[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6309228,"mediaKeyId","2413730-ab0ae2e4760edbef9f7981f62ceb0831","parentId",2413730,"title","Votes at a glance: Upson County commissioners — Feb. 25, 2025","audioSeconds",176,"startMs",727000,"endMs",903000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2413730-ab0ae2e4760edbef9f7981f62ceb0831&start=727&end=903","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2413730-ab0ae2e4760edbef9f7981f62ceb0831/thumbnail_727000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6309228/Upson-County/Georgia/Votes-at-a-glance-Upson-County-commissioners-Feb-25-2025","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6309228-1153c9657bec0871d2355dab88f6437b/orig.mp4?Expires=1773681604&Signature=C7feOrH35AuzNxgbAzOQAOhcOQWGq04kFUwF2YuB8uBwU9a-ILE5Mvq9bniAz7~S2l25-f2mCFwsjyFsaHFuuAeNuz16jrtKo3E3jYwFGjcx6M8v5ltSecgBSk2bta1Q~nVgXRhNG1p0TuZYxdABgLYaxQ75tFi0cO0d47Giua2XWWxZY~3tV1cdE~9veVxnPLibSYt1Oc-s4aovub0TRam5j~In6-FoA857g~VHgyOJ-GZkzL825YQfkuUUxYyJCaQVZVS1Pzla1dHtJgUhrnMSo4~ufa2sT7sXjqLl-tqqSUIE5YKgja5iBnaauFDLkvujhMa37bJTnRV8KfIL0g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-02-26T12:18:28Z","article","The Upson County Board of Commissioners took the following formal actions at its Feb. 25 meeting.

• Beer and package sales license — PBP Corp. (Sunoco Food Mart), 424 Jeff Davis Road, Thomaston: The board opened and closed a public hearing on the license application; after staff cited noncompliance with local code sections (referred to in the meeting as sections 6‑38 and 6‑46), Commissioner Jones moved to deny the application; the motion was seconded and recorded as passed. The applicant’s representative was listed as \"Mister Patel.\" The resolution recorded that the application was not in compliance with the cited ordinances and the license was denied.

• Appointment to the Planning Commission — Jacqueline Lewis: The board nominated and appointed Jacqueline Lewis to the Planning Commission; motion carried.

• Resolution on magistrate court technology fee — Resolution 0725: The board approved a resolution asking staff and the county attorney to pursue local legislation authorizing the magistrate court to charge a technology fee; details and next steps are covered in a separate item in this meeting.

• Policy on political activities of county employees — Resolution 092025: The board adopted a policy requiring employees who seek political office to resign and prohibiting employees from being appointed to commissions or advisory committees while employed by the board; a current employee serving a term may finish that term but would not be eligible for reappointment under the policy.

• Consent agenda (minutes): The board approved work session and regular meeting minutes from Feb. 5 and Feb. 11.

• Executive session: The board voted to enter an executive session for personnel matters and later returned to the open meeting.

Motions were made and seconded as recorded on the meeting record; where the transcript did not list a specific mover or second, the item description indicates that a motion and second took place and that the motion passed.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Upson County Board of Commissioners - 02/25/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Summary of formal actions taken at the Upson County commission meeting on Feb. 25, including a denial of a beer/package sales license, an appointment, two resolutions and routine minutes approval.","taxTitle","Upson County, Georgia","taxId",28667,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6309232,"Upson County approves push for local legislation to allow magistrate court technology fee",672,2282000,2954000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2413730-ab0ae2e4760edbef9f7981f62ceb0831&start=2282&end=2954","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2413730-ab0ae2e4760edbef9f7981f62ceb0831/thumbnail_2282000.jpg","/articles/6309232/Upson-County/Georgia/Upson-County-approves-push-for-local-legislation-to-allow-magistrate-court-technology-fee","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6309232-33c42752fddfd6a6ca7f5f8b326cf2fe/orig.mp4?Expires=1773681604&Signature=H1uVH2UXsrY2miVypjaoOY3LsDSr7OplB32Eh6lYdqlb~XW7-zuI7gwOb8cfSPP8RGhTp5FX-vVVcgMC~qjKxn0AkExQGltr2me65PF7aL8u9MsMdwmzAJHntxDeN9DSyUTlu0seGnMdr1E1vW8BYGETMimcDZG09Qp4Kh4DBoFxNRVxaBYppggDOt-x7V2-gjdxfS~aSlRaKHNL13XkN3gTKWE1uUbmHuPmEwI15bqusYCmbnXUOd3xYpFjG9OUAdBK1ZkXC75LSEqFWziCjCCS~P9eoISyEK3MbhQxvxeF30LIlZ0HtEWPVHjkTaDELiGd8FKsvAv89QyK08Gscw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Upson County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 25 approved a resolution directing county staff to pursue local legislation that would authorize the Upson County Magistrate Court to assess a technology fee to fund court technology needs.

County Manager and the chief magistrate worked on draft language modeled on a prior local law used for the probate court and similar proposals in other counties. The resolution asks the county’s legislative counsel to prepare a local bill allowing magistrate courts to assess a modest per‑case fee for technology needs such as computer hardware and software, imaging and scanning equipment, audio/visual systems and related training and maintenance.

Under the compromise approved by the board, funds collected would be remitted to the county finance office. The magistrate judge would be authorized to appropriate the funds for technology purchases without seeking specific commission approval for each expenditure, but would be required to document purchases and provide reports. The board discussed an alternative oversight option that would route funds through an existing Criminal Justice Information Systems committee, but staff recommended the local bill approach to retain more direct county oversight and avoid the more complex statewide committee structure.

The meeting record shows commissioners debated whether the increment should be capped at $5 or allowed to go as high as $10 per case; staff said the draft language would be corrected to say \"$5, but no more than that\". The board voted to proceed; the resolution directs the county manager and attorney to work with legislative counsel to draft and seek introduction of local legislation in the General Assembly.

The measure requires action by the Georgia General Assembly to take effect; the resolution authorizes staff to pursue that legislative route and to submit the proposed bill for introduction.","The board authorized staff and the county attorney to pursue local legislation authorizing a magistrate court technology fee, with funds remitted to county finance and appropriated by the magistrate judge with documented reporting.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6309236,"Upson County commissioners table plan to re‑establish communications position until November",428,244000,672000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2413730-ab0ae2e4760edbef9f7981f62ceb0831&start=244&end=672","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2413730-ab0ae2e4760edbef9f7981f62ceb0831/thumbnail_244000.jpg","/articles/6309236/Upson-County/Georgia/Upson-County-commissioners-table-plan-to-reestablish-communications-position-until-November","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6309236-afe642f62dccf9f478adb2bd38553af1/orig.mp4?Expires=1773681604&Signature=oCIBVLMdGe0tb8vmD2RPkih2iWn4Kkf9S1LKHSOWzXUupeIBGYEwqAEGXzs68M6Yk7moBWHZZcIL6-OtKAWO5lTLl3RB59Jq0VND~yJy0FXEouEzuQ7Phvjs7OqQ7tyv2pPI5V1nCrJGaR46ysiw0OVZ4gCOuqZUa6gezXxe3FFJonYlVh9Dk8mei9PTIR5tZsIF24PXEiYI5FRPqi-FtLHcrW1x4ISTOMdrX7DAUpmRmIb2lIoUmgZKaXRfy4tb3U9io1pNXNI5KtefJUtj-Db6UDScm~1ex1dhh0EVGUyeiwITx~-AB8fuHjq9cnrvWvWdDhgDMRFylSBXD9vz4A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Upson County Board of Commissioners voted on Feb. 25 to table consideration of re‑establishing a county communications or community engagement position until the board’s November budget discussions.

County Manager said the recommendation was to reestablish the position with an effective date of Jan. 1, 2026 so there would be no 2025 budgetary impact. The manager told commissioners the job would cover computer, web and social media communication needs and recommended recruiting in the current fiscal year so a hire could begin in 2026.

The recommendation drew questions about when the county would be able to fund the new post. “We create position. If money comes available, I’m gonna come right back and say, hey, we need to move forward,” the County Manager said, noting the board can amend the budget during the year and receive periodic finance briefings to track whether hiring could occur sooner.

A commissioner pressing for better constituent communication said the county’s web and social media presence could improve and that a dedicated position was necessary. Another commissioner asked about the salary range; the County Manager said the job is classified as FA‑18 and that total compensation information would have to be checked against the pay scale.

After discussion, a motion to table the item until November carried. The motion recorded in the meeting directed that the item be brought back during the budget season so the board can determine whether funding is available.

The board did not adopt the position on Feb. 25; no salary or step rate was finalized and the effective date recommended by staff remained Jan. 1, 2026 pending future action.","After debate over timing and budget impact, the Upson County Board of Commissioners voted to table a proposal to re‑establish a county communications/community engagement position until the November budget process.","actionData","errors"]

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Votes at a glance: Upson County commissioners — Feb. 25, 2025

Upson County approves push for local legislation to allow magistrate court technology fee

Upson County commissioners table plan to re‑establish communications position until November