SB 350: DeKalb County; certain judges, judicial officers, and county officers; revise the compensation

DeKalb County's officer pay is set by a 1976 law that ties many officials' salaries to a 'gross salary' figure, defined as either a fixed dollar amount or the highest salary paid to a Superior Court judge from state funds, whichever is higher. This bill raises that fixed dollar floor from its previous amount to $218,990.30. It also adds a new section clarifying that the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit is now called the DeKalb Judicial Circuit under a 2024 statewide law, and that any reference in the older pay law to the Stone Mountain circuit now means the DeKalb circuit. The bill restates the percentage-of-gross-salary formulas for the Chief Executive Officer, District Attorney, Sheriff, Clerk of Superior Court, Tax Commissioner, and County Commissioners, and sets a $208,040.00 floor (or 90 percent of gross salary) for several judges and the Solicitor-General. It also keeps rules for magistrate pay and monthly installment payments from county funds.

• Raises the fixed dollar floor used to define 'gross salary' for DeKalb County officials to $218,990.30, or the highest Superior Court judge salary paid from state funds if that is higher.
• Adds a new section renaming references to the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit as the DeKalb Judicial Circuit, matching a 2024 statewide law change.
• Restates the percentage-of-gross-salary pay formula for the Chief Executive Officer, District Attorney, and Sheriff (100%), Clerk of Superior Court (80%), Tax Commissioner (75%), and county commissioners (32%).
• Sets the annual salary 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 percent of gross salary.
• Keeps existing rules paying full-time associate magistrates 90 percent of the Chief Magistrate's salary and part-time associate magistrates a matching hourly rate.
• Repeals any prior laws that conflict with these updated pay provisions.

DeKalb County's Chief Executive Officer, District Attorney, Sheriff, Clerk of Superior Court, Tax Commissioner, County Commissioners, State Court judges, the Chief Magistrate and associate magistrates, the Probate Court judge, Juvenile Court judges, and the Solicitor-General all see their pay tied to the revised salary figures in this bill.

The change directly affects how much DeKalb County's top elected officials, judges, and magistrates are paid, since many of these salaries are calculated as a percentage of the newly raised base figure. It also cleans up outdated references to the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit's old name in county pay law.

• Section 1 sets the 'gross salary' definition's dollar floor at $218,990.30, used as the base for calculating several officials' pay.
• Section 2 adds new Section 1.2 recognizing the renaming of the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit to the DeKalb Judicial Circuit under a 2024 state law.
• Section 3 restates the percentage pay formulas in Sections 2 and 2.1 for county officers and certain judges, setting a $208,040.00 or 90 percent of gross salary floor for judges and the Solicitor-General.
• Section 4 restates magistrate pay rules in Sections 3 and 3.1, tying associate magistrate pay to the Chief Magistrate's salary and confirming monthly payment from county funds.
• Section 5 repeals any conflicting prior laws.

1. 2026-05-12Effective Date 2026-05-12
2. 2026-05-12Act 697
3. 2026-05-12Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senado)
4. 2026-04-10Senate Sent to Governor (Senado)
5. 2026-03-25Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub (Senado)
6. 2026-03-18House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Cámara de Representantes)
7. 2026-03-18House Third Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
8. 2026-03-18House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Cámara de Representantes)

• Kim Jackson (D, SD-041)Patrocinador principal
• Randal Mangham (D, SD-055)
• Elena Parent (D, SD-044)
• Emanuel Jones (D, SD-010)
• Tonya Anderson (D, SD-043)
• Long Tran (D, HD-080)

1. AprobadaVotación: Senado27 de marzo de 2025

   52 a favor, 0 en contra (1 sin votar, 3 ausentes)

   Passage As Amended: Senate Vote #292

2. AprobadaVotación: Cámara de Representantes18 de marzo de 2026

   161 a favor, 2 en contra (7 sin votar, 6 ausentes)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #712

3. AprobadaVotación: Senado25 de marzo de 2026

   46 a favor, 0 en contra (3 sin votar, 5 ausentes)

   Agree To House Substitute: Senate Vote #822

4. AprobadaVotación: Senado25 de marzo de 2026

   47 a favor, 0 en contra (2 sin votar, 5 ausentes)

   Immediately Transmit To Governor: Senate Vote #823

• DeKalb County government
• judicial salaries
• county officer pay
• local government finance