking hound.

Before lifeline? Yes. Okay. Second thing, you brought up the magistrate court. My working group on these animals, we concluded unanimously that one simple thing would go a long ways towards solving this problem, and that is getting Judge Kirk to adjust her calendar on an annual basis, which she's agreed to do at no cost. I want to emphasize this now. No cost. And that's gonna go a long ways to solving this problem. Lastly, what can you say, if anything, about those three, high profile cases, Union City, City South Fulton, and Tuxedo?

They're all in the court process. Unfortunately the case in Union City where Donna Wynn was mauled to death, I don't think we'll ever know what dogs actually did that since there was no video footage and no witnesses. There was the case in South Fulton. We did take all three of those dogs and they were euthanized, where she was her face parts of her body were ripped off and she'll never be the same.

Is she still in Grady or is she?

She's finally out of the hospital after Where a couple

was she from? Liberia or

somewhere? She was from Niger visiting with her family she was walking with her four small grandchildren when the dogs attacked and she kept the dogs from the grandchildren.

And both of those are those, what are you called? Cane something?

Yeah. King Corsos. Yes, sir.

The third one was a tuxedo.

Yes. That's the Tyrese Gibson case. I did speak to the solicitor and we are coming to a closure on that case. Those dogs there were five King Corsos they've been removed from the county.

Okay. Alright. Thank you. Anything else? Thank you.

Alright. Last update. Joe, if you'll just provide an update on fire services at Fulton County Executive Airport.

Next

slide please.

Sorry.

So airport firefighting, we've started the process. We've been moving along. We've started purchasing equipment. We've met with the airport tenants, something highly desirable. They ask us every time we meet with them.

We've started staging equipment in anticipation for the opening of the fire station next summer, later on next summer. We've already applied for the licensing requirement for the certificate of application with the state. We've revised a interlocal agreement with the city of South Fulton, which goes into effect this in the next month, January 1. Next slide, please. The apparatus and equipment, we've already contracted with some of the vendors.

We've started looking at leasing the equipment as opposed to purchasing just because the time limit. There's almost a two to three year wait in some of the apparatuses for fire equipment. And that's everywhere in the country, not just something we're dealing with, which is becoming a huge issue all over the country. We've revised all the staffing requirements. We've been working with human resources to start onboarding processes for the chief's position, the battalion chief's position, logistics and training captain.

Timing is about what we're trying to do is we're not trying to hire people so they're sitting around. So we're trying to time it to when the station opens. Before that, we need to send everybody to some training. It's an eighty hour eighty hours worth of training that we're gonna we're gonna have everybody go through. So to complete the live date so basically, once the station comes on board and online, we'll have the folks that are already set, trained, and ready to go on the equipment that we own.

And everything seems to be on time. We had a little bit of a setback with the build out of the fire station with some water issue that we had there. But it seems like we're back on target even though that took us about thirty days to process. Next slide, please. The renovation, which is what caused the one delay that we have, still has us doing the completion window in late May to early June, and with a final opening date of sometime in mid August to early September. As of right now, we don't see any obstacles to complete that by that date and time. Any questions?

Commissioner Thorne?

Can you specify funding for these positions? Is it coming from the general fund or is it coming from the revenue generated by the airport?

So the revenue generated by the airport fund.

Okay. Thank you. That's all Should I

have said that. Any other questions? Yes. Commissioner Harrington.

When did we determine that we needed this or that we wanted this?

I've been working on this now for, so in 2016, going into 2017, we determined that station was inoperable. It had some mold issues. So we moved the folks that were staffed there and the equipment staffed there over to Fire Station 11. So the county still owned it for the response to the airport. When the city of South Fulton became the city of South Fulton, we lost airport response.

We lost the airport firefighting capability actually on the runway side. All of the tenants at the airport, you know, some of their agreements were, hey, we'll move there if we have this. And so some of their agreements were tied into this capability for them to land there. So as far as I know, we've been determining, this was determined. It's always been a need and we used to have something there and then we lost it.

Alright. It's just confusing because we had a lot of fire equipment. Alright? And my understanding was that we sold fire stations and fire equipment to the city of South Fulton. But if we knew we had a need for it, then I don't understand why we would have sold it.

Yeah. The equipment that was there was completely outdated and unusable. So giving it away was a good I mean, it cost us more to tow it than to sell it.

Yeah. I think we're talking about two different types of equipment. He's talking about foam based, you know, that you would use at an airfield. What we're selling, in fact, it's on the executive session today to be completed. The city of South Fulton was more the traditional that's there like Station 11 that's just down from the airport.

And it we still have, and it's on the agenda today, an IGA with City of South Fulton to provide service both for businesses that are still in that area that are in incorporated, and then and Joe, you correct me. If in fact we had a need at the airport that would go beyond this capability, they would be on call for that. So it's real it is complimentary and it's part of the overall master plan for the airport, the everything in expansion, this was a critical component of that.

Thank you.

Is there any possibility of having this completed before June? Because we're gonna be inundated, I know this to be the case with these private jets coming from these eight countries that are coming here, and we've never seen anything like it. So is it possible?

So during super just to give you a little history. So during Super Bowl, we set up a temporary firefighting we set up temporary firefighting capability at the airport. We rented equipment. We paid basically we contracted off duty fire our certified firefighters to work, and we brought in housing trailers for them to live in during a seven day period of the Super Bowl because we saw incredible traffic at the airport. We do have a plan that we're building right now that includes that same temporary.

So depending on when we can onboard our folks, we may not have the station may not be built out, but we do have a plan and we submitted for grant funding through the FEMA grant for FIFA World Cup that will allow us to put temporary housing at the airport and rent the equipment if we don't already have it by that time. Yes, we are moving towards a plan to accomplish that. Because you're right, we've never seen the traffic that we are going to see during that time, when you saw what the teams that were announced yesterday. We will see heavy, heavy, heavy jet traffic in there.

So there is a plan? There is a plan

sir, yes. Okay.

Eight to 10 Super Bowls coming over thirty days, not one.

Yeah. So we have a plan. We've been working actually the entire county, we've been working with all the public safety in the county, county police, sheriff's office, and everybody else to come up with a public safety response TAM for FIFA World Cup. We've met, I can't tell you, we've had constant meetings and we're trying to solidify some of the plans. We've submitted for some grant funding, for local grant funding to accomplish some of that moving into next year.

And the customs facility?

That, I don't really have the answer for that. I know it's in the process but I'm not the

That's further out.

I don't

know if I have it off the top of my head. Do you Joe? Mr. Chairman, we have to get back to you on that. It's definitely not it's not available by the time that FIFA gets here based on a number of things, both that are controlled by customs and then the construction requirements.

So is the plan to have a what an agreement with customs for a temporary facility there Which of some

is what we do today.

That's what I mean. Is that the plan?

Yes. That's part of the airport operations plan for World Cup. Just like we're basically gonna take the Super Bowl plan and expand it. We had that during the Super Bowl plan where they set up a temporary solution for us at the airport.

Okay. So there is a plan for a customs facility at our airport during World Cup?

I don't know about a facility, but I know during the airport they set up temporary measures, so they brought people onto our airport.

That's what I mean. Not necessarily a facility, but they will be able to clear customs at our airport versus the way it used to be.

I believe so, sir. Yes.

Okay. Thank you.

That will conclude our report unless there are any questions about standard finance, EPO and anything else that's at the back of this.

Anything finance? Alright. Madam Clerk.

Continuing on page seven, twenty five-nine 64 finance. Discussion fiscal year 2026 proposed operating budget.

Madam.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There is no action requested from the board today. This was just an opportunity for discussion. As a reminder, we will as we close out this fiscal year, we will plan to have revised information for you for the first meeting in January. We will update our '25 results and make any adjustments to the '26 proposed budget at that point in time.

Okay. Questions, anything, nothing? Mr. Barrett?

Thank you Mr. Chairman. Just wanted to clarify a few things. The raises for the Board of Equalization that have been discussed multiple times and have not been included in the 2026 budget. Is that correct?

They are not currently. Okay. Well, I would like

to see that be in the budget for 2026. I think we've talked about 200, I believe it's a day for their per diem or a 100 per day. They're currently at a 100 I think, is that correct? Or they're at 150? They're at 100, okay. So we talked about 200, thank you Commissioner Thorn. We talked about a 150 and we talked about 200 and I believe that they were of course, they'd like the 200, but I believe they were comfortable at $1.50 as was Madam Clerk. So if we could at least consider raises of up to one fifty for the BOE, I think that would be important. Do you happen to have the number, the total dollar amount per year that that would cost?