Fulton commissioners approve $2.24M procurement for jail supplies after debate over funding route

Fulton County commissioners on Jan. 8 approved procurement authority for $2,239,975.02 to buy supplies and equipment for people housed in the county jail after an extended debate over where the money should be held and how it should be spent.

The vote followed public and commissioner discussion about the county’s obligations under the U.S. Department of Justice investigation into jail conditions and the coming consent decree. County purchasing staff told commissioners they had vetted vendors and cooperative contracts and that, if approval was delayed, the sheriff would not be able to buy specialized items the jail needs.

"If we do not approve the spending authority, we will not be able to make purchases on behalf of the Sheriff's office for the inmates," county procurement official Felicia Storm Whitaker told the board during the debate.

Commissioners pressed two…