DeKalb CEO Announces Creation of a Charter Review Commission

DECATUR, Ga. – Today, DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond announced the creation of a DeKalb Charter Review Commission to conduct a comprehensive review of the Organizational Act that established the county’s current Chief Executive Officer and Board of Commissioners form of governance.

 “The purpose of this commission is to study DeKalb’s current form of government to ensure the county is responsive to the ever-changing needs and demands of county government,” said CEO Thurmond. “It has been 40 years since the Organizational Act was initially passed in a public referendum. Jimmy Carter was president; annual interest rates were more than 18 percent; and Sony launched the Walkman. Now is the time to take stock of changes that are needed to create a 21st-century government that is transparent, efficient, and fiscally sound.”

During the 2018 session of the Georgia General Assembly, leadership in the DeKalb House and Senate delegations collaborated with CEO Thurmond to develop the purpose and framework of the commission.

The Charter Review Commission will be comprised of 17 members as follows:

• Three members appointed by the CEO with two members serving as co-chairs
• One member appointed by the DeKalb County Board of Education
• Seven members, each appointed by a member of the Board of Commissioners
• Three members appointed by the DeKalb delegation to the Georgia House of Representatives
• Three members appointed by the DeKalb delegation to the Georgia Senate
• Two chairs of the DeKalb delegation to the General Assembly who will serve as ex officio members.

The Charter Review Commission will convene from April 1, 2019, to Dec. 31, 2020. A final report and recommendations will be issued by Dec. 31, 2020.

All meetings will be open to the public, which will be given opportunities to address the commission during the meetings. In addition, a website will be dedicated to the commission’s work and deliberations, and all meetings will be recorded and broadcast on DCTV-23, the county’s official television station.

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