PECS Committee Meeting - February 10, 2026: Appointments, Housing Bond, and Community Projects
PECS Committee Meeting - February 10, 2026
The Planning, Economic Development, and Community Services (PECS) Committee of the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners met on February 10, 2026, at approximately 9:00 AM (following the regular BOC meeting). Chair Nicole Messiah (District 3) presided, joined by Commissioners Ted Terry (District 6) and Michelle Longspears (District 2), with occasional participation from Commissioner Robert Patrick (District 1). The committee reviewed a full agenda including three appointments, a comprehensive housing plan update, a proposed housing investment bond, a land bank agreement extension, vehicle purchases, various intergovernmental agreements, and community projects. All items were approved by voice vote with no recorded opposition.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: Motion to approve previous PECS minutes carried unanimously.
Discussion Items
- Appointment of Hunter Hines to the Doraville/Chamblee-Doraville Community Improvement District Board (Item 0191): Mr. Hines, with over 15 years of airport management experience, answered questions about his priorities for promoting responsible growth and fiscal accountability. The committee approved the appointment unanimously.
- Appointment of Trisha Weaver to Three Boards (Item 0246): Dr. Weaver, Chief of Access and Opportunity for DeKalb County School District and a 50-year county resident, was appointed to the Development Authority, Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly Authority, and Private Hospital Authority. She emphasized community collaboration and ensuring all voices are heard. Approved unanimously.
- Comprehensive Housing Plan Update: Presented by Enterprise Community Partners and Sycamore Consulting. The plan, kicked off November 2025, is in the discovery phase with data analysis, stakeholder meetings, and a planned series of five public forums (one per district) in March 2026. Commissioners discussed marketing strategies to encourage resident attendance and requested co-branding with district commissioners. The interagency housing council identified top priorities including removing barriers to development, increasing homeownership, and building rental housing. Commissioner Longspears suggested including weatherization and energy efficiency in the analysis. The plan is expected to culminate in adoption by October 2026.
- Housing Investment Bond Proposal: Dr. Ferguson presented a proposal for a $155 million housing investment bond, funded by $15 million annual general fund transfers (to replace the previous percentage-based affordable housing fund structure). The bond would create and preserve over 1,000 housing units and leverage over $1 billion in total investment. Commissioners expressed support, with Commissioner Terry noting the power of leverage, and Commissioner Longspears requesting further details on the revised funding execution and comparison to Atlanta’s model. The bond funding is contingent on board approval of the FY2027 budget.
- DeKalb Regional Land Bank Authority – Intergovernmental Agreement Extension (Item 1820): Director Mitchell requested a 45-year extension (to 2070) of the agreement with the City of Lithonia, required for the land bank to exist. Commissioner Terry questioned the long term; Director Mitchell explained that the land bank can add other cities without returning to the board. The committee approved the extension.
- Vehicle Purchase for Community Development (Item 0228): Two vehicles (an Equinox and a Tahoe) for $89,000, fully funded by federal HUD (CDBG-CV) grants. Commissioner Terry inquired about electric vehicle options; Director Mitchell explained the vehicles are for transporting homeless individuals and performing inspections, and the Tahoe and Equinox selected were recommended by the fleet director. Approved.
- Intergovernmental Agreement with City of Tucker (Item 0120): An easement and parking lot improvements near a new fire station and park. Approved.
- Tree Trim Easement with Georgia Power (Item 0231): For $12,936 at Rock Chapel Park, funds designated for park improvements. Approved.
- In-Home Services Contract Extensions (Item 0165): Two change orders to pay outstanding invoices and extend contracts for in-home services for seniors and persons with disabilities. The number of seniors served remains 105. Commissioner Terry requested information on the baseline wages paid to care workers before full board vote. Approved with that request.
- Acceptance of FTA Section 5310 Funds (Item 0178): $73,058 grant from ARC (with an $18,273 match already budgeted) for transportation services for seniors and persons with disabilities. This funds approximately 3,046 trips for 200 seniors annually. The app used for scheduling (DeKalb Aging Database) was developed in-house and won a 2025 Innovation Award. Approved.
- Stone Mountain Trail Cultural Corridor Project (Item 0104): $200,000 from the CIP fund to Georgia State University for participatory design of artistic crosswalks and path markings along a five-mile stretch of the Stone Mountain Bicycle Trail. Professor Fernando Rochet presented the plan, emphasizing safety improvements (up to 50% reduction in pedestrian crashes per Bloomberg research) and community co-design. Commissioner Terry noted the trail’s deteriorated crossings. Approved.
Key Outcomes
- All agenda items (Items 0191, 0246, 1820, 0228, 0120, 0231, 0165, 0178, 0104) were approved by unanimous voice votes.
- The housing plan update was received; next steps include public forums in March 2026 and final adoption in October 2026.
- The housing bond proposal is under consideration and will be discussed further with commissioners; formal approval tied to budget adoption.
- The committee took a four-minute break at approximately 5:35 PM, after which the meeting adjourned.
Meeting Transcript
I thank you so much for being here today. We tried to and did um exhaust our regular BOC meeting agenda. My name is Nicole Messiah, and I have the distinct honor and pleasure of serving as your District 3 County Commissioner, but also the chair of PECS planning economic development and community services. I serve alongside my other colleagues, that's Commissioner Ted Terry from District 6 and Commissioner Michelle Longspears from District 2. We are going to be joined by our committee members, and we'll see if other um colleagues will join along with. If you've had a chance to review the minutes, please um I will entertain a motion at your convenience um committee members. Motion to approve. 1828. Second. We have a proper first and second. All those in favor? Aye. Thank you so much. And that is approved. Right. And so we're gonna jump right on in with Mr. Hines. And if you wouldn't mind approaching um the podium, please. Hey, good afternoon. Great afternoon. So this is agenda item ending in 0191, all commission districts, and that is um to appoint Mr. Hunter Hines to the Doraville, uh Shambly Doorville Community Improvement District Board. Thank you so much for being with us here today. Just a couple of brief questions. This is a CEO 13A uh appointment. I'm sorry. Okay. All right. So just wanted to make sure this is clear for the purposes of the public. CEO 13A uh appointment, and just very briefly, Mr. Hines, um, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your including your prior professional experience that has prepared to uh prepared you to engage with the community stakeholders and local business leaders in and around the Shambley Dorville um CID board? Sure. Um I'm I have over 15 years of experience uh in airport management working in different uh different capacities with different um different uh counties, cities, uh authorities, and um so through that, you know, I've worked on uh many different projects, dealing with lots of different uh municipalities and uh governments to uh uh working working through different projects, uh working with different different businesses, um and um uh real estate owners and uh owners of different businesses across uh Georgia and Alabama and so that's that's kind of my background of you know kind of um uh uh dealt with uh a lot of different matters from uh planning and development and project uh coordinating and construction uh management and so that's that's my background. Thank you so much for sharing. And as an appointee, uh, if appointed to the Chambly Dorville CID board, what would you identify as your top priorities for promoting responsible growth, fiscal accountability, and long-term sustainability within the uh the CID area? Um mostly just working with uh the local businesses and I'm I mean through through the CID, uh, you know, representing uh different uh commercial real estate and uh business owners. I think that they they represent over a hundred different uh business owners in the area, and um you know would like to to work to help foster um you know sensible growth and um uh the development uh you know throughout throughout the the region. Thank you so much, and I know we're in a bit of a time crunch here. Again, thank you for being um to be able to be flexible for um being here with us today. With that, I want to open it up to my committee members, um Commissioner Longspears. Um thank you very much, madam chair, and I'm delighted that you're being considered for this appointment. Um I will ask question number five if that's acceptable to the chair. Okay. Um what do you see as the most significant opportunities and challenges facing the Chambly Dorville CID? How would you collaborate with other board members and partner agencies to address these issues effectively? Um well I'm uh I will be I will be learning uh kind of on the fly. So um, you know, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to dive in and learn what the the different uh opportunities that um that that there are with the CID board uh working with fellow board members uh and kind of giving my experience through you know working with the airport, working with the county, uh the airport is a um a large uh economic driver, so um I think that is one of the desirable uh aspects of um you know the the consideration um of of the the other board members uh for my position on the board as well as the the county involvement thank you um and I do have just a follow-up question that's actually not on our list. Um so the footprint for the Shambly bless you the Shambley Doorville CID that includes PDK does it? It it it is in in that uh that footprint, yes. All right, how about assembly?
openpublica.com