Dekalb County has gone through a tumultuous period over the last couple of decades. The previous three administrations were plagued by scandal, controversy, and political gamesmanship. The faulty water billing system had left thousands of DeKalb citizens wondering whether they would be able to afford their bills for months, if not years, on end. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had come down hard on the county for its failures in maintaining its aging sewage lines after an unacceptable amount of waste had leaked into the county’s clean water sources. The budget seemed to be permanently askew and unbalanced.
Tackling even one of those issues would be a challenge for a seasoned leader. Given how long each of the problems had existed, however, voters were demanding solutions to all the problems from the candidates for CEO in the 2016 election. Michael Thurmond, who formerly served as Georgia Labor Commissioner and as DeKalb Schools Superintendent, ran on a platform of quickly and efficiently addressing every one of those problems.
After his landslide victory in the election, he immediately set to work. He convened a multi-departmental water billing task force to get to the root of the problems, find solutions, and alleviate the financial burdens that resulted from the crisis. Those efforts have led to plans to replace aging water meters, modernize billing software, and increase scrutiny of outgoing bills to avoid staggeringly high bills ending up in customers’ mailboxes. Coordination with the EPA has also been strengthened so that DeKalb may better comply with their requirements. Already, the county has begun clearing out blocked and damaged sewer lines, some of which have not received any maintenance since their installation over 50 years ago.
And finally, one year after he was elected, CEO Thurmond has presented a budget to the Board of Commissioners which addresses another long-standing problem in DeKalb – the deficit. For years, fund balances have been sitting at zero and the county has been forced to spend money it does not have. With the implementation of the FY2018 budget, that kind of irresponsible spending will end.
Most impressively, the budget does not sacrifice critical priorities in the county – namely, the need to attract new officers to a severely understaffed police force, addressing juvenile delinquency by offering new opportunities, and further improving customer service for those who utilize county services. Additionally, the minimum wage for public servants in DeKalb will be increased to $14 an hour, giving many who work hard each day to serve more than 700,000 residents the compensation they have earned.
CEO Thurmond came into office with high expectations and sky-high demands from citizens. With the submission of the FY2018 budget, he can honestly say that he has now addressed and continues to address every challenge facing DeKalb in 2017. DeKalb can now face the future boldly, knowing that the opportunity has finally arrived to seize its potential.
