DeKalb County Operations Committee Meeting - August 18, 2026
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DeKalb County Operations Committee Meeting - August 18, 2026
The DeKalb County Operations Committee convened on August 18, 2026, at approximately 1:00 PM. The committee approved multiple contracts for technology and facilities upgrades, deliberated on proposed charter amendments regarding the balance of power, and received a progress update on the Molden and Jenkins operational assessment. The meeting adjourned at 2:15 PM.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes Approval: The committee approved the minutes of the July 13, 2026 special call meeting by unanimous voice vote.
Discussion Items
1. Microsoft Licensing Renewal (Item 2026-0989) The committee approved a three-year renewal of Microsoft licenses and technical support through October 31, 2029, awarded to SHI International Corporation. The original amount of $18,927,592.89 was reduced by $54,813.12 to $18,872,779.77 following audit recommendations for additional discounts. The renewal covers countywide use of Microsoft 365, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, and SQL Server. The negotiated pricing reflects a 16–26% discount off MSRP and a 2.06% net decrease in annual spend, driven by reducing G5 licenses from 7,700 to 7,200 based on actual usage. A three-year savings of $397,194.60 was projected. The item was approved on a motion and second.
2. LED Lighting Upgrade for Health Centers (Item 2026-1121) A change order to contract 1367915 with Summit Rising Solutions was approved for $1,111,163 to upgrade interior lighting to LED at multiple health centers (Clifton Springs, East DeKalb, Fox Recovery, Kirkwood, Morphe Cab, Richardson, T.O. Vincent). Funding comes from previously approved SPLOST funds. Discussion included the energy savings potential and coordination with the Energy Manager. Approved unanimously.
3. Elevator Modernization at Health Centers (Item 2026-1125) Change Order No. 15 to contract 1147259 with Cone Inc. was approved for $1,248,462.64 to modernize elevators at Richardson Health Center (5 stops) and West DeKalb Mental Health Center (2 stops). This is part of a capital improvement plan to replace aging elevators, some exceeding the 22-year life expectancy. Approved unanimously.
4. Security Operations Center (SOC) Services (Item 2026-1167) A three-year renewal of managed security monitoring services with MGT Impact Solutions LLC was approved for $1,755,900. The service complements the county’s internal cybersecurity team with 24/7 monitoring, threat hunting, and incident response to strengthen security posture. Approved unanimously.
5. Network Operations Center (NOC) Services (Item 2026-1172) A three-year renewal of advanced network monitoring with MGT Impact Solutions was approved for $542,487. The service monitors up to 600 network elements 24/7, including switches, Wi-Fi, and firewalls, and manages replacement processes. This is separate from the cybersecurity service. Approved unanimously.
6. Charter Review – Section 21 (Department of Finance) The committee continued its review of proposed charter amendments. Discussion centered on a change allowing the Board of Commissioners (BLC) to alter departmental responsibilities via resolution, which the CEO argued alters the balance of power. Commissioner Ted Terry suggested referring the matter to the FAB committee for review of a pending study by the National Institute of Government Procurement (NIGPO) before making a recommendation. The committee also discussed the broader implications of any balance-of-power change requiring a voter referendum at an estimated cost of $4–5 million in 2027. The chair indicated the committee would continue its process; further review was deferred.
7. Molden & Jenkins Operational Assessment Update Alexis Mathis of The Momentum Firm presented a quarterly status update on the implementation of the 266 recommendations from the Molden and Jenkins study, focusing on departments under the Operations Committee (IT, Facilities, Fleet, Animal Services, 311). Of the 56 recommendations for these departments, over half are in progress or completed; four were rejected. Highlights include a new technology governance policy (IT), improved fleet vehicle replacement planning, and additional equipped vehicles for Animal Services. Key dependencies include the pay-and-class study (expected conclusion within 30–45 days) and facility limitations. Eight recommendations have identified direct cost savings; further quantification is ongoing. The committee asked about alternatives for rejected recommendations and the approach to cross-departmental support. The presentation was well received.
Key Outcomes
- All five contract items (Microsoft licensing, LED lighting, elevator modernization, SOC, NOC) were approved unanimously without objection.
- Charter review on Section 21 was deferred to the FAB committee for further input from the NIGPO study.
- The committee accepted the Molden & Jenkins progress report and will continue quarterly updates.
- The meeting adjourned at 2:15 PM.
Meeting Transcript
My colleagues who sit on the committee with me, uh Commissioner Robert Patrick and Commissioner Ladina Bowden. Uh we are joined today by uh Commissioner Ted Terry. So have you all had an opportunity to read the uh minutes minutes of the uh July the 13th special call meeting? Motion to approve. Second, all in favor. Aye. Okay. Motion to approve. Is that fine? Okay. Uh so the minutes are approved. Yeah, okay. Uh the next item. These uh previously heard items. And the uh first one is innovation and technology 260989. All commission districts, change order number two to contract number one three four three zero three two software and auxiliary uh services state-wide contract for youth by the department of technology of innovation innovation and technology to obtain software licenses and technical support to cover all new and existing Microsoft products utilized by the county by the county seeking to increase contract funds in terms through October 31st, 2029 awarded to SHI International Corporation amount not to exceed 18,900 and 27,592 dollars and eighty-nine cents. And is that has that come back from audit? Yes, ma'am, it has come back from audit and they support it. Okay. Good afternoon, ma'am. Of course, I'm only saying uh again congratulations. And so now I'm talking to the director. Thank you so much. Okay, yes, ma'am. Thank you. Okay, you want to yes, so this there is a substitute for this item. Uh it went through audit, and audit did recommend that we ask for additional discounts, and we did that with two of the line items, and the the total amount uh decreased by 54,813 and twelve cents uh to an amount of eighteen million eight hundred seventy-two thousand seven hundred and seventy-nine dollars and seventy-seven cents. Okay, well, great. Um this is for software licenses and technical support. Yes, so this renewal covers all Microsoft licensing and technical support required countywide, including Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive file storage and SQL Server, which is a database for several critical applications. Uh the negotiated pricing reflects a discount between 16 and 26% off MSRP across all line items. Uh this renewal also represents a 2.06% decrease, net decrease in the county's annual Microsoft spend compared to the prior agreement. This is driven primarily by a reduction in our full Microsoft 365 G5 licenses, as we we took the count and we write sized based on the actual usage for those counts for those seats. So this despite Microsoft's five to ten percent increase for each line item this year, we were still able to come below last year's total uh by right sizing these these seats. Okay. Um the requested funding reflects deliberate need-based adjustments to license quantities. So we have the sheet. I don't know if you were able to view this. So over we have projected over a three-year period, we're gonna have a uh savings of 397,000 dollars and 194.60 cents. Are there any questions by committee members? Okay, uh just for clarification. This is only for like the daily operations. This would not get into any kind of security and making sure a network is more secure. This is just for our Microsoft ecosystem. Gotcha. Thank you much. Okay, is there a motion? I have a question. Okay. Um director, so just could you say again the reason for the savings is because some of the licenses are unnecessary, or we don't need to purchase a certain number, is what you said, right?
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