OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

DeKalb County ERPS Committee Meeting Approves Fire Gear, Land Exchange, Blasting Ordinance & Health Benefits on 2026-03-17

Board of Commissioners & Committees — Tuesday, March 17, 2026
BodyDekalb County, Georgia
SessionBoard of Commissioners & Committees
DateTuesday, March 17, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:11:44

Transcript — Verbatim
0:06

Good afternoon and thank you for joining us.

0:09

I am Ladina Bolton, your Super District 7 Commissioner and Chair of Employee Relations and Public Safety.

0:16

Also serving on this ERPS committee with me are Commissioners Nicole Masaya of District 3 and Commissioner Marita Davis Johnson of District 5.

0:25

Commissioner Nicole Masaya is joining us virtually, so you may not see her up here, but you will hear her voice later in the meeting.

0:33

Also joining us is Super District 6, Commissioner Tid Terry.

0:38

So at this time we're gonna go ahead and jump into our meeting.

0:43

We do have a presentation that we'll get into later.

0:49

Yep, with the uh momentum firm.

0:53

So starting with the minutes, item 2026 0420, which are the February 17th minutes.

1:03

Had committee members had an opportunity to review those?

1:06

Yes.

1:08

Do we have a motion?

1:10

I make a motion that the minutes of February the 17th, 0420 be approved.

1:19

Do we have a second?

1:21

Second.

1:22

Wonderful.

1:22

Thank you, Commissioner.

1:23

All in favor?

1:24

Aye.

1:25

Aye.

1:29

Motion carries.

1:31

Item 2026 0483.

1:35

These are the minutes for the March 3rd ERPS meeting.

1:38

Had commissioners had an opportunity to review those minutes.

1:41

Yes, I make a motion to approve.

1:46

Second.

1:47

All in favor?

1:49

Aye.

1:51

Aye.

1:53

Thank you.

1:55

We're gonna come back to the health care benefits item.

1:59

So turn with me to page two, item 2026 0281.

2:05

All commission districts.

2:07

This is a cooperative agreement.

2:09

Source well contract number 10424-BKN.

2:14

Firefighting PPE and related equipment cleaning for use by the Department of Fire Rescue.

2:20

This request seeks to ratify purchase order number 505768 for the purchase of 65 Tri-certified Viking Shield Gear to be used by firefighters throughout the county.

2:34

Awarded to Viking Life Saving Equipment America Inc.

2:38

Care of Central Alabama Training Solutions or Cats amount not to exceed 110,000 dollars, one hundred and ten thousand one hundred and seventy-five dollars.

2:51

Do we have anyone to speak to this item?

2:55

Anyone from fire?

2:57

Hey Chief.

3:03

Good afternoon.

3:06

So uh this um this ratification is for turnout gear.

3:10

Well, it's not turnout gear.

3:11

This is more lightweight gear.

3:13

It's used for when we're in extreme heat on where we don't need typical structural firefighting gear.

3:19

Um it does help a lot with the uh heat, heat exhaustion and things of that nature, but it still gives us protection from things such as bloodborne pathogens.

3:27

Uh the reason for the ratification is because there was a price increase on the gear.

3:33

Thank you for that, sir.

3:35

Any questions or comments from committee members?

3:39

Commissioner Davis Johnson.

3:41

You have a question.

3:42

Why is it listed as a cooperative agreement?

3:47

And then, but it's really a ratification.

3:49

Yes.

3:51

Hi, Commissioners.

3:52

I can answer that.

3:53

Um initially the agenda item was drafted as a cooperative.

3:56

We were asking to make the purchase for the first time.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Healthcare████████████████████████████28%
Operational Assessment██████████████████████22%
Public Safety██████████████14%
Blasting Operations██████████████14%
Procedural███████████11%
Budget Equity Analysis██████6%
Procurement Policy███3%
Technology and Innovation██2%
Summary of Proceedings

DeKalb County ERPS Committee Meeting Summary – March 17, 2026

The Employee Relations and Public Safety (ERPS) committee of the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners, chaired by Commissioner Ladina Bolton (Super District 7) and including Commissioners Nicole Masaya (District 3, virtual) and Marita Davis Johnson (District 5), along with Super District 6 Commissioner Ted Terry, met on March 17, 2026. The committee approved minutes for February 17 and March 3 meetings, ratified a purchase for firefighter PPE, approved an intergovernmental land exchange with Stonecrest for a new fire station, advanced a new blasting and safety ordinance, and approved health care benefits for 2026-27, including new voluntary benefits.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: Approved minutes for the February 17 meeting (Item 2026-0420) and the March 3 meeting (Item 2026-0483). Both were approved by unanimous voice vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments or testimony were presented during the meeting.

Discussion Items

  • Firefighting PPE Ratification (Item 2026-0281): The committee ratified Purchase Order 505768 for 65 Tri-certified Viking Shield Gear from Viking Life Saving Equipment America Inc., via Central Alabama Training Solutions (CATS). The amount is not to exceed $110,175. The gear is lightweight, used for extreme heat situations and provides bloodborne pathogen protection. The ratification was needed because a price increase (over $10,000) was pending after December 31, 2025, and the purchase order was placed to lock in the lower price. Commissioner Davis Johnson asked why it was listed as a cooperative agreement but is a ratification; staff explained it was initially drafted as a cooperative but changed to a ratification to secure cost savings. The item was approved by voice vote.

  • Land Exchange with City of Stonecrest (Item 2026-0555): The committee approved an intergovernmental agreement between DeKalb County and the City of Stonecrest to exchange land for the construction of Fire Station 14. The county will swap a 79+/- acre remnant parcel (part of the Southeast Complex, formerly known as Southeast Soccer Softball) at 6589 Covington Highway for approximately two acres at the intersection of Covington Highway and Hillvale Road. Fire Station 14 will be a newly built station, located in District 5, expected to be completed in about three years (design start soon, groundbreak in about a year and a half). Director Fulham noted that the county is also evaluating bids for Fire Station 27 (south of Stonecrest in the Lithonia area) and that Fire Station 16 (at Wesley Chapel and I-20) bid evaluation is underway. Commissioner Bolton asked that the station's location be clarified for the public. The item was approved by voice vote.

  • Blasting and Safety Ordinance (Item 2026-0218): The committee recommended approval of a resolution to establish regulatory oversight of blasting operations through a new blasting and safety ordinance. The ordinance would require permits and on-site inspections, with proposed fees of $293.70 for a permit and $53.49 for an on-site permit. The annual average cost is estimated at $207,646 based on an average of 700 blasting permits per year. Currently, there are no fees. The fire department previously absorbed costs for inspections. The ordinance will be placed appropriately in the county code (likely amending Article 1, Section 12-8). The motion passed contingent on receiving the fee information and final code placement from the county attorney's office. The county attorney expects to have the code citation ready by the next week's board meeting. The committee's motion carried by voice vote.

  • Health Care Benefits (Item 2026-0513): The committee approved the 2026-27 health care benefits package, including rates, contributions, and new voluntary benefits. Key points:

    • Medical/pharmacy costs for 2025 came in below trends: around 3–4% for the plan year (July–June), and roughly -1.5% on a calendar year basis for medical.
    • Kaiser plans: renewal with a -1% rate decrease with no plan changes; the committee recommended holding employee contributions flat (no change).
    • Self-funded plans (Anthem): projected 8% increase.
    • Overall medical/pharmacy budget: ~$120 million (increase of ~$5 million); county projected net cost ~$108 million.
    • Total health and welfare budget (medical, pharmacy, dental, life): ~$132 million (increase of ~3.8%).
    • Employee contributions: ~$23.8 million (decrease of 0.6% due to firefighters receiving the same zero-contribution benefit on HDHP plans as police officers, effective July 1, 2026).
    • Dental rates: increasing ~3.5%.
    • No changes to contributions for early retirees.
    • New voluntary benefits (employee-paid, zero cost to county): hospital indemnity (through AFLAC), identity theft protection (through Allstate Identity Protection), and pet insurance (through Pet Partners).
    • Commissioner Terry requested benchmarking data on why healthcare costs rise annually and strategies to bend the cost curve. The consultant agreed to provide data.
    • The committee approved the rates, the Kaiser renewal, and the new voluntary benefits by voice vote.

  • Operational Assessment Update (Momentum Firm): The Momentum Firm (Brent CSA, Managing Principal) presented the second quarterly update on the implementation of recommendations from the Malden & Jenkins operations and performance assessment. For the ERPS committee departments (E911, DEMA, HR, Merit Systems, Fire Rescue, Medical Examiner, Police):

    • 106 total recommendations; 27 met (25% vs. 22% countywide), 8 blocked, 51 require additional resources.
    • Common challenges: governance, org structure, communication, technology limitations.
    • 16 of 24 recommendations that required funding were not approved in the FY26 budget; half of those 16 still need further investigation to assess costs.
    • The consultant acknowledged a lack of alignment between the recommendations and budget requests, and will work with the budget office to clarify.
    • The board noted they were unaware of the specific recommendations tied to budget requests. The consultant will provide a more definitive list of what can be accomplished within the current budget vs. needing future funding.

Key Outcomes

  • Item 2026-0281 (Fire PPE): Ratification approved by voice vote.
  • Item 2026-0555 (Land Exchange/Fire Station 14): Approved by voice vote.
  • Item 2026-0218 (Blasting Ordinance): Recommended for approval, contingent upon receipt of fee details and code placement; motion carried by voice vote.
  • Item 2026-0513 (Health Care Benefits): Approved by voice vote. Employee contributions are held flat; no increase for early retirees. New voluntary benefits (hospital indemnity, ID theft, pet insurance) added.
  • Meeting adjourned by unanimous voice vote at approximately 8:22 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon and thank you for joining us. I am Ladina Bolton, your Super District 7 Commissioner and Chair of Employee Relations and Public Safety. Also serving on this ERPS committee with me are Commissioners Nicole Masaya of District 3 and Commissioner Marita Davis Johnson of District 5. Commissioner Nicole Masaya is joining us virtually, so you may not see her up here, but you will hear her voice later in the meeting. Also joining us is Super District 6, Commissioner Tid Terry. So at this time we're gonna go ahead and jump into our meeting. We do have a presentation that we'll get into later. Yep, with the uh momentum firm. So starting with the minutes, item 2026 0420, which are the February 17th minutes. Had committee members had an opportunity to review those? Yes. Do we have a motion? I make a motion that the minutes of February the 17th, 0420 be approved. Do we have a second? Second. Wonderful. Thank you, Commissioner. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Motion carries. Item 2026 0483. These are the minutes for the March 3rd ERPS meeting. Had commissioners had an opportunity to review those minutes. Yes, I make a motion to approve. Second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Thank you. We're gonna come back to the health care benefits item. So turn with me to page two, item 2026 0281. All commission districts. This is a cooperative agreement. Source well contract number 10424-BKN. Firefighting PPE and related equipment cleaning for use by the Department of Fire Rescue. This request seeks to ratify purchase order number 505768 for the purchase of 65 Tri-certified Viking Shield Gear to be used by firefighters throughout the county. Awarded to Viking Life Saving Equipment America Inc. Care of Central Alabama Training Solutions or Cats amount not to exceed 110,000 dollars, one hundred and ten thousand one hundred and seventy-five dollars. Do we have anyone to speak to this item? Anyone from fire? Hey Chief. Good afternoon. So uh this um this ratification is for turnout gear. Well, it's not turnout gear. This is more lightweight gear. It's used for when we're in extreme heat on where we don't need typical structural firefighting gear. Um it does help a lot with the uh heat, heat exhaustion and things of that nature, but it still gives us protection from things such as bloodborne pathogens. Uh the reason for the ratification is because there was a price increase on the gear. Thank you for that, sir.

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