Georgia CommonsSenate · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session
SB 346: DeKalb County; the compensation of certain judges, judicial officers, and county officers; revise
Last action March 27, 2026 · Senate Tabled
A Senate bill would raise the base salary figure used to calculate pay for DeKalb County judges and officials, and update references to the renamed DeKalb Judicial Circuit.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Comm Sub version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
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.
What the bill does
- 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.
Who it affects
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.
Why it matters
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.
Key provisions
- 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.
From the bill
“the term 'gross salary' shall mean the higher of $218,990.30 or the highest annual salary provided to any Superior Court judge from State funds.”
“Each full-time associate magistrate of DeKalb County shall receive an annual salary equal to 90 percent of the annual salary provided in this Act paid to the Chief Magistrate of DeKalb County.”
Discussed in meetings (2)
The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.
House floor session, February 17, 2026 (legislative day 19)
From 1:04:42 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The clerk named SB 346 while reading the uncontested local calendar, but described it as a Hancock County measure. That description and number did not match the earlier committee report, which named SB 348. The House passed the calendar, 165 to 1. The transcript does not resolve the discrepancy.
Senate floor session, March 27, 2026 (legislative day 38)
From 0:29:00 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute)
Summary by Georgia Commons: The clerk read a favorable committee report and a substitute concerning compensation for DeKalb County judges, judicial officers and county officers. Three senators objected to keeping SB 346 on the local consent calendar, so the chair removed it for separate consideration. After the clerk read the bill and substitute, the sponsor moved to table it. The Senate tabled it without objection, with no substantive presentation or debate.
Status timeline
- Senate Tabled (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- Senate Hopper (Senate)
Sponsors
- Kim Jackson (D, SD-41)
Topics
- DeKalb County government
- judicial salaries
- county officials pay
- local legislation