The Walton County Board of Commissioners approved several contracts, grant acceptances and capital purchases during its Oct. not specified meeting, including a lease‑purchase for a new ladder truck, a county contract for an offender tracking database, and a commitment of local matching funds for a Georgia Department of Transportation bridge replacement.

Key votes and approvals:

- Ladder truck lease‑purchase: The board approved a lease‑purchase agreement to finance a Williams Fire Apparatus SPH 100 ladder truck for $2,131,822.99, spread over five years with an annual payment cited as $489,055.68. County staff said the purchase is in the approved budget and will be funded by the county’s fire tax. The county will own the truck outright at the end of the five‑year term; the approval was made subject to final review by the county attorney to ensure statutory lease‑purchase requirements are satisfied.

- Offender watch database: The county approved a contract with Watch Systems LLC to provide an offender tracking database for the Walton County Sheriff’s Office; staff said the vendor made requested contract changes and the system is widely used in other counties.

- GDOT local match for bridge replacement: The board agreed to commit $75,000 in local funds as Walton County’s contribution toward a GDOT bridge replacement project at Dewey Hogan Road over West Chickamauga Creek. Staff said the county will cover right‑of‑way costs as needed and that the funds come from bridge replacement allocations already embedded in the county budget.

- Grants and intergovernmental agreements: The board accepted or authorized multiple grants and intergovernmental agreements, including a juvenile court grant acceptance of $99,673, renewal of a VOCA‑related grant for the district attorney’s office, a Firehouse Subs grant application for fire rescue extinguisher training, and an intergovernmental agreement coordinating court reporter compensation between Walton County and Newton County’s joint judicial circuit.

- Professional services: The board authorized a professional services agreement for juvenile court grant administration with Break the Cycle Counseling and Consulting LLC, subject to final county attorney review.

County officials said the ladder truck purchase was budgeted and that a trade‑in was negotiated at a higher value than expected; staff also noted the purchase will replace an apparatus currently in poor condition. Several items were approved unanimously and placed on the administrative consent agenda; the ladder truck approval was moved and seconded and carried with commissioners voting in favor subject to final attorney sign‑off.

The meeting also included routine departmental reports and a separate public hearing on a rezoning request (see separate coverage).