The Council for Quality Growth and the DeKalb County Chamber hosted more than 800 people for DeKalb CEO Lorraine Cochran Johnson’s State of DeKalb County Address.
The annual address was held over lunch at Assembly Studios Atlanta and presented by Amazon, the American Heart Association, and the Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority.
Cochran-Johnson unveiled the theme of her address with a video presentation titled “Mission: Possible – DeKalb Reimagined.” Highlighting the change in leadership, the CEO said she “accepted the baton” from former DeKalb CEO Michael L. Thurmond and is focusing on investing in infrastructure, housing, economic development, and public safety.
She also noted the county’s need to improve their procurement process, with an emphasis on equity and efficiency, to make sure the county is “committed to ensuring that local, small, and minority- and women-owned businesses are not only aware of procurement opportunities but are equipped to compete for them.”
Cochran-Johnson touted the recent investment in the county’s water and sewer infrastructure. The plan includes raising water and sewer rates by 10 percent for the next 10 years, totaling a $4.27 billion investment in the county’s water infrastructure.
As the largest infrastructure investment in the county’s history, Cochran-Johnson said the project will help prevent critical system failures, upgrade and expand the county’s water source and treatment plant, and meet the compliance standards of the modified consent decree the county is currently under.
The Council for Quality Growth’s State of DeKalb County is the last of eight State of the County events held in 2025 and annually convenes the county’s business community with its local government bodies, as well as with other local leaders from across the region.
