OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Employee Relations & Public Safety Committee Meeting – September 10, 2026

Board of Commissioners & Committees — Thursday, September 10, 2026
BodyDekalb County, Georgia
SessionBoard of Commissioners & Committees
DateThursday, September 10, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:19:32

Transcript — Verbatim
0:04

Good afternoon, everyone.

0:06

I am Ladina Bolton, our Super District 7 Commissioner and Chair of Employee Relations and Public Safety.

0:12

Also serving on this committee with me are Commissioners Nicole Masaya and Commissioner Marita David Johnson will be joining us momentarily.

0:22

We're gonna try as much as possible to stick to the agenda.

0:26

However, if we get close to time, we do have some guests and presentations that we want to get to.

0:32

So I'm gonna go ahead and start from the beginning with item 2026 1286.

0:38

These are the minutes from the August 18th, 2026 meeting.

0:42

Do we have a motion for this item?

0:44

Motion to approve, madam chair.

0:46

Second, all in favor.

0:48

Aye.

0:48

Motion carries for recommendation for approval.

0:52

We're gonna move down to item Roman numeral two.

0:55

These are appointments starting with 2026 1150.

1:01

And this affects all commission districts.

1:04

The appointment of interim deputy fire chief Winfred O.

1:09

Smith, the second to the CAP post four of the region three emergency medical services advisory council.

1:16

And just before we have you come up, I would like uh for Mr.

1:20

Allen just brief for our viewing audience what this role entails, and again, it is the Region III Emergency Medical Services Council.

1:30

Good afternoon to Madam Chair, ERPS Committee and all commissioners.

1:34

Uh in front of you today, you have interview packets for the three proposed appointees to the EMS Advisory Council uh of the region, Region Three of the State of Georgia.

1:49

So a little bit about that.

1:50

This council functions under the Georgia Department of Human Resources under State Code.

1:57

They are uh allotted jurisdiction, and the purpose of the council is to coordinate, facilitate the improvement of and maintain a quality emergency services system in the eight counties comprising Region Three.

2:10

That's Clayton, Cobb, DeCab, Douglas, Fulton, Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale.

2:15

There are plethora of uh partners that our county works with in this regard, and they play a vital role in shaping and improving Georgia's statewide emergency medical services systems.

2:29

Of course, the CAP makes up a part of that, so a very important aspect is to ensure that the interest of the CAB uh when it comes to EMS services are delivered in a quality and uh streamlined way.

2:41

There are four appointees that the CAB County has, whereas all counties in this region also have four appointees to this particular region, and our uh current appointee is Director Fulham, Director uh formerly Chief Darnell Fulham here in the back.

2:59

And then we also have uh Dr.

3:01

Michael Carr, who is being considered for a reappointment to his same post, which is post three.

3:07

Now uh post two is currently vacant, which is the uh proposed appointee for Mr.

3:13

Samuel Sharter, as well as uh post four, the interim deputy fire chief Winfred Smith, who is being considered to fill that post, which is uh which will replace fire battalion chief Augustine.

3:28

Um so you know, without further ado, we'd like to allow those appointees to come up and uh be questioned by the committee, and you all can make recommendations from there.

3:38

Thank you, sir.

3:39

We appreciate that summary.

3:41

And again, we are starting with item 26 1150, and this will be the appointment interview for deputy fire chief Winfred O.

3:52

Smith the second.

3:54

Thank you for joining us.

3:56

Thank you.

3:57

And the way in which we are going to conduct these interviews is that each commissioner uh does have a packet with your information, and each of us will read through uh the predetermined questions that we have before us, giving you an opportunity to share why you would be an asset to the county in this position.

4:23

So I will ask um Commissioner Nicole Masaya to start with the first bullet on that last page right there, please.

4:32

Okay.

4:33

Great afternoon.

4:35

Can you please tell the committee about your operational background and why you're seeking to represent to CAB County on the Regional 3 EMS Council and particularly for post-4.

4:47

Yes, ma'am.

4:48

So I've been with Fire Rescue 17 years now.

4:52

Um I've served on the fire operational side.

4:55

Um also I've um spent time down on appraisal planning where we do a lot of data analysis and stuff like that.

5:03

Um currently or recently I was promoted to the deputy chief over the EMS operations.

5:10

So I've had experience dealing with data analysis and the metrics and stuff that we analyze in the with the council.

5:19

Fair enough.

5:20

Thank you so much, madam chair.

5:22

Congratulations on your recent promotion.

5:26

Thank you.

5:28

A key statutory responsibility of the region three council under the state code is recommending emergency response zones.

5:38

How will you evaluate zone designations and performance standards to ensure DeCAB residents receive rapid, equitable, and high quality EMS service?

5:49

So, like I said, I've had experience dealing with this uh data analysis that we uh when we meet with this advisory council, uh we go over and make sure we're meeting um performance metrics, um, meeting the standards of the state and that and uh national standards.

6:08

Um I think I'm answering your question.

6:10

Can you repeat the last lastly no problem?

6:13

The question is about emergency response zones and how you will evaluate zone designations and performance standards.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety███████████████████████████████████████39%
Animal Welfare█████████████████████████25%
Appointments████████████12%
Public Engagement██████████10%
Public Works Maintenance█████5%
Healthcare███3%
Procurement Policy███3%
Procedural██2%
Historic Preservation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Employee Relations & Public Safety Committee Meeting – September 10, 2026

Chaired by Commissioner Ladina Bolton (Super District 7), with Commissioners Nicole Masaya and Marita Davis Johnson, the committee met on September 10, 2026, at 7:15 PM. The agenda covered approval of minutes, three appointments to the Region III Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Advisory Council, several contracts (claims management, undercover vehicles, fire rescue equipment), a resolution to rename a police precinct, and a proposed ordinance to regulate pet shop sales of dogs, cats, and rabbits. Due to time constraints, two scheduled updates from police and fire departments were held over.

Consent Calendar

  • Item 2026-1286 – Minutes from August 18, 2026. Approved unanimously without discussion.

Discussion Items

  • EMS Advisory Council Appointments (Items 2026-1150, 1151, 1152) – The committee interviewed three candidates for posts on the Region III EMS Council.

    • Interim Deputy Fire Chief Winfred O. Smith (Post 4): Highlighted 17 years of experience with DeKalb Fire Rescue, including data analysis and current role overseeing EMS operations. Answered questions on evaluating emergency response zones, addressing hospital turnover delays and workforce shortages, and balancing county priorities with regional collaboration.
    • Dr. Michael Carr (Reappointment, Post 3): Emergency physician at Emory University, subspecialty in EMS and disaster medicine. Emphasized the “silver glacier” aging population, hospital capacity challenges, and the need for preventive care through mobile integrated health programs.
    • Samuel Sharter (Post 2): Assistant vice president at Emory’s crisis management office, served on the council since 2007 (currently vice chair). Background as former ER director and EMT. Discussed workforce competition, system overload, and the role of telemedicine and preventive care.
    • All three candidates received unanimous approval (see Key Outcomes).

  • Item 2026-1209 – Claims Management Contract – Request to ratify and extend a contract with Alternative Claims Management LLC (ACM) through December 2029, with an amount not to exceed $30,000 for ancillary services. The county’s Risk Manager reported that DeKalb experiences about 600 vehicle accidents per year, with 50% being the county’s fault. Prior to ACM, the county’s collection rate was about 75 cents on the dollar; ACM has achieved a 95% collection rate. In year one, ACM recovered over $1.3 million, and average annual recoveries are now about $600,000 (Year-to-date: $379,000). Commissioners asked about collection rates and fees; it was clarified that ACM receives 50% of amounts collected for diminished value and loss of use, but 0% on property damage. Approved unanimously.

  • Item 2026-1154 – Undercover Vehicle Rental – Change order to extend a rental agreement with Budget Car and Truck Rental through November 2027, increasing funds to $76,641.60, for covert operations vehicles. Grant-funded. Approved unanimously.

  • Item 2026-1049 – Fire Rescue Equipment Ratification – Ratification of a purchase order for multi-user hardline communication system, handheld gas detector, and portable air distribution box from Safeware Inc. Amount not to exceed $114,566.45 (substitute). The purchase was made using FIFA grant funds ($1.4 million) with a short expenditure deadline. Approved unanimously.

  • Item 2026-1306 – Rename East Precinct for Chief Eddie Moody – Resolution to rename the DeKalb County Police Department East Precinct in honor of Chief Eddie Moody, the department’s first African American chief, who also created the Junior Police Academy and the Crime Analysis Unit. Commissioner Davis Johnson sponsored the item. Chief Mirtha (current police chief) spoke in support, noting Moody’s mentorship. Commissioner Bolton highlighted that the precinct building was originally a segregated school that Moody attended. Unanimously approved.

  • Item 2026-0728 – Pet Shop Ordinance (Deferred) – Proposed ordinance to prohibit retail sales of dogs, cats, and rabbits in pet shops, while allowing adoption events with shelters/rescues. Ariel Lefkovith (Humane World for Animals) presented, noting that no pet shops currently operate in DeKalb County, and 17 Georgia localities have similar laws. She cited risks of puppy mills, predatory financing, and consumer protection. Commissioners asked about enforcement (currently no county inspections – state handles pet shops) and requested two-week deferral to refine definitions (e.g., “gestating canine,” record-keeping for non-selling establishments). Deferred unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Appointments approved (all unanimous):
    • Interim Deputy Fire Chief Winfred O. Smith (Post 4, Region III EMS Council) – Item 2026-1150
    • Dr. Michael Carr (Reappointment, Post 3) – Item 2026-1151
    • Samuel Sharter (Post 2) – Item 2026-1152
  • Claims management contract (Item 2026-1209) – Approved.
  • Undercover vehicle rental extension (Item 2026-1154) – Approved.
  • Fire rescue equipment ratification (Item 2026-1049, substitute amount) – Approved.
  • Resolution to rename East Precinct after Chief Eddie Moody (Item 2026-1306) – Approved.
  • Pet shop ordinance (Item 2026-0728) – Deferred two weeks for revisions.
  • Meeting adjourned at approximately 8:15 PM. Two agenda items (police and fire updates) were held over due to time.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon, everyone. I am Ladina Bolton, our Super District 7 Commissioner and Chair of Employee Relations and Public Safety. Also serving on this committee with me are Commissioners Nicole Masaya and Commissioner Marita David Johnson will be joining us momentarily. We're gonna try as much as possible to stick to the agenda. However, if we get close to time, we do have some guests and presentations that we want to get to. So I'm gonna go ahead and start from the beginning with item 2026 1286. These are the minutes from the August 18th, 2026 meeting. Do we have a motion for this item? Motion to approve, madam chair. Second, all in favor. Aye. Motion carries for recommendation for approval. We're gonna move down to item Roman numeral two. These are appointments starting with 2026 1150. And this affects all commission districts. The appointment of interim deputy fire chief Winfred O. Smith, the second to the CAP post four of the region three emergency medical services advisory council. And just before we have you come up, I would like uh for Mr. Allen just brief for our viewing audience what this role entails, and again, it is the Region III Emergency Medical Services Council. Good afternoon to Madam Chair, ERPS Committee and all commissioners. Uh in front of you today, you have interview packets for the three proposed appointees to the EMS Advisory Council uh of the region, Region Three of the State of Georgia. So a little bit about that. This council functions under the Georgia Department of Human Resources under State Code. They are uh allotted jurisdiction, and the purpose of the council is to coordinate, facilitate the improvement of and maintain a quality emergency services system in the eight counties comprising Region Three. That's Clayton, Cobb, DeCab, Douglas, Fulton, Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale. There are plethora of uh partners that our county works with in this regard, and they play a vital role in shaping and improving Georgia's statewide emergency medical services systems. Of course, the CAP makes up a part of that, so a very important aspect is to ensure that the interest of the CAB uh when it comes to EMS services are delivered in a quality and uh streamlined way. There are four appointees that the CAB County has, whereas all counties in this region also have four appointees to this particular region, and our uh current appointee is Director Fulham, Director uh formerly Chief Darnell Fulham here in the back. And then we also have uh Dr. Michael Carr, who is being considered for a reappointment to his same post, which is post three. Now uh post two is currently vacant, which is the uh proposed appointee for Mr. Samuel Sharter, as well as uh post four, the interim deputy fire chief Winfred Smith, who is being considered to fill that post, which is uh which will replace fire battalion chief Augustine. Um so you know, without further ado, we'd like to allow those appointees to come up and uh be questioned by the committee, and you all can make recommendations from there. Thank you, sir. We appreciate that summary. And again, we are starting with item 26 1150, and this will be the appointment interview for deputy fire chief Winfred O. Smith the second. Thank you for joining us. Thank you. And the way in which we are going to conduct these interviews is that each commissioner uh does have a packet with your information, and each of us will read through uh the predetermined questions that we have before us, giving you an opportunity to share why you would be an asset to the county in this position. So I will ask um Commissioner Nicole Masaya to start with the first bullet on that last page right there, please. Okay. Great afternoon. Can you please tell the committee about your operational background and why you're seeking to represent to CAB County on the Regional 3 EMS Council and particularly for post-4. Yes, ma'am. So I've been with Fire Rescue 17 years now. Um I've served on the fire operational side. Um also I've um spent time down on appraisal planning where we do a lot of data analysis and stuff like that. Um currently or recently I was promoted to the deputy chief over the EMS operations. So I've had experience dealing with data analysis and the metrics and stuff that we analyze in the with the council.

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