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Newton County approves agenda adjustments, law clerk pay parity and several budgeted purchases
Summary
At its April 15 meeting the Newton County Board of Commissioners approved a revised agenda, the superior court law clerk salary adjustment and several budgeted purchases and contract changes, including breathing apparatus for fire services and a client-app contract for Resource Court.
The Newton County Board of Commissioners on April 15 approved changes to the meeting agenda, adopted the consent agenda and voted to approve a series of budgeted purchases and contract amendments, including a pay adjustment for superior court law clerks, 25 replacement self-contained breathing apparatus for Fire Services, a client-management app for Resource Court and two SPLOST-funded change orders for engineering and materials testing.
The action items were routine approvals of budgeted or previously proposed expenditures and contract amendments. Commissioners approved the agenda as presented with line items 12 and 14 removed, then passed the consent agenda. The board voted to place Newton County superior court law clerks on the same pay scale as Walton County for parity, approved the purchase of 25 SCBAs from the lowest bidder for Fire Services, authorized a Reconnect client-management subscription for Resource Court and approved change order No. 2 for NOVA Engineering and Environmental LLC for two road projects funded by SPLOST.
Votes and funding notes
- Agenda adjustment: Board approved adoption of the meeting agenda with line items 12 and 14 removed prior to the consent vote. (No separate tally recorded on the transcript.)
- Consent agenda: Approved. (No separate tally recorded on the transcript.)
- Superior court law clerk salary adjustment: Motion approved unanimously; commissioners were told the county budget has funds to cover the remainder of FY25 and the FY26 budget will be adjusted to cover ongoing costs. The request was presented by Judge Ken Wynne. The request was described as equalizing pay among law clerks across Walton and Newton counties; cost specifics in the packet were presented to the board but not read into the record.
- Fire Services: Purchase of 25 self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBAs) from the lowest bidder approved; presentation by Chief Royce Turner. The purchase was described as budgeted and the motion passed.
- Resource Court: Approval of a Reconnect subscription (client-management app) was approved. Presenter Beth Smith said the app costs $6,000 annually (noted as $500 per month) and will be funded from the county's 212 drug-treatment special revenue fund.
- Public Works / NOVA Engineering: Two separate change orders (item 16 and item 17) to increase the maximum contract price for professional services and additional material testing for SPLOST-funded road projects were approved. County staff said contingency or remaining SPLOST balances will be used for the increases.
What the board recorded on funding and budgets
County finance director Britney White reported March 2025 financials earlier in the meeting showing general fund revenues of about $83.9 million (85% of budget) and expenditures of roughly $70.3 million (70.5% of budget). Staff noted some SPLOST balances and bonded projects; the board was told the 2023 SPLOST currently shows collections above projection and that contingency or project-level funds would cover the change orders.
The transcript records motions and votes as “all in favor” or “motion approved” for the items above; roll-call tallies and named yes/no votes were not read into the public record during these votes.
Ending
Board members did not ask for roll-call tallies during these routine approvals. Several items were described as budgeted or covered by SPLOST or restricted special-revenue funds; specifics are in the meeting packet cited by presenters but not read into the transcript.
