DeKalb County PECS Committee Meeting: Appointments, Day Center Venue Change, and Zoning Text Amendments (May 12, 2026)
DeKalb County PECS Committee Meeting Summary - May 12, 2026
The Planning, Economic Development, and Community Services (PECS) committee of the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners met on May 12, 2026, at 1:00 PM (approximate start) and adjourned around 3:30 PM. Chair Nicole Messiah (District 3) presided, joined by Commissioners Longspears (District 2) and Robert Patrick (District 0). The committee approved prior meeting minutes, conducted two appointments, approved a park maintenance contract change order, approved a change of venue and contract amendment for the county's day center, and introduced a package of three zoning and nuisance ordinances.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: The meeting minutes from April 28, 2026, were approved by unanimous voice vote (motion and second).
- Change Order No. 2 – Athletic Field Maintenance: Contract No. 137363 with JMB Landscaping Inc. for restoration and maintenance of 46 athletic fields was amended to increase contract funds by $200,000 and extend the term through August 31, 2026. The motion passed unanimously.
Appointments
- Appointment of Rhonda F. Briggins, JD: Ms. Briggins was interviewed and appointed to three boards: Post 1 of the Development Authority of DeKalb County, Post 1 of the Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly Authority, and Post 1 of the Private Hospital Authority. She emphasized her 20+ years as a DeKalb resident, experience in government and community relations at MARTA, and focus on smart growth centered around community. Commissioners asked about stakeholder engagement, addressing socioeconomic and health disparities, and potential conflicts of interest. She was approved by unanimous voice vote.
- Appointment of Bruce McMillan: Mr. McMillan was interviewed and appointed to Post 1 of the DeKalb County Housing Authority. A retired federal employee with 10 years at HUD and 35 years of federal service, he stressed the need to mix affordable housing with market-rate development to avoid long-term problems, and advocated for quality, sustainable developments to attract younger residents. He identified the need for a convention center and better transit connectivity. He was approved by unanimous voice vote.
Discussion Items
- Day Center Venue Change and Contract Amendment (Agenda Item 2026-0862): The committee approved moving the county's day center from Peace Baptist Church to New Life Community Alliance at 3592 Flat Shoals Road, Decatur. The change reduced the overall contract cost by $23,077 (from $1,746,187 to $1,723,110). The lease with New Life is for seven months (through December 31, 2026), while wrap-around services will run for 12 months. The county plans to pursue a long-term acquisition for a permanent day center in South DeKalb. Director Mitchell presented the rationale: Peace Baptist withdrew due to concerns about their larger City of Refuge-like project. New Life provides 10,700 sq ft, on-site kitchen and showers, and serves about 7,000 people annually. Transportation will be provided via MARTA (stop nearby) and a $200,000 FastTrack contract. Behavioral health services will be provided by Claratel (not Emory or Grady) at $75,000, offering state-system linkage. The day center will operate six days a week (excluding Sundays) from 9 AM to 5 PM, with pets and children allowed. The motion passed unanimously, with a request for detailed cost breakdown of Claratel's contract.
- Short-Term Rental, Residential Entertainment (Party House), and Chronic Nuisance Property Ordinances (Agenda Items 2026-0453, 2026-0624, 2026-0629): The director of Planning and Sustainability presented three complementary ordinances as a package. The short-term rental ordinance updates, already adopted in July 2025, will go live May 20, 2026, and include clarifying amendments such as requiring a 24/7 local agent, complaint hotline, replacing “permits” with “licenses,” and prohibiting party houses and residential entertainment venues from operating as short-term rentals. The residential entertainment ordinance allows limited events (max 8 per year, 2 per quarter) on properties of 1+ acre and 2,000+ sq ft, located on major/minor arterials, with indoor music only, no alcohol sales, no public advertising, and neighborhood notification within 500 feet. The planning commission recommended reducing to 2 events per year. The chronic nuisance property ordinance establishes a three-strike rule within 180 days (three nuisance violations trigger classification) with escalating warnings and administrative fees up to $5,000, plus potential suspension of permits and liens. Commissioners raised concerns about enforcement, coordination with courts, clarity on the difference between first and second violations, and definitions of “near” schools and parks. The committee agreed to defer a vote for 30 days, continuing discussion at the next committee meeting.
Key Outcomes
- Approved minutes from April 28, 2026.
- Approved the appointment of Rhonda F. Briggins to three boards (Development Authority, Elderly Authority, Hospital Authority).
- Approved the appointment of Bruce McMillan to the Housing Authority.
- Approved Change Order No. 2 for athletic field maintenance (increase of $200,000, term extension to August 31, 2026).
- Approved the day center venue change from Peace Baptist Church to New Life Community Alliance, with a $23,077 cost reduction and seven-month lease, plus authorization for a behavioral health contract with Claratel. Chair requested further breakdown of the $75,000 Claratel contract.
- Deferred voting on the three zoning/nuisance ordinances for 30 days to allow further discussion and refinement.
- Meeting adjourned at approximately 3:30 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Great day, everyone. My name is Nicole Messiah, and I have the distinct honor to serve as the chair of PECS, and that's planning economic development and community services, in addition to being your DeCab County District Three Commissioner. I serve alongside both my colleagues in the PECS committee, Commissioner Longspears from District 2, who's running a bit behind, but will be with us in a few, and also from District 2, excuse me, and Commissioner Robert Patrick from District O. No one else and our other colleagues are joining us presently, but that may change as well. If you've had an opportunity to review the miners minutes, excuse me, I will kindly ask to uh entertain a motion on those. Um motion to approve 0852. Thank you so much. Second, all those in favor? Aye. Aye. There you go. The minutes from our April 28, 2026, planning economic development and community services committee meeting have been passed. Now we're on to appointments. The first is agenda item 2026-0758. All commission districts appoint Ms. Rhonda F. Briggins, JD to post one of the development authority of DeCab County, post one of the residential care facilities for the elderly authority, and post one for the pro private hospital authority. If um Miss U Brigands or Attorney Brigands, if we come forward, thank you so much for for coming and uh spending some time with us here. How are you doing today? I'm good. Thank you for this opportunity. Fantastic. So we um both myself and my colleague have your interview packet, and thank you so much for sharing some information about yourself, including your resume. Um could you start out just sharing um you know outside of what we can just read in uh resume, just some things about yourself and um what you hope to be able to bring in your role on the development authority, residential care facilities for the LE authority, and prosper and private hospital authority if um the appointed appointee moves forward. Appointment move forward. There we go. Yes, um, I'm Rhonda Brehans. I have been a resident here in DeCab County for well over 20 plus years. Um, as the I guess region began to grow. I refuse to move out of DeCab County. DeCab is my home. I believe in DeCab. I love DeCab, and I want to see the growth and progression of DeCab County. So the opportunity to serve on these boards will um allow me to do that, allow me to um make sure that growth is being done smart. Um it's being done done the right way, but more importantly, that it's really centered around the community. Um, I believe that we also, as we grow, need to protect our citizens. And so I'm very interested in making sure that that that is also taken into consideration for all three of these appointments. Thank you so much for that. I appreciate you. All right. And so let me I'm gonna jump to question um for on our documents, and my colleagues, of course, are free to answer to ask any questions that haven't been asked or one of their own. But what role do you think stakeholders and the public should play in shaping large development projects? Um, specifically, what tools would you use as a board member to solicit community feedback and to ensure and influences and authority priorities. Um thank you. Um, I was I did government and community relations for MARTA for over 15 years, and so I understand the importance of having the community engaged at all levels of it, especially big large decisions. Um that way they're they're comfortable with what's coming in. Again, as a resident, you want to make sure that people have a voice. You want to make sure they're also as understanding of what you're trying to accomplish and to do. Um, when you do that on the front end, you have less resistance on the back end, and so I think that is very critical and important. And so you do that by um making sure you're properly communicating to the community.
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