Members of the DeKalb County Charter Review Commission, headed by former State Senator Steve Henson, are scheduled to meet with DeKalb County state lawmakers later this month to discuss the panel's recommendations for changes in the county's government.
The meeting will take place in Room 514 of the Coverdell Legislative Office Building at noon on Monday, Feb. 26.
The DeKalb Charter Review Commission began work in 2019, but was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It met frequently from mid-2022 until the end of last year.
It has now issued a final report that has been shared with the County’s Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Board of Commissioners, and members of the DeKalb State Legislative Delegation. The report can be found at https://bit.ly/3HReJZD.
If approved by lawmakers, the changes would need to be approved by voters in the general election later this year.
"Passage in November 2024 is timely and lays the foundation for a new relationship between the CEO and the commissioners," Mary Hinkel of the commission told a meeting of the Civic Association Network last month.
The report includes recommendations for handling vacancies if members of Board of Commissioners or the county's Chief Executive Officer are suspended.
It calls for the county's Audit Oversight Committee to recommend an outside auditor to the county commission and says the final independent internal audit should be posted on the county's web site and provided to DeKalb legislators.
The purpose of the review "was to come up with recommendations that would better serve the citizens of DeKalb County," panel member Lance Hammonds told the CAN meeting.
The commission also recommends that the county's CEO respond promptly to commissioners' requests for information needed to enact or establish policy. It would establish procedures for filling positions when commissioners or the CEO fail to do so.
The report also suggests a similar Charter Review Commission should be established in 2029 and every eight years thereafter.
"This report does represent a lot of hard work," commission member Claudette Leak said, "but the real work is at the General Assembly."
