DeKalb County officials are taking the first steps to better secure the DeKalb County Courthouse, with a committee recommendation made to move the DeKalb Election Commission from the bottom floor of the courthouse to the County Complex building and to hire a fulltime security officer.
On Tuesday, September 17, the County Commission’s Public Works Committee met at the courthouse to discuss possible changes to help make the courthouse more secure. One matter before commissioners was moving non-court related offices out of the courthouse to a new location. Currently the DeKalb Election Commission and the Veterans Affairs offices are located in the bottom floor of the building. Finding a new location for the offices would enable the courthouse entrances to be locked and enable a single entrance for court related matters.
At the meeting Tuesday Election Administrator Dustin Estes presented scaled plans for renovations of unoccupied office space at the County Complex, something the commission had previously requested.
“The current square footage of what we occupy with our offices and storage is 1,269.7 square feet,” Estes told the committee. “Including the courtroom, calculating the area which we use for early voting, is 873.75 square feet. In total we occupy 2,143. 5 square feet.”
“Looking at the proposed unfinished space number one, not including the bathroom because that is space would not be able to be used unless it was knocked out, is 1,140.69 square feet,” Estes said.
“Comparing that to just our office and storage space, we are actually short 120 square feet. If you add on the unfinished space number two, not including the IT closet, that’s an additional 1,123.45 square feet, so in total we come out ahead about 200 square feet.”
Estes told the committee that if early voting took place at the complex, the Election Commission would need both unoccupied spaces.
County Mayor Matt Adcock said that he requested quotes from three construction companies to renovate the complex areas, but only two responded. One quote was for $88,000 and the other was for $157,200.
Andy Pack made a motion to recommend allowing the Election Commission to move into the two unused spaces and for the Budget Committee to take up the question as to where funding would need to come from. Glynn Merriman seconded the motion, with Sabrina Farler, Myron Rhody and Chairman Mathias Anderson all voting in favor.
The committee then took on a request for a security officer be hired for the courthouse. Mayor Adcock reported that options for employing private security companies were considered, but the cost were prohibitive.
The idea of hiring local constables to provide security was then looked into. Adcock said that security officers at the courthouse would need to be POST certified, and that local constables already meet that requirement. Security officers would not fall under the control of the Sheriff’s Department, and would fall under the umbrella of county employees.
Adcock told the committee that Fifth District Constable Mark Milam, who was also in attendance at the meeting, was interested in the position. “What I am presenting is a full time 40 hour a week position without benefits this year at $37,440, and with benefits included next year at $49,030 with social security, retirement, health insurance, unemployment and Medicare for one employee. That is still significantly cheaper than a vendor,” said Mayor Adcock.
Milam also spoke to the committee, saying that he could begin fulltime work on October 10.
According to Adcock, the Sheriff’s Department would still provide security during court for General Sessions, Criminal, Juvenile, and Chancery Courtrooms, while the security officer would mainly monitor the entrance to the courthouse and the hallways.
After some discussion, the committee decided that the east side, second floor entrance, with the handicapped ramp, would most likely be the main entrance, with all other doors locked on the outside, but still being able to open from the inside in case of emergency. A metal detector station and table could then be placed at the east entrance to monitor for weapons.
Emergency Management Director Charlie Parker then told the committee that the old courthouse will have to be fitted with new door locks and possibly new doors to comply with state fire codes. He explained how door latches at the courthouse will have to be changed. “Right now, we have an exterior panic device with a small paddle on there. With the new codes, it has to be a minimum of half the width of the door,” said Parker.
“The way the doors are made up there the marble is wrapped around the frame. You could do a surface mount exit or panic device, except for our courthouse its wrapped with marble, and there’s not enough room for that, which means the actual doors would have to be changed to a new style latch at roughly $2,000 to $2,500 per door. The double doors on the west side you could leave them and mark them not as an exit or you could change them out too. If you do that, I recommend that you change the key and locking system. If you go to a new key system, the numbered key is assigned to a person and you know who has it,” said Parker.
Glynn Merriman made a motion to recommend to start the bidding process for the new doors, locks, and signage, and to make one secured entrance on the second-floor level. Andy Pack offered a second and it was adopted.
Mathias Anderson then made a motion to recommend the hiring of one full-time security officer, Milam, at $18 per hour starting on October 10, and that a job description and policy be created. Myron Rhody seconded the motion, and it was adopted.
