DeKalb ops committee debates 'unanimous consent' threshold for consent agenda and walk-on items

The DeKalb County operations committee spent substantial time on March 9 debating how the county should treat items placed on the consent agenda and whether newly added "walk-on" items should be eligible for same-day approval.

The chair opened the discussion by noting the committee had begun the conversation at an earlier meeting and hoped to finish the standing rules today. Commissioners and staff disagreed about the proper threshold for placing or approving items on consent: some members urged retaining "unanimous" approval of the full seven-member commission for consistency; others said unanimity should mean "everyone present" so routine business can proceed when the full board is not in attendance.

County Attorney Terry Phillips proposed two edits to the draft rules intended to address that difference. He recommended changing the phrasing to specify "unanimous consent of everyone present" and inserting language to make clear that walk-on items may be treated through the same preliminary/consent process. "To specify unanimous consent of everyone present," Phillips said, describing a compromise that would allow a smaller quorum to clear routine items while preserving unanimity among those participating.

Some commissioners defended keeping a higher threshold for certain commission-originated items, noting that discretionary district expenditures and ward-courtesy practices often rely on broader collegial support. One commissioner summarized the practical trade-off this way: "For me, unanimous is whomever is present, because at any time we may not have seven commissioners," and urged rules that allow urgent or walk-on items to be addressed only with clear agreement.

Law staff told the committee that mistaken placement in the preliminary section can be corrected by a motion to move an item to consent and recommended drafting explicit language to cover walk-ons and preliminary-to-consent motions. The committee agreed to have the law department and central staff produce proposed redlines reflecting both the "present" qualifier and an explicit reference to walk-on items.

The committee did not vote on a final rule at the meeting. The law department will produce revised wording for committee review at a future special call or the next committee-of-the-whole meeting.