OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

DeKalb County PECS Committee Meeting Summary - June 9, 2026

Board of Commissioners & Committees — Tuesday, June 9, 2026
BodyDekalb County, Georgia
SessionBoard of Commissioners & Committees
DateTuesday, June 9, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:43:02

Transcript — Verbatim
0:06

Great day, everyone.

0:07

My name is Nicole Messiah.

0:08

I have the honor and pleasure to serve as your chair of PECS as planning economic development and community services, in addition to serving as the District Three County Commissioner.

0:21

And I serve alongside Commissioner Long Spears from District One, District Two, and also Commissioner Robert Patrick from District One joining us today is Commissioner Shakira Johnson and our Madam PO from District 4, along with our district six super commissioner, um Commissioner Ted Terry.

0:42

If the committee members have had an opportunity to review uh the minutes, uh, if you wouldn't mind, I'd entertain a motion.

0:52

Motion to approve.

0:54

Second.

0:55

All those in favor?

0:57

Aye.

0:57

Aye.

0:57

Aye.

0:58

Thank you so much.

0:58

And that's item 2026-0985, all commissioned districts.

1:03

That is the minutes for the May 12th planning, economic development and community services meeting.

1:08

The uh next uh items that we are going to um jump in and review would be our appointments for those following along.

1:17

We are on page one under appointments.

1:19

The first is 2026-0923, all commission districts to appoint Dr.

1:26

Leeroy Reese, PhD to post six of the DeCab County Community Services Board.

1:31

Is um Dr.

1:33

Reese here with us today.

1:34

Thank you so much, sir.

1:36

Please approach that podium.

1:38

Welcome to our PECS committee, and thank you so much for your willingness to serve.

1:43

Thank you.

1:44

All right, just want to make sure your microphone is on.

1:47

Can you hear me okay?

1:48

Yes, I think we are we're cooking with Greece.

1:51

Thank you so much.

1:52

Um again, thank you for your willingness to serve in this uh capacity with DeCab County.

1:59

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and some of your professional experience or personal that have prepared you to serve on our behavioral health board?

2:10

Sure.

2:10

Um my name is Joy Reese.

2:12

I am a pediatric forensic psychologist by training.

2:17

Um I have been a practicing psychologist for 30 years, and I have also been an academician for 30 years.

2:24

I'm currently a professor of psychiatry at Morehouse School of Medicine where I've been on faculty for approximately the last 20 years, and I work and train child and adolescent psychiatrists.

2:35

Beyond that, I maintain a private practice here in the city of Decatur, uh, where I see primarily a pediatric uh patient census.

2:43

I work primarily with um African American adolescent males and young men.

2:48

Um I think the things that uh as I think about how I might leverage my experiences to the benefit of this board in the service of um of its citizens is that experience of kind of doing the work, that experience of being an academician and researcher in that work and working at an institution who has as its primary mission the promotion of health equity among all people, particularly those who are in under resource situations.

3:14

And I know this board plays a particular important part in terms of how we make behavioral health and uh disability services available to the citizens of DeCab County.

3:24

Thank you so much for that.

3:25

I appreciate it.

3:26

And then I'm gonna ask you just another brief question.

3:31

All right, and so given that Claritel is a public community-based, not for profit, how would you work alongside your fellow board members to foster stronger collaborations with the CAB County and other health care providers and community stakeholders?

3:47

So, what my perspective um based upon my understanding of what the board is currently doing is they actually work very nicely, seamlessly, even um with with the county uh government, and that they also have a relationship with the state.

4:00

I think the charge to the board is to support support the CEO as he tries to leverage public-private partnerships.

4:08

Certainly, the board has done an incredible job in meeting the needs of those people who fall in the gap in terms of mental health services.

4:15

But I think how we leverage and partner with some of our private sector partners, academic institutions, other health care providers to kind of increase the capacity for those in the county to receive these services will be important.

4:27

How I see myself supporting that, one, I have a number of relationships with a number of stakeholders in academia at Morehouse School of Medicine at Emory.

4:36

Um, I also am a former CDC, and so I have a public health footprint in terms of kind of how to leverage some of those resources and could see that I could potentially benefit by bringing some of those relationships to bear on the work of the board.

4:50

Thank you for that.

4:51

And I think that you know, bringing the perspective from the adolescents and having that background and the servitude that we have to uh African Americans, I think that would be a great and added um addition to this particular board.

5:08

Could you tell me uh what your thoughts are if uh pointing to the board in terms of um well, I mean, just knowing Claritale's focus is on behavioral health and services, and on this board, we've seen more and more Claritale's desire to get into the housing role and perspective.

5:26

And so, what are your thoughts about um you know, providing housing services in addition to behavioral health, or is your focus on focus focus on providing the best behavioral health and substance abuse services possible to the uh citizens of DeCab County?

5:46

So I actually think that's a pressing position for the board and the organization to hold to be thinking about housing.

5:53

Part of what we know about the social determinants of health is the things that compromise physical and mental health are multi-determined.

5:59

Housing stability, food security, factors like that are things that we have to take if we if we really want to impact the quality of life that people are experiencing in terms of their mental hygiene, their propensity to abuse substances, that we really have to attend to those things that influence their risk of those things.

6:16

And I think housing is right up there, and so we begin to address housing instability and and and those individuals who might otherwise be at risk for uh deteriorating in terms of their mental health or being at risk for the abuse of uh substances or other drugs, I I think that we're moving in the right directions.

6:32

But that's something I would very much be in support of.

6:34

All right.

6:35

And so just to understand, would that be um providing those services directly or working closely with providers and um one folks to be quite frank that are experts in uh that housing uh arena, is that something that you would expect the support to take on specifically and add to, or just working collectively with the people that are offering those services to improve it?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural████████████████16%
Affordable Housing████████████12%
Economic Development████████████12%
Homelessness██████████10%
Mental Health Awareness█████████9%
Community Engagement█████████9%
Sustainability Planning███████7%
Public Works Maintenance██████6%
Environmental Protection████4%
Summary of Proceedings

DeKalb County PECS Committee Meeting Summary - June 9, 2026

On June 9, 2026, the Planning, Economic Development, and Community Services (PECS) Committee of the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners met to consider appointments, condemnations, easement swaps, branding signage, housing updates, and several routine contracts. Chair Nicole Messiah presided. The meeting began at approximately 2:30 PM and ended after about three hours.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes: The committee approved the minutes from the May 12, 2026 PECS meeting (Item 2026-0985) by voice vote.
  • Senior In-Home Services Change Order: Approved a change order (Item 2026-0493) increasing contract funds for in-home services for seniors to $1,200,000, extending the term through December 31, 2027. The contract is awarded to Trusted Hand Senior Care LLC.
  • On-Call Small Area Planning Firms: Approved an RFP award (Item 2026-0595) to eight firms (including Blue Cypress Consulting, Kimley-Horn, Freeze & Nichols, and others) for a multi-year contract not to exceed $1,250,000 to provide on-call planning services for small area plans.
  • Park Pride Agreement: Approved a new contract (Item 2026-0940) with Park Pride Incorporated to support friends groups and grants, in the amount of $365,000.

Appointments to Community Services Board

  • Dr. Leeroy Reese, PhD (Appointment 2026-0923) – Appointed to Post Six of the DeKalb County Community Services Board. Dr. Reese, a pediatric forensic psychologist and professor at Morehouse School of Medicine, expressed full support for the board’s mission and emphasized collaboration and a focus on adolescent mental health. He was confirmed by voice vote.
  • Deborah Jackson (Appointment 2026-0975) – Appointed to Post Three of the DeKalb County Community Services Board. Jackson, an attorney and former mayor, emphasized holistic approaches, partnerships with schools, and maximizing existing resources. She was confirmed by voice vote.

Public Works & Transportation

  • Constitution Road Freight Corridor – Temporary Easement Condemnation (Item 2026-0875): Ms. Keeter presented a request for a resolution to condemn a temporary easement at 3327 Woodstock Road for the Constitution Road Freight Corridor Improvement project. The county has tried to contact property owner Betty Jean Molden via 18 phone calls, four agent visits, two regular letters, and six certified letters, with no response. The total cost to the county is $97,505. The committee approved the resolution, which initiates condemnation proceedings if negotiation fails. Commissioner Messiah expressed concerns about proper notice and property rights.
  • Stony Stone Quarry Road Right-of-Way Exchange (Item 2026-0876): Approved a 10-foot unapproved right-of-way exchange for a 25-foot right-of-way to connect the South River Trail from Custer to Moreland Avenue. The property owner (Noble Realty) initiated and supported the swap.

Community Development

  • Memorial Drive Corridor Branding Signage (Item 2025-165-ITB): Director Mitchell presented a proposal to award a contract to Land Jack LLC DBA Fast Signs for fabrication and installation of four monument signs and six banners along Memorial Drive, funded by a $1.5 million CPF grant (Congressman Hank Johnson). The cost is $143,624.28. Commissioners suggested adding lighting or LED elements; Chair Messiah directed staff to explore amendments. The item was approved with the understanding that future sign lighting could be considered. Commissioner Ted Terry advocated for a broader “downtown association” approach to activate the corridor.

Introductions

  • Chief Sustainability Officer Lisa Malogro: The committee introduced the new Chief Sustainability Officer, Lisa Malogro. She brings 15+ years of experience and was previously the chief sustainability officer for the world’s busiest airport. She emphasized creating a “greener DeKalb with metrics and a story,” focusing on operational efficiency, clean energy, waste management (calling trash a commodity), and a 2035 Sustainability Master Plan. She is also a beekeeper and urban farmer, and she committed to transparency through a public dashboard. Commissioner Long Spears welcomed her and noted she had advocated for this role since 2023.

Housing Update

Dr. Alan Ferguson provided a comprehensive update on housing initiatives summarized in four key areas:

  • Comprehensive Housing Plan: Approximately five months remain; a draft will incorporate stakeholder input. A website (engage.dekalbcountyga.gov) is live for resident sign-up.
  • Unhoused Support Plan: A work session was held June 5; a second session is set for July 9 to finalize recommendations. A day shelter services center will open June 15, providing showers, food, mental health, physical, dental, and legal services. A second northern location is targeted for year-end.
  • Community Land Trust Feasibility Study: RFP responses are due June 18; a selected consultant will be announced later.
  • Housing Investment Bond: A $155 million bond program was previewed. The initial drawdown of up to $25 million will fund seven programs: Housing Catalyst Gap Financing, Home Start Down Payment Assistance, transitional housing, capacity building, revive DeKalb light removal, brighter home homeowner rehab, and multifamily acquisition. Bonds will be issued in tranches to avoid negative arbitrage. Final bond resolution is targeted for July 7, with program launch by end of September 2026. The goal is to produce or preserve over 10,000 homes.

Key Outcomes

  • Dr. Leeroy Reese: Appointed to Community Services Board Post Six by voice vote.
  • Deborah Jackson: Appointed to Community Services Board Post Three by voice vote.
  • Constitution Road Condemnation: Approved (Item 2026-0875) – resolution passed; condemnation process may be initiated if negotiation fails.
  • Snowy Stone Quarry Road Right-of-Way Exchange: Approved (Item 2026-0876) – property owner-initiated swap to advance the South River Trail.
  • Memorial Drive Branding Signage: Approved with direction to explore adding lighting/LED features.
  • Senior In-Home Services Change Order: Approved (Item 2026-0493) – contract increase to $1,200,000.
  • On-Call Small Area Planning Firms: Approved (Item 2026-0595) – eight firms selected for multi-year contract totaling $1,250,000.
  • Park Pride Agreement: Approved (Item 2026-0940) – $365,000 contract for friends group support.
  • Chief Sustainability Officer: Officially introduced; will begin work on a Sustainability Master Plan and public dashboard.
  • Housing Investment Bond: Staff will provide one-on-one briefings; final bond resolution is scheduled for July 7.

Meeting Transcript

Great day, everyone. My name is Nicole Messiah. I have the honor and pleasure to serve as your chair of PECS as planning economic development and community services, in addition to serving as the District Three County Commissioner. And I serve alongside Commissioner Long Spears from District One, District Two, and also Commissioner Robert Patrick from District One joining us today is Commissioner Shakira Johnson and our Madam PO from District 4, along with our district six super commissioner, um Commissioner Ted Terry. If the committee members have had an opportunity to review uh the minutes, uh, if you wouldn't mind, I'd entertain a motion. Motion to approve. Second. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. Thank you so much. And that's item 2026-0985, all commissioned districts. That is the minutes for the May 12th planning, economic development and community services meeting. The uh next uh items that we are going to um jump in and review would be our appointments for those following along. We are on page one under appointments. The first is 2026-0923, all commission districts to appoint Dr. Leeroy Reese, PhD to post six of the DeCab County Community Services Board. Is um Dr. Reese here with us today. Thank you so much, sir. Please approach that podium. Welcome to our PECS committee, and thank you so much for your willingness to serve. Thank you. All right, just want to make sure your microphone is on. Can you hear me okay? Yes, I think we are we're cooking with Greece. Thank you so much. Um again, thank you for your willingness to serve in this uh capacity with DeCab County. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and some of your professional experience or personal that have prepared you to serve on our behavioral health board? Sure. Um my name is Joy Reese. I am a pediatric forensic psychologist by training. Um I have been a practicing psychologist for 30 years, and I have also been an academician for 30 years. I'm currently a professor of psychiatry at Morehouse School of Medicine where I've been on faculty for approximately the last 20 years, and I work and train child and adolescent psychiatrists. Beyond that, I maintain a private practice here in the city of Decatur, uh, where I see primarily a pediatric uh patient census. I work primarily with um African American adolescent males and young men. Um I think the things that uh as I think about how I might leverage my experiences to the benefit of this board in the service of um of its citizens is that experience of kind of doing the work, that experience of being an academician and researcher in that work and working at an institution who has as its primary mission the promotion of health equity among all people, particularly those who are in under resource situations. And I know this board plays a particular important part in terms of how we make behavioral health and uh disability services available to the citizens of DeCab County. Thank you so much for that. I appreciate it. And then I'm gonna ask you just another brief question. All right, and so given that Claritel is a public community-based, not for profit, how would you work alongside your fellow board members to foster stronger collaborations with the CAB County and other health care providers and community stakeholders? So, what my perspective um based upon my understanding of what the board is currently doing is they actually work very nicely, seamlessly, even um with with the county uh government, and that they also have a relationship with the state. I think the charge to the board is to support support the CEO as he tries to leverage public-private partnerships. Certainly, the board has done an incredible job in meeting the needs of those people who fall in the gap in terms of mental health services. But I think how we leverage and partner with some of our private sector partners, academic institutions, other health care providers to kind of increase the capacity for those in the county to receive these services will be important. How I see myself supporting that, one, I have a number of relationships with a number of stakeholders in academia at Morehouse School of Medicine at Emory. Um, I also am a former CDC, and so I have a public health footprint in terms of kind of how to leverage some of those resources and could see that I could potentially benefit by bringing some of those relationships to bear on the work of the board. Thank you for that.

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