DeKalb commissioners quietly give themselves a 60-percent raise

With no explanation or debate, the DeKalb Board of Commissioners voted to raise their salaries by nearly 60 percent. The proposal was quickly introduced and passed on Tuesday without going through the normal committee review process or even being included on the agenda.

Commissioners’ salaries will increase from a base of $40,530 to $64,637 a year starting on Jan. 1. CEO Mike Thurmond will also get 3-percent raise from $162,120 to $166,209.

The measure approved by commissioners will pay them 35 percent of what DeKalb superior court judges make. That detail was not included in the legal notice that ran for three weeks ahead of Tuesday’s vote, which only gave a cumulative figure for the impact of the raises.