June 9, 2026 DeKalb County Board of Commissioners Meeting Summary

Good morning, everybody.

I am Commissioner Shekaira Johnson, your district for commissioner and presiding officer.

Welcome to the June 9th, 2026 Board of Commissioners meeting.

Um, a couple of housekeeping items.

If you are if we are out of agendas, there are there is a QR code just outside that door.

Um, and you guys can scan it and um see the agenda on your phone.

So now we'll move into the agenda.

First, we have our inspirational speaker, Imam Dr.

Suleiman Hamad.

If you'll make your way up here to the front podium, our inspirational speaker is Imam Suleiman Hamad, resident Imam of the Alana Majad of Al Islam, Amon Suleiman received an advanced Islamic training at Abu Noor University in Damascus, Syria, and has served Muslim communities throughout the United States as an imam, educator, and community leader.

He has taught Arabic, Islamic sciences, theology, and Islamic law, and remains deeply committed to strengthening Islamic education and developing future generations of Muslim leaders.

He works his work in community service, scholarship, and guidance has earned him the respect of Muslims across the country.

Please help me.

Welcome Imam Suleiman Hamad.

Good morning, sir.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Good morning, commissioners and to you all.

I was looking for Commissioner Messiah.

I like saying that name.

But I'm not going to preach this morning, even though I am an imam.

I'm just going to give three words of reminder so that we can do better at what you all do.

And good morning to our public, all of our citizens as well.

God gives he gives a reminder in scripture, he says, and be he instructs justice.

What if we use those three and what we do?

The justice reminding that we're all to be just and fair in administering the law and the resources and what you do.

The excellence, that's the fun one.

Serve in the way like God sees you.

Imagine if you or rather, if you could see him, if you saw God, how much more better would your work be?

Know that he sees you and still be excellent in your work.

And then the last one is to be generous to people, be generous in our work and our day-to-day work, ensuring that we're being kind, that we're being generous and giving to others just as we would like to be given to ourselves.

These are the three that I encourage you all as we begin this day, as you begin your work for this county.

Atlanta and DeCab is not made special just from buildings, it's made special from you all, from us, from the work and the uh production that you all uh produce in this great county.

So again, what is it?

Justice, excellence, and generosity towards people.

Let us utilize these and have a great day and be productive in the work that you do.

May God bless you.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

We love a brief inspirational.

If you'll stay um until after our proclamations, we'd love to give you a pen.

Thank you.

And now we'll have the Pledge of Allegiance from Commissioner Ladina Bolton, and then we'll go down to the podium for two presentations.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Commissioners, if you'll join me down on the at the podium, just bear with us one minute and we'll get started.

Just bear with us one minute and we'll get started.

Well, I have an announcement while we wait.

Today is June 9th, and as of today, I have been married 19 years.

So to my husband, if he's watching, happy anniversary.

Good morning, everyone.

Excited I get to go first this morning.

Um, my name is Michelle Long Spears, and I serve as the District 2 Commissioner.

Today I have the pleasure of recognizing a group of public servants whose work has made a tremendous difference in the lives of children's and children and families throughout DeCab County and beyond.

And if our folks from the DA's office would please start making their way forward, that would be wonderful.

For more than 20 years, the UFSA division of the DeCab County District Attorney's Office has worked behind the scenes to help families secure child support across state and even international borders.

While many people may not know the division by name, and quite honestly, I did not either.

Thousands of families have felt the impact of its work every single day.

Over the year, this dedicated team has managed more than 4,000 child support cases, serving over 6,000 children, and helping distribute more than 9 million annually in child support payments.

Those numbers are impressive, but what they really represent are children receiving the support they need, families gaining greater stability, and parents being held accountable.

The success of the US UFSA division or U.S.

Field Division.

Am I saying that right?

UFSA.

U IFSA Division is a reflection of the professionalism, compassion, and commitment of its staff.

Through their hard work and collaboration, they have strengthened families, supported children, and helped build a stronger community.

As the division concludes its service under DeCab County District Attorney's Office, it is important that we take a moment to recognize a lasting impact they have made and to thank them for their years of dedicated service to the residents of our beloved DeCab County.

On behalf of the DeCab County Board of Commissioners and Citizens we serve, I am honored to present this proclamation recommending and recognizing and commending the staff of the division for their outstanding service, unwavering commitment, and lasting contributions to the well-being of children and families.

Oh, she's on that side.

Before I invite DA Boston to say a few words, if my chief of staff could please bring me the proclamation.

Thank you.

Clark Sanders.

And um on a personal note, I grew up with a single mother with three children, and we got caught up in that web of child support or lack thereof child support.

So I'm very grateful that 30 some years later.

So without further ado, I'd like to invite DA Boston to come and say a few words.

Thank you for being here.

Thank you so much.

Good morning.

I'm Sherry Boston, and it's my honor and privilege to serve as your DeCab County District Attorney.

First, I want to thank CEO Lorraine Cochrane Johnson, presiding officer, Commissioner Shakira Johnson, and Commissioner Michelle Long Spears and the entire DeCab Board of Commissioners for inviting us here today for this proclamation.

Since 2000, the UFC division of the Office of the DeCab County District Attorney has faithfully served the parents and children of DeCab County and beyond through a contract with the Georgia Department of Human Services, a division of child support services by establishing enforcing and modifying child support orders and providing critical services across state and international lines.

UIFSA stands for Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, the law that guides states on how to enforce child support orders for children and parents living in different states.

The DeCAB County UIFSA Division, one of just three locally operated UFSA offices in Georgia, manages more than 4,000 cases representing more than 6,000 children.

Each year, the division collects and distributes over 9 million in support payments for children in DeCAB County across the United States and internationally.

This dedicated team of attorneys, case managers, and administrative professionals in the DeCAB UISFA division navigate multi-jurisdictional legal systems with professionalism, precision, and a deep commitment to justice.

These employees are some of the most experienced in Georgia with years of service ranging from 10 to 20 years.

Their work requires expertise in child support laws across all 50 states and multiple counties, multiple countries.

This team has served as a model of innovation and collaboration, working closely with state agencies, courts, and national partners to strengthen child support enforcement and expand access to services for custodial parents.

Staff in other Georgia child support offices often rely on the DeCab County UFSA team for guidance on complicated cases.

This incredible work would not have been possible without the leadership of DeCab County UFSA Child Support Director, Camila Miller, who has been with our office for nearly 15 years.

Camilla is as a recognized leader in the National Child Support Professionals community.

In 2025, the Western Intergovernmental Child Support Engagement Council honored Camila with a Leadership Achievement Award, which recognizes an individual in a leadership role who has made significant contributions, improving organizational outcomes, culture and staff efficiency to promote a more effective child support program.

Since my office received notification that the Georgia Department of Human Services, Division of Child Support Services would not renew our contract for fiscal year 2027, Camila has been laser focused on minimizing the immersed impact this change will have on the families that the DeCab USA office serves and easing the transition for her dedicated staff members.

She has put the families of the families DeCab UFSA serves and her employees at the forefront of every decision.

Camila and this entire staff have managed this difficult transition with grace, compassion, and determination.

Their work has made a profound and lasting impact on the lives of children and families, promoting economic stability, reducing poverty, and reinforcing parental responsibility.

Thank you again to the DeCab County Board of Commissioners for recognizing the work of our UFSA division and the amazing work that they have done on behalf of parents and children here in DeCab.

Thank you.

Now it's time for photos.

Oh, yes.

I didn't realize that.

I didn't have it in front of me, so I forgot.

Whereas, for more than two decades, the UFSA Division of the Office of the CAB County District Attorney in partnership with the Georgia Department of Human Services, Division of Child Support Services, has provided vital interstate and international child support services to families in DeCab County and beyond.

And whereas UIFSA Division manages more than 4,000 child support cases, serving over 6,000 children across local, national, and international jurisdictions, and has demonstrated exceptional expertise and unwavering commitment to justice by delivering outstanding public service while securing and distributing more than 9 million annually in child support payments to support families and strengthen communities.

And whereas, through innovation, collaboration, and leadership, the UFS division has strengthened child support enforcement, expanded access to vital services, and made a lasting impact on children and families by fostering economic stability and parental responsibility.

And whereas the Georgia Department of Human Services Division of Child Support Services has determined that the contract with the U ISA division of the Office of the Cab County District Attorney will not be renewed for fiscal year 2027.

And whereas, as the U IFSA division concludes its service under the DeCab County District Attorney's Office, it is fitting to recognize the dedication and lasting legacy of its staff and leadership, whose commitment to excellence and compassionate service has significantly benefited the citizens of DeCav County.

Now, therefore, I, Michelle Long Spears, along with the Board of Commissioners on behalf of DeCab County, and its more than 775,000 residents.

Hereby recognize and commend the staff of the UIFSA division of the Office of DeCab County District Attorney for their outstanding service, unwavering commitment, and lasting contributions to the well-being of children and families over the past two decades.

Proclaim this ninth day of June 2026.

Thank you guys.

Thank y'all so much.

And I just want to tell everybody here and anyone who ever watches this recording.

I have so much respect for DA Boston and really do want to commend her for her leadership and for fighting for DeCab's family.

So thank you very much, DA Boston.

Great morning, everyone.

Great morning, and thank you for joining us today.

I have the honor to serve as your DeCab County District 3 Commissioner, and I am Nicole Messiah.

It is my esteemed pleasure to recognize the Sisters United in Human Services.

So come on, we'll give you a moment to come up to the front.

Thank you so much for joining us here.

Good morning.

Thank you.

Thank you.

It was truly an amazing experience to witness how they poured into young women by nurturing them and providing concrete examples of what it means to be a virtuous woman.

Through the circles of sisterhood, these women learn that they support, they have support during difficult times.

When challenges arise, they will have the people around them who will listen without judgment, are for guidance and walk alongside them to navigate life's journey.

They are taught to celebrate one another's success with genuine joy and to create spaces where vulnerabilities can be shared without fear.

And just a personal story and a personal note.

And so I had woken up in the morning, and it was upon my spirit that I reach out and find a way that I could support the efforts that they were pouring into the community for these young ladies because I was a young woman that needed the support of Badia Shaheed, and she gave me all of the support that she had at 14 years old.

So it is a personal touch for me to have these women stand beside me, to stand alongside me, and to know their work personally as they poured into my UMI and they pour into the community because there's so many of us that need it at a young age, and that without judgment part, that providing the strength that they have pouring into the community is the part that I needed and that I resignated with and proud to support today.

We have to understand that we come from different backgrounds, holding different beliefs, and having a unique personalities and life experiences while still caring and uplifting others, and that's the important piece.

To continue the empowering, I provided and appropriated $10,000 for the continual growth and development of this program that has been supporting young women in my district for over 27 years.

We are honored to have President Lisa Harris and the members of the Sisters United in Human Services with us today.

May the clerk please read the proclamation.

Whereas Sisters United and Human Service Incorporated is a nonprofit organization of Muslim women established in Atlanta, Georgia in 1998, dedicated to serving humanity through faith, compassion, and community outreach.

And whereas for 28 years, SUIHS has positively impacted countless lives through its feeding programs, educational initiatives, scholarships, youth mentorships, and support services for individuals and families in need.

And whereas the organization has served more than 100,000 meals to the unhoused and hungry, mentored over 250 young women through its rights of author program, awarded more than $30,000 in scholarships and provided essential resources to seniors, children, and vulnerable populations.

And whereas SUIHS has also promoted health and wellness through its annual interfaith health and human service conference, strengthening communities and fostering unity across diverse backgrounds.

And whereas through its Alma neighborly needs program, SUIHS has provided warm clothing, blankets, and essential items to unhoused individuals, seniors, and children during the Kwanzaa season, demonstrating the spirit of generosity and neighborly care.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, Commissioner Nicole Messiah and the DeCap County Board of Commissioners and its more than 780,000 citizens, do hereby recognize and commend Sisters United and Human Services Incorporated for its outstanding commitment to service, leadership, and community empowerment, and extend sincere appreciation for its lasting contributions to the residents of Jacab County and beyond.

Proclaim this 8th, 5th June 2026.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, thank you.

I happen to be one of the natives of Atlanta, Georgia.

We don't find very many of those.

We are proud of the work that we do.

Standing with me and on behalf of all of our members, we're just a few Muslim women working in the spirit of sisterhood to promote support and serve human concerns.

We want to exemplify to each other and to all of humanity the best conduct, the best attitude that's pleasing to Allah, to God.

Highly praised and glorified as He.

We started in 1998.

And since 1998, as Commissioner Nicole Messiah said, we've served over a hundred thousand meals every Sunday, weekly going out.

The only time we stopped was during COVID.

And then there were members who actually went out even during that time to find people who wanted and needed to eat.

In addition to that program, we also started the Rice of Untha, which is a girls, a rights of passage program for young girls 13 to 17 years old.

And for 250 girls over that number, we've impacted the things that they do in the community and seen them grow and give back to the community.

Our inner faith, health, and human service conference doesn't look at what color you are, what gender you are, what age you are.

We serve youth, teens, adults, men and women, and we serve seniors, trying to provide them with mental, spiritual, and nutritional health and well-being resources and tools.

Each year, as mentioned, we do an Almayun, a neighborly needs program.

We do it during Kwanzaa, and we provide warm and cozy essentials to those who are most in need.

Children, we provided coats in this Cab County area just last year.

We impacted more than 250 families with blankets and coats and warm essentials that were needed by them.

Of course, I could not leave out any other part of the things that we do.

But we work exclusively, as you see.

Our sign says working for the pleasure of Allah.

We work for the pleasure of God.

In our faith and a part of our bylaws as one scripture, one ayat, one verse, that simply says it's not righteousness that you turn your face toward east or west, but it is righteousness to believe in God and in the last days in the angels, in the books, and in the messengers, to spend of your substance out of love for God, for your family, for your kin.

To spend out of your substance for God, for your kin, for the orphan, for the wayfarer, for the needy, for those who ask, and for the ransom of the enslaved, to be steadfast in prayer, to give regularly in charity, to fulfill the contracts in which you have made, to be firm and patient in pain and suffering, and throughout all periods of panic.

Such are the truth of the God fearing.

Such are those who are the God fearing.

Thank you so much, Commissioner.

Where are you?

A little group.

We don't have but 70 members, and those include our founders and our honorary members.

Really, we're 50 women strong.

And for her to find us and see that we're worthy of this, and for the county to know that we support you in everything that we do.

We got you on there, actually.

We appreciate everything.

We appreciate you, and we appreciate all that you've done to help us.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much.

All right, perfect.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for being here.

Thank you, but we can see what it comes in.

Now that we have a quorum sitting down, we will continue with the meeting.

Thank you.

Um Madam Presiding Officer.

Yeah, I would like to uh welcome my new interim.

Ummons.

You want to stand, Clem.

And uh she's a recent recent graduate of Martin Luther King High School.

So let's welcome.

Thank you.

And if there are any other summer interns in the room, if you would stand so we could recognize you.

Welcome to the team.

Any other commissioners want to recognize them by name later then.

All right, Madam Clerky for reading the rules for the comments from the public.

The purpose of public comment is to allow the public to voice county-related requests, concerns, or opinions during the commission meeting.

Speakers will only have the opportunity for one public comment per meeting.

Each speaker must please complete a speaker card and present it to the clerk before the beginning of the public comment portion of the meeting.

Cards turned into the clerk from the time the general meeting is convened, generally 9 a.m.

And by the beginning of public comment portion, generally following presentations on the agenda.

The clerk will accept cards on a first come first served basis.

Prior to the clerk's call for public comment, speakers who are residents of DeCab County shall be allowed to speak before residents of other counties are allowed to speak.

Once the public comment portion of the meeting begins, speaker cards will no longer be accepted.

Speakers will be allowed to speak for three minutes each, and public comment should not exceed 30 minutes in length.

When the buzzer sounds to indicate that time has run out, the speaker will be expected to immediately cease speaking and to yield the podium.

Those who submitted speaker cards but did not speak because of the time allotment will be allowed to speak first at the next regularly scheduled commission meeting without regard to residents.

Speakers should always talk directly into the microphone and begin by stating their name, full address, and the name of any organization they represent.

Abusive, profane or derogatory language, holding up signs, clapping, yelling, standing, or laying in the aisles to show support for or opposition to a speaker will not be permitted.

But a show of hands or quietly standing in place will be permitted to show support for or opposition to a speaker's position.

Thank you, ma'am.

And our first speaker.

Good morning, Miss Pace.

Good morning.

How's everyone this morning?

My name is Brenda Pace.

I am representative of all of the CAD, specifically South Decay right now, because of the dilemma it's in the mess that is being made out of it.

But we're gonna straighten it out a little bit today because we're gonna educate the public, which hasn't been done properly.

I am very disappointed in what I'm seeing and hearing and knowledge that I have through my own looking and researching and digging about this this whole thing, and disappointed in you, Ted Terry.

Very disappointed.

I don't think you have the right to do this, what you're doing.

And I know who's behind you.

I know where your money's coming from and everything.

You know, I trust me, I know what you're doing.

You're trying to take that BOC over, have control in the county, and you're willing to do whatever to do it, and you got a lot of money behind you.

Yeah, I already know, and I know who it is.

The thing about it is you have a little young protege that was working for you.

You put your employees out here to go after the CEO form of government.

Nobody comes in this town and they decide automatically they're gonna change our form of government like that.

Now that's not getting ready to happen, and I guarantee you I'll leave the parade on that one.

Okay.

As far as CEO Lorraine Cochrane, she's got more respect than anybody that is set in her seat in 25 years.

And I don't think that uh it's right for you to go behind her back and bring your little proteges up here.

They come in town talking about we don't need a CEO.

What do they know about the Cav County?

What do they know about our government?

You know, you need to back it down a little bit, Ted.

And you need to concentrate a little bit more on the area that you really were voted for, because you only have a small area in district three, you know.

So we would prefer it if you would just step back a little bit, okay, and stop backstabbing and trying to put blacks against black against blacks.

You need to stop it.

You know, you're not you're not Trump.

No kings, baby.

No kings.

Thank you.

Thank you, next speaker.

Pat Coke.

Good morning, ma'am.

Good morning.

My name is Pat Cop, and I reside at 3577 Bouldercrest Road.

I serve as the president of the Cedar World Neighborhood Association in Ellen Wood.

I am here today regarding a political mailer I received yesterday concerning Commissioner McCole Messiah.

This mailer made claims about a data center, back room deal, and other abogate allegations.

After receiving it, I took the time to review the information and conduct my own fact checking.

What I found is that the agreement related to the data center issue was put in place before Commissioner Masaya took office.

It was not an agreement that she signed.

It was an issue that came that she inherited and came before her desk.

I want to make it clear that I am not here on behalf of any political campaign.

I am a part of Commissioner that I'm a part of Commissioner Saya's campaign.

I'm not.

I'm here because the residents often come to me seeking information, and I believe they deserve facts.

That's before us at this time.

When information is distributed to the public, especially our community, it should be accurate and complete.

Misleading information creates confusion and dividing our neighborhoods.

Our vote belongs to each one of us as an individual.

No one should tell another person how to vote.

However, I do encourage everyone to do a fact check of information that you receive in the mail.

Don't accept what somebody is sending you.

Look for the truth yourself.

As I review the mailer, I ask a simple question.

Where is the evidence?

After researching the claim, I did not find any evidence supporting any accruation against Commissioner Messiah.

Seriously, allegations should not be supported.

They should be fact checked.

As president of the Cedar Grove Association, I will continue to provide residents with factual information.

When they come to me and ask me, I encourage everyone on your own, do facts research.

I believe in open records.

I believe in checking other areas to get the facts because I know we're in a political season, but fact checking is very important.

This is the mailer that I received.

My residents called me about it, and I'm here to speak in their behalf.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Madam Presiding Officer, on May 26th, we had some um citizens that needed to speak.

The time ran out.

Okay.

And so I omitted those.

I need to read those names.

Okay, we'll go back to those.

Thank you.

Okay.

Nader Osman.

Nader Osman, are you here today?

I do not see them.

Jocelyn O'Neill.

Miss O'Neill.

I do not see her.

Annie Hicks.

Annie Hicks.

Nope.

Roger Thachen.

Roger, are you here?

No.

Kenyatta Moore.

Kenyatta Moore.

Good morning.

Good morning.

My name is Kiana Jones Moore.

And I'm a resident of District 3 who happens to know about different forms of government.

I happen to know that there are some county structures that have a county commission and they don't have a CEO.

DeCab County happens to be the only county in Georgia that has a CEO.

There are other forms of government that have a weak mayor and strong counsel or a strong mayor and a weak council.

And I happen to be having a conversation with the community member talking about different forms of government and the balance of power, and they have come without mentioning my name, but I'm not afraid to say what I've said because anything that I can say, I can say it again.

And I'm saying again now that I do know about different forms of government.

I have never attacked our currently sitting CEO.

I have always spoken about different forms of government and what they entail.

I know forms of government that have a city manager or a city administrator.

There are options, and it's crazy that people would seek to uphold systems of oppression simply for the favor of the oppressor.

What I wanted to talk about last week was the issue of water billing and the fact that there are people living in DeCab County, particularly District 3, who are still dealing with erroneous water bills.

People are having collections notices on debt that is actually past the statute of limitations, and it's illegal for the county to continue to go after those people.

There was an entire conversation about shut-off protections, amnesty, and a water rate assistance program, and those things are not currently working or benefiting some people in DeCab County, particularly in South DeCab.

For those who would like to say that I am Ted Terry's protege, first of all, be bold enough to call my name.

My name is Keanu Jones Moore.

And I stand on my own.

I have the support of plenty of community members.

And I am not afraid to simply tell the truth.

When it comes down to it, I always tell people that I stand on a platform of honesty, transparency, and accountability.

And I don't have a problem speaking to anyone about why it is that I decided to run because if you want to know what I know about DeCab County, I know plenty because I was born and raised here.

But I also have a bevy of relevant experience for the position for which I'm running.

I was responsible for a lot of municipal government operation when I had the chance to live away.

But I came back home.

And when I came back home, what I saw was not the South Decab that I grew up in.

What I saw was not something to be proud of, so I decided to run for a change because I don't just talk about it.

I am about it.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Susan Ruth.

And please under remember we are we can snap but not clap, and we need to keep our voices down.

Thank you.

Say that name one more time.

Susan Roo.

Susan.

Okay, thank you.

Pat Cole.

Pat Cole.

Cole.

Are we already with it?

I've already said she's already yet.

Thank you.

Beverly Daphne.

Good morning, Miss Dabney.

Good morning.

I'm Beverly Dabney.

I live at 2384 Dunn Drive.

I stand before you because the first meeting that I ever, I guess it was a meet and greet that ever had a chance to meet Kiana.

The first thing out of her mouth was we do not need a CEO.

I hope Decade Effect Decaturish is here today to learn about some of the things that's positive that is going on in the South Decab.

Just like the proclamation that was presented here today.

It's all about trying to do something in South Decal, get some economic development going on in South Decab, more than we're talking about the data centers.

The data centers, the people own the land, okay?

What we should be talking about is other land that is in DeCab County that we can get developed.

As I drove down Candler Road this morning, I was ecstatic to see that the building was being demolished.

So that means that Publix is about to develop that area.

So when the commissioner Nicole came in office, she continued to push forward so that that would happen.

And in order for us to move economics forward, we have to work together to make this happen.

I have lived here since 1974.

Okay.

I didn't leave and come back.

I've worked on numerous economic opportunities in this county.

Have also met with a lot of people to help them in financial literacy to enable them to acquire homes.

Also work with small businesses.

We don't talk about that.

We have to begin to see make a step forward in order for us to get the type of development that we need in South Decad.

Ted, let's talk about some of the things in other communities.

Because when you took a bus to look at some of the data centers, other communities wasn't invited to be on that bus.

Okay, so all of the data centers supposed to cover all of the centers in South Decab.

When I attended a meeting and you wanted to give all of your discretionary funding to Cedar Grove, that we were not included because I don't live in C to Grove.

So let's start working together to make DeCab County a better place.

Our CEO is the only one that is working together with all of you all to make DeCab County the type of county we want to have.

Thank you to move forward.

Good morning, Jan Dunaway.

I live in District 4, uh unincorporated DeCab, and I'm a DeCab Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor and a native Atlanta, one of those.

We are in favor of a data center text amendment.

We need it, but not the one that's currently written.

You'll be voting on June 23rd on the text amendment, which may have some changes to it, and we have offered comprehensible, comprehensive, sensible changes, and hope that those will be added.

Any new changes to the text amendment should go through the entire zoning cycle.

The citizens have made it clear we do not want hyperscale campus sized data centers in the cab.

We need a mile between data centers, not a thousand feet.

Of drinking water, potable water.

This is a fact, not my opinion.

The typical water used for a three-bedroom home is 300 gallons per day.

My household of two uses 111 gallons per day.

Closed loop systems use a lot of water.

Though the blow off that they discharge the chemically infused water from their closed loop systems, this water must be pre-treated on site before discharged into our broken sewer system.

We cannot remove these chemicals in our wastewater treatment plants.

We cannot afford to give our drinking water to data centers, and we will not get enough tax dollars from them to pay our way out of the consent decree.

The current text amendment is not strong and monitoring, doesn't say who will provide oversight and no consequences for noncompliance.

We should require a significant decommissioning bond to ensure citizens don't get caught holding the bag.

The federal consent decree has already cost citizens millions of dollars with no accomplishments.

DeCAB has asked for another extension, which will cost us in penalties alone 800 to 80 to 100 million dollars, and that doesn't include fines.

The BOC already knows this.

So my comments are for the public in the room and at home watching.

I cannot tell you how disappointed I am that you're having a town hall meeting tomorrow night when the very first data center comes before the community council to talk about another 10 by 10 increase in our stormwater utility fee that frankly we can't afford.

We're gonna end up running all the big businesses out of DeCab.

And that is the not anyway.

That's enough.

Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am.

Next speaker.

Donna Priest Brown.

Good morning, ma'am.

Good morning, commissioners.

My name is Donna Priest Brown, and I'm a resident of DeCab County.

I want to tell you a story, my story, and the South DeCab story.

In 2007, my husband and I did what families are supposed to do.

We brought a brand new home right in South DeCab.

We signed the papers, got the keys, and believe we were building something to pass down to our sons.

Almost immediately, our home went underwater.

Not because we did anything wrong, we paid every note on time.

But the market had already been poisoned by predatory lenders, by inflated appraisals, by a system designed to extract wealth from communities that look like ours.

It took 14 years to rebound, and even now, our home is still not fully assessed where it should be in the market.

That is not a market correction.

That is a wound.

When I sit with that, I think about Tulsa.

In 1921, Black Wall Street, hospital, businesses, churches, generations of wealth was burned to the ground in 18 hours.

Find a thriving black community, strip its wealth, leave it to start over, and did not end in 1921.

It showed up in South DeCab with a briefcase instead of a torch.

My 14 years were a part of that story.

And now there's a new chapter.

They call it economic development, but I know how the story goes.

Developers rejected by majority white communities, pivot directly to black ones.

They will always find the path of least resistance.

And we have been that path too many times.

We've have been stripped of our wealth.

We have been stripped of our health.

If this board truly cares about South DeCab, the path forward is clear.

Restore our communities.

Don't break them down.

I'm still rebuilding what 2007 took from me and my family.

South DeCab is still rebuilding.

We cannot afford another 14-year setback or worse.

Make the moratorium permanent until the require requirements of the 2011 federal consent decree is met.

Stand between this community and the next wave of harm.

We have waited long enough.

We have sacrificed enough, and we are watching.

Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am.

Joan Monroe.

Ms.

Monroe.

Good morning.

My name is Joan Monroe, and I'm representing concerned citizens of Stone Mountain.

We're District 4.

I thank all of you and all the staff here that does so much.

There is a business here in DeCab operating under the name of the handyman.

I have witnessed this business owner declare he has a grant from DeCab County to do repair jobs for seniors.

To date, I have witnessed his signing up two seniors and witnessed two jobs he performed.

On one, he unnecessarily epoxied someone's window so it no longer can be opened.

On the second and worst job I have so far witnessed.

The homeowner had a code violation.

The code officer recommended they contact the handyman.

I witnessed the handyman promise to make the repairs necessary to bring the House up to code.

He stalled the job for months.

One day prior to the code court date, he did the sketchiest job imaginable.

I was called to see it and was shocked.

He left it close to in worse condition than original and refused to do it properly.

The code officer did not accept it as it was done to code.

It was not done to code, and commented that it was a terrible job.

Right now, the homeowner is on the hook for the fines.

The handyman should be paying.

I have learned this so-called handyman is not a licensed contractor.

He has only a business license, and that means nothing.

The senior acted in good faith.

The handyman did not.

The handyman seriously built a senior citizen, and likely DeCab County, too, if the county is paying for jobs not done to code.

And I'm hoping the county can help shed some light on this serious situation.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Stephen Benny.

Good morning, Mr.

Benny.

Good morning, Commissioners.

I want to start today by complimenting you on the mostly nice and effective meetings you have been having lately.

See what happens when adults work together?

I want to congratulate our county employees on their recent raises to $19 an hour, although the $40,000 a year without overtime is still below the cab's per capita income of $50,000 a year.

The current situation with the 2021 land swap is unacceptable.

The original land swap is illegal.

Over $8,000 in bribe funds were paid to the presiding and debtory deputy presiding officer at the time the swap was made.

The total amount of money involved could be a lot more with further investigations.

There is no way to get the original park land back, if there is no way to get the original park land back through the courts, then let's charge my favorite racist con man Ryan Milsap with bribery and fraud and prosecuting.

Or we could just purchase the land back and use it as it was intended when the land was given to the court to the county originally.

We certainly don't want that racist Mr.

Milsap selling it so that someone can put a data center on it.

Do we, Miss Messiah?

During the primary election, 40,000 people out of 120,000 people cast votes in the commission district three race.

Voting in the runoff election is currently going on this week, with election day being next Tuesday, June 16th.

The turnout average is around 6% during runoffs, which means that only 7200 voters may decide who the next District 3 commissioner will be.

District 3 is too important to let this happen.

Please go out and vote.

Since you have not denied negotiating with racist Ryan Milsap or his representatives, it must have some truth to it.

You have used a lot of deflection, which is what politicians do when they cannot fairly deny, flatly denied the accuracy of the statements.

You have a tendency to push blame onto other people instead of taking responsibility for your actions.

This has been an all-too common trait of the Cab County politicians in the past that I hoped would be ending.

You encourage people to speak in your defense at the last meeting, which is a very good idea, but part of the information was questionable.

I do not believe the original email was from an executive session.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have been obtained by Decaturers through an open records request.

However, I must also point out that the public comments given by candidate Miss Kiana Jones more last Tuesday evening were not a highlight of her career and contained more anger and emotion that covered up the information she was trying to convey.

Finally, there are four items on today's agenda dating from 2024.

One of them from over 24 months ago.

And one item dating from 21 months ago and two items from 18 months ago.

I am hoping for some closure on these items, or perhaps more accurately, some action on these items today.

Or in the near future.

Good morning.

Good morning, Commissioner.

I'm here on behalf of the Sterling County Village Association and some of my other presidents and members are here as well.

We have concern concerning the seniors.

We live here in DeCalp County.

This place that we live is our home.

We once had a home, most of us, and we paid our taxes.

So we're expecting and we're asking that we get support from the DOT, the county commissioner, whomever it is concerning citations and things that are going wrong in our area.

Some of the other members are going to get up and talk about some of the things, the public safety for us crossing the crossroad there at Camler Road at the corner or countlined Mailville.

We should have had a gate there for the seniors coming in.

We got through traffic coming in.

Up at the countless library and the senior community, we don't have sufficient lines.

Some of the traffic lights are not working properly.

We've had accidents of two of our residents down in the Sterling County village.

We had one member to be deceased, and we had one to get knocked out of a wheelchair.

I'm only going to talk about just that little bit.

Some of the other members are going to speak on some of that, but I'm going to give them a time to come up, and we do have a family member, assistant brother of the deceased that live there at County that was hit in the road.

And it's because we need help there.

We have students, we have a library, we have seniors.

We need the support of our commissioner.

We need the support given to us.

And I'm gonna let someone else speak.

Thank you, ma'am.

Next speaker, Cheryl Callaway.

Good morning, ma'am.

Good morning.

Good morning, Commissioners.

I'm a member of the Vista organization.

I stay at the Sterling on Canada Road.

It's a senior community.

Okay, my issue is I am a crossing guard.

I work for the city of Decatur.

Okay, across the street in the plaza, there's a school.

It's called the Peace Academy.

They are supposed to have, which I feel as though DeCab County needs to have, a school assigned statement.

It's a school zone there.

Okay, they need to be able to change the timer on those lights.

Those kids go to the library.

They are taking a chance coming across that street, going to the library.

Okay, that sign that says school zone needs to be on both sides of the street.

When those kids go to school in the morning and coming out, the speed needs to be lowered.

It's supposed to be 25 miles an hour.

On the way here, me and one of my neighbors, we was riding past a school zone.

Okay, I guess I was past the mileage or whatever, and the light was flashing.

I said the kids are out of school.

But it doesn't matter because that's a school zone, so it needs to be effective.

Okay, if you go down College Avenue, go past where Beacon Middle School is at.

When that light is flashing, it says 25 miles an hour.

If you go on 30, City of Decatur police officer, whoop whoop whoop.

There you go.

Blue lights on you.

Y'all need to look at the fact that we live there, there are kids that be over there.

And the point of the matter is if it's not wasn't for us, some of y'all wouldn't be here.

You got to look at the fact.

It might be your mother, your father, it might be you, it might be one of us trying to come across that street.

Candle Road is like a speedway.

They do not care.

And the point of the matter is we need for y'all to care about us.

I'm 70 years old, but guess what?

There are kids that go to that school that's seven years old.

You won't want nobody hitting your child or your grandchild or whatever.

You won't want nobody to hit you.

Don't come to our meetings blowing off smoke.

Be some smoke and do something about it.

Stop talking about it and be about it.

Because at the end of the day, we put y'all in office.

Y'all done put us in office.

We put y'all in office.

So do your job.

We don't care nothing about no money, what you make or whatever.

Just do your job.

Care about us.

We are seniors.

At the end of the day, our lives matter just like yours.

And it doesn't matter whether or not you're black or white, all lives matter.

So please look out for us and take care of us and do the best you can.

Because at the end of the day, just like we go to sleep at night, you got to go to sleep at night too.

Thank you, ma'am.

Deborah Alex Sanderson.

And how much time do we have left?

So this is our next class one.

Okay.

Good morning, ma'am.

Thank you for letting us speak very briefly today.

We are from the Vista, voices of Senior Tenant Association.

And we're part of that complex next to the library.

Senior citizen, and then there's two senior apartments.

That corner has never been finished safety wise.

We've had two deaths that we're aware of.

Somebody just died Saturday, that makes three.

And then uh one gentleman was injured and hit out and push out of his wheelchair.

We have for years been talking to commissioners, coming to meetings, telling them that that corner is dangerous, and there's a series of things that need to be done.

Now, my where I'm from, we're ready to put administrative liens on your organization until safety is taken care of.

There's no excuse.

Those buildings have been there since 2019, and there's been so many near misses.

Just Saturday Friday, I had my grandson with me.

We were going across the street using the light.

He dropped his um backpack, and by the time he picked it up, the carts are zooming by.

If you guys can't do it, we at the public need to hit the insurance and stop all activity.

Stop the money.

Thank you, ma'am.

This is how they spend our time.

Yes, ma'am.

Okay, thank you.

We are out of time for um public comment.

We will now move into our public hearing.

We have a few items under public hearing.

If you're reading the instructions, madam clerk.

Excuse me, public hearing.

Citizens may speak for or against an item that is considered by law to be a zoning ordinance.

And each side will have 10 minutes to present its case.

Citizens may also speak for or against an item that is placed on the public hearing agenda, but it's not a zoning ordinance.

In that case, each side will have five minutes to present its case.

In the event there is more than one speaker per side, speakers must divide their time in order to complete their full presentation within the 10-minute time allotment or the five-minute time allotment.

With the bustle sounds to indicate that time has run out, the speaker will be expected to immediately cease speaking and to leave the podium area.

Prior to speaking, a speaker shall complete a speaker card and present it when approaching the podium.

If a speaker has any documents for the commissioners, the speaker shall provide 10 copies when approaching the podium.

Seven copies are for the commissioners and the remaining copies are for the planning director, the county attorney, and the clerk.

In all zoning ordinance and traffic calming cases, staff shall make their recommendation for action to the commission first, followed by applicants or citizens speaking in favor of the item.

Applicants in zoning ordinance cases shall have the right to reserve time for rebuttal.

Opponents of a zoning ordinance item shall have no right of rebuttal.

For all other items placed on the public hearing agenda, applicants or citizens speaking in favor of the item shall speak first, followed by opponents of the item.

Once the citizens have finished speaking, staff shall make a recommendation for action to the commission.

At this point, citizens are no longer allowed to speak unless called to the podium by an individual commissioner to answer questions or provide information.

Speakers should always talk directly into the microphone and begin by stating their name, address, and the name of any organization they represent.

Abusive, profane or derogatory language will not be permitted.

Holding up signs, clapping, yelling, standing, or laying in the aisles to show support for uh opposition to a speaker will not be permitted.

But a show of hands or quietly standing in place will be permitted to show support for or opposition to a speaker's position.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

There are two items for public hearing.

First one is under finance.

Item 2026-0941, all commission districts, home rule ordinance to amend the pension code of DeCap County, Georgia 1962, Georgia Laws 3088 as amended to add a death benefit for beneficiaries of certain plan participants who die in the line of duty as officers, employees, or deputies of DeCab County on or after September 1st, 2026, and to provide for compliance with certain updates to federal tax law.

Who is speaking on this item, Mr.

Williams?

Actually, not seeing uh Mr.

Jacobs.

This item was brought to us by the pension board.

Uh it was presented in uh committee and herbs the other day.

Uh and what we would like to do is move forward with this.

What it does is it um authorizes uh payment of a death, a new death benefit, which would um cover uh persons who lose their lives in the line of duty, uh and what this would do is allow for them to receive their full retirement.

So staff recommendation is recommendation is approval.

Thank you.

At this time we'll open the public hearing.

Is there anyone here to speak in favor of this particular item?

Please come to the back podium if you are here to speak in favor of this item.

Okay, does one more call?

Anyone here to speak in favor of this item?

Okay, seeing no one.

Is there anyone here to speak in opposition to this item?

Is there anyone here to speak in opposition of this item?

See no one, Mr.

Williams.

If you will repeat staff recommendation, our recommendation is to approve this item.

Thank you.

Is there a motion?

I move to defer this item for two weeks, and I have a comment for public hearing or decision only or a public hearing.

Or a public hearing.

Thank you.

We'll have to advertise a public hearing.

So it might need to get right.

It might need to be 30 days.

Or you can do decision only.

Well, I'll do this decision only for now based on what we get ready ready to discuss.

And also, we are not seeing our buttons on our screen to push.

And is there a second on this item?

Second.

Second by Commissioner Messiah.

Commissioner Bolton, there's a button.

If you can hit your motion button, and your second, thank you.

And Commissioner Bolton, you have a full.

Okay, and this is something that we have been discussing since last year in the ERBS Committee, something that we all have championed and we're excited about.

Our public safety officers deserve to have this, especially those who are killed in the line of duty.

And of course, you know, last year, Officer Rose and Master Firefighter Fant lost their lives supporting our community members.

And so with them in mind, we wanted to make sure that we continue to support their families because of the lives that are given in order to save many of us.

And so at the ERPS committee meeting, there were a couple of things that occurred that need to be ironed out today.

Number one, typically Commissioner Davis Johnson does not vote on pension items, but of course, she and I were the only two at the Earth's committee meeting.

So at that time, when the motion to approve was made, um, it normally she would have abstained for from that sort of vote, uh, which is why we're not going with that today.

But also a concern that I had um we had an in-depth conversation uh about whether this could be retroactive to include fire master firefighter fant and officer rose.

So during that time, it seemed the administration or the county attorney's office did not recall that conversation, and I said check the video, and we did, and we found that on December 15, 2025, this was discussed, making it retroactive February 17, 2026.

It was discussed, making it retroactive through January 1 of 2025 to include Officer Rose and Master Firefighter fans, and neither time was it ever indicated that it could not be made retroactive.

And I understand that there is a clause that you're communicating now that says it cannot be, but that is not acceptable to me.

We need to find a way to honor those families, even if not through this specific home rule um ordinance, and I'll read from you what um Mr.

Ed Wall said because he was the one that brought this to our attention and helped to create the ordinance and put the language together when he was notified that the neither of them would be included.

This is what he put in in an email.

The whole thing came up because of the two public safety employees who died in 2025.

We wanted to include them and started talking about this at that time.

The BOC and I talked about it at length over multiple meetings.

It was always talked about to include those two employees.

I have learned that the county attorney says that that would violate the Georgia Constitution, anti-gratuity clause, and so on and so forth, indicating this was a major discussion in that conversation, and so I would like to give the administration more time to figure out what we will do to honor those families as we look through some of the adjustments for the home rule ordinance, in addition to some concerns regarding beneficiaries, whether it's a child, you know, maybe as young as the age of three years old versus someone who might be 90, since this is a payout for the duration of their lifetime.

Um, in addition to having an estate be the beneficiary, there were some concerns there and a few other things that were mentioned.

So there are gaps in the policy that we should go back and address, clean it up a little bit, and then bring it back for board approval.

And I'm currently asking for two weeks for decision only, but if you need more time to close some of those gaps, we can push it out a little bit further.

I yield back.

Thank you.

Next is Commissioner Davis Johnson requesting to speak.

Thank you, Madam Pizzat.

Thank you.

A couple of things that I will address, and thank you, Commissioner Bolton, for bringing to my attention that I did uh make the motion to move on this.

My husband, Hank Johnson, of course, receives a pension from DeCap County, and usually I will abstain from voting on anything pertaining to a pension.

However, in this particular case, this would not affect him because he was not a public um safety official, and so my vote would not affect um his receiving a pension.

Now, secondly, I like to say, and I do understand uh Commissioner Bolton's passion.

Uh I had a friend, well, a friend, the previous mayor of um Latonia.

Her sister was killed in an automobile accident at the uh corner of Thompson Mill and uh Snuff Finger, and it broke my heart so that I knew that there was a problem with that traffic light, and um of course I talked to public safety, and we changed the signal.

So, and and since that signal has been changed, no life um has been claimed since that time, and that's been about two or three years ago.

And I talked with the mayor about that change, and she was saying that she really appreciated it, but it's not gonna bring her sister back, and I do understand your feeling, but she saw the benefit moving forward of other people, and so I would like uh commissioner, I mean, I would like I county attorney to just explain the clause that um the the county has referred to, and although the board may have thought it was legal, that's the reason we have attorneys to show us uh how we should and can proceed under the law, but my heart goes out to those officers, and my heart goes out to my colleague because I know where her heart is.

You know, but sometimes when we correct the past, it may not benefit those in the past, but it does benefit those in the future, but then that's their legacy.

That's part of their legacy legacy to make us understand that a change needed to be brought about, and I think that's what we are.

Thank you.

Did you still want to hear from attorney Phillips, ma'am?

Yeah, go ahead, sir.

Thank you, madam presiding officer.

First and foremost, let me say that I I think Dr.

Bolton and this commission has been crystal clear from the beginning of this discussion that compassion for those lost and the families that survived them is a big motivating factor in this discussion and the attempts to do what the county can appropriately do to assist them.

I would like the opportunity to work the law department in its entirety to work with the administration to address the concerns that Dr.

Bolton's articulated today and the gaps in what we're trying to achieve with respect to the direct question on the gratuities clause.

There are limits to what the county can do in a nutshell.

Um I need to remind you all, I don't like giving public opinions, but as a summary of the gratuity clause gratuities clause, unless the county as an entity is receiving a benefit, one may argue that giving something of value is then a gratuity.

So that's an oversimplification probably, but the gratuities clause prevents us from just giving things away in a nutshell.

So we have to be really careful about that.

But again, we'll work with the administration.

We've heard you all loud and clear.

We thank Dr.

Bolton for her compassion and leadership in this.

Thank you.

Commissioner Terry.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Um yes, thank you, uh County Attorney Phillips for clarifying that because um I do remember the conversation early on, and the intent was to, you know, recognize um the most recent fallen officer and um fire deputy.

But you know, I I guess the the concern with the retroactiveness is not only gratuities clause, but I guess is there any question about how far something can be retroactive?

Um attorney Phillips, do you have any thoughts on that?

Because I'll just share that.

I've been to many fallen officer memorials over the years, and I mean you can go back to the 1940s uh officers that have died in line of duty.

Um so what just explain the gratuities clause and the retroactiveness aspect of what you're concerned with.

Before I go too much further in this again, Commissioners, I look forward to communicating with you offline about the details and nuances of our analysis to be respectful of Commissioner Terry's question.

What I will say is a part of the analysis is how far back you go, whether or not in applying something retroactively, how folks will benefit from it, what the benefit will be, and whether or not that benefit to the people who receive the benefit constitutes a violation of the gratuities clause.

That's one of several parts of our analysis.

So you are right, it is a part of the calculus that has to be conducted in evaluating the effective date of the decisions you make in these kinds of things.

Okay.

And um, in this ordinance, it so just to clarify, Attorney Phillips, this this would begin on September 1st, 2026 this year.

Well, a part of what we've been discussing is the effective date that you would have.

Obviously, you will have to pass the amendment to add the benefit and give an effective date to it, and that would be the starting point to apply it.

Who qualifies, when they qualify, how they qualify, will all be a part of what we're crafting for, and then how we interpret it and use it going forward.

Okay.

So um if the board wanted to make the effective date when we approve this ordinance, are we able to do that?

We'll take a look at that, Commissioner.

And the typical way we would do something like that is to say it's effective upon execution.

Okay.

Right.

All right, I would encourage us to do that.

Um and you know, just not to get caught up in any retroactivity issues of God forbid something that could happen.

We had an officer that was stabbed on North Decatur Road this weekend.

So literally every single day that goes by could be another issue, you know, incident, and it could lead to a situation where we want this benefit to be in in effect.

So if we could, and you know, I mean, I don't want to like open up old wounds.

And so, you know, part of the concern of deferring this to even two more weeks is we're we're just we're continuing talking about something that I believe the county attorney has said is unconstitutional.

But the longer we debate this, the longer time goes by where something could happen, and this won't be into effect, and we'll get caught in that same catch-22.

So if we could just pass this today, make it the effective date today, and then let's work out additional things.

We can always come back and do amendments or other.

I mean, the law department's very creative, and and if we could just take care of this today and then work with the administration on um other strategies that might address some of the issues we're talking about.

Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Carey.

Yes, go ahead.

And thank you, uh Madam Presiding Officer.

And if I may, I apologize for the original um statement of approval and looking at the agenda item.

We're looking to schedule a second vote on this home rule ordinance.

So we may be able to accomplish progress, but at the same time, the board gets another opportunity to vote.

So if the maker of the original deferral motion would allow this to move forward for a second vote, um during that time we would do the research that Mr.

Phillips mentioned.

So are you saying it needs two reads or that's yes, that's my read of the recommendation.

So today would constitute the first read.

Yes, yes, and then so we still need to do a second read.

So either way it needs to come back for that.

That's what we're saying.

Yes, ma'am.

All right, Commissioner Bolton, you have the floor.

Thank you, uh Madam Presiding Officer.

I do want to reiterate, though my biggest concern were the two that lost their lives, those were not the only issues with this document.

So I don't want to lose sight of that.

Um, particularly when it comes to beneficiaries and payout estates, if there are multiple beneficiaries, how is that um delineated in the document?

So while that is my biggest concern about those who lost their lives, don't lose sight that this document has other gaps and holes in it.

Um and thank you so much, county attorney, for acknowledging my concern.

But I would say it's not a gratuity because there was an exchange.

One life was lost, and nearly 800,000 were saved.

That's what the county received in this exchange for a gratuity for the two families, essentially.

That or at least what we're calling a gratuity.

Um with that, I would like to better understand how it's possible that we're able to do um colas retroactively, but we can't do this retroactively.

Commissioners, we've gone way past what I'm comfortable doing in the way of discussing our analysis.

We will gladly answer your questions, Dr.

Bolton.

I respectfully request that we answer the rest of this commission's questions offline and not publicly.

Understood.

So my request for a two-week deferral stance, my second stance.

So clarification on that.

If this is a first read, is that the proper mo action to be taken if this is a first read?

Normally you would pass it and then pass it at the next read, but we we may have to make changes based on some of the discussion that is taking place.

And I think that's a part of what Dr.

Bolton was pointing out.

There, there are a number of moving parts, and quite frankly, a number of considerations, all of which I won't list today.

Understood, thank you.

Commissioner Terry, you've requested to speak for your second opportunity.

Yes, just in light of the fact that there are uh two reads required, and my original concern stands that the longer we delay this puts us in a position where we have to can we are gonna be told again that the Constitution of the State of Georgia will not allow this.

So, you know, I I'm not a lawyer and I don't pretend to try to argue with lawyers about all legal things, some legal things, Attorney Phillips.

But in this case, let's just get this done.

I mean, the I I mean there's gratuity and then there's hyperbole.

And we just need to pass this and move on and set it for all future employees.

Um any delay further puts in at risk the very thing that we are saying that we are concerned about.

So uh with that in mind and understanding there's a second vote, and it appeared apparently there are potential things that could come back, and that gives us time to do that.

Um I substitute, I have a substitute motion to approve this uh ordinance as the first read.

That's my motion.

Is there a second to that hearing no second, that feels for lack of second?

Do you concede the rest of your time, Commissioner Terry?

Um, I'll just say I'm disappointed that I can't even get a second on this, and no one is even addressing the point that I just made that if an officer or a firefighter dies in the line of duty in the next I guess two weeks or four weeks, we will not be able to impart this benefit.

So just think about that.

I mean, this is now becoming political grandstanding.

You know, making a big deal about something that we said we could do, but then we did research and we can't do, and that's the law, and then arguing about it and purposely delaying it to make a point.

I mean, come on, this is ridiculous.

This is the law.

This is the Constitution, and this is the right thing to do, but deferring it even further just because you want to make a political point, or because you didn't get exactly what you thought you were gonna get.

I mean, welcome to being in on elected office to being a professional.

You don't always get what you want.

But this is what's legal and accurate and right.

So God forbid something happens, and we have to get have all these conversations all over again while we can't pay out the benefit that we're trying to do.

An officer near my neighborhood on North Decatur Road responding to emergency was stabbed.

Officers put their and firefighters put their lives on the line every single day.

Let's not risk that.

Respectfully retroactive to January first 2025 would include all of the folks that you are not allowed to speak over him.

I did not allow him to speak over you.

Commissioner Patrick.

Uh thank you, Madam Presiding Officer.

Uh, when we have that offline conversation, if you guys could be prepared to talk about retroactive date versus effective date, because that is one of the questions I have in theory.

If we passed it today, would it have the effective date of today?

Uh so it I understand offline.

May I I I just want to solve what I think is a critical consideration.

Go ahead, attorney.

It's home rule.

We file it with the Secretary of State.

That'll be the effective date.

But obviously, we have to complete our work, make sure it says what this body wants it to say, get it through the county's process and file.

Um we will be prepared to discuss that with you relative to retroactive and the like as well, Commissioner.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, madam.

Thank you.

See no other request to speak, please open the machine for the vote.

Motion to defer carries.

We have one more item for public hearing under planning and sustainability item 2026-0857, all commission districts.

Application of the director of planning and sustainability for the the Cab County Board of Commissioners to hold a public hearing to consider and review whether to extend a moratorium on data centers in DeCab County.

Good morning, Deputy Director Bragg.

Good morning, commissioners and members of the public.

Um as you know, um most recently I've been coming before you to talk about data centers, but the planning and sustainability department oversees the zoning code, which we're working to update.

So uh if you or members of the public have any um feedback on our current zoning code, we're actually in the one stop shop today, taking feedback.

Um so just wanted to let you know that.

Uh regarding this item, the staff recommendation.

Um so uh although this item currently recommends a data center moratorium be extended to August 12th, after our recent discussion at the committee of the whole meeting, staff is actually recommending a 100-day moratorium from today's date.

So that would be a moratorium from um that would extend to September 17th, 2026.

Thank you, ma'am.

Thank you.

So we will open the public hearing.

Is anyone here to speak in favor of this item?

Please come to that back podium.

Good morning.

Good morning again, Jan Dunway.

Um, and I'm sort of on the fence here.

I'm glad to hear a hundred days, although we really need a year.

Um, or until the consent order is resolved because the water part of this is so important.

Uh it's too important to rush through it.

You're gonna vote on it on June 23rd.

So we we need to be very clear and we need to move the moratorium along.

We currently only have one data center application for a two million square foot center on Loveless Place in Allenwood, which should have been denied in January since the application is only for a million square foot data center.

You all know that we have two others waiting on the sidelines, just waiting for the moratorium to expire.

I was present at the Medro CID tenure and uh tenure celebration when Shadow Box spokesman Jeff Weber announced their plans to build the data center on the 155-acre parcel rather than the movie studio expansion.

The county sent Shadow Box a letter of N10 February 25, stating for the code they could, but this is not an approval.

Mr.

Weber told me personally that silly moratorium is getting in our way.

The moratorium nor the text amendment is is not silly.

We are um it's put together to put guidelines in place to protect the citizens of DeCamp, and it is not silly.

We know that Ryan Millsap plans to build a data center on the 40 acres that was swapped for our park land.

He too, as Hickory Real Estate received a letter of intent from the county February 24th, saying the same thing.

We learn something new every day about this fast moving technology.

We need to proceed with caution, not with recklessness.

One year would be better, not eight weeks, and now whatever how many weeks that is.

But I um we need the moratorium to but we need to do this for a year.

Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am.

Next speaker.

Good morning.

Good morning.

I'm Brandon Brown from uh Conley, Georgia.

Speaking uh with regards to the um with to the moratorium.

I believe that if it is possible to extend it any further than a hundred days, that would be ideal.

I do believe like a public hearing and more comments and more information about the text amendment, the upcoming changes is critically needed.

I think some of the suggestions that the previous speakers spoke with during the previous public uh comment portion are essential to that text amendment with regard to doing something like uh doing something with the property after its useful life, having more teeth in it as far as enforcement when they do break the the code because code enforcement in this county is notoriously terrible, and I have no faith that the county government would ever have any teeth in punishing the data centers for if they do violate the the code.

So I think more comment from the public is needed, more information is needed, more communication is needed.

We receive so many text messages and mailers during election season, but we never hear from you otherwise.

So I think I think more communication from the commissioners, especially within District 3, is critically needed to understand what we need to do going forward and to hear out what the public feels about the data centers versus keep kicking the can down the road to make us come here every couple of months to yell at you and and let you know that we really don't want this.

It's it's pretty clear how we feel.

So I think you guys need to get it together and just make whatever either moratorium permanent or extend it far beyond so we can get more information.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, good morning.

Uh hi there, John Monroe.

Um, I just want to say the longer the moratorium, the better.

Forever would be great.

I think the more we learn, the worse the situation gets.

Uh so thank you.

Thank you, next speaker.

Good morning.

Good morning, um, Board of Commissioner Presiding Officer, Deputy Presiding Officer.

My name is Valerie Conquiet, and this is my second time coming here hoping to speak, and did not get to do so.

We do not know enough about it to approve or authorize.

In our neighborhood, close to our neighborhood, or even in DeCal County.

The other thing I want to address real quickly, is that I'm gonna say something from my heart.

Madam CEO, Lorraine Cochrane Johnson, is one of the most professional, strongest, thank you, thank you, and best leadership the Cal County have ever seen.

Let me tell you this.

We dealt with crumbling sewer system for a long time.

Pipes were bursting all over the place.

Everyone kicked the can down the road, and she was strong enough, woman enough, to face it head on and make it one of the first odd-off day in office.

I do need to keep the comments to the issue at hand, which is the moratorium.

The other I appreciate your passion.

Is that commissioner Nicole Messiah is against data center?

They are spreading lies on her.

She's not for it.

Okay, thank you.

Speak the truth.

Thank you, ma'am.

Next speaker.

Thank you.

Kiana Jones Moore, resident of district three.

I do agree with the moratorium being extended as far as possible, preferably until we have met the terms of the federal consent decree.

And I do just want to raise another concern about financing.

It's been proven that Ryan Millsap has funded the campaigns of some sitting commissioners, former commissioners, but we do have one commissioner who's in the runoff who has not filed a campaign disclosure and is still under an ethics violation for lack of filing from a previous election.

So I do think that we need to make sure that we pay attention to that so that things can be extended.

We need to keep it to the moratorium.

Thank you.

Hello, Mr.

Benny.

I will keep it to the subject.

Thank you, sir.

Stephen Benny, 1083 Seville Drive Clarkston, Georgia.

I would like to suggest a longer moratorium.

It's been six months, and we have gotten new revision, no new revisions on what zoning is going to do.

But also this last um legislative term, the state was supposed to be working on something, but passed nothing at all.

So we have no state guidelines, and we don't know what's going to happen when that, you know, if we write something, what how the state is going to affect it.

I would suggest a nine month at least until the legislative session is over next year.

I would prefer a year, but I would accept nine months.

Thank you very much for your time.

Thank you.

Anyone else speaking wishing to speak?

I told you.

Thank you, Mr.

Pentney.

Anyone else wishing to speak in favor of this item, which is about the moratorium?

Okay.

See no one else wishing to speak in favor.

Is there anyone here to speak in opposition of the moratorium?

Of the moratorium.

Thank you.

Yes.

Okay.

Um again.

Good morning.

My name is Donna Priest Brown.

I'm a resident of DeCab County, South DeCab, and I speak today on behalf of the silent majority.

The residents who are living with consequences of decisions made in these chambers.

I first came before the Board of Commissioners in September of 2025 with concerns about our aging water infrastructure.

I told you then what I have witnessed in my own home over the past several years.

A noticeable decline in water pressure and flow that tells me our system is under strain.

That is was not a complaint, that was a warning.

And I live at the edge of DeCap County, East DeCAP.

Today I'm back with a clear ask.

DeCAP County remains under a 2011 federal consent decree related to our decaying water and sewer infrastructure.

That decree was issued because this county systems were already failing.

15 years later, those federal requirements still have not been fully met.

Gina Mangham has made this point plainly, and this board cannot afford to ignore it.

Data centers are among the most water intensive industrial facilities in existence.

We don't need AI large-scale data centers.

Approving new data center development while our infrastructure remains under active federal oversight.

It's not just unwise, it's unconscionable.

My ask is straightforward.

Impose a moratorium on data center development and hold it in place until every requirement of the 2011 federal consent decree has been satisfied, nothing less.

We are watching, we are organized, and we expect this board to do the right by the people who were elected to serve.

Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am.

Next speaker.

In opposition of the moratorium.

I'm totally in opposition of the moratorium due to the fact of the data campus.

We are in a 10 for 10 water decree.

And it really needs to be, I agree with you, Mr.

Patrick.

A one year plus moratorium.

If we have that, y'all will have enough time to go and do your little investigation in your studies to see what will happen because it just rained this morning, and water is sitting on top of the grass.

Water is sitting on the streets.

We have roads crumbling up and down BoulderCrest.

I got cones going up and down Bordacrest.

We know for a fact it's not gonna our infrastructure is damaged.

So with that being said, we need to kind of put the brakes on this and it stay in that moratorium for one year plus.

Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am.

Anyone else wishing to speak in opposition of the moratorium?

Good morning, ma'am.

Good morning.

All right, guys.

I'm nervous.

It's my first time coming.

Um I'm a resident in Cab County, Georgia.

And I have absolutely nothing to say positive about this besides you guys are aware of the strain that data centers put on communities.

Y'all are you are not blind.

You are human.

You have eyes, and you can see what happened in Fayetteville, Georgia.

You can see what's happening in communities around the country in regards to these data centers, right?

I understand you don't see us every day, right?

I understand to you, we don't matter, but I just need you to take a second and think about this.

Even if you don't live in our communities where these data centers may be located, what about your family and your friends?

What about your pastors and your cousins, your brothers, your sisters, your nieces, your uncles?

You can't protect everybody.

So I am pleading to you with the community and with people like she said, silent voices who you guys know want to be here and for a multitude of reasons cannot be here to please not only extend this moratorium, but really think about the impact this is not just gonna have on the community and the people around you, but our society as a whole right now, whatever kickbacks or whatever people are doing and get in with this, I just need you to have your conscience and your soul in place and understand that this is not just going to impact you, but what about your family?

Can you protect everybody?

Is their water going to turn brown like those in Fairville?

Can you stop that from happening to them?

We care about the children, right?

Oh, that's America's slogan.

We care about the kids.

Do you really care about the kids?

What about the schools?

Can you stop their school water from turning brown?

What about those places?

The daycares, right?

How are you going to protect these people when the flow off and all of the drainage and all of the things that come from data centers start to spill over in our communities?

It does not take a lot for data centers to get built, right?

They get their contractors, they get in here, they get a lot of jobs, people get you know get the place built up.

But what happens after that when there are only 50 jobs left, and the community is left with drainage and water?

We see what's happening in Branton, Georgia, right?

We're not stupid.

Where what's gonna happen to our farmland here when you guys start to move these data centers into the city and we don't have anything, South Georgia?

Where is your food gonna come from?

Are you guys flying food in from out of state?

I'm just trying to figure out if you think that you are immune to what is going to take place after these data centers are built.

Do you think that not only can you protect yourself, but your family, your friends, your pastor, your children, your aunties and uncles?

Have you talked to your families about this?

Or do it or is the saying just we don't talk about my job, right?

We just impact the community and those around us, and we don't talk about our job.

We just terrorize the community with the laws and regulations that we pass, but we don't talk about our job.

Can you protect everybody?

Right?

We love that the World Cup is coming here.

We love the Braves, we got a big stadium for it, right?

I know you guys go, I go, Diago, we love the games.

What's gonna happen when the water starts to impact that?

Right?

When people can't eat or drink because the food is contaminated.

How are you going to protect everyone when this starts to impact us?

Because please look at the research.

Take a year, take two years.

How far off does the runoff from these data centers flow into communities?

Is it five miles?

Is it ten miles?

What happens to the infrastructure with the with this worm that's now coming from Texas, Texas and impacting food?

How are you going to protect us when our water is infect and it's contaminated, it's infected.

I mean, take whatever time you need, six months, nine months, a year.

But I am pleading for the young people of my community who are not here, who are fighting other battles that all y'all come.

Some of y'all come from where I come from, right?

You're fighting, you know the battles they're fighting.

You know why they can't be here.

I got a baby at home.

I took my nieces and I'm here.

Okay.

Okay.

I just ask that you hear us.

Because I'm gonna speak through my nervousness.

I'm gonna stand into that time run out.

I want you to know that we care about what happened to our community, even if the ones sitting high don't.

You guys look at us as peasants, you think that you're separate, you think that you can go in your community and lock your little gate.

You think that your double doors protect you?

But lo and behold, when that water starts coming down, when all the food start getting infected, I just want to see you fly your food in from another country.

I just want to see you.

How much water are you gonna say?

How protected do you think you are in a space where everything is infected?

Everything is I mean, what is your goal here?

What is your goal?

I just want to know because we all want money, baby.

We all out here trying to make it.

What is your goal?

What is your goal?

What is your end going?

You leave here, you be like, oh, well, I got a check.

They paid me.

I'm gonna do what they asked me to do because hey, I got money.

My family is protected.

My wife, my daughter, my kids.

What about your mother, your father, your aunt, your uncle, your pastor, are any of these people?

People in the community, your their pastors, their loved ones, their aunts and uncles.

When they go home, please question them and ask them, how is this going to affect me?

How is this going to impact me?

You guys might not live in DeCab County, but I bet you some of your friends do.

You guys might not live in DeCap County, but I bet you your pastors and neighbors and people that you know do.

How much do you really care about these people?

I just want to know.

How much do you really care?

We know we saw the line in Atlanta, the South Side of Atlanta gets no love.

You guys don't build an entire infrastructure, yada yada yada.

But data centers are going all over Georgia.

They're going all over Georgia.

How are you gonna protect yourself?

Yeah, do damage to the south side, do damage to black people.

How are you gonna protect yourself when your water is infected?

Tell me where you're gonna get it from.

And then how many people are gonna be in line behind you or in front of you, and how long is it gonna take for you to get service?

You are not alone.

Please have a backbone that God gave you.

Stand up for people and stand up for us.

Do the right thing, please.

It's not that hard, baby.

Please do the right thing.

My my time is over.

Thank you, ma'am.

Director, Deputy Director Bragg, if you'd like to come forward and restate the staff's position on this item.

And if it is for a hundred days with a public hearing.

Um, so the moratorium would last for 100 days, but if it were to be extended, we would actually propose a new item.

So there would be no hearing in a hundred days.

Understood, thank you.

So um, just to be clear, the staff recommendation is for a hundred day moratorium beginning today and ending on September 17th, 2026.

Thank you.

Is there a motion on this item?

Make a motion to approve the recommended 100 day uh moratorium that will start today and will end September 17, 2026.

Hit your button.

Is there a second?

There's a motion and a second for the 100 days moratorium to end September 17th.

Commissioner Terry has requested a speaker and then Commissioner Bolton.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Uh, I seconded it for purposes of discussion, so I would like to um just say a couple words on this issue.

Um, so many of y'all know uh that several years ago, DeCab County was the epicenter for what uh became known as the Yollywood craze.

And this is referring to the fact that the film industry moved into Georgia because of the tax credits.

And DeCab County was in fact the epicenter.

Most of the sound stages in Georgia were built in DeCab County.

To this day, 90% of those boxes are empty.

And a cruel twist of irony, the AI technology that data centers are powering, replaced many of those Hollywood workers.

Some of them went overseas, some of them are literally being replaced because of AI.

And now we are being asked to replace those sound stages or the what could have been future sound stages with massive data centers.

And when I say massive, I'm saying not a million, two million, six million square feet, and based on the existing draft text ordinance would be a by right amendment that would allow six thousand square feet of a hyperscale facility to be built into Cab County without a public hearing.

We often have to remind ourselves that the richest individuals in the world are looking to get even richer.

SpaceX that is part of XAI is looking to go into the SP to have a one and a half trillion dollar valuation to which when it goes on the SP, all of our retirement accounts will be in that stock.

And that's concerning because the warning signs are already there about a bubble.

Uh about a rush to quite frankly, most of the data centers that are being proposed in Georgia right now haven't even been built.

Some of them have been approved, but they haven't even been built yet.

And Georgia Power, in this last public service commission hearing, it was revealed that our residential power bills are subsidizing the current data center infrastructure build out.

And most of them haven't even been built.

So the question for us is do we want to be a part of approving something that undeniably will raise all of our power bills in this room?

Every single DeCab County resident that's a Georgia Power customer will have higher power bills in the future because of data centers.

I had a great heard a great argument from my colleague, Commissioner R.

Patrick about the public service commission elections.

The public service commission actually can do something about that right now, they're not.

So part of our mindset should be actually let's let the voters decide where they really stand on power bills and data centers and our environment to add a third to that.

Because if we don't get this right, we are going to be screwed.

And the last thing I want is for another empty box to exist on DeCab County land, which by the way, the three data centers, one that's proposed, two that have been proposed, are in District 3, District 6.

So this is my district.

I don't want to see more tax money.

There have been tax abatements and tax allocation districts funding in the millions of dollars for these projects, the infrastructure, and I don't want to see that money go to waste.

There's a term called uh economic cognitive dissonance, and it's the psychology of sticking your head in the sand.

It's like watching the stock market hit all-time highs while ignoring the global warning signs we're seeing all over the country, all over the world.

And Georgia is in fact seeing the fastest growth of data centers in the world.

We literally are seeing the number highest per capita.

So this should concern us all.

Because the planning department is still working through these issues, because we're still concerned about public input, because we're so worried about water and sewer and water treatment and the environment and air quality and noise.

Let's not even forget about noise and the low frequency noise that is terrorizing neighborhoods.

And because we have a precedent in our code to have moratoriums going longer than a year, we should extend this moratorium for one more year and allow time for the voters and the legislators and our elected officials to work our way through this.

So with this, I propose a substitute motion to extend the moratorium for one more year.

That's my motion.

Is there a second to that?

Second.

All right.

There's a motion to extend it for one year.

Seconded by Commissioner Long Spears, Commissioner Davis Johnson, you have requested to speak.

Thank you.

Um, I just like to say this.

And if we can get her, there we go.

Thank you.

Okay, I just like to say this.

I don't represent South Decap.

I not only represent South Decap, I live in the heart of South Decap.

I'm a black woman.

I work every day.

I have a job.

Other than sitting on this commission.

My family live here.

I have lived in South Decam probably longer than many of you that are sitting there.

You know, so I have a state.

I don't have money.

You know, my father did not leave me an estate.

And like most of us up here, we don't have inheritance.

You may look someplace else, and you may think that we do, but we don't.

And we understand clearly what happens in South DeCab and DeCab County affects us.

We're not in a backup.

So if you are affected, I'm affected.

And I understand that.

And I work every day to protect the rights and the dignity and the character of DeCab County and its citizens.

So I don't want anyone to misunderstand that.

Because I live there, have lived there, and would not live any place else.

And I'm very happy there.

And since I've been on this board since 2015, I've represented people in my district in South Decamp and in DeCab County.

No one sitting in that audience has called my office to have a conversation with me about data centers.

One thing that my mother always taught me at a very young age.

And that is don't do things based on emotions.

Take a deep breath.

And if you make decisions based on emotions and what other people tell you that don't have the same interests as you're gonna be messed up.

And so I just want to say that because super districts, seven and six, they represent half this county.

But if you stop and you look around, you'll see that sometimes opinions flow with the wind.

Whichever the wind is blowing, that's where I am today.

Now you move someplace else that benefits somebody's interest tomorrow, and the wind blows back to the left.

Look up here and see who's gonna be going on the left with you.

But they're not gonna be jumping off the cliff with you.

So I just say this.

You know, research what you're talking about.

Talk to us, call my office.

Let us know your thoughts.

We understand your thoughts.

Y'all been talking this the same as we have for many, many months.

So we we're not stupid, like y'all say, y'all not stupid, we're not stupid either.

We hear you.

We have a state, and I just want you to move based on facts and not have people lead you off a cliff.

So I yield back.

Thank you, Commissioner Bolton.

Thank you, Madam Presiding Officer, and I just wanted to reiterate, you guys have heard me say this many times.

I live off Glenwood, not Glenwood Avenue, Glenwood Road.

So nobody's experience in this room is more devastating than anything I have experienced because I was raised off Glenwood and I'm raising my children there.

But I'm gonna tell you the concerns that I have as an Eastside chick.

We have folks up here double talking the community because they know they can give great sound bites that have you back there clapping and snapping your fingers.

Let me tell y'all two agenda items you should be concerned about.

Number one is 2026 0341.

You have a commissioner up here who requested months ago that the amendment you don't approve of, he requested that we go ahead and pass it.

And he put forth a resolution making that recommendation publicly.

Go back and read it.

2026 0341.

So he's telling you it's not ready today because he knows that's what you want to hear.

But months ago, he requested that this document that is not ready get approved.

Number two, item 2026 0158.

Y'all, let me tell you what this is.

This says it is a resolution to establish a for the people AI tech dividend fund.

You know what that is?

Somebody planned for the money that's coming when they approve a data center.

He already knows what he wants to spend that money on, and y'all up here listening to this double talk, read the items that he has proposed.

Read the items.

20260158 a resolution to establish a for the people AI Tech Dividend Fund.

You know why he's calling it for the people, so you can say you agree with it.

But when you look at it, a dividend fund for AI, he wants data centers, and he wants large data centers.

That's why he's asking for a dividend fund, something that he knows will accumulate a large amount of revenue for the county, and he always already has a strategy to spend the funds for it.

So now he get up here and he's telling you we need a one-year moratorium.

The item is not ready.

We need to do all of these things.

He's going into the history.

It sounds amazing.

It does.

Y'all don't believe the hype.

Don't read into the sound bites, read into these agenda items, read these resolutions, read these proposals, and hear what we're saying to you.

Now being a legislator is about being a strategist, not an activist.

An activist can do and say whatever they feel whenever they get ready.

As a strategist, you have to understand federal, state, and local laws.

You have to understand who you're working with and what they want and what their mission is so that you can strategize around those arterior motives and give the community what they really want.

It may not be packaged the way you want it to be packaged, but you're gonna get what you ultimately want for your community.

Hear what we're saying to you.

Really listen to what we're saying.

Read between the lines.

We're strategizing to get you what you want.

And you got folks up here strategizing to get what they want.

I'm gonna read these items again so you can read them for yourself.

2026 0341.

It was a request to approve that amendment that you said is not ready, and 2026 0158.

This is a plan to spend the money after he approves the data centers that he wants in district three.

And I live in District 3 too, so I will be voting.

I yield back.

Thank you.

I'll go to Commissioner Mersay for her first time, and then Commissioner Terry for your second.

Thank you, Madam Pio.

Um, so much of what has needed to be said has been communicated by my colleagues.

Just as passionate and committed and convicted as you are, we are as well.

And it is even more of a challenge for us when we understand, when we hear, when we feel the concerns of our community of the folks that we represent in the communities we directly live in, and then we sit with colleagues that say something different and do something different.

I've always remained and said, I am not for data centers in our backyards and in our communities.

And my record has been consistent in terms of ensuring that we have protections, air, water, sound, pollution, trying to get a bond, decommission, that we actually have folks that will inspect.

If you read and pay attention to the agenda items as they've come forth.

Before myself and several of us were on the board of commissioners.

Is to use the facts, all of the faculty that God has poured into me, listen to my community, do the research, be prepared, and make the best decision for my community.

My record shows nothing but in spite of the political play and performances for people's own agenda, the one hit wonders on an issue that is polarizing to the community instead of uniting the community to fight and protect and have what we need in South DeCab better.

People have done other things.

Pay attention, y'all.

Pay attention, y'all, pay attention because it matters.

The decisions that we make matter.

The games people are playing with folks matter.

We have to make sure that we unite, and I will always fight for you and with you.

Don't let anyone, anything for their own benefit, tell you anything different.

With that, I yield back, Madam PO.

Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Terry, for your second opportunity.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Um, so first off, I don't have time to rebut all of my colleagues' um inaccurate comments, but I right here right now, and it's three minutes, by the way.

I need to correct the clock, it should be three minutes.

Okay, go ahead.

Um, so I don't have time to rebut all those um inaccuracies, but what I will do right here, right now, is challenge any of my colleagues to a public forum and debate on all of these issues.

I have no problem defending my position every single time on every single proposal I put forward.

Commissioner Bolton, I will forgive you for being mis uh misunderstanding my agenda items because you were not at the two committee meetings where we discussed those agenda items.

So you just don't know because you weren't there, but they are on DC TV, so you can watch them and you can correct your understanding of my agenda items or what I'm trying to do there.

But let's not lose fight sight of the facts.

All right, and I've been putting forward facts, the community has been putting forward facts.

There is a motion involved because people are concerned that the facts are being ignored.

So when the facts are being ignored, people get upset.

I get upset.

I'm a little upset right now because the facts are being misrepresented.

Let's stay focused on the facts of what this issue of data centers in Georgia and DeCamp County means.

Grid reliability, a single campus where it can require as much power as a small city.

The surge, the sudden surge in demand strains local energy grids and increases the risk of brownouts.

That's a fact.

Rising utility bills, Georgia Power.

At the public service commission hearing three weeks ago, I was in the room.

All right, they literally talked about a hundred and thirty million dollars of of uh infrastructure that actually was paid by our power bills.

130 million dollars.

That's a fact.

Fossil fuel reliance, Georgia Power is building 10,000 megawatts of fossil fuel plants to bit to power data centers for 45 years, by the way, which we'll be paying for, not data centers, we'll be paying for.

I've been on PWI for four years.

We know there is a pressure issue in South DeCab because you have to get that water across the entire county, one to five million gallons extra of water every single day.

Okay, wait for those pipes to burst.

Drought and scarcity.

What about when we lose water?

What's gonna happen then?

We're all gonna be impacted by that.

The most recent news, and this is why I reserve my right to change my opinion.

So it's possible that over the last year I've evolved and learned new things.

The two things that we should all be concerned about is urban heat island effect and the low frequency noise.

All right, that's why we're pushing for more than 500 feet.

A thousand feet would be good, a mile would be really good.

Low frequency noise is a serious problem.

Last fact I'll point out the study just came out, CNN uh published it through uh in March.

I sent the commissioners.

It is four to five degrees Celsius hotter in neighborhoods around data centers.

That is a climate injustice and environmental injustice issue.

Commissioner Patrick.

I think this is your first time speaking on this one.

It is okay.

Uh thank you, Madam Presiding Officer.

Um, I know that uh county staff has recommended a hundred days.

If I could ask on the county attorney uh or uh uh the director of the department to come and explain why a hundred days or both I think a county attorney did want to address the length as well, so they can vote.

There's a couple of things that we would like to address.

We wanted to extend the staff originally put on the sheet 50 days to make it a hundred days for us to continue to review based upon the conversation that we had uh last week.

We wanted to take into consideration some any other additional items uh that have come up to date.

So we wanted to extend that full period of time.

Um, however, we've we've discussed several times about the fact that the data center ordinance to what we can possibly affect is limited to the land use.

Some of the issues that are coming up, we have worked diligently to activate the staff members that were here at the data center town hall meeting that was uh that we just had, then they are activated in what would be necessary for any reviews regarding environmental and water use, which is beyond our purview.

So, as far as the land use, we we feel very strong.

We've taken the comments that the commissioners have provided and put those updates into play that will finalize it.

As far as the additional things that have been requested beyond our purview, we've already activated those departments that will be reviewing those applications on that specific letter for water all environmental uses.

However, I would like for the attorney to come and speak about one other aspect that is currently under discussion that we just want to bring to the attention of the commission.

Attorney Phillips.

Um Commissioners, there is one issue that I'm concerned about, and that is the length of the current motion.

One year I think is too long given what we would use to justify a moratorium.

We have a moratorium to investigate, research, and discuss the county's plan.

We at this time think that the discussion and the items you've asked the professionals in planning to look at with the lawyers justifies another hundred days.

I don't see a year, and I wouldn't want to have to explain a year publicly, but you could always extend beyond the hundred days as we get into it if we identify a need to go beyond that.

But for today, I would ask that you go with the professionals' recommendation of a hundred days moving forward, and we'll continue to monitor, research, investigate, and consider the things that you present for consideration, and we recognize and acknowledge your listening to your constituents and asking us to look at the things that they present as you receive them.

Perfect.

Um I was a municipal employee and we had put in some moratoriums.

Um the county attorney or the city attorneys at the time would say, as you just said, what's legally defensible.

Um and so, although it may be a wise strategy for other reasons.

You've just said what's defensible is time for staff to be able to do the research necessary for the recommendations that were put forward by the Board of Commissioners.

Also reacting to the concerns from the constituents, correct?

Okay.

Yes, Commissioner, that's my understanding of where we are right now.

And as those circumstances change and you present more things, then we will evaluate that and what that means for the existing moratorium, be it continuing it, extending it, asking you to approve an item that's developed, we will continue to monitor the circumstance.

Okay, thank you.

Uh I've got about a minute left.

Uh, Director Joku.

Um, you made a comment that that is uh very relevant to everything we've been discussing, everything we've been hearing up here.

Zoning only regulates land use.

Is that correct?

Yes, sir.

It doesn't talk about water consumption.

Doesn't talk about runoff.

Yes, sir.

Uh it doesn't talk about a lot of the other environmental factors that are legitimate concerns that I know you guys are working on.

Is that correct?

Yes, sir.

We review those things through in the LDP process, but as far as the depth of what is being requested, the environmental depth, the monitoring, the staff monitoring, the funding that that would take that, and the expertise that those would be uh in an environmental or water.

We don't definitely don't deal with uh electrical, of course, we don't deal with the energy and the power components of it.

Some of the topics that have come off we taken in consideration and activated the division areas that would be dealing with that and provided information to the public and to the commission board of who would.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Commissioner Lock Spears, your first opportunity to speak.

Yes, ma'am.

Thank you, Madam P.O.

Um, first of all, I am the district two commissioner.

I don't represent South DeCab.

I am not a super district commissioner, so not on the West Side or the East Side.

My district basically runs from Brookhaven up by perimeter down to the city of Decatur.

My next question is for the county attorney.

Um, sir, you mentioned you know, you felt like you had to justify a one-year moratorium, and you also stated that you didn't want to have to explain a one-year moratorium publicly.

I am the second for the substitute motion for one year.

How would you feel about six or nine months?

Commissioner, I am basing my comments on what the professional staff has recommended, and that is 100 days.

So that's what that's what I would recommend, the hundred days that's been presented by them.

They're the ones completing this.

We're working closely with them, but they're the professionals making that determination.

How much more time do they need?

So when you stated you didn't want to explain the moratorium publicly, your reason is because you're listening to the planning department and their expertise.

Beyond that, I'll offer this reason to you.

I don't want Commissioner Terry, who made the initial motion, or you as the second, or any of you to have to for the first time explain things to the professional staff or me.

If it has not been communicated to us, I'd like you to have an opportunity to share that privately and offline.

I consistently say that to all of you in this commission.

What we understand right now, and I would invite planning to rescue me if I'm misunderstanding something, is their assessment is a hundred days would be appropriate based on what's been presented.

I was very careful to qualify that by saying if those circumstances change and we need to ask for a further extension, we would do that.

All right.

Thank you, sir, for your explanation.

Again, I just flagged when you said publicly, and I appreciate you addressing that.

Um I am comfortable with the one year moratorium.

I agree with a lot of the comments that were made today, made at the NICAL meeting, and made previously over the last year, that we really do need to study the impacts of data centers in such a densely populated community, such as Tacal County.

However, if the substitute motion, if the sponsor of that would like to consider six or nine months, and that is more amenable to the planning department and the law department, I would support that friendly amendment.

So, sir, I'm asking that question on my one minute and fifty-one seconds left.

Yes, thank you, Commissioner.

I appreciate the opportunity to um address that.

And yes, in my experience um from past moratoriums like the small box discount um retail store, uh, we've we've done um studies and then you know, we've had to take community impact um assessments and we've taken into account all factors, you know, state legislation, federal, and so um you know, if uh if if six months gets us passed um to the next public service commission, or nine months gets us to the next legislative session, then I'd be okay with that.

And so uh it sounds like he's not gonna change his mind though.

Um and the reason why that I'd asked for the year was that most laws go into effect July 1st.

And so if there was a law passed that regulated data centers or the public service commission add additional protections on power usage, um we would know about that next next year.

So six months would get us to the end of this year.

Nine months would get us to I assume around what end of March, so midway through legislative session, I believe, somewhere around there.

Um how about nine months?

I would accept a friendly amendment for nine months.

All right.

So and my second stance with that friendly amendment.

Uh County Attorney Phyllis, I just want to make sure we're doing this properly.

There was an original motion for 100 days, a substitute motion for a year.

Are we allowed to do the friendly amendment to the nine months?

What did you guys end up with?

Initially it was a year.

And then I suggested nine months.

Okay.

As I followed your discussion, I would invite Commissioners Terry and Spears to rescue me if I if I miss this.

It was a friendly amendment to the substitute, which is what you are deliberating about.

So the substitute is still before you, and the friendly amendment was accepted, moving it from one year to nine months.

So what is before you is the nine-month extension from Commissioner Terry, seconded by Commissioner Spears.

If I'm following their discussion, and that is the item before you that has to be completed.

If it fails, you would then go to the original hundred days that both planning and law have recommended.

Understood.

Thank you.

I just want to make sure we were doing this properly.

Commissioner Patrick.

I yield back, by the way.

Thank you.

I yield back any thank you.

Commissioner Patrick, your second opportunity.

Thank you, Madam Presiding Officer.

Um, you know, part of a successful strategy uh as a staff person was always listening to the county attorney's office or looking at the comprehensive plan that I was responsible for administering on top of the codes that were there.

And I'm gonna follow the strategy that they've put forward.

Those are all conversations that have to be spoken about, but we don't necessarily have that opportunity to speak about those fears, those very real fears, when we're talking about a land use opportunity.

And I just want to remind everybody that uh fear comes and goes, but you gotta stick with your head on a lot of things.

So with that, thank you very much, Madam Presiding Officer.

Thank you.

Commissioner Long Spears, your second opportunity.

Um yes, ma'am, thank you so much.

So I just want to emphasize to everyone who's present with us today, and will watch our recording of this meeting.

Is that I really believe in my heart that the full governing authority, the seven commissioners, plus the CEO, really want to get this right.

And we care about community, and as I stated earlier, I don't represent South to CAB.

But all of the residents of South to CAB are my concern.

There are responsibility, and we are accountable for getting this right.

Again, I believe that one year was is sufficient for us to do everything we need to do to listen to our community to do health study, bluepin, the health department, really everything that I could possibly think of to figure out you know, is this a good fit for our community or not?

And nine months is what I suggested, or six months to find a compromise, if you will.

This is a incredibly complex issue.

It is polarizing for our residents.

I've had a whole lot of people reach out and don't want data centers.

I've also had people reach out and want data centers.

And so again, we represent everyone in DeCab County.

Everyone should have the opportunity to hear their voices heard.

You also clearly recognize that it's polarizing up here on the dais with the commissioners.

It's also become very political.

And so again, I am absolutely in support of the longest moratorium that we can implement so that our priority is to get it right and to do what is in the very best interest of the citizens of DeCab County.

Thank you very much, and I yield back.

Thank you.

Commissioner Davis Johnson, second opportunity to speak.

Okay.

I'm ready to vote.

I'm gonna withdraw your withdrawing everything.

Let's open the machines to the vote.

Again, this is for the friendly amended to nine months of extending the moratorium.

Has everyone voted who plans on voting on this item?

The nine months fails, so we're back at the original motion, which is 100 days.

Please open that machine for the vote.

The original motion was uh 100-day moratorium beginning today and concluding September 17, 2026.

We have a second, and then we do have new questions.

Commissioner Bolton had requested a speak before we switched over.

Um, and just really quickly to staff, why wouldn't it be 100 days from the date of expiration?

Yeah, it doesn't expire today.

Um that's correct.

It was really just for simplicity.

Just that that's the only reason.

So if you if you would rather have a motion that it begins on September June 24th and extends for 100 days, that that's acceptable as well.

Yes, I think that's reasonable.

That is not the motion before us.

Right.

I'll go ahead and Mr.

County Attorney.

Yes, please.

Is that a friendly amendment?

Yes, it's a friendly amendment to extend 100 days beyond the expiration date.

Okay.

I'll go ahead and amend my motion to say uh this 100-day moratorium extends beyond the currently uh set to expire date for the existing moratorium.

Commissioner Davis Johnson, your second stance.

Just technical question, what date would that be?

With a hundred days, so it's not quite three months, it's over three months.

I think they've got to figure out okay.

You're working on this calendar on that.

Thank you, Ms.

Bragg.

There's a website called calendar count.com.

And I think do you yield your time, Commissioner Bolton?

I yield back.

And before I flipped over, I think I saw Commissioner Sai had requested to speak for second opportunity.

I didn't thank you so much, Commissioner Bolton for bringing that point that it could just be a hundred days um after the expiration of the current moratorium, which I believe ends in June.

So opposed to uh and I think it's maybe June 23rd is the date.

That's correct.

That is the date.

Yeah.

Sorry, 100 days from June 24th.

It would be um until October 1st.

Okay, so we got October 1st opposed to September 17th.

And then we can continue to um extend it from there if need be.

Correct.

Okay.

All right, and then and then just very briefly.

I think it's just important that you know, again, it's been talked about in the political play, and where there had not been discussions with other colleagues with legal, with the administration, with anyone else about making um motions to do certain things.

And not that there has to be um a lengthy conversation, but at least an understanding as to why the recommendation is the recommendation, any potential legal implications of doing something outside of that.

There are some individuals that will do it for the play of the community uh uh power play um in front of folks and without understanding whether or not that's best.

I think it's always important to look into what is being recommended, why it's being recommended to prevent us from getting into any potential challenges, especially when we have the opportunity to extend the moratorium either for or either further.

So not knee-jerking as we're up here and making in a definitive let's just go um against what's being recommended, opposed to let's make sure that we have the max and then gain a better understanding as to extend it even further.

I think is the better way to do things.

I mean, that's just a responsible governance way, opposed to knee-jerk passion just to um play into political games, but to actually do what's best.

With that, I yield back.

Thank you.

The vote is in progress.

Commissioner I mean before I would like to clarify.

We need a consistent moratorium.

And I want to make sure there's no confusion about it ending and restarting.

So it's scheduled to end on June 23rd.

I would suggest the one you're voting on now start on June 23rd.

That would take you to September 30th, I believe.

Okay, and I wanted to clarify that for the record and make sure there is no break in the moratorium.

Okay.

I think that is the intent of the motion.

That is the intent of the motion.

Do I need to I guess for clarity?

I make a motion uh to have a moratorium that begins with an effective date of June 23rd and shall extend uh till September 30 2026.

Second stance, Commissioner Davis Johnson.

Yeah.

Okay.

We can continue voting.

All right.

That motion to extend for a hundred days carries.

We have one other item under public hearing for decision only.

And we are at 1143.

So I commissioners, once we could finish this last um decision only item, I would like to at least get through consent before we break.

Okay.

So we're bottom of page three under watershed management again, decision only, no public hearing.

Item 2026-0778 commission districts one and six.

Partial easement abandonment for repos drive.

Yes, I'd like to make a motion to approve.

Is there a second?

Commissioner Terry seconded.

Commissioner Patrick, you've requested to speak.

Okay.

I did.

Um so uh years past there was a development in Shambley, and uh Commissioner Terry and I believe spoke with the developer and uh the land transaction was worth a few hundred bucks, and we had a conversation and we we made up with a couple more dollars than that.

Uh but in this case uh I had an opportunity to go out to reproduce drive.

It looks like it's a 54 lot um single family detached development.

Um portion of that property uh has a huge um field that ties into uh stream buffer.

And when I looked at Shambley's uh master plans, it looks like there's a proposal to have a trail that goes in that green area that that uh landscape area.

And so for that reason, I make that motion to suit to approve.

Um I also took a photo or two, not great photography because it was muddy, but um it's very clearly that there's a house uh or row of houses, and in the back, there's an area for where the trail system potentially could be.

So there you go.

Thank you for that.

Um see no other requests to speak, please open the machine.

It was motion to approve, correct?

Okay, that motion to approve carries.

Bottom of page three, there are no appeals.

Now we're on appointments.

Um top of page four from the chief executive office, commission dis all commission districts, item 2026-0975, appoint Ms.

Deborah Jackson to post three of the DeCAP County Community Service Board, and this was a PECS item.

Thank you so much, Madame PO.

There's a motion to defer to the jun June 23rd BOC with a stop and PECS to be heard by committee today.

Second of a motion and a second.

Please open the machine.

Two weeks to the two weeks with the stop to be heard today in PECS.

Machines are open for the vote.

Motion to defer carries item 2026-0756, all commission districts appoint Dr.

Jeremy Cole PhD to post nine of the Fulton DeCap Hospital Authority.

Also a PECS item.

Thank you so much, Madam PO.

Move for action.

Thank you.

Item 2026-0757.

All commission districts appoint Mr.

Jerome Edmondson to post three of the DeCav County Housing Authority.

Move for action.

And I have a motion, Madam PO to approve the items ending in 0756 and 0757 as they were approved by the PECS committee.

Thank you.

Motion to approve by Commissioner Masaya, seconded by Commissioner Long Spears, I believe.

Okay.

Yes, ma'am.

Thank you.

See no request to speak.

Thank you.

That motion to approve those two items carries.

And we're now top of page five, which is the consent agenda.

You ready, Deputy PO?

Yes, ma'am.

All right.

Under Airport Item 2026-0947, Commissioner Districts 1 and 6.

Standardized T Hanger Space Lease Agreement with Marvin Royster.

Move for action.

Under Board of Commissioners, item 2026-0969.

Approval of minutes for the June 2nd, 2026, Committee of the Hole Meeting.

Move for action.

Under District 2 items, item 2026-0946.

Allocation of $50,000 of ARPI funding to Atlanta Humane Society to support mobile vet services in DeCap County.

Move for action.

Item 2026-0967 district two allocation of $3,885 from District 2 capital capital reserves for due diligence for potential park property acquisition.

Move for action.

District 4 item item 2026-0920.

Transfer of 40,000 from District 4 2026 reserved for appropriation.

Discretionary funds to community development for the lived experience training academy, an exclusive professional development program for individuals integrating into the day center placement.

Move for action.

Top of page six, district six item, item 2026-0981 to appropriate $9,850 of the D6 reserved for appropriations to echo addendum for CUDSU removal and naturalist walks.

Move for action.

Clerk to the Board of Commissioners and CEO.

Item 2026-0698.

Approval of the minutes of the Board of Commissioners meeting of May 26, 2026.

Move for action.

Item 2026-0730.

Approval of the minutes of the Board of Commissioners zoning meeting on May 28th, 2026.

Move for action.

Item 2026-0963.

All commission districts.

Approval of the minutes with a special called meeting of May 21st, 2026.

Move for action.

District Attorney Items.

Item 2026-0970.

Acceptance of additional sexual assault kit initiative grant funding to district attorney's office in the amount of 373,291 dollars, no match required.

Move for action.

Move for action.

Top of page seven.

Item 2026-0972.

All commission districts.

Acceptance of Project Safe Neighborhoods grant of 20,571 dollars with no match required.

Move for action.

All commission districts.

Acceptance of Project Safe Neighborhoods grant of $16,429.

Excuse me, with no match required.

Move for action.

Medical Examiner Item.

Move for action.

And finally, under public safety, item 2026-0956.

All commission districts to amend the previously approved grant year 2023 Urban Area Security Initiative Grant and amounts not to exceed $382,606.

Move for action.

And with that, Madam PO, I move to approve items 2026, 0947, 0969, 0946, 0967, 0920, 0981, 0698, 0730, 0963, 0970, 0971, 0972, 0973, 0929, and 0956.

Second button again, please on that motion.

Motion is made by Commissioner Bolton, seconded by Commissioner Messiah.

No request to speak.

Please open the machine for the vote.

Motion to the approve the consent agenda carries.

We'll get a couple more items in.

Look, I'm always ready to push through, but we do have 45 pages today, and we are on page bottom of page seven.

So we will start with preliminary items, board of commissioners, item 2026-0984, all commission districts, the board of commissioners, nominates and elects voting delegates to represent DeCap County and External Association and Organizational Matters.

So we I had sent an email out looking for commissioners who will be attending this.

Commissioner Long Spears.

No, I'm not attending.

Commissioner Long Spears, Commissioner Terry, Commissioner Patrick, you've decided not to go.

That's correct.

I'm not attending.

Are you attending Commissioner Davis Johnson?

And what about you, Commissioner Masaya?

Oh, for NACO.

Yes, I will be in the right.

So okay, so these are the three commissioners who are attending.

We also can reach out to CEO's office and see if she is attending and would like to be the delegate.

So I think it probably would be appropriate to reach out to the CEOs.

And so defer this item for today for two weeks.

Yes.

Well, remember we passed a resolution that did look at that when we passed that resolution.

So now I'm trying to make sure we adhere to that resolution.

So with that, if I could get a motion to defer for two weeks.

Motion to defer for two weeks.

Second.

Thank you so much.

Please open the champ for the vote.

And I'll send out some communication so that we can create a substitute that will name the person.

Thank you.

Top of page eight.

2026-0982 resolution urging the administration implement the specific recommendation outlined.

And a Cab County Racial Equity Study as adopted in 2025.

And this was going to PECS.

Thank you so much.

Uh Madam P.O.

I have a motion to defer to the August 11th BOC with a uh stop to be heard in PECS.

Um that agenda item had well, there was an agenda item already to adopt uh and to implement the recommendations that have been done, I believe at the beginning of the year.

And so there's just an opportunity to um for us to ensure they're implementing them without an additional resolution as it was passed unanimously by the Board of Commissioners.

Is there a second on this?

Commissioner Terry has seconded.

Commissioner Long Spears requested to speak first, and then Commissioner Terry.

Thank you so much.

Um, Madam Presiding Officer.

So this study, I believe, and Mr.

Williams, I think um you will have this information, began in 2021 or 2022, is that right?

I I believe so.

Thereabouts.

Okay, and I believe it was passed unanimously through this board and it towards the end of 2022.

Because it was championed by Commissioner Larry Johnson and Commissioner Jeff Ryder.

All right.

Um, could you like distribute to all of us?

Everybody here is honestly new, except for three folks.

The report, just the report and any additional information that you can provide to us would be wonderful.

Okay, thank you so much.

I yield back.

Thank you, Commissioner Long Spears, Commissioner Terry.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I did introduce this item, and it's for a simple fact that I'm looking out for the Board of Commissioners.

I'm trying to represent our interests.

We unanimously approved the adoption of this study a year ago.

And can anyone up here or out there say what we've done in a year?

So why do I have to do this?

I don't know.

I don't know.

I remember in the last administration, there was just like this deference to whatever the CEO wanted.

Oh, would this let's ask the CEO what they want to do, what do they think?

Literally months and years would go by with no response, no action.

So you're gonna I mean this is this is not new for me.

Anyone who's been following my career up here for going on six years now, is I don't work for anybody except the people who sent me here.

I don't work for the CEO.

I work with my colleagues, and especially if the board unanimously approves something that says we are going to do something on something that really is important as in racial equity.

I think we all can get behind that.

But what does it say about a government of all Democrats watching a White House a president erode voting rights, expanding discriminatory practices?

We heard the other day, I was at Park 500 colleagues, and I heard from the families that we were able to get out of Extended State Hotel into the Park 500, say that because of the Trump administration and their racist policies, they are getting kicked off child care and SNAP benefits because they can't do the paperwork in time because they can't prove their working or volunteering X number of hours, making them jump through hoop after hoop after hoop.

What does that mean for us?

It means we have to fill the gap.

So hundreds of thousands, millions more dollars are gonna be probably allocated on this board to help those families while the federal administration does nothing and actually makes it worse.

And I won't even get into the voting rights issue and gerrymandering the districts they're gonna do next week.

So it's just a problem when politicians say that we support something, and we spent like three years working on this plan, by the way.

I did all my interviews, my staff did the interviews, we all participated in it, and then just to have nothing to show for it a year later.

So this is just me speaking up for my board members as a board of commission as the legislative body that says this is important.

There's a number of other things that I won't reference, but this is important.

And if we're not talking about it up here and it's not being talked about out there, then we're missing something.

So again, you know, as we've all heard the CEOs in charge, you know, it's an urging resolution.

County attorneys reminded us over and over again, we can't force action on certain things.

So this is just me putting a placeholder to say we should do something about it.

And I'm sure they're working on something, but it shouldn't take a year.

And if there's a big announcement to make, or there's gonna be a big, you know, next steps to the plan, now would be a time to introduce it or tell us about it.

Because as of this moment, I don't know anything that's happening in the implementation of this plan.

It's possible there's something happening behind the scenes, but I do not know about it.

So now's the time to say what the plan is.

Let's not wait another three months, six months, a year.

Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Masaya.

Thank you so much.

I appreciate it, Madam PO.

And so um, seeing as I was the sponsor to bring this forward when, yes, my predecessor sought the importance of a racial equity study, that it was adopted, and thank you for the correction to our colleague in 2025 and unanimously proved by this board of commissioners with agenda item 2025-0521.

Um, with that, there is just an opportunity to have a conversation, which is and have collaborative leadership.

That's the only thing that is sought in terms of things that are going to be implemented between this board and the administration and all of us sitting up here.

And so I welcome that conversation as to how we can um implement this and make it into fruition in conjunction with the administration as well.

That's my only thought here.

The reason why I put it forth and sponsored it was because of that importance, particularly in South DeCab County, where I've consistently heard from my constituents that there is an issue in terms of um feeling there's a racial divide and challenges with services that are being provided by the county and taking it seriously and continue to lead the charge to make sure that we actually make a difference.

And so because it was that important, it is one of the few things that I championed in not rushing into anything but realizing it was something that can positively impact the constituents that they can see how seriously as a united governing body, we are taking their concerns because if we don't deal with the issue, we can't expect them to believe that we realize that there is one.

So that's why that issue that I I pushed it so that it can make a difference so that we can overcome the um that narrative and to do it together.

And so, as I said here today, that's the only thing that I seek is that we have a conversation in and around how we do that as a collective governing body and be most impactful versus not even having a conversation with the person that sponsored it in the first place.

With that, I yield back to you, Madam PO.

Thank you, Commissioner Bolton.

Thank you.

And just really quickly, I want to say it sounds like there was no request for information, a presentation or an update, and I think it's premature to put forth an urging resolution without doing so.

And I think it is not effective, it's not leadership, it's not collaborative, and it's actually self-serving.

So I would recommend to all of my colleagues before putting forth urging resolutions on things that were in this case unanimously approved.

Please reach out to the administration to get more information, an update, a presentation, a memo, something, so that you're not putting us in a position to push forth legislation that would not serve the community simply to build our resumes, pad, our history of doing the work, quote unquote.

So please just consider that moving forward, and I yield back.

Thank you.

Commissioner Terry, your second opportunity.

Yes, I will say that um this was on our committee the whole agenda last Tuesday.

So the commissioners have known this resolution was on the agenda for seven days, six days before this day.

But you know, there's a a quote that I was told years ago, um, and it relates to politics and political leadership that it's amazing what we can accomplish when you don't care who gets credit.

And instead of asking the question of why are we not moving forward on the plan that we adopted that we all agree to, I'm being attacked for introducing it.

Why not say I would like to co-sponsor?

And for your information, I have asked about the status of this several times over the last year.

Um I mean, I you know, I guess at some point one commissioner only has so much power.

I can ask for information, ostensibly the administration can provide it, or they can just say we're working on it, and then months go by and then nothing happens.

So what are we left with other than to bring it up for discussion here at the board?

So I don't really understand the concern about asking for us to implement the thing that we said that we all agreed on a year ago.

It's not self-serving, this is about doing what we say we're gonna do, and I don't want to be a leader in this county to vote for something, and then a year later, anyone out there that saw us passed this plan and we did press releases about it, and we highlighted it, and we were, you know, we were clapping, and then a year later nothing's happened.

I mean, that's why people come to public comment and they get mad at us because they're like, y'all ain't done anything.

So this is just holding ourselves accountable, and it's not it's not personal, I'm not saying someone didn't do something right or wrong.

I'm just saying we haven't had action on this, and we should have action.

So this is the board's opportunity to agree with the idea that when we approve something unanimously that we should act on it, and preferably it shouldn't take a year, preferably there should be some movement, and again, I'm just gonna speak in favor of the board of commissioners.

And ironically, we were talking about the CEO from government the other day, or this earlier this morning.

In every other county in Georgia, if a board of commissioners passes something, guess what the county manager does the next day?

They say, We're gonna start working on it.

Can you imagine if a county manager delayed an action from a unanimous board decision a year later, they'd be fired.

But in this form of government, we have to wait for the CEO.

I respect that, but at the same time, I am going to be the squeaky wheel.

If our board passes something, I would like us to actually mean it and take action on it.

Thank you, Commissioner Terry, Commissioner Davis Johnson, your first opportunity.

Okay, um, thank you.

Um I say is amazing what we can accomplish when we work together rather than try to divide and conquer.

You know, one of the things that I learned early on, um, becoming a commissioner, is I have to have four votes to pass what I feel is good for my constituents.

If I don't have four votes, I can scream and holler, talk about my colleagues as much as I like, but if I don't have sense enough to know that I have to have four votes, and to have four votes, I can't demonize them because it's not gonna help my constituents.

You know, you may be able to fool some of them sometimes, but at some point they're gonna say, well, where are your votes?

You know, and so I don't need someone to look out for me.

I mean, I'm black, I know racial inequalities.

I know that.

I don't need anyone to tell me I'm black.

You know, I mean, I can ride down the street and get stopped by policemen, not a decad policeman.

Because I'm black.

Whereas my other colleagues may have an advantage over me, not because of who I am, but because of the color of their skin.

So no one had to go to bet for me.

Like I stated earlier, I integrated the schools of Nashville, Tennessee.

I'm launched in the marches.

So no one had to go to bed for me to talk about racial equality.

You know.

So if you respect your colleagues and try to work with your colleagues, then they will respect and work with you.

That's what I found.

Because I know and I say it all the time, everyone doesn't love me.

And I know that everyone doesn't agree with me, and I don't agree with everyone, but I do understand how to listen to my colleagues.

So we're not a one man ship up here or one woman's ship up here.

We have to work, or we should work together.

And that was one of the first things that I've learned when I got on this board.

That I'm gonna need at least three other folk.

If I'm gonna be affected for my constituents, I can talk and yell and shout and say I'm undemocratic, or I'm not a Democrat because I don't agree with this Democrat, or I'm not black because I don't agree with this black.

You know, but that's not gonna get my votes to have my constituents.

And when my constituents understand that I can't get votes to help them, then they'll get votes to get rid of me.

So I have to work with my constituents here.

And so I just want to make that point that I don't need somebody to fight for racial equality.

For me that ain't even black.

You know, I can do it myself.

So thank you.

Thank you.

See no further request to speak.

Please open the machine for the vote.

Motion to defer carries.

So I want to at least get to the bottom of page nine, commissioners.

I think we can do this.

I think most of the ERPS items are gonna be moved for action, and then there's just the one Fab Committee item.

So under police services, middle of page, middle top of page eight, item 2026-0957, all commission distant districts, acceptance of federal forfeiture property police services, move for action, purchasing and contracting under ERPS, item 2026-0823, cooperative agreement, bus and other transportation vehicle parts and service, um, for use by police services to obtain equipment installation service for vehicles awarded to Monster Customs LLC amount not to exceed 156,000 dollars.

Move for action.

Item 2026-0829, all commission districts, a cooperative agreement for technology solutions, products and services for use by police services to obtain 160 tough books and docking stations for police vehicles awarded to ProLogic ITS amount not to exceed $636,000.

Move for action.

Top of page nine, item 2026-0897, change order number four to contract number one three four nine zero seven five Cal Cloud Solutions and Services from a statewide contract for use by police services and animal enforcement services for open gov software supporting management of licensing and permitting functions seeking increase in contract funds in turn through September 30th, 2029, awarded to CARESOff Technology Corp, amount not to exceed 384,161 and 62 cents.

Move for action.

For use by E nine one communications to obtain emergency call handling system seeking increase in contract scope and funds, awarded to ATT Enterprises LLC, amount not to exceed one million two hundred and nineteen thousand seven hundred and thirty-two dollars.

Move for action, and with that, Madam Presiding Officer, I move to defer items two zero two six zero nine five seven zero eight two three zero eight two nine, zero eight nine seven, zero and zero eight nine eight for until the June twenty third BOC and with a prior stop in ERPS.

Thank you.

If you'll hit your button.

Second.

Second by Commissioner Long Spears, no request to speak, please open machine for the vote.

And that is motion to defer carries this.

Take care of their one fab item.

Okay.

Item 2026 dash zero eight three nine.

Um, request for proposals number twenty twenty-five dash zero four eight RFP financial advisor services for use by the finance finance department to obtain financial advisory services in connection with various financing transactions and programs awarded to public resources advisory group amount not to exceed one million one hundred and sixty-seven thousand dollars.

Thank you.

Motion to defer for two weeks, and we will hear it in fab this afternoon.

Second.

Um, attorney Phillips, do we have executive session today?

We sure do.

Yes, for litigation purposes, please.

So if I can get a motion to go into executive session and it will be a working lunch.

So moved.

I thought she did.

So moved.

Oh, how about you just appears sometimes?

Okay.

Good afternoon, everybody.

If I can get a motion to reconvene, so move.

Second.

All right, if we open the machine for that vote.

All right, we are reconvened.

There was no action to be taken out of the discussion during executive session.

So we will continue through the agenda.

We are on the top of page 10 of a 45-page agenda.

These are ops purchasing and contracting items.

Item 2026-0689.

Invitation number 2025-073.

Card access installation maintenance and repair services for use by facilities management, public works and roads and drainage, police services, public work sanitation, department of watershed management, fire rescue services, and the marshal's office to obtain installation, maintenance, and repair of all card access points at county facilities.

Recommend award to the lowest responsive and responsible bidders.

Total amount not to exceed $858,000.

Move for action.

Thank you, ma'am.

Item 2026-0791.

Change order number one to contract number one three three zero two nine eight and one three three zero three zero one.

Total amount not to exceed 430,000 dollars.

Move for action.

Yes, ma'am.

Item 2026-0858 statewide contract management consulting services for use by the Department of Innovation and Technology to obtain consulting services for the application portfolio rationalization project awarded to Gartner Inc.

Amount not to exceed 183,000 dollars.

Move for action.

Top of page 11, item 2026-80869.

All commission districts change order number two to contract number one two five five eight zero five evolve software corporations, SAAS, Project Docs Electronic Plan Review, Sol Source for use by the Department of Innovation and Technology to be used by the Department of Planning and Sustainability to obtain the two-year purchase of Project Docs software seeking increase in contract funds and term through August 8th, 2028, awarded to evolve software corporation amount not to exceed 268,704.

Move for action.

Move for action.

So let's pull that one out.

You want to take the action on the previous ones, ma'am?

Okay.

Um madam presiding office, I make a motion to approve um six eight nine oh seven nine one eight five eight.

As approved in the ops committee.

Thank you.

Second.

If you'll hit your button, please and the motion is to approve those items.

Seeing no request to speak, please open the machine for the vote.

Motion to approve carries.

Thank you.

And um madam, since you've already read out um eight nine four.

Uh make a motion to um approve the substitute on uh eight nine four.

And before we make that motion, can someone I mean second?

Yeah, hit your buttons, and if someone could explain this, okay.

Yes.

So commissioners, that document is provided to correct the public information.

So the original indicated this was change order number one, and this is actually change order number two.

Okay.

Okay.

Understood.

Thank you.

Okay.

Thank you.

Motion stands.

Thank you.

Your second stands, ma'am.

Second stands.

All right.

Seeing no request to speak.

Please open the machine for the vote.

Motion to approve the substitute carries.

We are now on purchasing and contracting items for the PECS committee.

Bottom of page 11, item 2026-0493.

Change order number one to contract number CPA 1349718 in home services for seniors and their caregiver for use by the Department of Human Services to obtain in-home services for seniors who need assistance for their daily living.

Seeking increase to contract funds and term through December 31st, 2027.

Awarded to trusted hands, senior care LLC, amount not to exceed 1,200,000.

Move for action.

Thank you.

Top of page 12, item 2026-0595.

Request for proposal number 2025-050.

On call services for small area planning for use by the Department of Planning and Sustainability to obtain as needed on call pool of planning and engineering firms for planning services.

Recommending award to the eight highest scoring proposers, Blue Cypress Consulting LLC, Kimley Horn Incorporated, Freeze and Nichols Incorporated, the Collaborative Inc.

Pond and Company, NEOO Development LLC, Inspire Placemaking Collective Inc.

Geographic Technologies Group Inc., total amount not to exceed 1,250,000.

Move for action.

Item 2026-0777.

Invitation number 2025-165-ITB Memorial Drive Corridor Branding Sign Fabrication and Gateway Feature Implementation for use by a community development to obtain fabrication installation and implementation of signage and banners along Memorial Drive.

Recommend award to the sole bidder who's who is responsive and responsible.

Land Jack LLC doing business as fast signs.

Amount not to exceed 143,624 and 28 cents.

Move for action.

Item 2026-0843.

Commission districts 3456 and 7.

Change order number 2 to contract number 2000464.

Seeking increase in contract funds and term through June 12th, 2027, awarded to signature tennis courts inc amount not to exceed 137,600.

More for action.

Top of page 13, item 2026-0844.

And change order number three for architectural engineering services for recreation parks and cultural affairs.

Fees by the Department of Recreation Parks and Cultural Affairs to obtain on-call architectural and engineering design services seeking increase in contract funds awarded to American Engineers Inc.

Columbia Engineering and Services Inc.

Foresight Group LLC Jericho Design Group LLC Kimley Horn and Associates Inc.

and WSP USA Environment and Infrastructure Inc.

Total amount not to exceed 3,297,250.

Move for action.

Yes, ma'am.

Item 2026-0864 Commission Districts 3 and 6.

Change order number 2 to contract number 200011 pull renovations at NH Scott Park for use by Recreation Parks and Cultural Affairs to obtain renovation services of the pool and pool site seeking increase in contract term through December 31st, 2026 and ratifying previous term increase awarded to Summit Properties and Development Company LLC contract term increase only.

Move for action and Madam P.O.

I have a motion to defer agenda items ending in 0493 0595 077 0843 0844 and 0864 with a stop at the I'm sorry um to the June 23rd BOC with the stop and PECS to be heard uh in committee today.

Second.

Thank you for the motion and the second.

Please open the machine for the vote.

Madam Presiding Officer, my screen.

Never mind.

It just started working for you.

It was a little tired.

Thank you, Dion.

Missing one vote.

Thank you.

Motion to defer carries.

We are now on purchasing and contracting for PWI.

Bottom of page 13.

Item 2026.

Excuse me.

Invitation number 2025-111-ITB.

Sanitary Sewer Stream Crossing Inspection.

Fees by the Department of Watershed Management to obtain an inspection and assessments of sewer stream crossings.

Recommend award to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder R.

K.

Reeves and Associates Inc.

Amount not to exceed $697,000.

Move for action.

Yes, sir.

Top of page 14.

Item 2026-0312 Commission Districts 4 and 2.

Cooperative Agreement Maintenance Repair.

Move for action.

Item 2026 0691.

Change order number six to contract number 1325127.

Change order number five to contract number one three two five one two four and change order number four to contract number one three two five one two six.

Landscape maintenance services for public grounds.

Annual contract with two options to renew for use by facilities management, public works, sanitation, recreation parks, and cultural affairs to obtain landscape maintenance services for the county's public grounds, seeking increase in contract funds and term through December 31st, 2026, awarded to Artscape Inc., the Simmons Group and Litus Love Your Lawn, total amount not to exceed $867,000.

Move for action.

Item 2026-0799 change order number seven to contract number 1124403, Teledyne ISCO training and support, equipment, software, and licenses, parts and related system components for sanitary sewer flow monitoring for use by the Department of Watershed Management to install and maintain equipment related to consent decree requirements, ratifying term increase and an increase in contract funds and term through December 31st, 2026.

Awarded to Teledyne ISCO, a business unit of Teledyne Instruments, Inc.

Amount not to exceed $3 million.

Madam Presiding Officer, I apologize.

Uh, we should have stopped at 0691.

Okay.

And on a motion to approve.

Um so again, uh motion to approve 2026-0119, 0312, and 0691.

Thank you.

If you'll hit your button, please.

Um my screen is frozen.

So his screen is frozen.

He's not allowed to hit the button, but Commissioner Patrick wants to motion.

Commissioner Terry would like to second.

Yes, there it is.

Um Commissioner Long Spears noted that that seems to happen after lunch.

I think our system is sleepy as well.

After what's overheated, it ain't too much something.

Okay.

Voting machines are open.

Commissioners.

Voting machines are open.

Thank you.

Motion to approve carries.

It's fine now.

Um it'll happen again.

Oh, I went back to that screen.

So back to item 2026-0799.

I did read the whole thing.

Do I need to read it again?

Um actually it's uh it's a move for action as well.

Okay, move for action.

Top of page 15, item 2026-0822.

Request for proposals number 2025-154 RFP, construction management services for Snapfinger Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility, expansion phase 3A, 3C, and 3D projects, multi-year contract for use by the Department of Watershed Management to provide pre-construction services, construction inspection, and other field services, recommend award to the highest scoring proposer.

Excuse me, Arcadis U.S.

Inc., total amount not to exceed 20 million five hundred eighty-three thousand forty-five dollars and one cent.

Um, move for action, madam presiding officer, motion to defer the following two agenda uh the following agenda items for two weeks to the June 23rd BOC meeting with the prior stop at PWI, and those items are 2026-0799 and 0822.

Thank you.

The motion and a second to defer.

Please open the machine for the vote.

Motion to defer carries, middle of page 15, item 2026-0837, change order number two to contract number two zero zero zero four three zero, roll off and compactor service and repair for use by public work sanitation to obtain repair and maintenance services to roll off containers and self-contained trash compactors throughout the county, seeking increase in contract funds awarded to CAR Industries of Georgia 2 LLC, doing business as container repair services, amount not to exceed 200,000 dollars.

Um based on the recommendation of PWI, motion to approve, and I have a comment.

All right.

We have a motion to approve, seconded by Commissioner Terry, Commissioner Patrick.

You have the floor.

Yep.

Uh, just a uh reminder of some of the discussion we had at PWI, which was um staff was going to get back to us on uh commercial sanitation locations and making sure of what is the responsibility of the county versus private contractors, and um if we can have that come back to us, that would be uh much appreciated.

Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Patrick.

Please open the machine for the vote.

Motion to approve carries.

Item 2026-0838, renewal of several contracts for purchase of tires, including recapping and repair, exercising first renewal option through July 31st, 2027, awarded to Action Tire Company, Atlanta Commercial Tire, Best Drive Tire LLC, JNR Tire Inc., Southern Tire Mart LLC, and next tire commercial inc, total amount not to exceed $3,640,000.

Move for action.

Top of page 16.

Madam Presiding Officer, I'm going to suggest that with the 30 or so contract numbers here.

There's there's no need to read those items.

Thank you for the suggestion.

You may have seen my reaction, but it was not.

Total amount not to exceed $7,550,000.

Uh move for action.

Madam Presiding Officer, I'd like to make a motion uh to defer the following items for two weeks to the June 23rd BOC with a prior stop at PWI.

Agenda item 2026-0383 and 0863.

Again, these are over 3 million dollars, and they're going through the audit review process.

Thank you, Commissioner.

Thank you, Commissioner Terry.

For a second, please open the machine for the vote.

Motion to defer carries, middle of page 16, item 2026-0902, change order number four to contract numbers 1252-356 and 1324813, disaster recovery and sewage cleaning services for use for the Department of Watershed Management and Facilities Management to obtain disaster recovery cleaning services of water and sewage, seeking to increase contract funds and term through December 31st, 2026, awarded to Bell 4 USA Group and Will Pro Enterprises Inc.

doing business as serve pro total amount not to exceed 1.1 million dollars.

Motion to approve motion and a second.

Please open machine for the vote to approve.

Yes.

Motion to approve carries.

Item 2026-0927.

Invitation number 2025-070, indefinite quantities, water sewer and emergency for use by the Department of Watershed Management to provide means for water and sewer infrastructure repairs, replacements, and unforeseen malfunction responses.

Recommend award to the lowest responsive and responsible bidders, Georgia Sewer and Storm LLC, GS Construction Inc.

In situ form technologies LLC, Ruby Collins Inc.

SAK Construction LLC and SDNC Inc.

Total amount not to exceed 325 million five hundred and seventy-two thousand twenty-eight dollars and fifty-two cents.

Motion to defer two weeks to the June 23rd BOC pending a prior stop at PWI.

Again, this this project is well over the three million dollar threshold.

It's uh over 325 million dollars, and so Mr.

Lavois Campbell's department is uh doing their audit review, and then as I recall, uh watershed management will come to us for the discussion, sort of explaining how this 325 million dollars is broken down so we can explain it to our residents when they say what's going on with their money.

So motion to defer.

Thank you.

Uh till the uh June 23rd meeting with prior stop at PWI.

Thank you for the second, Commissioner Terry, and you have requested a speaker.

Yes, thank you, madam chair.

And I know we're working on the um getting the the monitor um that's gonna be an important part of this because you know 325 million is a lot, and it's over multiple years.

So you know, hopefully we can move forward with this once we get all the information back.

Um, but then like Commissioner Patrick said, be able to track the progress.

You said the CIP monitor.

Yes, CIP monitor.

Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Terry.

Please open the machine for the vote.

Motion to defer carries.

We're now top of page 17, recreation parks and cultural affairs, item 2026-0940, all commission districts approval of park pride inc contract 2026.

Motion to defer to the June 23rd BOC to be heard in PECS today.

Second.

Motion and a second.

Please open the machine for the vote.

Motion to defer carries.

Watershed management item, item 2026-0867, all commission districts, City of Atlanta CIP pay payment for various quarters, 2021 through 2023, fourth quarter, 2025, cost 29,800, 874 dollars and eighty-seven cents.

Thank you, madam presiding officer.

Again, this item is over three million dollars.

So Mr.

Lavois Campbell's team is taking a look at it.

Uh motion to defer two weeks to the June 23rd, 2026 BOC with a prior stop at PWI.

Thank you.

If you'll hit your button.

Commissioner Terry, can you second this?

This PWI item.

Thank you.

Seconded by Commissioner Terry, no request to speak.

Please open the machine for the vote.

Motion to defer carries.

We're now under items for decision by the board.

Middle of page 17.

This is a district one item, item 2024-1237.

A request for the director of planning and sustainability to amend the DeCab County nuisance ordinance to add a closure of chronic nuisance properties ordinance chapter.

And this is in PECS.

Um, Madam Chair, if it's all right.

Uh this one's been around a while.

Let me have a conversation with a couple of our colleagues, and if I can't get any traction, uh I'll come back and we'll pull it by the um last meeting in July.

All right, so is it okay?

Um it's acceptable then to defer to the July 14th BOC with the stop and pecs, or would you like um to defer?

No, that's appropriate.

Okay.

All right, so there's a motion to defer to the July 14th BLC with the stop and um pecs.

Second.

Motion and second.

If you can hit your button, yes, thank you.

Please open the machine for the vote.

Commissioner Long Spears.

Motion to defer carries, thank you.

Moving over to page 19, middle of page 19, item 2024-1239, all commission districts, an ordinance to amend the code of DeCab County, Georgia as revised 1988, chapter 18, Article 3, property maintenance to establish minimum standards for vacant property, require property owners to apply for a border permit and for other purposes.

Also a PECS item.

Motion to defer to the July 14th BOC meeting with the stop and pecs committee.

Second.

Motion and a second to defer.

Commissioner Patrick, you have requested a speaker of the floor.

Thank you very much, Madam Presiding Officer and Madam Chair as well.

Um same uh same concept here.

Uh let me talk with some of our colleagues and see if I can get some traction.

Um, I will say, you know, this one does talk about minimum standards uh for vacant properties uh and applying for a board up permit.

Um I'll say that uh all of the good work that was done over at UPS off of um Pleasendale Road to sort of clear up homeless encampments, clean up all the trash and debris.

Um they literally moved across the street.

And um that section of uh Pleasendale Road in front of the Burger King, there is just loads of trash.

We've got uh the outreach team trying to engage with the with the homeless folks to get them to a better spot.

Of course, as everybody knows they have a right to refuse.

Um but if we had an ordinance like this that says you gotta put a fence up or somehow maintain your property, even if it's a vacant property, I think it would be very helpful.

So um commissioners uh I will be reaching out to you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Patrick.

Please open the machine for the vote.

That motion to defer carries.

Moving to page top of page 21, item 2025-0683, all commission districts to approve a resolution to address egregious littering and the illegal dumping of scrap tires.

And this is an ERPS item.

Thank you, madam presiding officer for this item.

The recommendation out of committee is I move to defer this for two weeks to the June 23rd meeting with a prior stop in ERPS.

Second.

Commissioner Patrick, you have requested a speaker.

Thank you, Madam Presiding Officer.

Uh Commissioners, uh, I believe uh Central Staff, Mr.

Marcus Allen has sent out the most current version of the ordinance.

So uh I hope that you guys can read up on it and then um for our next ERP meeting.

Uh hopefully get a positive uh review on this and then bring it back to the commission, and it will save three pages on our agenda next time.

Only two, not three, it's two pages.

You got a round up.

Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Patrick.

Please open the machine for the vote.

Motion to defer carries.

This is a district two item, bottom of page 22.

Item 2024-0842 resolution to review and amend the board of commissioners' standing procedural rules, and this is an ops.

Um, madam presiding officer, while this is a district two item, it has been carried by the ops chair.

Yes.

So I think it's best if she'll make the motion, and I'd be happy to second since it's my item.

Okay.

Okay, then I'm going.

I'm going to make a motion to defer this item to the June to 23rd meeting.

Second.

There's a motion and a second, no request to speak.

Please open the machine for that vote.

Motion to defer carries.

Now this one is closer to three pages.

No.

It's two years old.

I know.

We're getting there.

You guys are doing work on it, so appreciate that.

Page 25, item 2026-0596.

All commission districts, an ordinance to regulate the restraint and transportation of animals and for other purposes.

And this is an ERPS.

Yes, so last meeting we had uh really good conversation.

So out of committee, I move to defer this item for two weeks to the June 23rd meeting with a prior stop in ERPS.

Second motion and a second.

Commissioner Long Spears has requested to speak.

You have the floor, ma'am.

Thank you very much.

Um, I want to thank Madam ERP chair, Commissioner Bolton, for allowing several stakeholders to present at the last ERPS meeting.

I recognize it ate a lot of your time for that meeting, but I felt that it was um a very fruitful, engaging dialogue with the animal advocacy stakeholders, and I believe that they really you know emphasized the um heart of the of amending the existing tethering ordinance.

And I just want to offer to any commissioner or anyone who has any questions or concerns about it, please feel free to reach out to me or any of those stakeholders, and we'd be happy to talk you through it and address any concerns that you might have.

I yield back.

Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Long Spears.

Please open the machine for the vote.

Motion to defer carries.

Moving to the top of page 26, a district three item, item 2026-0550 to adopt an ordinance to amend the code of the CAB County to address public safety, vagrancy, unauthorized camping, and certain public nuisance behaviors.

I believe there was a substitute for this item.

It was do we have the substitution for this one?

For the next one, it is.

I'm sorry.

It's coming now.

Yes.

You want to go ahead and make your motion?

My motion is going to be to defer the substitute to the June 23rd BOC meeting with a stops and stop impacts committee today.

Second.

Thank you so much.

Okay, thank you.

So the motion is to defer the substitute that is being passed out.

Please open the machine for the vote.

Thank you.

Motion to defer the substitute um carries.

Okay, thank you.

This is a district six item, bottom of the page 26, item 2025-0015, an ordinance to amend the code of DeCab County, Georgia, Chapter 16 pertaining to regulation of sound and for other purposes.

I have a motion to defer to the July 7th VOC meeting with a stop and pecs committee on June 23rd, and that would be for to defer the substitute.

Thank you.

Is there a second?

Second for purposes of discussion.

Thank you.

Commissioner Terry has requested meeting.

Go ahead, Commissioner Terry.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

And so at the last PECS committee meeting, uh, we discussed the main um policy point on this item, uh whether to have a cleanly audible definition uh or have a decibel level.

And so the majority of the committee was in favor of a decibel um distinction.

And so the red line version is um has basically changed it to a decibel in all of the sections that are relevant.

So I look forward to um you know presenting that uh further and in answering any questions or concerns that the committee members might have.

And um and that is that's it for that.

Thank you.

Commissioner Terry, quick question.

Has that been emailed to all of us?

The substitute?

I don't remember.

Yes, this morning it was.

Okay, thank you.

Commissioner Patrick, you're good.

No question?

That was my question.

That was your question.

Okay.

See no further questions.

Please open the machine for the vote.

Motion carries to defer the substitute.

That was zero one five.

Okay.

Moving to bottom of page 28.

Item 2025-0017, all commission districts, a resolution to create an electric landscape maintenance device rebate program to encourage switching from gas powered landscape maintenance devices and for other lawful purposes.

And this is PECS.

Excuse me.

Motion to defer to the July 7th with a stop and pex committee on July 23rd.

June 23rd.

June, excuse me.

Thank you.

Second.

Please hit your buttons.

Thank you.

Please open the machine for the vote.

Motion to defer carries.

Now we're moving to page 31.

Top of page 31.

Item 2025-1525.

All commission districts, a resolution by the DeCab County Board of Commissioners establishing a DeCab County Water Customer Bill of Rights.

And this is a Fab item.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

We were going to hear this item in Fab today, but we um have canceled Fab uh because of timing.

So in order for us to have enough time to hear it in committee and come back to the full board, we will need to defer this to the July 7th BOC.

And Commissioner Terry, we were just handed a substitute, so that is to defer the substitute.

Yes, the substitute, please.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

Second.

Please open machine for the vote.

Thank you.

Same thing.

Yes.

Yes, that has been emailed.

If not, he will send it to us.

Thank you.

All right.

That carried.

I don't know.

I don't know.

Now we're going to page 32.

Item 2025-1787.

All commission districts, a resolution to enhance environmental equity and sanitation practices in DeCap County.

And this is PWI item.

Yes, uh move for action.

Yes, sir.

Item 2026-0744.

All commission districts, a resolution adjusting all DeCab County tire tip fees to one dollar.

Move for action.

Item 2020.

Madam President Officer, I'd like to make a motion to defer the following items for two weeks to the June 23rd BOC.

Uh with a prior stop at WI.

Uh agenda item 2025-1787 and 2026 uh-0744.

Second.

There we go.

Okay, we have a motion and a second.

Thank you, Commissioner Long Spears for pitch hitting there.

Machine is open for the vote.

Motion to defer carries.

Thank you.

Oh, and if I could just add um as a reminder, tomorrow.

No, is it next week?

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow is our uh town hall for the board of commissioners to talk about the rate increases, proposed rate increases in Commissioner Terry's uh idea about the uh dollar for tires uh tipping fee is be probably one of the conversation points we have there, and the notion is as has been discussed.

Uh there may be some correlation between the fact that the rate went up and the increase of legal dumping in other parts of the county, and so we'll we'll have that conversation and I think action to go with that one.

So thank you, madam.

Madam Presiding Officer, could I ask a question of Commissioner Patrick?

Yes, ma'am.

Is it being live streamed?

I actually received a Q few questions on that.

Yes, it will be live right here.

You can have your comfy chair, like the rest of us have our comfy chair.

Yeah, uh but uh we will have uh staff, I believe it starts at 6 30.

It does.

And the idea is is we will take one of the two topics first.

There will be a presentation and then there'll be opportunities about half an hour or so for um uh comments from the public, and then we'll move into the other item that we're talking about uh for the potential rate increase, and then again 30 minutes worth of conversation from the public so they can let us know.

Yes, no, we're in yet there.

Okay, great.

Thank you so much.

And thank you for asking that question.

I I uh I hope we can get a full quorum.

It's gonna be a fun time.

Fun time.

All right, we are in now middle of page 33, item 2026-0769, all commission districts a resolution requesting the administration to establish independent civilian oversight and auditing for the CAP County's Digital Shield Initiatives and surveillance infrastructure, and this is an ERPS item.

Yes, ma'am, and we hadn't had an opportunity to discuss this.

So on behalf of the ERPS committee, I move to defer this item for two weeks to the June 23rd meeting with a prior stop in ERPS.

Thank you.

If you hit your button, and thank you, Commissioner Davis Johnson for your second.

Please open that machine for the vote.

Commissioner Terry, thank you.

Motion to defer carries.

Bottom of page 33 under Chief Executive Office, item 2026-0860 to amend the fiscal year 2026 annual budget and appropriate capital funding for various items.

And this is a fab item.

Yes, thank you, Madam Chair.

This was heard in FAB and recommended for approval.

So this time I motion to approve item 0860.

Second.

Thank you.

That motion is to approve.

No request to speak.

Please open the machine for the vote.

Motion to approve carries.

We are now on page 34.

Fire and rescue services.

Item 2026-0903.

Commission districts 456 and 7.

Fire stations 16 and 27.

Street lighting lease agreement.

I move to approve item 2026 0903.

I have a second five commissioner Davis Johnson.

No request to speak.

Please open the machine.

Motion to approve carries.

We're on our middle of page 34.

Public works and roads and drainage.

Item 2026-0587.

All commission districts proposed stormwater utility fee increase.

And this is in PWI.

Thank you, Madam Presiding Officer.

Motion excuse me, yeah, move for action.

Move for action, yes, sir.

Top of page 35.

Item 2026-0930.

All commission districts.

Sanitation Department increase of commercial and residential service fees, landfill, and transfer station tipping fees.

Move for action.

And I'd like to make a motion, Madam Presiding Officer, to defer the following items for two weeks.

Uh with a stop at um well defer for two weeks to the June 23rd BOC meeting with a prior stop at PWI.

Agenda item 2026-0587 and 2026-0930.

And again, a reminder that we're going to have a town hall tomorrow night to talk about both of these items, proposed items that the administration is coming to us for.

Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Terry.

Commissioner Long Spears, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Presiding Officer.

To through you to Commissioner Patrick or COO Williams, is there any time sensitivity to either of these items?

Yes.

I think the time sensitive time sensitivity relates to being able to get it onto the um tax bill.

Onto the bill.

For both or just for both items.

Okay, for both items.

They're both correct.

Yep.

So what is the um deadline date, if you will?

We need to provide something to the tax commissioner by July 7th.

At the same time, we vote on the millage race.

Yes.

Okay.

Yes.

Thank you.

So drop dead for all those things.

Understood.

Thank you so much.

Yield back.

Thank you, Commissioner Long Spears.

Please open the machine for the vote on that deferral.

Motion to defer carries.

Middle of page 35.

Public works and transportation.

Item 2026-0891.

Commission districts two and six.

Indication of roundabout support at SR8, Ponstaleon Avenue, Northeast, at East Lake Road, Northeast, and SR8, Ponstaleon Avenue Northeast, at West Ponce Leon Avenue, and North Parkwood Road, G.

Dot PI number 0015682.

Move for action.

Yes, sir.

Item 2026-0895.

Commission districts two and six.

Indication of roundabout supported SR 155, Claremont Road, and Rosecliffe Drive, G dot PI 0015956.

Move for action.

Thank you.

Seconded by Commissioner Terry.

Thank you.

Please open the machine for the vote.

Purchasing and contracting for ERPS Committee.

Item 2026-0303.

Change order number one to contract number two zero zero zero four three two.

Self-contained breathing apparatus, purchase, repair, and maintenance for use by the Department of Fire Rescue Services.

This contract consists of the purchase repair maintenance and management of the county's SCBA equipment.

This request seeks to ratify a previously provided contract term increase.

This request also seeks to increase the contract funds and term through October 30th, 2026.

Awarded to MES service company LLC.

Amount not to exceed 80,000 dollars.

Move for action.

Yes, ma'am.

Item 2026-0687, change order number four to contract number 1210840, inspection care and maintenance and cleaning of personal protective equipment for use by the Department of Fire Rescue to obtain inspection care maintenance and cleaning of personal protective equipment.

Ratifying term increase and an increase in contract funds term through October 27th, 2026, awarded to North America Fire Equipment Company Inc.

Amount not to exceed 75,000 dollars.

Move for action, and with that I move to approve items 2026-0303 and 2026 0687.

Thank you.

Is there a second?

Thank you, Commissioner Davis Johnson.

Please open the machine for the vote.

Motion to approve carries.

We're now top of page 37 for uh purchasing and contracting FAB committee item.

Item 2026-0693, change order number two to contract number 1310425 financial advisory services for use by the Department of Finance.

This contract consists of providing financial advisory services and acting as the county's municipal advisor.

This request seeks to increase the contract scope and extend the contract term through December 31st, 2026.

Recommend award to public financial management inc doing business as PFM Financial Advisors LLC contract term extension only.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

We did discuss this in the FAB committee.

Um I did have a question for me Zach or Diane, but for just for purpose of discussion, I'll move to approve this item.

Okay.

Can I get a second?

Second for purposes of discussion.

Thank you.

Commissioner Terry, you have the floor.

Thank you.

Um Director McNabb, um, so for PFM and the extension the contract term extension, uh, we discussed that this was mainly for them to um complete the banking RFP.

That's primarily the the purpose that we're aware of at this point.

Um, but if anything comes up between now and the time we get the uh award the new contract, they would be engaged to move forward with those services too.

Okay.

And if PFN was able to complete the banking um RFP before December 31st, would we just end the contract then?

My normally we would just let it expire.

Just let it expire.

Okay.

Is that does the contract do we pay them just a retainer every month?

Yes, we do.

Okay.

Would y'all be willing, and just as this is just to have flexibility, could we just do it a month-to-month contract?

So if they do complete their work early, we just you know, we we've done that's fine with me if that's if it's okay with purchasing.

We'd have to change the contract to monthly.

My second stance with that friendly amendment.

But there's no problem with that.

No problem.

Okay.

All right.

So I'll just uh uh make an amendment.

Change my amend my motion uh to approving uh the contract with PFM to be a month to month that's fine uh contract, and then you know we'll let y'all work out whenever they're they're great with me.

So long as we don't have to bring it back every month.

No, no, yeah, it's basically month to month, and when their work is done, you can end it and then we'll be finished.

My second stance um and I Commissioner Lock Spears.

Thank you.

Apologies.

All right, um, my second stance.

Commissioner Terry, I just want to make sure I'm clear on what you're suggesting.

So you have asked um CFO McNabb if we could just go month to month, but maintain the um sunset of this particular contract through December 31st, 2026.

Is that correct?

You want to go month by month?

Yes, we're still expiring on December 31, 2026.

Yes, with the expectation that if they complete the banking RFP before that time, whatever that month is, then the contract will end that month.

That's fine.

Well, let me back up so long as we don't have any new engagements that we've had to enter into since then.

Okay, yeah.

Okay.

Okay.

Does that make sense?

So this is what I'm just trying to make sure happens, and maybe you can offer some assurances.

So if we do proceed with um the plan that we just mapped out, we'll go through the end of the year, but it'd be month by month.

Um, say for example, we get to October, and all of the projects have been.

I mean, if we whoever we go with next, but have completed for this contract, which is with PFM.

What assurances do we have?

Or I just need you to assure me that we don't continue paying them their retainer for the month of November and December if they're not providing any services at that point in time.

That would be my expectation, certainly.

So I'll make sure that that's what happens.

Okay, so you would monitor that yourself.

Okay, fantastic.

All right, yield back.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Commissioner Davis Johnson.

I guess my question is for the county attorney.

And that is to well, I was heard that if it's month to month, we wouldn't have to come back every month for an approval.

Is that correct?

That's the express authorization being offered as I understood the motion.

Oh, okay.

So we wouldn't have to do that.

You you would not, Commissioner Terry.

Okay.

And so uh this contract's financial advisory services.

Uh enacting as the county attorneys uh of the county's municipal advisor.

So if a contract is not renewed one month, and we need financial advisor advisory that next month, how does that work?

What I've heard described, Commissioner, is the chief financial officer, Miss McNabb is going to monitor this process.

We have two possibilities.

We will complete the competitive procurement process and have an opportunity to transition to a new financial advisor, be it PFM or another one.

We would go to the new contract, is the best way to think of it.

And we would end at the end of the month the current contract with PFM.

The only caveat is if we engage some function where PFM is handling a matter for us, we would allow them to complete that matter before we ended the current contract.

Fair.

That's absolutely correct.

Once we've got once the we all have voted on the new contract, then the old contract will only extend to the completion of whatever services they will not be assigned new projects.

Oh, okay.

And that would be at the same rate that they're receiving now.

Yes, ma'am.

Commissioner, the way that a month-to-month works, all of the terms and conditions in the written contract will remain the same.

The only thing we're doing is saying that it will continue every month with this county's chief financial officer monitoring if we can end it before the end of the term that's being discussed.

Okay.

Okay, thank you.

You yield, Commissioner Davis Johnson.

Okay, thank you.

Please open the machine for the vote.

Motion to approve carries.

And Commissioner Terry, just to confirm you you did say we are counseling FAB today, correct?

Okay.

Yes.

Next, we are uh purchasing and contracting for the ops committee item 2026-0771.

Um change order number nine to contract number one zero zero zero eight four-six public sector agreement for Oracle Cloud Services for use by the Department of Innovation and Technology to obtain ongoing support and maintenance of all products and services for the county's Oracle Cloud Service platform seeks to increase the contract funds and term through December 31st, 2029 amount not to exceed 13 million ninety-three thousand nine hundred and ninety-five dollars and seventy-six cents.

Okay, I make a motion to defer this item to the June to 24th meeting with the stop in uh ops.

Uh this agenda item is still in audit.

Thank you, ma'am.

If you will hit your button, and is there a second?

Second.

Thank you.

If you'll hit your button.

And please open the machine for the vote.

Motion to defer carries.

Moving to top of page 38.

Item 2026-0781.

Change order number three to contract numbers 1309686 and 1309666 on call roof maintenance repair and replacement services for use by the Department of Facilities Management, Recreation Parks, and Cultural Affairs, Watershed Management, and Fire Rescue to obtain roof maintenance repair and replacement services at county owned facilities seeking to utilize SPLOS two funds for the roof replacement and repairs at North to CAB Comprehensive Health Center, East to CAB Health Center, EL Richardson Health Building, TO Vincent Health Center, DeCab Crisis Center, Kirkwood Mental Health, Fox Recovery, and Clifton Springs Health Center.

Awarded to Hawk Construction Company, LLC, and National Building Contractors Inc.

Total amount not to exceed 3 million seven hundred thirty-six thousand five hundred and fourteen dollars and ten cents.

I make a motion to approve 2607 81.

It was supported by audit and uh recommended out of the ops committee.

Thank you.

If you hit your button, second.

Thank you, ma'am.

Commissioner Longspears, you have a question?

Do you have a um yes, ma'am?

Thank you so much.

So my question, I believe, is best directed to Mr.

Williams.

Um this is a SPLOSS to um proposed expenditure of 3.7 million out of the $15 million in SPLOSS 2, and that would be category D2.

Is that right, sir?

Uh yes, I I can't quote the category, but yes, out of the health public health and health facilities, yes.

Okay, so two questions.

Um how much is remaining of SPLOSS 2 in this slide item is question one?

Question two is um pleasure minus two million left in this line item approximately, yes, ma'am.

Okay, thank you.

Let me make a note.

Um, and then my second question is what is the timeline for some of these repairs?

There's a few of them I know that are pretty egregious that really need to be done sooner than later.

Yeah, thank you for asking that question.

You bet, Commissioner.

Um we're moving as quickly as possible with with all of these items.

Um, as a matter of fact, uh this is kind of a companion item that you've approved a couple of weeks ago.

So as quickly as we can um get this these funds allocated to these contracts, um, we have you know work being done.

So hopefully over the summer.

Oh, so this year.

HVAC has already started.

We approved that a few months ago, a few weeks ago.

We have a few more that would come before for other items.

All right, um, so but this year this year, yeah.

Oh, fantastic.

Well, I know some of these stakeholders will be very pleased.

They will be happy to hear that.

And then we've been working in conjunction with them.

All right, thank you.

Yield back.

Thank you, Commissioner Long Spears.

Please open the machine for the vote.

Motion to approve the substitute.

I mean, sorry, I'm looking at a sub.

A motion to approve carries.

The next item has a substitute, and this is from the PECS committee.

Item 2026-0457, change order number five to contract number one two two six nine four nine, mill services for seniors for each by the department of human services to obtain congregate and self shelf stable mills for seniors seeking a contractor term increase through October 31st, 2027, and ratification of a of a previously provided contract term increase awarded to mills on Wills Alana Inc.

contract term increase only.

I thank you, Madam Presiding Officer.

Motion to approve uh 0457.

Uh, this is a substitute, and if we get a second, I would ask staff to come up here and just remind us what is the substitute.

Second.

Thank you, Commissioner Long Spears.

Mr.

Williams, if you could explain what is different and the substitute or if somebody can, and then also reminder on all these substitutes.

Bring a second copy that we need to get a copy of the substitutes over to central staff so they can complete their um minutes.

We need to approve the substitute.

Yes, he said substitute.

Yes, thank you.

Go ahead.

Okay.

Um, so the substitute you have in front of you is to make sure you have accurate information.

So it is correcting the current contract term expiration, which at the bottom is June 2026.

Um, and also the documentation from the user department that was also updated to align with that as well.

Thank you.

Perfect.

Okay, my motion stands.

Okay, Commissioner Long Spears, you had a question on that.

Um, yes, ma'am.

Um, Director Butler, I apologize.

You said that the contract expiration in the substitute is what?

June 30th, 2026.

So you'll find that information in the additional information section of the agenda item.

It's usually at the bottom of um top of the okay.

I found it.

So the and so it looks like it's set to expire October 31st.

Is that correct?

With the substitute, June 30th.

Was the original expiration?

The original expedit expiration was April.