DeKalb County will end the 2024 fiscal year with a projected $150 million fund balance.

“We have ushered in a new era of financial accountability in DeKalb County as evidenced by eight years of balanced budgets and a growing rainy-day fund,” DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond said.

The county’s fiscal health allowed CEO Thurmond to authorize a $1,500 employee retention incentive bonus for DeKalb’s 6,000 employees last month. This was the fourth year that employees received a retention incentive bonus.

In January 2017, the county faced a $24.7 million structural deficit, which had forced a series of layoffs and service delivery cutbacks.

CEO Thurmond introduced a plan, adopted by the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners in February 2017, that ultimately balanced the budget and built a $150 million fund balance, which represents a 78 percent improvement.

“My administration has been committed to fostering the continuous growth and development of our most experienced employees who work hard to make our county a better place to live, work, play and do business,” CEO Thurmond said.