SB 346: DeKalb County; the compensation of certain judges, judicial officers, and county officers; revise

DeKalb County officials' pay is set as a percentage of a 'gross salary' figure defined in a 1976 state law. This bill raises that base figure to the higher of $218,990.30 or the highest salary paid to any Superior Court judge from state funds. Because many county officials' salaries are calculated as a percentage of this gross salary figure, raising it increases their pay as well. The bill also updates the law to reflect that the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit is now officially called the DeKalb Judicial Circuit, so old references in the compensation law still apply correctly. It sets the pay for judges of the State Court, Probate Court, and Juvenile Court, the Chief Magistrate, and the Solicitor-General at the higher of $208,040.00 or 90 percent of the gross salary. It also spells out how full-time and part-time associate magistrates are paid, and confirms salaries are paid monthly from county funds.

• Raises the 'gross salary' baseline used to calculate DeKalb County officials' pay to the higher of $218,990.30 or the top state-funded Superior Court judge salary.
• Adds language clarifying that the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit is now legally called the DeKalb Judicial Circuit for purposes of this compensation law.
• Sets pay for the Chief Executive Officer and Sheriff at 100% of the gross salary, the Clerk of Superior Court at 80%, the Tax Commissioner at 75%, and county commissioners at 32%.
• Sets pay for the State Court judge, Chief Magistrate, Probate Court judge, Juvenile Court judges, and Solicitor-General at the higher of $208,040.00 or 90% of the gross salary.
• Sets associate magistrate pay at 90% of the Chief Magistrate's salary for full-time associate magistrates, and an equivalent hourly rate for part-time associate magistrates.
• Confirms that all salaries under this Act are paid monthly from DeKalb County funds.

DeKalb County's Chief Executive Officer, Sheriff, Clerk of the Superior Court, Tax Commissioner, Board of Commissioners members, State Court judges, the Chief Magistrate and associate magistrates, the Probate Court judge, Juvenile Court judges, and the Solicitor-General all see their pay affected by this bill.

Because these officials' salaries are pegged as percentages of the gross salary figure, raising that baseline increases pay across many DeKalb County offices at once, funded through county funds, without each office's salary being separately debated or set.

• Section 1 redefines 'gross salary' as the higher of $218,990.30 or the highest state-funded Superior Court judge salary, the figure used to calculate many other officials' pay.
• Section 2 adds a new provision clarifying that references to the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit now mean the DeKalb Judicial Circuit, following a 2024 statewide renaming law.
• Section 3 sets specific percentage-of-gross-salary pay rates for the Chief Executive Officer, Sheriff, Clerk of Superior Court, Tax Commissioner, and county commissioners, and sets the higher of $208,040.00 or 90% for several judges and the Solicitor-General.
• Section 4 repeals paragraphs (1) through (4) of Section 3 and sets associate magistrate pay at 90% of the Chief Magistrate's salary (full-time) or a proportional hourly rate (part-time).
• Section 5 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-03-27Senate Tabled (Senate)
2. 2026-03-27Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
3. 2025-03-20Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
4. 2025-03-19Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Kim Jackson (D, SD-041)Primary sponsor

• DeKalb County government
• judicial salaries
• county officials pay
• local legislation