A long-awaited meeting of the DeKalb charter review commission has been rescheduled.
The commission — a 17-member panel given the weighty task of assessing how the county government functions and potentially making sweeping suggestions for how it should be restructured — had been slated to meet on Wednesday.
But a late Monday evening email from the county staffer helping coordinate meetings said “several key stakeholders and appointees” had conflicted and would’ve been unable to attend.
The virtual gathering is now scheduled for 6 p.m. on April 18.
It would be the group’s first meeting in more than two years.
DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond originally created the charter review commission with a 2019 executive order. It held its first — and still only — meeting in early 2020.
The commission chair originally appointed by Thurmond stepped down following that meeting and the COVID pandemic arrived shortly thereafter. Thurmond did appoint another chairperson until last month, when he selected State Court Judge Ronald B. Ramsey Sr. for the role.
DeKalb is the only county in Georgia with a CEO form of government. The elected chief executive has significant administrative powers while the county’s Board of Commissioners has legislative duties. Historically, there have been significant tensions between the two entities.
The charter review panel’s exact approach to its job is yet to be seen, but that structure could be examined.
The Board of Commissioners’ current set-up could be looked at too.
The commission currently includes five district commissioners and a pair of “super district” commissioners. Each of the super districts covers half of the county, overlapping with multiple regular districts.
