OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

DeKalb County ERPS Committee Meeting Summary – May 5, 2026

Board of Commissioners & Committees — Tuesday, May 5, 2026
BodyDekalb County, Georgia
SessionBoard of Commissioners & Committees
DateTuesday, May 5, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:15:20

Transcript — Verbatim
0:07

And thank you for joining us.

0:09

Joining us for our ERPS committee meeting.

0:11

This is employee relations and public safety.

0:14

I am Ladina Bolton, the chair of the ERPS committee.

0:18

Also on this committee is Commissioner Nicole Masaya and Commissioner Marita Davis Johnson, who will not be joining us at this time.

0:28

But we also have Commissioner Patrick and Commissioner Terry joining us for today's committee meeting.

0:38

All right.

0:39

So to get started, we're gonna go ahead and jump into our agenda.

0:45

First item is 2026 0803.

0:49

These are the minutes from April 21st.

0:51

Have committee members had an opportunity to review the minutes?

0:55

Yes, madam chair, and I move to approve agenda item ending in 0803.

1:01

Second, all in favor?

1:03

Aye.

1:04

Recommendation for approval carries.

1:10

Moving down to our new agenda items on page one, beginning with public safety.

1:17

We have 2026 0808, all commissioned districts.

1:22

This is FY 2026 FIFA World Cup grant program and amount not to exceed 1 million four hundred and eighty-seven thousand thirty-seven dollars.

1:35

Motion to approve agenda item ending in 0808.

1:41

Okay, I'll second that, but do we have anyone to speak to this item to share a little bit about what it is?

1:55

Good afternoon, Chief Golden, Police Department.

1:58

Thank you for having me.

2:00

Uh yes, ma'am.

2:01

So the the agenda item is basically covering overtime for the officers that'll be used throughout the uh Atlanta metro area and any FIFA event that has been designated and approved.

2:14

Uh this will cover overtime for those officers as well as overtime for the administrative purposes to see that we're doing what we need to be doing.

2:23

And there's a couple items in there for uh equipment purchases that allow us to be effective and efficient.

2:30

Wonderful.

2:31

And is this for a specific time period?

2:34

Yes, it's only during FIFA, but whatever we have will be able to be used outside of FIFA once FIFA is over.

2:40

Okay, you you still reclaim those uh funds.

2:43

You don't have to return them.

2:45

Correct.

2:45

Wonderful.

2:46

Any other questions from committee members?

2:49

Just briefly, uh Madam Chair, thank you.

2:51

Um great afternoon.

2:54

Chief Captain.

2:55

Gee.

2:56

This isn't Chief.

2:57

Assistant Chief.

2:57

There we go.

2:59

That new title.

3:00

See, I wanted you to say it because it sounds great.

3:03

All right.

3:04

So in terms of purchasing of other items, um, have you identified items that you expect uh be able to purchase with it?

3:12

Yes.

3:12

Uh we do have uh some equipment that we'll be able to use in the event that we have to make an emergency entry depending on what the actions may be coming up coming upon come about.

3:22

Uh we also have some repelling gear that if we need to again get into a situation that we have to make an emergency entry into a location that might not be beneficial for us to go on foot.

3:33

And then there's some also some other items that we can get that will allow us to be able to, if we have to engage and deal with any threat to be able to minimize the noise and distraction so our officers can be more effective and efficient in dealing with the problem.

3:48

Thank you for that.

3:48

I appreciate it.

3:50

Glad to know, and I'm sure the citizens of DeCap County are as well that we're thinking ahead and planning and will have not just the ability to uh cover overtime administrative costs, but then also we'll have the right equipment ready.

4:04

So thank you for that.

4:05

I yield back to you, madam chair.

4:08

Any questions or comments from commissioners Patrick or Terry?

4:13

Mm-hmm.

4:14

Yes, thank you, madam chair.

4:15

It looks um like there's also some DEMA as well as fire safety in there, Chief Fulham.

4:23

Some smaller equipment purchases.

4:25

Yes, good afternoon, commissioners.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety██████████████████████████████████████38%
Solid Waste Management██████████████████████22%
Environmental Protection████████████████16%
Procedural█████████9%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████8%
Technology and Innovation████4%
Racial Equity███3%
Summary of Proceedings

DeKalb County ERPS Committee Meeting – May 5, 2026

On May 5, 2026, the Employee Relations and Public Safety (ERPS) Committee of the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners met at 7:15 PM under the chairmanship of Commissioner Ladina Bolton. Also present were Commissioners Nicole Masaya, Patrick, and Terry; Commissioner Marita Davis Johnson was absent. The committee reviewed and approved multiple consent agenda items, discussed a major ordinance revision on scrap tire dumping, and deferred two items related to animal regulations.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes of April 21, 2026 (Item 2026-0803): Approved unanimously.
  • FY 2026 FIFA World Cup Grant Program (Item 2026-0808): $1,487,037 for police overtime, administrative costs, and equipment (including emergency entry and repelling gear). Approved.
  • Surveillance Detection Equipment Purchase (Item 2026-0438): $122,395 sole-source purchase for bug sweeps. Approved.
  • Biohazardous Police Car Cleaning Service Renewal (Item 2026-0650): $45,000 second renewal through June 2027. Approved.
  • Aviation Fuel for Police Helicopters (Item 2026-0682): $75,000 first renewal through May 2027. Approved.
  • Guns, Ammunition, and Accessories Change Order (Item 2026-0673): $265,000 increase for police and marshal’s office. Approved.
  • Soils and Materials Testing Change Order (Item 2026-0674): $37,360 for surveying at firing range. Approved.
  • Medical Exam Services Renewal (Item 2026-0476): $350,000 for firefighter cancer screenings. Approved.
  • Vehicle Decals Change Order (Item 2026-0525): $137,500 for police, fire, and other department decals, driven by 9% net police growth and 90% retention in 2025. Approved.
  • Construction of Three Fire Stations (Item 2026-0532): $26,588,000 award to Cooper & Company for stations in Tucker, Decatur, and Lithonia (approx. $7M each). Approved with a friendly amendment correcting the street name for Station 16 to Autry Queen Drive.

Discussion Items

  • Scrap Tire Dumping Ordinance Revision (Item 2025-0683): A major discussion on proposed amendments to Chapter 22, Article 4 of the county code. Staff presented a substitute ordinance with key changes: reducing personal storage from 100 to 25 scrap tires; lowering the imprisonment maximum from 30 days to 6 months; adding a warning provision for first-time dumping of two or fewer tires; and referring commercial dumpers for felony prosecution. Commissioner Patrick emphasized deterrence, noting 37,000 tires removed in 2025 and 10 arrests in early 2026 via the Digital Shield program. Commissioner Masaya suggested differentiating between minor and egregious violations. Commissioner Terry raised concerns about racial equity and unintended consequences of lengthy incarceration, proposing a step‑up approach. Commissioner Terry also suggested a restorative justice pathway (e.g., workforce training for illegal haulers). The item was deferred for two weeks to allow further refinement.
  • Animal Restraint and Transportation Ordinance (Item 2026-0596): Deferred 60 days pending legal review.
  • Pet Shop Sales Ordinance (Item 2026-0728): Deferred 60 days pending further discussion.

Key Outcomes

  • Unanimous approvals on all consent items and fire station construction.
  • Deferrals: Animal control ordinances (60 days) and scrap tire ordinance (2 weeks).
  • Next steps: Scrap tire ordinance to return with refined penalty structure and definitions; E911 update postponed to a later meeting.

Meeting Transcript

And thank you for joining us. Joining us for our ERPS committee meeting. This is employee relations and public safety. I am Ladina Bolton, the chair of the ERPS committee. Also on this committee is Commissioner Nicole Masaya and Commissioner Marita Davis Johnson, who will not be joining us at this time. But we also have Commissioner Patrick and Commissioner Terry joining us for today's committee meeting. All right. So to get started, we're gonna go ahead and jump into our agenda. First item is 2026 0803. These are the minutes from April 21st. Have committee members had an opportunity to review the minutes? Yes, madam chair, and I move to approve agenda item ending in 0803. Second, all in favor? Aye. Recommendation for approval carries. Moving down to our new agenda items on page one, beginning with public safety. We have 2026 0808, all commissioned districts. This is FY 2026 FIFA World Cup grant program and amount not to exceed 1 million four hundred and eighty-seven thousand thirty-seven dollars. Motion to approve agenda item ending in 0808. Okay, I'll second that, but do we have anyone to speak to this item to share a little bit about what it is? Good afternoon, Chief Golden, Police Department. Thank you for having me. Uh yes, ma'am. So the the agenda item is basically covering overtime for the officers that'll be used throughout the uh Atlanta metro area and any FIFA event that has been designated and approved. Uh this will cover overtime for those officers as well as overtime for the administrative purposes to see that we're doing what we need to be doing. And there's a couple items in there for uh equipment purchases that allow us to be effective and efficient. Wonderful. And is this for a specific time period? Yes, it's only during FIFA, but whatever we have will be able to be used outside of FIFA once FIFA is over. Okay, you you still reclaim those uh funds. You don't have to return them. Correct. Wonderful. Any other questions from committee members? Just briefly, uh Madam Chair, thank you. Um great afternoon. Chief Captain. Gee. This isn't Chief. Assistant Chief. There we go. That new title. See, I wanted you to say it because it sounds great. All right. So in terms of purchasing of other items, um, have you identified items that you expect uh be able to purchase with it? Yes. Uh we do have uh some equipment that we'll be able to use in the event that we have to make an emergency entry depending on what the actions may be coming up coming upon come about. Uh we also have some repelling gear that if we need to again get into a situation that we have to make an emergency entry into a location that might not be beneficial for us to go on foot. And then there's some also some other items that we can get that will allow us to be able to, if we have to engage and deal with any threat to be able to minimize the noise and distraction so our officers can be more effective and efficient in dealing with the problem. Thank you for that.

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