The DeKalb County Board of
Commissioners on Tuesday voted unanimously (7-0-0) to approve Michelle
Long Spears as the new Presiding Officer for this year. Nicole Massiah
was elected Deputy Presiding Officer in a 6-1-0 vote. Ted Terry was the lone vote against.
Other actions during the first BOC meeting to include all of the newly elected commissioners:
An
application for a Special Land Use Permit for a coffee shop at 3823 N.
Druid Hills Rd. was deferred (7-0-0) to the BOC's February 11 meeting
with a public hearing. This was done because is there a companion
application already scheduled to be heard on that date.
The board approved the appointment of Eric Hubbard to the Zoning Board of Appeals by a vote of 7-0-0.
Appointment
of Hillary Gardner to the DeKalb County Public Library Board of Trustees was deferred
until the Jan. 28 BOC meeting. She was interviewed later in the day by the BOC's Planning, Economic Development & Community Services Committee, which unanimously recommended approval of her appointment.
A traffic-calming petition for Overlook Way between Foster Ridge Rd. and Overlook Dr. was approved 7-0-0.
A septic-to-sewer application in Ellenwood was deferred to the Jan. 28 meeting in a 7-0-0 vote.
A
Buford Hwy BRT proposal was deferred (7-0-0) until Feb. 25, with
consideration at a Public Works & Infrastructure committee meeting on Feb. 18. Commissioner
Robert Patrick said he hopes to have MARTA officials attend the PWI
meeting.
A proposal for
a DeKalb County Land Trust was deferred (7-0-0) until Jan. 28.
Commissioner Long Spears said she wanted her housing consultant to meet
with the three new commissioners.
Environmental
Justice and Sustainability Fund proposals were deferred (7-0-0) until
Jan. 28. The sustainability item is to be considered at the PWI
committee on Jan. 21.
During public comments:
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Three people spoke against work underway to put a roundabout at
Crestline Dr. and Chrysler Dr. Mark Capps called it a "bloated
multi-million dollar project" that is an "unwanted and unnecessary
eyesore" and is "not asked for and not wanted."
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Larry Foster spoke against the pending Sky Harbor contract that would
bring an "unprecedented number of new hangars" to the PDK Airport. He
said it "could damage the lives, health and well-being of an estimated
more than 100,000 residents of northeast DeKalb County."
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Katherine Maddox of DeKalb Water Watch urged the county to adopt
affordability measures before making long-term water-bill plans. She
said an LDF study in Lithonia found that 1 in 4 residents is
paying more than the affordable threshold, with the poorest paying more
than 8 percent of their income for water.
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Stephen Binney urged commisioners to approve the debarment of Vaughn
Irons as a licensed contractor of DeKalb County, as specified in a
December 2022 reprimand issued by the county's Board of Ethics. "The old
CEO, County Attorney, and Commission refused to act, yea or nay, on any
penalty recommendations the Board sends their way to be voted," he
said.
At the end of the BOC meeting, outgoing Presiding Officer Mereda Davis Johnson announced that County Attorney Vivian Ernstes has submitted her resignation. Ernstes has been the County Attorney since 2018. She previously had been a staff attorney in the DeKalb County State Court. She also served as a part-time Decatur municipal court judge from 1995 until 2004.
