Commissioners move to abolish DeKalb retirees' positions

By Megan Matteucci

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

DeKalb County commissioners want to abolish all of the positions being vacated by early retirees – except public safety officers.

About 820 county employees are leaving at the end of May as part of an early retirement program designed to help with a $100 million shortfall in this year’s budget.

County administrators, however, have been trying to refill some of those positions, saying they are critical.

County commissioners say that can’t happen. On Wednesday, the commission’s audit committee unanimously approved a resolution that abolishes all of the positions of the early retirees, along any position that has been vacant since Dec. 15. The only exceptions would be police officers, firefighters and EMTs. The resolution, which allows the commission to later restore the positions, still needs to be approved by the board of commissioners.

Chief Operating Officer Keith Barker said he wants all department heads, workers in the tax assessor’s office and other revenue-generating positions. He then added several watershed employees, chemists and sanitation workers.

Barker was scheduled to have a list of all “critical” employees and a proposed government reorganization plan to the commission by Tuesday, but asked to push his deadline back to May 18. Commissioners agreed, but only after expressing concern.

A study by Georgia State University released this week found DeKalb’s government is bloated and recommended 909 positions be cut.