DeKalb County, in a plan unveiled Tuesday, will solicit proposals from outside groups interested in taking responsibility for a Confederate monument located in the heart of Decatur.

The county would open a 30-day window to solicit these proposals, which would require interested parties to explain where the monument would be moved, how public access will be maintained and a strategy for communicating the real intent behind the obelisk erected in 1908.

The full Board of Commissioners still must sign off on the removal plan, but five of seven members attended Tuesday’s committee meeting where the proposal received an initial okay.

DeKalb Commissioners discuss soliciting proposals for the removal of a Confederate monument near the old county courthouse during a meeting of the Planning, Economic Development and Community Services Committee on Jan. 9, 2018.
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“We need action,” said Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson, who has lead the charge to remove the 30-foot-tall monument from such a prominent location on county property.

It has been the site of protests in recent months.

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The city of Brookhaven's mayor and City Council last week decided to remove the colored panes of glass from the dome of Brookhaven's new City Centre after residents objected to the brightness of the colors, seen here Friday, June 27, 2025. (Reed Williams/AJC)

Credit: Reed Williams/AJC