Remarks by Dana Barrett
158 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 2 of 7
- Play at 5:21:13
“Sorry, one more question. So I think the information I would want out of that little bit of conversation is just, overall, are the Walls new hires staying? Because we won't really have a good picture of that, because I'm assuming that some of the separation is from, you know, could be people who have been with us for years that are separating, correct?”
Board of Commissioners · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 5:21:37
“Yeah, so it's not sort of really apples and apples at this point, because some of the walls people have only been there three months. We don't know if they're going to last six months or 13 years at this point, right? The other question I had before that whole conversation was just about the standard sort of expectation, percentage, goal of what is like a normal percentage of separation that we would expect, because this is You know, it's not 50%, but it's high compared to hires. So like, is 48 people leaving over the course of this many months sort of normal for an organization of this size…”
Board of Commissioners · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 5:22:41
“Well, I didn't mean that. I'm sorry to interrupt you, sir. I really just meant more like how does that compare to other sheriff's? offices or sheriff's departments across Georgia, across the country, because you can't really compare it to, you know, finance, right, like another department that's completely different, but I just, I think that my reason in asking is there's some normal, there's some amount of separation that we would expect that is normal, so we don't, the goal is not to get it to no separation, that's unrealistic, people move on, right, but so what is a normal, so when we're…”
Board of Commissioners · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 5:24:03
“And obviously this all part and parcel of my original set of questions, which was about asking for the surveys and all that, because if we have a better idea of why people are leaving, then we have a better way to address whatever the issues might be if we can find some patterns. Thank you.”
Board of Commissioners · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 5:55:45
“Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to know if we, I mean, I know that you provided the mid-year projections and all of that. I just wondered if we were going to go over the sort of mid-year financials at any point and, or the, you know, 2026 projected in terms of where the underruns are coming from. And I guess what the intention is there.”
Board of Commissioners · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 5:56:41
“I mean, that's certainly something I would like to see. I think, you know, just so as we move into the budgeting season for 2027, it would be helpful to know how we how we did so far this year and how we expect to do through the end of the year. I don't know if that's enough, but I would like to see that.”
Board of Commissioners · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 5:57:21
“Yeah, sorry, but just to clarify, I'm asking that it be presented publicly so that everyone is on the same page and that the public understands and sees and all of that.”
Board of Commissioners · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 6:04:43
“Now I'm confused. I'm sorry. I missed the advantage then of doing it right away. Is there an advantage to us in doing it right away? Maybe I'm confused versus doing the alternate schedule.”
Board of Commissioners · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 6:05:13
“Okay, my original question was just to the clerk's office. Do we confirm quorum for the special call already? Okay, because I know I can't be there for one of the two, so I just wanted to make sure.”
Board of Commissioners · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 6:32:01
“Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So I just want to make sure I understand the numbers here. On this top bullet where you're saying limit us to a 10% increase, the original total dollar amount of increase cost was 13.2 million of all the plans, is that correct? All the plans, right. Right, and that was with the 19.1%, or was that with the 20%?”
Board of Commissioners · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 6:32:44
“Well, so hold on a second. Let me ask my question. So if we decrease the premium increase from the 19.1 to the 10%, What is the total budget addition for healthcare in 2027 as proposed in this top line?”
Board of Commissioners · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 6:33:05
“Sorry, I don't think you're understanding my question. Okay. All plans, our cost is 13.2 million as proposed before we had this discussion. The increase in Kaiser, Anthem, all the plans, the decreases in the other ones, our net increase to the county was 13.2. Correct. With this decrease, put aside the 4.6 in risk exposure right now, just lowering the 19.1 to 10% and including all of the other things we're about to agree on, Humana and whoever else. Correct. What is the total dollars that we are going to have to spend in addition in 2027 than we spent over 2026? It was 13.2. What is it now?”
Board of Commissioners · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 6:35:21
“And explain the third party RFP. They're just people that are negotiating it down further. Explain that again.”
Board of Commissioners · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 6:37:59
“Okay, I hear you. I feel like it's very difficult to say yes to part of this when we don't know, part one of this, if we don't know if part two is going to come through. And I still think from just a broader healthcare in America is the pits perspective. The people in the equation who are the cause don't ever pay the price. There's no pushback on these private equity firms that own the medical practices. There's no pushback on the pharmaceutical companies that are charging a million dollars for one treatment of a drug. I get R&D and all the excuses, but at the end of the day, We, the…”
Board of Commissioners · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 6:46:24
“Just a procedural question for, I don't know, y'all. Does it benefit us to approve the other ones now, or does it not matter if we're not doing them all in terms of the other companies' rates? Yeah.”
Board of Commissioners · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 6:48:01
“So then I'd like to make a substitute motion to approve all of the rates as presented except Anthems. Does that work?”
Board of Commissioners · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 6:48:35
“Until the September 30th meeting. And I would say, I would second Commissioner Thorns. I can't be here for the early part of the meeting on the 10th or the 30th either, so that's not ideal for me, but... I'd like to hear what everybody has to say on the 30th, but I have another commitment. But that's neither here nor there. The point is for today. I mean, I think if we, so her motion to hold, I think, can we just remove that or how do we do that? Can we, do we need to dispose of it? What are we doing?”
Board of Commissioners · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 6:49:43
“We're taking out everything to do. Everything on the Anthem side is out. Everything else is to be approved. That's what I'm saying. Everything Anthem is on hold. All the other companies, we can go ahead.”
Board of Commissioners · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 6:50:13
“I think it just helps our staff administratively to get started on the rest.”
Board of Commissioners · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 6:50:32
“I'd like to go ahead and help the staff and get everything else approved as my motion, as I made the motion.”
Board of Commissioners · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 7:07:02
“Yeah, I have a question about, on page two of the resolution, there's a reference to a 2021 resolution adopted by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners supporting small farms, et cetera, urban agriculture. And I believe it was 21-0779. I don't think I have that in my notes, but I looked it up and it had some similar requests in it asking for the dream to, um, review, uh, county properties that might have, uh, land availability for urban farming or gardens or what have you. And, um, I'm just wondering if that anything netted from that, because there was a, there were now therefore be it…”
Board of Commissioners · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 7:09:32
“Okay. I fully acknowledge that we've done a lot of work on this front, so I just wanted to make sure, because while you're saying that this is an urging, mostly an urging resolution, it does ask county management to sort of prepare some information and do some research. And again, you may already have all this. It may just be sharing with us what you already do. But I just want to make sure we're not duplicating effort that's already been done before I would willing to support it um in in theory i'm all for you know the the theory of this i just don't know if it's necessary um but that's my…”
Board of Commissioners · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 7:15:30
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
Board of Commissioners · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 7:20:30
“Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In theory, I mean, I absolutely agree that some of what we've heard over the last several meetings has been appalling. I'm also not a lawyer and free speech lawyer for sure. So I don't really know what we can officially do. And I do think this is an elegant way to address that. Because if the rules are that the comments have to be germane to the agenda, then that allows the chairman to interrupt and say, please explain how this is germane, and if it's not, then their mic gets turned off, right? I get that. I think my only concern is, If somebody does have something…”
Board of Commissioners · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 7:22:05
“So then I'd like to, I mean, I know it's not really time sensitive, although we both have 90 days. But I'd like to just go ahead and make a motion to hold so that we can have some of those changes put in and then revisit it if that works.”
Board of Commissioners · Sep 16, 2026