A DeKalb County worker who’s retiring this year is expected to be replaced with a new role, part of a plan by the county’s new administrator to ensure adequate staffing in the finance department, documents show.

On April 15, the DeKalb County Board authorized the creation of a new accountant position for the county’s finance department on April 15. The new role could receive nearly double the wages the retiring worker has been earning, according to county documents.

Three DeKalb County Board members voted against the resolution: Republicans Tim Bagby and Suzanne Fahnestock, from Districts 3 and 5, respectively; and Scott Campbell, a Democrat from District 7.

The successful vote means county officials will replace the finance department’s administrative clerk position with an accounting job.

When asked, DeKalb County Administrator Ruth Kedzior did not disclose who the retiring employee is, but wrote that the employee has given the county 10 years of service.

Kedzior said the new job will fill more roles than the retiring clerk.

“The new accountant will be hired later this fall to assume some of the admin clerk A’s duties, serve as the back up to the payroll clerk, and take over additional technical support duties currently handled by the comptroller, which he assumed in 2023, when an AP clerk retired leaving an unfilled position,” Kedzior wrote.

That retiring clerk has an annual wage of $40,448 and a total compensation package worth $62,237, according to DeKalb County documents.

The new position could have a wage of $75,000 and a total compensation package up to $94,971, according to county documents and an amendment to the resolution proposed by DeKalb County Board member Mary Cozad, a Democrat from District 10,

Cozad’s proposed amendment set $94,971 as the maximum the county could offer as part of a total compensation package for the position. That amendment was unanimously approved by the DeKalb County Board ahead of the 18-3 vote that greenlit the creation of the new position.

The person hired to fill the new accountant position is expected to start in November to allow for a few weeks of overlap before the retiring employee steps away.

“Filling this accountant position is necessary to ensure adequate staffing levels in Finance and provide advanced accounting skills to the organization,” Kedzior wrote.