[{"_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",6235796,"mediaKeyId","3396897-0dd288ae9084f39b93c735d09e1ac639","parentId",3396897,"title","Spalding County selects Liberty for managed IT services; county cites lower cost and service-level guarantees","audioSeconds",416,"startMs",8374000,"endMs",8790000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3396897-0dd288ae9084f39b93c735d09e1ac639&start=8374&end=8790","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3396897-0dd288ae9084f39b93c735d09e1ac639/thumbnail_8374000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6235796/Spalding-County/Georgia/Spalding-County-selects-Liberty-for-managed-IT-services-county-cites-lower-cost-and-service-level-guarantees","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6235796-877739c50078c3f4ef93a7033b498df8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771103029&Signature=m1qiFxSS-7WtWHaf6WKqitPPvXmcts3DwirFebcqwF0A9lOik~IppJltu8-8mYYcTigENE9pOkGyTqMWX7xLCScNCIHdcip2R3EZLF-lEWiyVd5FnPk0pq770CgJaDUKFBClmFnZiJ6Ijh3yEjDlegVncCGLNT9dqe9ktDQjWYsZRLI7QmDTLoK3qP8ZjhKu51hPGaz-jI3hPO6IMkdisZWOBvJ9Y2dQPcM9Z7WND2G8tII6LpSvCKXQbjJi4U5g0OxnynMPMXJ1HDBNTpG8W70svAinLZenOc3m~DAaeQeYkYeav7e~rl9g4CfelmJi4CsBnodLxh7raL1gwBDWuA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-05-20T08:06:59.447Z","article","Spalding County commissioners approved a contract awarding managed IT services and a planned server migration to local firm Liberty after a formal RFP and interview process, county staff announced.

Mike Wyndham, who led the procurement review, told the board two firms responded to the RFP and staff found the proposals “very similar in their comparison” of services but “very far apart in their costs.” Wyndham said the difference in total project cost was roughly $3 million versus $1.6 million, and staff recommended the lower-priced Liberty proposal.

The contract will include migration of specified servers to the cloud and a managed-services agreement that sets response-time and service-level requirements. Wyndham said the RFP codified the level of service to be provided, which staff and the sheriff’s office had emphasized as critical because public-safety operations depend on reliable IT uptime.

The scope of the RFP did not include in-custody camera systems, which the sheriff’s office had procured separately; county staff said camera services are handled outside the RFP scope. Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the contract and praised staff for the competitive procurement.

Why it matters: The contract will replace an existing arrangement and aims to provide a single, county-wide managed services vendor and clear service-level expectations. County IT leaders said the consolidated contract and the cloud migration are intended to improve transparency, reliability and the county’s ability to respond to critical outages.

Wyndham and other staff thanked the sheriff’s office for participating in vendor interviews to help define operational priorities. County staff also noted the ongoing finance-system migration to Tyler Technologies scheduled to go live July 1 as part of the county’s broader IT and financial modernization.

The contract award is effective following standard execution and will be implemented under the county’s procurement and IT oversight processes.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Spalding County Board of Commissioners Extraordinary Session 05.19.2025","oneSentenceSummary","After an RFP, the county approved a contract with local firm Liberty for comprehensive managed IT services and a cloud migration, citing a substantially lower price than a competing Atlanta firm and the ability to codify response standards.","taxTitle","Spalding County, Georgia","taxId",28543,"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},6235800,"Spalding County plans to cut five waste centers to two; residents warn of increased dumping",2352,3108000,5460000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3396897-0dd288ae9084f39b93c735d09e1ac639&start=3108&end=5460","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3396897-0dd288ae9084f39b93c735d09e1ac639/thumbnail_3108000.jpg","/articles/6235800/Spalding-County/Georgia/Spalding-County-plans-to-cut-five-waste-centers-to-two-residents-warn-of-increased-dumping","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6235800-c20aff99029772432218e34c5f4de0b6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771103029&Signature=EwliebMM3LLnm-2qWO61hNa6mjBSR4cVy4RMALWwIHEsxVp0vNNBbqUx0nG-w3hE7pTP0Mw6UvKAbfBBUNxwGpmxELV8a41ObLoCqH06SNQgwHkNAPUAojQDspOszKy9fZpym7ExLW4Qaw~xjrjlnYyu3-LzTNEmSldywD9H0gpHEEk4QugY6s5JMabR77fzuLAXbValKjuURc~o6lAsFCo1kCiGP8VZ7kXLOf3IYfA-FWYLvv4QV~gHydc6WKT~MBtaGVjnf8p-BFoee-qVnNohf2zdtt6UclqmnEjyYCU5mRxD3dI9cJWcFG7oZY9kgEzGobM4uZ0MHrLAoUwXXQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Spalding County staff recommended moving from five solid-waste collection centers to two operations as part of the fiscal 2026 budget package, citing cash-flow pressures tied to new state-mandated costs.

County Manager Dr. Lehi Ledbetter told commissioners, “We are making a recommendation that, we move from 5 centers to 2 centers for our community. This is, again, a cash flow issue.” The change featured prominently in public comments and commissioner discussion.

Why it matters: Many residents said the consolidation would impose a travel burden on older and low-income households and predict a rise in illegal dumping. Jewel Walker Harps, speaking for the local NAACP, said keeping “the garbage collection station intact” helps preserve residents’ quality of life. Patsy Pledger and others said East-side neighborhoods would be especially affected because they already lack nearby services.

Staff and board members provided cost context in the meeting. A county official said keeping two centers open will cost about $1.3 million annually; maintaining all five would cost roughly $2.8 million. Commission discussion repeatedly framed the proposal as a short-term cash-flow measure connected to other budget priorities, including partially funding a new state court judge and increases in sheriff staffing.

To mitigate impacts, county staff announced a pilot schedule of bulky-item collection days. Deputy County Manager Erica Dye and staff said bulky-day pickups will begin in May and continue through June at the Carver Road and Woodruff collection centers; residents will be allowed one pickup-truck or one 4-by-8 trailer load per household on those days. Dye asked residents to watch county social media and local notices for detailed dates and rules.

Residents and some commissioners asked staff to explore alternatives such as expanding hours at the two centers, creating a rotating schedule so other centers open one day a week, or adding staffed “bulky” days in additional locations. Commissioner Ryan Bolden and others urged the county to pursue options that increase total available collection hours rather than simply reduce sites.

The decision to consolidate the centers was included in the adopted fiscal 2026 budget package. Staff said the county will revisit operations if revenues permit or if the board directs a change; commissioners asked staff for further analysis of costs, potential road impacts and enforcement strategies to deter illegal dumping.

Ending note: County staff framed the move as a temporary cash-flow response to new demands on the budget, and committed to exploring adjustments and public outreach to ease the transition for affected residents.","As part of budget reductions and cash-flow measures the county proposed consolidating five solid-waste collection centers to two and adding monthly bulky-item days; residents and commissioners questioned travel burdens and road impacts.",{"_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},6235804,"Spalding County adopts fiscal 2026 budget, millage falls; commissioners' pay increase sparks lone dissent",7375,941000,8316000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3396897-0dd288ae9084f39b93c735d09e1ac639&start=941&end=8316","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3396897-0dd288ae9084f39b93c735d09e1ac639/thumbnail_941000.jpg","/articles/6235804/Spalding-County/Georgia/Spalding-County-adopts-fiscal-2026-budget-millage-falls-commissioners-pay-increase-sparks-lone-dissent","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6235804-55b0c15542923a7b8767c0c2f42a97f7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771103029&Signature=RmltHIrMqU~JIDj5oRmZVDAFgoO953PQzO3ryYfXnzl3-yp6vbthstk15EmVKqk3qzES~v2K-TKFQxZVKKe9hNKAJnRg5fr9Jr-TDtJXussX1rJnFsn~YywXNDGcuqaCVM2fb7AnwQ7nE5AElj753dwMNVUEY6yl2OEXXS~7tCrPhiyOfYcpAuBJZE7rEFISw647dlJWNrn4QXT9HFQ4hxoqZ52skkj7DLsxi2yJ6xRdWT~SqsFPVAIRCh6xcdDtrzJnFJUVzn0BE4A1YD150DSpsZ-NSaQgKnhh85yTWYgtUByKN1Vp9TILZYYcoAuTF8Zd93PRP90y4uZ4w8yzIg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Spalding County commissioners adopted the fiscal year 2026 expenditure budget Tuesday and certified an estimated rollback millage rate of 15.45, approving the budget on a 3-1 vote after hours of public comment and debate.

The budget, presented by County Manager Dr. Lehi Ledbetter, proposes roughly $75,000,006 in expenditures and staff described the plan as “extremely lean.” Ledbetter told the board the county is balancing an expenditure budget against a revenue budget while responding to state deadlines tied to House Bill 581 and its cleanup in HB 92.

The budget matters because it sets local spending levels for police, courts, roads, solid waste and other services and because it incorporatesthe county’s response to several state-driven costs. Dr. Ledbetter said staff factored in a new, unfunded state court judge that the legislature required and noted the county will carry only part of the first-year cost now and defer full staffing until January to ease cash-flow pressure.

Most of the meeting’s public commenters urged the county to protect services, with repeated appeals over proposed changes to trash collection sites and condemnation of higher pay for elected officials. Jewel Walker Harps, speaking for the NAACP, said keeping “the garbage collection station intact” is essential because “the convenience of trash disposal is one thing that every household values.” Other residents said closing collection sites would worsen illegal dumping and increase travel burdens for seniors and fixed-income households.

Commissioners debated multiple trade-offs inside the budget. Among notable items disclosed by staff: a recommended 2.5% pay increase for county employees, a $500,000 annual general-appropriations set-aside for sewer investment, an increase in sheriff’s staffing that reflects planned growth in patrol and jail positions, and a reduction to some programs to meet short-term cash-flow needs. Ledbetter told the board the county’s fund balance is about $18 million and that the county’s general fund revenues and expenditures remain under tight management.

A separate, contested vote on a resolution raising pay for the board of commissioners passed on a 3-1 vote during the meeting. One commissioner said publicly they would vote against the overall budget “only because of the pay raise,” but the record shows the budget itself carried 3–1. The certified rollback rate resolution later passed unanimously.

The board also authorized several administrative items during the session, including contracting actions and routine approvals. The county manager and finance staff said the county will continue reviewing the budget after adoption and may return with amendments if new information or needs arise.

“We are running extremely lean this year,” Dr. Ledbetter said during his presentation, describing a year-to-year approach meant to avoid raising the millage rate while meeting newly imposed state requirements.

Commissioners and staff emphasized that the budget was the product of extended review sessions held in public and urged residents to participate earlier in next year’s budget process. The budget took effect as adopted; finance staff will proceed with implementing the revenue and expenditure plans and notify taxpayers of the certified rollback rate.

Details: The staff’s presentation gave the recommended fiscal 2026 expenditure total at about $75,000,006, general fund revenues and encumbrances to date, and noted the county’s April fund balance of roughly $18 million. Ledbetter said the county expects average tax bills for the “average” home value to be slightly lower this year than last year for many property owners because of digest growth and a modest reduction in the net millage rate.","The Spalding County Commission approved a $75 million fiscal year 2026 expenditure budget and certified a 15.45 mill rollback rate, while a proposed pay increase for commissioners drew a 3-1 adoption and public criticism about proposed service cuts.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Spalding County selects Liberty for managed IT services; county cites lower cost and service-level guarantees

Spalding County plans to cut five waste centers to two; residents warn of increased dumping

Spalding County adopts fiscal 2026 budget, millage falls; commissioners' pay increase sparks lone dissent